Da Ming: The system granted me immortality; I clock in every day.

Spring of the ninth year of the Yongle reign.

The afterglow of the army's triumphant return had long since dissipated, and the willows outside Jinling City had sprouted new green leaves.

Emperor Yongle, Zhu Di, did not let the victory at the Onon River deter him from his ambitions.

Instead, it intensified like oil being poured over a raging fire.

This time, his gaze extended beyond the Yangtze River and beyond the Central Plains.

It points directly to Beiping in the north.

That was the place where he rose to power, and the true capital of the Ming Dynasty in his heart.

If the capital is to be moved, it is necessary to ensure that the millions of grain shipments can be transported smoothly northward.

However, the wars at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, coupled with years of neglect, led to the collapse of the project.

The section of the Huitong River within Shandong Province has long been silted up, making it impossible for grain ships to pass.

At Zhu Di's command, Song Li, the Minister of Works, was ordered to dredge the canal.

The task of dredging the canal seemed to fall to the Ministry of Works.

But the heavy burden of mobilizing hundreds of thousands of laborers and raising massive amounts of money and grain once again fell squarely on the shoulders of Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi.

Inside the Wenhua Hall, Zhu Gaochi leaned against the cushioned throne, his brows furrowed.

His oversized casual clothes now looked somewhat empty.

The days of working late into the night to attend to state affairs have made the already deeply worried crown prince even thinner.

"The Shandong Provincial Administration Commission is complaining bitterly about the food rations for 300,000 laborers, and rats are running rampant in the Ministry of Revenue's treasury... Father Emperor is putting me on the fire!"

Zhu Gaochi rubbed his throbbing temples and let out a long sigh.

The eunuchs and palace maids serving in the main hall were all silent, barely breathing.

Zhu Gaochi flipped through two memorials in frustration, but could no longer bear to read them.

He stood up, put his hands behind his back, and paced aimlessly around the hall.

Before I knew it, I had arrived at a side hall.

In a corner of the side hall, Gu Yannian was sitting upright at his desk.

Before him was a stack of Ministry of Works files, half a foot high, but his mind was clearly not on the files at the moment.

Beside the desk, a small purple clay stove was bubbling and steaming.

A rich aroma, a blend of star anise, cinnamon, tea leaves, and soy sauce, wafts through the air.

This is a pot of tea eggs that Gu Yannian cooked with precise control of the heat when he had nothing else to do.

Hearing footsteps, Gu Yannian looked up and saw that it was Zhu Gaochi. He was about to get up and bow.

"Alright, alright, Registrar Gu, no need for formalities. I'm just taking a stroll."

Zhu Gaochi waved his hand and sat down in a rosewood armchair opposite Gu Yannian.

But their eyes were involuntarily drawn to the purple clay stove.

"What are you cooking? The aroma has a calming effect."

Gu Yannian remained calm, picked up a damp cloth from the side to cushion his hand, and lifted a corner of the lid of the clay stove.

"Your Highness, it's just a few chicken eggs. I simmered them with last year's tea and a few common spices over a low flame to pass the time during this long period of duty."

Gu Yannian spoke calmly, "If Your Highness doesn't mind this coarse thing, may I peel one for you to try?"

Zhu Gaochi swallowed and nodded.

The imperial cuisine in the palace was exquisite, but it always had a rigid feel to it.

On the contrary, the local street food that Gu Yannian occasionally whipped up always miraculously soothed his restless stomach.

Gu Yannian used bamboo chopsticks to pick out a tea egg.

With skillful hands, the eggshell with its marble-like cracks was peeled away.

It was placed in a small white porcelain dish and pushed in front of Zhu Gaochi.

The egg whites, soaked in the braising liquid, took on an enticing amber color.

Zhu Gaochi took a bite, and the aroma of tea and the salty and savory flavor of spices blended together perfectly.

It has a chewy texture and a lingering aftertaste.

"Excellent craftsmanship."

Zhu Gaochi praised it and finished the tea egg in just a few bites.

The anger in my heart miraculously dissipated a bit.

He picked up the teacup beside him and rinsed his mouth.

Looking at Gu Yannian's ever-calm face, she couldn't help but start pouring out her grievances.

"Registrar Gu, tell me, isn't being the Crown Prince incredibly frustrating? The Grand Canal is silted up, hundreds of thousands of people are digging mud in Shandong, and the Ministry of Works is coming every day demanding money and grain. Where am I supposed to conjure up so much silver for them?"

Gu Yannian lowered his eyes and gently placed the bamboo chopsticks in his hand on the pen holder.

He knew that the crown prince wasn't really asking him for money; he just needed a completely safe listener.

In the Wenhua Hall, Gu Yannian neither formed cliques nor flattered others, and he kept his mouth shut.

He is the most suitable candidate.

"Your Highness is the Crown Prince of the country, concerned about the nation and its people. I am but a lowly official, ignorant of the great principles of governing the country and bringing peace to the world."

Gu Yannian spoke in a gentle tone, as if he were having a casual chat.

"It's just that my hometown is in the countryside, and I often see farmers managing waterways. If a river is blocked, the farmers never just use their brute force to dig out the mud."

Zhu Gaochi's eyes flashed: "Oh? So what will they do?"

"Water flows downhill; this is a fundamental principle of nature."

Gu Yannian said slowly.

"Farmers would consult the oldest man in the village. The old man could know the terrain and the direction of the undercurrents within a ten-mile radius with his eyes closed. By finding the key to the water vein, he only needed to gently open a small opening and use the nearby stream to flush away the silt."

"This is called going with the flow and using the opponent's strength against them. It's much less strenuous than dozens of strong men wielding hoes and working themselves to the bone."

After listening, Zhu Gaochi fell into a long silence.

A moment later, a glint of light suddenly flashed in the eyes of the Crown Prince who was overseeing the state.

He suddenly burst into laughter.

"Go with the flow, use their strength against them... Go consult the oldest living man! Gu Yannian, Gu Yannian, your words have truly awakened me from my dream!"

Although Song Li, the Minister of Works, was knowledgeable in engineering, he was, after all, a high-ranking official of the imperial court.

How can anyone compare to the local Shandong river workers who have spent their entire lives working on the canal and are intimately familiar with the waterways?

Once the key water sources and terrain features are found, water can be diverted to flush away the sand, and the amount of engineering work can be significantly reduced.

The consumption of money and grain naturally decreased.

Zhu Gaochi suddenly understood and stood up impatiently.

He didn't even have time to brush away the tea leaves that had fallen on his clothes before hurrying back to the main hall.

He immediately drafted an imperial edict and sent it to Shandong by express courier, ordering Song Li to extensively search for reclusive scholars and veteran river workers.

Gu Yannian watched the Crown Prince's departing figure and shook his head slightly.

Historically, Song Li visited Bai Ying, an old man in plain clothes, and adopted his ingenious strategy of "diverting water from the Wen River to aid the transport of goods".

Only then was the Nanwang Water Diversion Hub finally completed, completely opening up the Huitong River.

He was merely reciting this historical record as a rural tale.

As for who will break the deadlock, that is destiny.

He still wouldn't make a single move in this game.

[Ding! Today's attendance complete. Attribute point gained +1.]

As the notification sounded in his mind, Gu Yannian skillfully added the points to "Spirit" and then put the lid of the purple clay stove back on.

The tea eggs need to be simmered for another two hours to truly achieve an amazing flavor.

Summer of the ninth year of the Yongle reign.

In June, Nanjing is unbearably hot.

The cicadas clung to the tree trunks, chirping their hearts out, and the water in the moat was scalding hot from the sun.

It had a fishy smell of rotting aquatic plants.

Today is Gu Yannian's day off.

Although there's no need to go to the Wenhua Hall to face those mountains of documents.

But Gu Yannian still opened his eyes precisely at the hour of Mao (5-7 AM) and silently counted off the time in his mind.

[Ding! Today's attendance complete. Attribute point gained +1.]

He added this precious bit to "strength".

Now his strength attribute is approaching the 800 mark, and even if he casually pinches a piece of blue brick, he can make a fingerprint as easily as squeezing tofu.

This superhuman physical ability meant that he didn't break a sweat even in the sweltering heat.

My skin felt cool and smooth like jade.

As evening approached, a magnificent sunset painted the sky with fiery clouds.

In Gu Yannian's small courtyard, an iron mesh grill was set up.

The charcoal fire glowed red-hot, and a fresh carp weighing three pounds was gutted, cleaned, marinated with scallions, ginger, and cooking wine, and then laid flat on the grill.

The grease dripped onto the charcoal fire, making a sizzling sound and sending up wisps of blue smoke.

Gu Yannian held a specially made bamboo brush in his hand and slowly and evenly brushed a layer of bright red and tempting sauce onto the fish.

This sauce is made by him using Western chilies harvested last autumn, combined with Sichuan peppercorns, cumin, and a variety of spices in a secret recipe.

The moment the sauce touched the piping hot fish, a strong, domineering, and mouthwatering aroma instantly filled the entire courtyard.

Just then, the courtyard gate was knocked on very lightly three times.

Gu Yannian didn't even turn his head, only saying indifferently, "The door isn't latched, Master Huang, please come in yourself."

With a mental strength of up to 800 points, he had already reached a level of exquisite perception of his surroundings.

The footsteps were unsteady, with a slightly panting rhythm.

Aside from that Crown Prince, who was addicted to traveling incognito, there was no one else in the entire world.