After ten years of accompanying me in my studies, the entire court begged me to shut up.

Wuqing County, at the breach of the embankment in the lower reaches of the Hun River.

The craftsmen in the Ministry of Works were working feverishly as the new dike was being closed.

Yang Shen and Wang Shouren were busy loading the cleared silt onto trucks.

Although he provided a solution for firing bricks from saline-alkali soil, its implementation was not so simple. After dozens of experiments, Wang Shouren finally discovered that adding silt was the most effective method.

The Ministry of Works is dredging silt, and there is nowhere to dump the large amount of silt. Someone took the initiative to haul it away, which is exactly what we wanted.

After Wang Shouren and his men finished loading the cart, they saw Yang Shen standing on the riverbank in a daze, so Wang Shouren called out, "Yang Shen, let's go!"

However, Yang Shen did not respond even after he called out several times.

He thought it was just a strong wind, so he went up to the riverbank, only to see Yang Shen staring blankly at a gap in the riverbank, his brows furrowed and his expression solemn.

"Yang, what are you looking at?"

When Yang Shen saw Wang Shouren, he pointed to the gap and said, "Look at this gap, something's not right."

Following Yang Shen's finger, Wang Shouren saw a breach about three zhang wide on the embankment. The river water had receded, revealing the embankment, which had been eroded and was covered in mud. Laborers from the Ministry of Works were carrying stones and sandbags, preparing to re-seal the breach.

"Something's not right?"

Yang Shen said, "If the summer floods are high and the torrents overflow the top, breaching the dikes, the breach should be wider on the outside and narrower on the inside, as if it were torn apart by a giant beast. The cross-section is jagged, and the traces of water erosion run from top to bottom and from the inside to the outside. Mud and rocks are thrown down, leaving a mess."

"But look here again. The edge of this gap is actually quite neat. Although it has been eroded by the subsequent water flow, the general outline, especially the starting point, is almost vertically cut down. And look at the cross-sections on both sides. The soil layer on the inner side shows signs of collapse that don't quite match the direction of the water flow."

Wang Shouren understood Yang Shen's meaning, and after observing intently, his expression gradually changed.

In a normal breach, the water flows through the weakest point, creating an irregular trumpet-shaped gap. But the gap in front of us has remarkably clean edges, especially the part near the riverbed, which is almost a straight line.

He gasped in shock, exclaiming, "You mean... someone deliberately breached the dam?"

"It wasn't dug up; someone first reinforced this section with wooden stakes and burlap sacks, then covered the surface with rammed earth to disguise it, creating a fake dike. It looks intact on the outside, but it's hollow inside. It's not noticeable under normal circumstances, but once there's a flood, this is the weakest point and will inevitably collapse."

"But... how could anyone do such a thing?"

Wang Shouren found it hard to understand and muttered, "When the dike collapses, countless villages and fields downstream are destroyed. This heinous crime deserves the execution of nine generations of one's family!"

Yang Shen was silent for a moment, then said, "Think about it, who benefits the most from the disaster in Wuqing County?"

Wang Shouren's mind raced. He said, "After a disaster, the imperial court will allocate disaster relief funds and grain... Are you saying that someone wants to embezzle this money and grain?"

Yang Shen nodded, then shook his head, and said, "Besides the disaster relief funds, large areas of land in Wuqing County have been affected by the disaster, and land prices will inevitably plummet. If someone buys these lands at a low price now, and then sells them at a normal price after the disaster, or simply manages them themselves, they can make a fortune."

Wang Shouren glanced around and lowered his voice, saying, "Yang, this matter is of great importance. Should we report it to the imperial court immediately?"

Yang Shen shook his head: "Without any evidence, who would believe our guesses alone?"

"What can we do then? Are we just going to stand by and watch...?"

"No rush, let's go back first!"

Yang Shen had a vague feeling that this matter was not so simple.

If the breach was indeed deliberately caused, the forces behind it are definitely not limited to Wuqing County.

When the two returned to the brick kiln, Zhu Houzhao was still there.

Liu Jin seemed to have seen a savior and hurriedly recounted what had happened that day.

After listening, Yang Shen nodded, then went to Zhu Houzhao's side and said solemnly, "Young Master, your status is special, it is not appropriate for you to take risks here, let alone spend the night outside."

"I'm not leaving!" Zhu Houzhao retorted, "I want to see what kind of scoundrels they can summon!"

Yang Shen stepped forward and lowered his voice: "If Your Highness insists on staying overnight, and the situation escalates and reaches His Majesty's ears, it will be incredibly difficult for you to get out in the future. To gamble your future freedom for a few petty scoundrels—wouldn't that be penny-wise and pound-foolish?"

These words struck a nerve with Zhu Houzhao.

He feared nothing and no one, except being locked up in the palace and not allowed to leave.

The thought that if her father were to be furious because of tonight's events and keep her under strict surveillance, preventing her from ever coming to this bustling kiln again and witnessing Yang Shen's novel ideas, made her hesitate.

Seeing that his expression relaxed, Yang Shen pressed his advantage, saying, "Don't worry, go back to your residence. If those villains dare to come again, there's still Wang Sizhi!"

Zhu Houzhao hesitated for a moment, glanced at the sky, and finally said reluctantly, "Then... alright, I'll go back with you!"

Then he looked at Wang Shouren: "Director Wang, you must promise me that if they really come tonight, you must find a way to keep them here until I come over first thing tomorrow morning! Don't let them get away!"

Wang Shouren's lips twitched almost imperceptibly. He cupped his hands and said, "Your humble servant obeys!"

Liu Jin felt as if he had been granted a pardon, and quickly called the coachman to coax and persuade Zhu Houzhao to get into the carriage.

Yang Shen said to Wang Shouren, "Don't make a fuss about today's events beforehand."

Wang Shouren nodded and watched the carriage leave.

It was already quite late when Yang Shen returned home.

Along the way, the more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt; the image of the dam breaching kept replaying in his mind.

He had thought about not meddling in other people's business. After all, this was the Ming Dynasty. If the emperor fell into the water, he could die from a sneeze after getting ashore. What did he have to do to change the rules of this world?

But when I think of those people, displaced and barely clothed, I still can't get over this hurdle in my heart.

After returning home, he hurriedly ate a mouthful of rice and then plunged into his study.

Both Yang Tinghe and his brother were Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), so their study naturally had a complete collection of books.

In the middle of the night, Yang Tingyi got up to use the restroom and returned. He saw that the light in the study was still on. At first, he thought he was seeing things, so he rubbed his eyes to make sure that someone was inside, and then he went in.

"Nephew, what are you doing in the middle of the night?"

Yang Shen looked up, his eyes rimmed with dark circles, and said, "Second Uncle, I'm here to look up some information."

Yang Tingyi yawned and asked, "It's the middle of the night, let's look for it tomorrow!"

"Second Uncle, do you remember the flooding situation in the lower reaches of the Hun River... especially in Wuqing County?"

"Who could remember that? You'd have to look for the Wuqing County Annals."

Yang Shen raised the book in his hand; it was a slightly worn copy of the "Wuqing County Gazetteer".

"Second Uncle, look here. Since the Yongle era, although there are records of floods in Wuqing County, they are mostly descriptions of rivers overflowing and inundating fields, causing minor damage to crops. The most serious one was only the destruction of more than ten houses."

Yang Tingyi leaned closer to take a look and said, "That's right. Wuqing is located at a higher elevation, and the Hun River is at its lower reaches here, where the water flow is gentle. It has never been a disaster-prone area."

"But this year's situation is very different. This time, the breach in the dike flooded more than 30 villages, destroyed thousands of houses, drowned hundreds of people, and destroyed tens of thousands of acres of farmland. Is this reasonable?"

"The floodwaters are indeed higher this year than in previous years. Who can say for sure, given the natural disasters and man-made calamities?"

Yang Shen shook his head before saying, "I saw a breach in the dike today; it wasn't breached naturally!"

Yang Tingyi was instantly wide awake and asked, "You...you said it didn't collapse naturally? What do you mean?"

Now that things had come to this, Yang Shen no longer concealed anything and recounted everything he had seen and his own speculations.

Yang Tingyi gasped, his face turning deathly pale: "Is that really true?"

"Absolutely true."

Yang Shen continued firmly, "Wang Sizhi was also present, and we've confirmed it repeatedly. And think about it, why is the Ministry of Works' dredging progress so slow? Why is there so little progress in resettling the disaster-stricken people? I suspect there's something going on regarding land deals!"

A series of questions made Yang Tingyi break out in a cold sweat.

He stood up and paced around the study, his face grim.

"If that's really the case... it's a matter of life and death, no small matter!"

Yang Shen nodded: "So we must find out the truth, but I don't have any evidence right now, only speculation."

Yang Tingyi frowned, then suddenly said, "You wait here!"