From cute to empress

Chapter 136 It’s a matter of course

The morning sun was warm on my face. I took a deep breath, and the air was filled with the fragrance of earth and grass. From afar, the towering dam stood like a giant, guarding this land poised for a bountiful harvest. The people's long-cherished wish was finally coming true today.

"Your Majesty, we're here." Craftsman Li's face was dusty, his coarse clothes speckled with mud, but his eyes sparkled with excitement. Pointing to the dam in the distance, he excitedly declared, "Once the gates are opened, the river water will flow through the ditches into the fields. Then, the land within a hundred miles will have drinking water!"

I nodded with satisfaction and motioned for him to continue. But before Li Gongjian could finish his words, a panicked shout suddenly came from a distance, breaking the original tranquility.

"Oh no! Something's wrong!" A migrant worker covered in mud crawled over and shouted in panic, "The dam... the dam... something's wrong..."

I was startled and asked quickly, "What's wrong? Tell me slowly, what happened to the dam?"

The worker gasped, pointed in the direction of the dam, and said incoherently: "The dam body...water seepage...is getting more and more..."

"What?!" My face changed, and I immediately exchanged glances with Zhen Youcai. A sense of foreboding suddenly rose in my heart. Without giving it any thought, we immediately rushed towards the scene of the accident.

Arriving at the foot of the dam, the sight before us made both Zhen Youcai and I gasp. Tiny cracks had appeared on the once solid dam, and muddy river water was seeping through them, forming startling streaks across the dam.

"How could this happen?" I asked anxiously, "Master Li, what on earth is going on?"

Craftsman Li was also sweating profusely. He carefully examined it and said solemnly, "Your Majesty, it may be that the heavy rain in recent days has caused the river water to rise and the water pressure to be too high, which has caused the cracks in the dam."

My heart sank immediately. If the water seepage could not be controlled in time, once the dam could not withstand the water pressure, the consequences would be unimaginable!

"What should we do now?" I turned to look at Zhen Youcai, hoping he could come up with a solution.

Zhen Youcai frowned, pondered for a moment, and said, "We must reinforce the dam immediately, otherwise if it breaks, the consequences will be disastrous!"

"But..." Craftsman Li looked troubled. "We don't have enough manpower and materials right now. I'm afraid..."

"I'll figure out the manpower and materials!" I said decisively. "Craftsman Li, you just need to tell us what's most important right now!"

Craftsman Li looked at me, then at Zhen Youcai, gritted his teeth, and said, "If you want to reinforce the dam, you must..."

Craftsman Li looked at me, then at Zhen Youcai, gritted his teeth, and said, "To reinforce the dam, we must mix glutinous rice juice with lime to make a special adhesive to fill the cracks. This adhesive is extremely strong and can effectively prevent river water from seeping in."

"Glutinous rice juice? Lime?" I repeated, a glimmer of hope igniting in my heart. "These things are readily available, but..." I looked at the vast dam and said worriedly, "This project is so huge, where can we find so much glutinous rice and lime?"

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. I will send people to the nearby villages to collect them!" Zhen Youcai said as he was about to turn around and leave.

"Wait!" Craftsman Li stopped him. "Ordinary glutinous rice and lime won't work. It has to be..." He paused, as if he was having trouble speaking. "It has to be black glutinous rice mixed with century-old lime to achieve the best effect."

Zhen Youcai was stunned for a moment, then frowned, "Black glutinous rice and century-old lime are both extremely rare. I'm afraid..."

"I'll find a way!" I interrupted him, my tone firm. "Craftsman Li, just tell us how much you need, and we'll take care of the rest!"

Craftsman Li took a deep breath and reported a startling figure. Zhen Youcai and I exchanged glances, each seeing a hint of solemnity in the other's eyes.

Time was running out, so we didn't have time to think. We immediately split up and took action. Zhen Youcai was in charge of manpower allocation, mobilizing all the migrant workers originally assigned to other projects to work on the dam repair. Meanwhile, I worked with craftsman Li to figure out how to quickly create an adhesive from black glutinous rice and century-old lime.

After repeated trials, we finally found the optimal mix and method. Worker Wang led his colleagues, toiling day and night to implement the new plan. Each of them was drenched in sweat, their bodies smeared with mud, yet not a single one complained of fatigue. Watching them work so hard, I was filled with emotion and admiration.

However, just when we thought everything was going well, an unexpected challenge presented itself. Craftsman Li told me that due to the large amount of materials consumed earlier, the remaining black glutinous rice and century-old lime in the warehouse were running low, not enough to last until the end of the project.

"What?!" I suddenly felt dizzy. Could it be that all our previous efforts had been in vain? Could it be that the people's hopes for generations would ultimately be dashed?

Just when I was getting extremely anxious, a loud voice suddenly came from outside the crowd...

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Great news!" Landlord Zhao trotted over to me, breathless, his face beaming with joy. "I have some excellent glutinous rice and aged lime at home. I originally planned to keep them for repairing the ancestral hall, but now I'm donating them to the court for use in building the dam!"

My eyes widened in surprise. "Really? This is truly a timely help!"

Landlord Zhao patted his chest and said, "I dare not deceive Your Majesty! These materials are all passed down from my ancestors, and the quality is absolutely guaranteed! It is my honor to contribute my humble contribution to the country!"

I excitedly shook his hand and said, "Landlord Zhao, don't worry. I will always remember your righteous act!"

With the materials provided by Landlord Zhao, the project progressed significantly faster, and the risk of stagnation was resolved. Looking at the bustling scene on the construction site, Zhen Youcai and I smiled at each other, our hearts filled with relief.

After several months of construction, the water conservancy project was finally successfully completed. The people spontaneously organized themselves, beating drums and gongs, singing and dancing to celebrate this hard-earned victory. Zhen Youcai and I changed into casual clothes and walked among the crowd, enjoying the occasion with the people.

Magistrate Sun and Mr. Zhou hosted a banquet in the city to honor all those involved in the project. After three rounds of drinks, Magistrate Sun raised his glass and declared, "The successful completion of this water conservancy project is inseparable from the wise leadership of Your Majesty and General Zhen, and even more so, the hard work of all the craftsmen and laborers! I propose that we all raise our glasses together to toast Your Majesty, General Zhen, and all those who have contributed to this project!"

"Cheers to Your Majesty! Cheers to General Zhen!" Everyone shouted in unison and drank the wine in one gulp.

During the dinner, Zhen Youcai and I raised our glasses frequently to pay tribute to those who had dedicated their sweat and hard work to the project. Seeing the joy and pride on their faces, I felt deeply that everything I had done was worth it.

However, just as everyone was immersed in the joyful atmosphere, a guard hurried in, ran to Zhen Youcai with a panicked look, and whispered something in his ear. Zhen Youcai's face suddenly became solemn. He stood up suddenly, walked quickly to my side, and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, it's bad. The town downstream has suffered a flood..."

My smile froze instantly, and my heart sank. "What? Flood? What's the situation?"

The guard's voice trembled slightly. "Your Majesty, the flood is coming with such force that it has breached the dikes. The town is flooded, and the civilians have suffered heavy casualties..."

Without time to ask further questions, Zhen Youcai and I looked at each other and said in unison, "Organize manpower immediately and prepare for rescue!"