From cute to empress

Chapter 131 He Qing Haiyan

Golden sunlight shimmered on the shimmering water, reflecting a dazzling light. Clear water flowed merrily along the newly built canal, nourishing the fields on both sides. In the fields, lush green crops swayed in the wind, as if waving to us.

"My God, you see, this is all thanks to you!" An old farmer excitedly shook my hand, tears glistening in his cloudy eyes. "Since the completion of this water conservancy project, we no longer have to worry about droughts and floods. The harvest is getting better every year, and our lives are getting better and better!"

Looking at this thriving scene before me, a warm feeling welled up in my heart. Ever since the severe drought a few years ago, Youcai and I have been determined to develop water conservancy projects to benefit the people. To this end, we have overcome numerous obstacles, and today, we finally see these gratifying results.

"Yes, thanks to the Queen and the General!" The people around also echoed, with happy smiles on their faces.

I turned to look at Youcai standing beside me. He was dressed in military uniform, looking dashing and heroic, with a gratified smile on his face. For this project, he had been traveling back and forth between the border and the imperial court for years. Now that he saw the people living and working in peace and contentment, all his efforts had been worth it.

"This is the result of everyone's joint efforts," Youcai said loudly. "Without your support and cooperation, this project would not have been completed so smoothly."

When the people heard this, they all showed admiration and gratitude on their faces.

We continued our tour along the riverbank, filled with laughter and joy. Children chased and played on the ridges of the fields, and elderly people sat in the shade of trees, chatting and chatting. Everywhere was filled with happiness and hope.

"My lady, look, that's Craftsman Li!" said a sharp-eyed villager, pointing to a busy figure not far away.

Following his gaze, I saw a lean, dark-skinned, middle-aged man directing the craftsmen in the final adjustments to the sluice gate. He was focused and meticulous; it was none other than Li, the chief craftsman who had designed and built the project.

"Let's go and take a look." I took Youcai's hand and walked towards Craftsman Li.

"Craftsman Li, thank you for your hard work." We walked up to Craftsman Li and greeted him with a smile.

Craftsman Li looked up and, seeing us, quickly put down his tools and saluted respectfully, saying, "Your Majesty, General!"

"No need to be so polite." I motioned for him to stand up and pointed at the magnificent project before me and asked, "How's the progress of the project?"

A proud smile appeared on Craftsman Li's face. "Your Majesty, everything is ready. We only need to complete the final adjustments before we can officially put it into use."

"Thank you for your hard work." Youcai patted Craftsman Li on the shoulder and said appreciatively, "If you hadn't insisted on adopting the new design plan against all odds, we wouldn't have achieved what we have today!"

Hearing Youcai mention what happened back then, Master Li's expression became a little excited...

"General, you're too kind," said Craftsman Li, a blush spreading across his dark face. "If it weren't for the trust of the Empress and the General, who, against all odds, gave me this opportunity, I would have only had the idea, unable to execute it!" He paused, pointing to the new sluice gate in the distance. "Your Majesty, General, look! This sluice gate uses a new gear mechanism that automatically adjusts the flow according to the water level. It's more precise and efficient than previous manual control, and it saves time and effort."

Looking at the ingenious structure, I couldn't help but exclaim in admiration: "Craftsman Li is truly the embodiment of ingenuity! The design of this water conservancy project is truly ingenious and breathtaking!"

Craftsman Li scratched his head sheepishly and continued, "It's not just the sluice gates. The direction of the canal was also carefully planned based on the terrain after repeated measurements. This way, we can not only maximize irrigation for the farmland, but also effectively prevent soil erosion."

At this moment, a burly man with rough hands approached, followed by a group of equally unassuming migrant workers. "Madam, General!" he said, walking up to us and bowing deeply. "I'm Wang Laosan, and these are my brothers involved in the water conservancy project."

"Migration worker Wang, you have worked hard these days." I quickly helped him up and looked at their faces weathered by wind and sun, my heart filled with gratitude.

"It's not hard, it's not hard at all," Wang Laosan said with a simple smile. "It's our blessing to be able to contribute to the Empress and the country!" He paused and said with some emotion, "Our ancestors have lived on this land for generations, suffering from droughts and floods. Now, with this water conservancy project, we don't have to worry about the harvest anymore! This is all thanks to the Empress and the General!"

The migrant workers behind Wang Laosan also nodded in agreement, their eyes filled with gratitude and joy.

Looking at the innocent smiling faces before me, my heart is filled with joy. We have put in so much effort and overcome so many difficulties for this moment, and now we finally see the rewards.

"Craftsman Li, Worker Wang," I looked around at everyone and said solemnly, "You are all heroes of the country and benefactors of the people. On behalf of the court and the people, I thank you for your contributions!"

"Serving the country is what we should do, what we should do!" everyone said in unison.

There was a sudden commotion in the crowd. I turned around and saw a middle-aged man in fancy clothes with an unwilling look on his face being escorted by officers and soldiers... "What's going on? Who is he?" I frowned slightly, looking at the middle-aged man who was being escorted over.

"Your Highness, he is Landlord Zhao," Magistrate Sun, who was standing nearby, immediately stepped forward to report. "When the canal was being built, they needed to occupy some of his land. He obstructed it in every way possible, even inciting the villagers to riot. Thanks to the General's timely arrival, the situation was finally quelled."

"Landlord Zhao?" I thought carefully. To build the water conservancy project, Zhen Youcai and I visited many places and encountered numerous obstacles, including this landlord Zhao. He was a wealthy family owner, with hundreds of acres of fertile farmland. To protect his own interests, he obstructed the water conservancy project in every possible way, even spreading rumors and inciting the ignorant people to cause unrest.

"You bold and unruly person!" Zhen Youcai shouted angrily, frightening Landlord Zhao so much that he trembled all over and fell to his knees. "Do you admit your guilt?!"

Landlord Zhao's face turned pale, and he trembled as he said, "I...I know my crime..."

"Are you aware of your guilt? Since you know you are guilty, why do you still obstruct national projects and ignore the interests of the people?!" Zhen Youcai asked sternly.

"I...I..." Landlord Zhao hesitated and was speechless for a long time. He had originally thought that with his wealth and power, he could have the best of both worlds, but this time he hit a wall.

"Landlord Zhao," I looked at this greedy, cowardly middle-aged man in front of me, and I couldn't help but feel a little sad. "The water conservancy project affects the well-being of millions of people. Why are you so short-sighted and only care about your own interests?"

"I... I was wrong..." Landlord Zhao finally realized his mistake and wept bitterly as he confessed, "I was ignorant and foolish, and I was blinded by greed. That's why I did such a foolish thing! Please, Your Majesty, please have mercy on me, General!"

"Admitting one's mistakes is the best path to improvement," I said calmly. "Since this is your first offense, I'll forgive you this time. I hope you can learn from your mistakes, mend your ways, and make more contributions to our country and our people."

"Thank you, Her Majesty, for your mercy! Thank you, General, for your mercy!" Landlord Zhao kowtowed repeatedly as if he had been pardoned.

"Lord Sun, Mr. Zhou," I turned to look at the two local officials standing beside me, "you must also take this as a warning and always put the interests of the people first. You must not abuse your power for personal gain, bend the law, or engage in corruption and fraud!"

"Your Majesty's teachings will be remembered!" Magistrate Sun and Mr. Zhou bowed quickly in response.

"The queen is wise, the general is brave!" Everyone shouted in unison, their voices resounding through the sky.

Zhen Youcai and I smiled at each other, our hearts filled with relief. Looking at the happy faces before us, I knew our efforts had not been in vain, and this prosperous era would finally be as we wished...

"Let's go over there and take a look," I said to Zhen Youcai, pointing to the nearby embankment. A gentle breeze rustled across the embankment, lifting my clothes and swaying the golden waves of wheat in the distance. Clear river waters flowed along the newly built canals, nourishing the fields along its banks. The once unpredictable droughts and floods were gone. Looking out, people toiled in the fields, children played and chased each other on the ridges, a scene of prosperity and peace.

"Mengmeng, look, this is the world we want to protect." Zhen Youcai stood beside me, pointing to the thriving scene in the distance, his tone full of pride.

I nodded slightly, a warm feeling welling up in my heart. Yes, for this day, we have put in so much effort and overcome so many difficulties, and now we can finally see the results.

"My Lady, General!" A thin, dark-skinned old man walked over quickly, followed by several civilians, each holding fresh fruits and vegetables. "You've worked so hard, come and have something to eat!"

"Craftsman Li, you have worked hard too." I recognized the old man. He was Craftsman Li, the chief engineer in charge of this water conservancy project, an experienced and skilled craftsman.

"It's not hard, it's not hard. I'm so happy to be able to do something for the Empress and the people!" Craftsman Li said with a smile, and the wrinkles on his face seemed to be smoothed out.

"Yes, Madam, if it weren't for you and the General, we wouldn't be able to live such a good life!"

"That's right! Now the fields have a good harvest every year, so we don't have to worry about going hungry anymore!"

The people gathered around, chatting one after another, with happy smiles on their faces and gratitude in their eyes.

Looking at them, my heart was filled with emotion. These simple people didn't want much, just a place to live and work in peace, a happy and stable life. And as the ruler of a country, my greatest responsibility is to protect their happiness.

"Craftsman Li, is the project progressing smoothly? Are you encountering any difficulties?" Zhen Youcai took the water bag handed to him by Craftsman Li and asked with concern.

"Thanks to the general, the project is going smoothly and will be completed soon!" said Craftsman Li excitedly. "Once the project is completed, we won't have to worry about drought or floods for hundreds of miles around here anymore!"

"That's good, that's good." Zhen Youcai nodded with relief.

Looking at this group of lovely people before me, I secretly made up my mind that this is just the beginning. I will continue to work hard in the future to create a better life for them and let this prosperous era continue forever...