The low-key prince summons trainees from the Imperial Household Department at the start of the game.

Inside the Ministry of Works' office, Du Ruhui frowned as he looked at the stack of accounts for the Yongding River project on the table.

The first thing he did after being transferred to the position of Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works was to retrieve all the river works accounts that had been backlogged for at least five years and check them item by item.

I didn't realize it until I saw the pair, and I was shocked.

The repair record of the Yongding River embankment states that 200,000 stone blocks and 80,000 barrels of glutinous rice mortar were used.

But the day before yesterday, he personally went to walk around the dam and measured it zhang by zhang with a ruler. The stone slabs were no more than 120,000 shi.

The mortar was also the wrong color, and the newly built dam had already begun to seep water.

He slammed the account book on the table and wrote a few words on a notepad.

The stone materials from the Yongding River are significantly different from the actual materials; we plan to meet with the material suppliers tomorrow.

At the end of the note was a line of small print: This matter should not be publicized for now; it will be reported to the Minister after verification.

He then tucked the note into the ledger and placed it on the corner of the desk, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his aching temples.

At this moment, the old servant knocked on the door and came in, presenting a visiting card with both hands.

The cover of the visiting card was made of high-quality silkworm cocoon paper, which was as soft and tough as silk and as dark and rich as lacquer.

The post contained only a few words.

"I have long admired Lord Du's skillful management of the river. I have prepared a small pot of tea to invite you to my residence for a chat. Zheng Xuan of Xingyang."

Below the name is a private seal, engraved with the four characters "Xingyang Zheng Family".

His finger paused for a moment on the name "Zheng Xuan," the Zheng family of Xingyang.

One of the three major sources of the world's literary cultivation methods.

During the reign of Emperor Wenzong of the Qianlong Emperor, the Zheng family ancestors annotated the Six Classics extensively, thus establishing a system of methods for entering the realm of classical studies.

Over the course of three hundred years, the Zheng family has never produced a single Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, yet they have been able to secretly influence the mentorship and promotion of hundreds of civil officials of the fourth rank and above.

He put down the visiting card, stood up, straightened his clothes, and said to the old servant, "Report to Mr. Zheng that Mr. Du will be there on time tonight."

That evening, he changed into a faded gray cloth robe, took only his old servant with him, and rode in an inconspicuous sedan chair to the Zheng family's villa in the north of the city.

The Zheng family's villa, while not as exquisite and elegant as the Chen family's in Yingchuan, possessed a simple and profound grandeur.

The gate is made of a single piece of bluestone, and an old wooden plaque hangs above the lintel with the four characters "Xingyang Caotang" written on it. The paint is mottled and faded.

The butler who led the way was respectful but not obsequious.

He was led through the halls and corridors to a two-story wooden building. A plaque hung on the upper floor with the words "Library".

The butler pushed open the door, stepped aside, and gestured for him to enter, saying that the master of the house was waiting for him upstairs.

Du Ruhui climbed the stairs, which creaked slightly under his feet, mingling with the faint sound of turning pages coming from upstairs.

Suddenly, I remembered a sentence that Fang Xuanling had said when I was compiling the Book of Sui during the Zhenguan era in my previous life.

"Among all the prominent families in the world, the Zheng family of Xingyang is the most unpredictable."

However, that was the Zheng family of Xingyang in my previous life. I never expected that there would be a Zheng family of Xingyang in this world as well, and that it was even more unfathomable than the one in my previous life.

The second floor was brightly lit, and all four walls were lined with bookshelves.

Extending from the floor to the ceiling, each compartment is crammed with classics, historical texts, philosophical works, and yellowed handwritten manuscripts.

An elderly man with white hair and beard was standing in front of a desk, flipping through an old book, when he heard footsteps.

He raised his head, took off his reading glasses, and looked at me with kind eyes.

He was wearing a faded gray cotton robe, and looked like a retired old tutor.

But those eyes were as clear as a twenty-year-old's, without a trace of the turbidity of an old person's eyes.

This is Zheng Xuan, the head of the Zheng family of Xingyang.

"This junior greets Elder Zheng." Du Ruhui stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

Zheng Xuan placed his reading glasses on the desk and looked him up and down.

He gestured for him to sit down at the tea table by the window, and then personally brewed a new pot of tea.

"I had long heard that Lord Du had thoroughly investigated the river works accounts at the Ministry of Works and even personally went to the Yongding River construction site to measure the dikes."

"In all these years, this is the first time I've heard of a Vice Minister of Works personally measuring a dike."

"If all officials were as meticulous as you, how many more dikes could be built across the land?"

Du Ruhui took the teacup but said frankly, "The accounts of the dikes do not match the reality. He cannot measure all the dikes in the world with just his eyes and a ruler."

Zheng Xuan picked up his teacup, took a sip, and slowly said, "It's not that Lord Du can't measure it, it's that one person can't measure it all."

Before Du Ruhui could reply, he turned around, pulled an old book from the bookshelf, and placed it on the tea table.

The box sleeve was labeled with the three characters "Shui Jing Zhu".

Du Ruhui took the letter and opened it, discovering that it was not an ordinary printed book, but a handwritten copy.

The paper was yellowed and the edges were worn and frayed, clearly indicating that it had been turned over countless times.

Many slips of paper were tucked between the pages of the book, covered with dense handwriting, all of them annotations and corrections.

What surprised him even more was that these annotations were not just textual research on the original text of the "Commentary on the Waterways Classic".

It also contains a wealth of practical experience regarding river channel changes, dam site selection, and hydrological surveying.

Which river changed its course in which year? Which section of the embankment was constructed using which type of stone?

I remember clearly which sluice gate size did not match the actual flow rate.

He held the letter in silence for a long time, then looked up at Zheng Xuan with a more heartfelt respect in his eyes than when he entered.

Zheng Xuan gazed at the swaying bamboo shadows outside the window and slowly said, "The Zheng family has never produced a great river engineer, and few of our ancestors served as ministers in the Ministry of Works, but the Zheng family has its own methods."

"Every year, we send our disciples to travel along the Yellow River, Huai River, and Grand Canal, measuring the dikes, recording the hydrology, and drawing river maps along the way."

"Not for official positions, but for compiling books, generation after generation, for hundreds of years, before this annotated book came into being."

He gave the book to Du Ruhui, asking him to take it back and read it carefully, chapter by chapter.

The annotation slips tucked inside the book don't need to be returned; you can copy them again after you've finished reading.

Du Ruhui placed the book beside him and said in a low voice.

"This gift from the old gentleman is more precious than anything else."

Zheng Xuan said calmly, "It's just a few pages of paper accumulated over hundreds of years. It's lifeless in the library, but it becomes living water in the hands of those who manage the river."

Du Ruhui suddenly recalled his conversation with Fang Xuanling a few days ago while they were drinking together.

Knowing that Chen used his methods to gain trust, and that Lu used benefits to win over allies.

But Zheng's approach was completely different.

They don't compete or fight; they simply help those in need by compiling books, annotating scriptures, providing Dharma teachings, and offering academic support.

He pondered for a moment, then asked Zheng Xuan.

"The Chen family of Yingchuan exchanged their teachings for trust, while the Lu family of Fanyang supported the Jianghu forces through their private salt trade routes. Each aristocratic family has its own way of doing things. So what is the way of the Zheng family?"

Zheng Xuan picked up the teapot and refilled his cup, saying slowly, "The Chen family's approach is investment; once they set their sights on someone, they provide full support without seeking short-term returns."

"The Lu family's strategy was infiltration: using money to buy trade routes, using those routes to support their people, and using those people to control the local areas."

"The Zheng family's path is to pass on the legacy. They do not compete for positions in the court or seize power in the cabinet. They only do one thing: organize the knowledge left by their predecessors and pass it on to future generations."

"Seventy percent of the river engineering blueprints of the Great Zhou Dynasty were drawn by the Zheng family."

"Among all the civil officials of the fourth rank and above, there are over a hundred who have received instruction from the Zheng family."

"We don't rely on power or money, but on the reputation we've built up over hundreds of years."

"The Zheng family never participates in factional struggles, never takes sides, and only helps those who are willing to get things done."

"The Ministry of Works is a place that needs people to get things done the most, and you are the one who gets things done, so the Zheng family is willing to help you."

Du Ruhui stood up, walked up to Zheng Xuan, and gave a proper bow.

"I have kept every word of what you said today in mind, and the investigation of the river works accounts is underway."

"When we need to measure the water conservancy projects across the country in the future, we will inevitably have to consult Mr. Zheng. At that time, we hope that you will not hesitate to give us your guidance."

Zheng Xuan rose and returned the greeting, saying, "The things accumulated by the Zheng family over generations are meant to be passed down through generations."

Du Ruhui held the copy of "Commentary on the Waterways Classic" in his arms, then took his leave.

When he walked out of the library, it was already late at night. The starlight shone on the bluestone path of Xingyang Thatched Cottage, and the old books in his arms were heavy.

Back in his duty room, he opened the copy of "Commentary on the Waterways Classic," lit the oil lamp, and turned to the title page, where a line of words was written in neat, tiny characters.

"Those who govern the river should take the whole world as their measure."

He picked up his pen and added a sentence below that line.

"Du Ruhui will remember this."