Outside the gate of the Ting Gu Palace, Ruan Erxin, the right assistant minister of the Ministry of Works, was waiting relaxed. During this period, the officials of the various departments and temples in the capital were in danger and were in endless suffering. However, he received the order from Zhenwu at this time to preside over the rectification project of the Haihe River in Tianjin. For him, he was like a happy person.

He was a Jinshi of the Renxu Certificate in the 21st year of Kangxi. He was only fifty-six this year. His official career has been ups and downs for 30 years. He has experienced ups and downs and has achieved success and failure. In the 45th year of Kangxi, he was promoted from the Assistant Censor to the Taichang Temple Minister. In just a few years, he was demoted to the fifth rank of Guangdong Dao Censor because of his party's accession to the crown prince. He thought his career was hindered, but he was suddenly promoted to the Minister of Works in the 51st year of Kangxi. Before he was happy for two years, he met the new emperor ascended the throne.

As the saying goes, the emperor is the minister of the former crown prince and the minister who was promoted by the Supreme Emperor, in the eyes of the new emperor, he was definitely the target of suppression. He was mentally prepared, but he did not expect that Zhenwu had no intention of touching him at all, but instead entrusted him with important tasks. How could he not be happy about this? If this job can be done beautifully, he will not only be able to hold a firm position as the Minister of Works, but he may also be appreciated and valued by Zhenwu. He dare not think about the promotion of the second rank and the first rank. It is not ordinary difficulty to be promoted to the first rank. It is not enough to have political achievements alone, but also depends on opportunities. I don’t know if this important task is considered an opportunity for him?

As he was thinking about it, a little eunuch had already walked out in a hurry and said loudly: "The emperor has an order to Xuan Ruan Er's visit."

Ruan Erxun hurriedly stopped his mind and bowed to him, "I received the order." As he said that, he got up and quickly followed the eunuch in.

When he entered the hall, Ruan Erxun glanced at Zhenwu quickly, saw him wearing a precious orchid casual outfit and writing at the desk, he hurriedly knelt down at the door and said, "My minister Ruan Erxun respectfully asks the Emperor for his holy care."

Zhenwu looked up at him, looking at him, but he was not old, but in his early fifties, he was considered young among the second-rank officials, with a thin body. His face was very white and somewhat elegant. Seeing him getting up and kneeling in front of him, he asked, "You are from She County, Huizhou, Anhui Province, Mei Wending, Xuancheng, Mei Cheng, are you familiar with?"

When Ruan Erxun heard this, he was surprised and hurriedly bowed and said, "Go back to the emperor. I am a lady from She County, Huizhou. Later, I moved to Xuancheng County and had contacts with Mei Wending and Mei Chengduo."

Zhenwu nodded slightly before saying, "Who will lead the survey team this time?"

"Returning to the emperor, the Western missionaries Lei Xiaosi, Bai Jin, Du Demei, and some scholars such as Suo Zhu, Bai Yingtang, Gong'er and Shengzhu have all gone to the northern part of the desert to explore and map maps. He Guodong is the only one who is proficient in surveying and has rich experience in surveying."

He Guodong? Zhenwu had never heard of this name before thinking a little, and said, "What surveys have this person participated in?"

Ruan Erxun knew that Zhenwu was worried about He Guodong, so he hurriedly bowed and replied: "Back to the emperor, this person has been surveying the complete map of the Qing Dynasty with Lei Xiaosi, Bai Jin and others in various places for several years. Last year, he returned to Beijing to rest due to illness."

Are you involved in the drawing of the "Complete View of Emperor Kangxi's Vessels"? That was a talent. After pondering slightly, Zhenwu said loudly and ordered outside: "Xuan He Guodong meets with you." As he said that, he looked at Ruan Erxin again. He said in a deep voice: "The Haihe River cuts its bends and straightens the project, which is a huge project, which is both for flood relief and for shipping, and is also a labor-for-relief project to solve drought and famine. This matter is jointly responsible for you and Shi Shilun.

This year's spring drought is expected to be serious, and the victims who pour into Tianjin will not be a decimal. The Haihe Project is a work-for-relief, and the resettlement and pension of disaster victims must be put first, and the diet, epidemic venting, etc. must be meticulous and thorough. Of course, the quality of the project cannot be a little vague.

The wages of the victims must also be with you. This is the cost of post-disaster reconstruction. You and Shi Shilun have a reputation as a result. I am relieved. However, it is difficult to say that the officials below must not only have a dedicated person to calculate, but also have a dedicated person to supervise. You and you must also conduct random inspections at any time and conduct private visits to prevent officials at all levels from deducting money and food from being swallowed by disaster victims. I will also send people to secretly visit. If there are illegal things among the officials, I don’t mind borrowing a few heads to establish authority. This project not only concerns the image of the court, but also concerns the reputation of you and your two generations. I hope you will do it yourself."

Ruan Erxun felt nervous when he heard this. Disaster relief has always been a good opportunity for the officials below to make money. He knew a little about the methods and tricks of those dirty officials. It would be a bit difficult to completely eliminate them, but Zhenwu said this enough. If something happened, he and Shi Shilun could not escape.

This job is difficult to handle, but it is undoubtedly a great opportunity. If the job is done well, it will inevitably be appreciated by Zhenwu. After pondering for a moment, he bowed and said, "The emperor will keep it in mind." After getting up, he bowed and said, "The emperor has always been as clear as water, and the officials are as slippery as oil. The officials below have various methods of corruption, bribery and embezzlement, and they are endless. The ministers are worried that they cannot be guarded."

"It's okay." Zhenwu said lightly: "I have an order. Anyone who dares to take food from the victims will be executed, regardless of the officials, and will be recorded as a permanent example. The Ministry of Revenue Rules. If there are really people who want money but don't have to wait for the order, they will be executed on the spot and then destroy the whole family."

Listening to these faint words, Ruan Erxun Deng felt a chill on his back, and the whole family was killed. It was really not a joke. He hurriedly bowed and said, "I respect the orders of the minister."

Zhenwu nodded slightly and slowed down and said, "Shi Shilun is an honest official, but he is a little paranoid. He likes to be weak and is even more fond of money. Although you are honest, you are from a wealthy family. Everything must be focused on the overall situation."

Ruan Erxun hurriedly bowed and said, "I respect the orders of the minister."

As soon as he finished speaking, he was dressed in casual clothes. He Guodong, who was in his early thirties, walked in quickly and kowtowed, "Student He Guodong respectfully invites the Emperor to the Holy of the Emperor."

Hearing his voice a little hurry, he didn't stand up after paying his respects. Zhenwu knew that he was nervous and was also quite strange. Why did he not have an official position? After a moment of pondering, he said, "Everyone is free from courtesy, just flat." As he said, he picked up a scroll from the desk and said, "Time is tight, and the Haihe project must start as soon as possible. The first phase of the diversion project will be from Gujia Temple to Yangzhuang. It will not fall three miles in length. It will be cut off Tianjin Bay, Laoya Bay and Donghe Bay, and the Haihe channel will be shortened by nearly five miles. This is a detailed picture. Look at how long it will take to explore and map?"

He Guodong couldn't help but feel a little confused when he heard this. He was not familiar with the etiquette in the palace. When he came in, the eunuch taught him a little, but he did not teach him what to do. It was not a trivial matter for Jun Qian to lose his manners. He looked at Ruan Erxun without asking for help. Seeing this situation, Zhenwu couldn't help but smile and simply handed the scroll directly to Ruan Erxun, smiling and said, "No need to be polite, take a closer look."

Seeing Zhenwu's gentle attitude, He Guodong couldn't help but relax a little, walked to Ruan Erxun's side, and looked at Gujia Temple and Yangzhuang with red circles on the picture. He pondered slightly, and then knelt down and replied: "Go back to the emperor, you can draw and draw lines within three days."

It can be completed within three days of listening. Zhenwu praised him for a glance, pondered for a moment, and said: "Building roads, building dikes and rivers, exploring mineral deposits, surveying maps, and nautical charts are all inseparable from calculation and exploration surveying. Now Western learning is in full swing and talents are scarce. This survey of Haihe River is a rare practical opportunity. You must help the backwards." After a slight pause, he continued: "He Guodong has outstanding talent and great ambitions, and has made a contribution to the country. He is truly the head of the Ministry of Works Dushuiqing Literature."

He Guodong is a juren and has a lot of contact with officials on weekdays. He is very clear that the heads of various departments and courts are the sixth rank official title, but he never expected that Zhenwu would directly award him the sixth rank official title. For a moment, he didn't react at all and even forgot about thanking him.

Ruan Erxun was both envious and jealous. He Guodong was just a single man, and it was a great honor to be a member of Tianyan. Unexpectedly, he was actually appointed as a sixth-rank official from a white body. How could this make the high school Jinshi feel? It should be noted that even if he is a first-rank Jinshi, he is only a sixth-rank or a seventh-rank title.

However, after all, he had been in the officialdom for a long time, and soon realized that Zhenwu did not even ask about He Guodong's specific situation. He only knew that he had actually given him a fifth-rank official position with Western missionaries Lei Xiaosi, Bai Jin and others in the past few years to explore and map. This was by no means a rashness and casualness. If he was really rash, he could only be awarded a false title, rather than a real title of director of the Qingshui Department of the Ministry of Works. Besides, Zhenwu was not a rash and absurd lord, and he would never joke about the lack of real officials.

After thinking about this and contacting Zhenwu's words, he immediately realized that Zhenwu was promoting He Guodong by exception to the goal of promoting Western learning. It seems that the court should start to vigorously promote and encourage Western learning. He Guodong's luck is really bizarre. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but glance at He Guodong, and seeing that he was still dazed, he couldn't help but remind him softly: "I'm not thanking God."

He Guodong came to his senses and realized that he had lost his etiquette before the king. He hurriedly suppressed the excitement in his heart and kowtowed calmly: "I thank the emperor for his kindness."

*

Three days later, amid the loud gongs and drums and deafening firecrackers, the Haihe diversion project officially broke ground at Gujia Temple. The entire ceremony was hosted by the Governor of Zhili and Ruan Erxun, the Minister of Works. Most of the people in Tianjin came to watch and enjoy the fun.

Zhenwu's imperial guard set off for Beijing with the faint sound of firecrackers. It was nearly half a month away from Beijing. The capital was as calm as usual, and he did not need to stay in Tianjin anymore. Moreover, the weather became warmer day by day, but it was still raining. Not to mention the farmers who relied on the weather for their income, even the vendors, officials and gentry in the city realized that this year was afraid that there would be another big drought. Rice prices in the capital, Tianjin and surrounding prefectures had begun to rise.

In this case, Zhenwu really had to go back to Beijing to the Circular Mound of Heaven to worship the sky and pray for rain, otherwise the people would have to blame him for the cause of the drought. {Piaotian Wenxue www.piaotian.net Thank you for your support, your support is our greatest motivation}
Chapter completed!