Lei Yue Longmen

"Take today's residence report."

After taking a bath, Li Jingchen was too lazy to move, and sat in front of the dressing table, letting Yun Zai dry her hair with a dry towel. She leaned on the back of the chair, breathed out, and solemnly read the letter.

Yun Zai has long been used to her habit of being extremely tired and busy with official duties.Seeing her frowning tightly, she knew that bad news probably came from Beijing again.He didn't ask too many questions, just quietly tied her hair.

"Dun Wang has sent an envoy to Lan Que under the emperor's order. Once he succeeds, he may add reinforcements."

This letter was sent five days ago by Tan Xuanjing, her mentor since childhood.However, the matter involved dates back to half a year ago, when the queen of Lanque Kingdom sent an envoy to Yurui to ask for a marriage in order to sign a covenant of eternal repair.

Lan Que is a famous daughter country, so the marriage partner must naturally be selected from among the princes. She is not suitable as the empress prince, and the brothers below will fight for it.King Dun is her half brother, the oldest among the princes, and it is expected that he will win.

However, after all, Lan Que is far away from Yurui Mountains and Rivers, and the road is far away. Even if the marriage is successful, it will not help him too much.On the contrary, this natural contribution to cultivating the alliance is a free gift.It's much easier than her hard work to control the river, which is thankless.

Even Li Jingxi defended her sister's injustice in the letter, blaming her for neglecting her own interests and making others cheaper. Fortunately, she only complained in the letter and didn't really feel that Li Jingchen was wrong. Always keep it in mind.

Thinking of this, the Empress Dowager felt warm in her heart.

"Sister, when will you come back? I miss you, come back soon! I will pick you up at the Chilan Bridge thirty miles outside the city."

After the complaints, the second princess's undisguised longing appeared vividly on the paper.

The crown princess read the coquettish brushstrokes over and over again, and the thoughts in her heart were drawn out.

Looking up, looking out the window at the silver plate that has been rounded countless times, all kinds of complicated and unspeakable emotions turned into a sigh deep in my heart.

go back?Is it time to go back again?

It has been more than half a year since he went out to patrol the river in the capital, and he has also found a proper way to control the turbid river. Most importantly, he has elected the most ideal governor of the river. It seems that there is no reason to stay outside.

It's just that when she thinks of the bloody wind in the capital, her brows frown for no reason, and a sense of boredom emerges from the bottom of her heart!

I don't know when, Dai Jing has become her only trace of warmth and concern for that imperial city.Sometimes, I really want to take her far away, even if the corners of the world become dusty, it is better than being buried into soulless bones by perverted people in the deceitful Fangcheng.

But only she knew that the imperial city called Jiankang, from the moment they were born, was destined to be a barrier that they couldn't escape while alive, and a tomb that they couldn't hide after death.

Just like the titles of the companions born with the two of them, one is Jianchun and the other is Kant.

The next day, when inspecting the embankment of the Xinzhuo River, Yun Zai accompanied His Highness.While looking at the square dikes, he usually listened intently to what Huang Shiliang had to say.Finally, I couldn't help asking curiously: "Master Huang, some of these dams are horizontal, some are vertical, and some are curved. What are they for?"

Huang Shiliang said with a smile in a friendly Wu dialect: "Young lady, I don't know that the embankment of this turbid river often breaks, so three defenses are often built on the river bank. , to prevent general floods. The second is the remote embankment farther from the river bank, which is mainly used to prevent extreme floods. Between these two embankments, there are many short horizontal embankments called grid embankments. In order to confine the water in small grids when the flood breaks through the embankment. The half-moon embankment built next to the embankment is also called the moon embankment, which is to prevent the angry waves on the river. Moon dikes are used to remedy the situation. Generally, it is only built in places where the waves are fierce and the current is fast.”

Yun Zai was amused by what he heard, and asked quickly, "Then what if these dikes are filled?"

Huang Shiliang smiled and said: "There are gates between the grids. If one grid is full, it will overflow and flood the village. We have to open the gate and let the water flood the other grid."

Everyone laughed at the same time.In a blink of an eye they arrived at the thatched shed, Li Jingchen went in first and sat in the middle, and the rest of the people sat on long benches.

Gu Mian straightened his face and said: "The turbid river is turbid, half of it is water and half of it is sand. The water can't carry the sediment, and it can only sink to the bottom in places where the water is slow. Over the years, the sediment has raised the river bed. As a result, the embankment has been built higher and higher, forming a suspended river on the ground, which is indeed easier to breach than ordinary rivers. We must think of a long-term stability method."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Gu Mian said: "There is an old saying that controlling the river is better than controlling the sand. When the sand is cured, the water will be clear, and the flood will naturally decrease. How to control the sand depends on our new governor of the river, Mr. Huang."

Huang Shiliang was very grateful for his words of enlightenment.He secretly thought that this Mr. Gu really deserves to be the number one counselor in the East Palace. Although he doesn't talk much at ordinary times, he can often get to the point when it matters, and see through the essence of the matter.

He said to Li Jingchen: "Master Gu said that the control of the river is the key to control the sand. This is the key to control the turbid river. I have been thinking about it for a long time, and suggested using the method of constricting the water to attack the sand, building dams to narrow the river, and taking advantage of the upstream water. Flushing the silt at the bottom of the river fundamentally solves the problem of silt blocking the river."

Gu Mian nodded again and again, "Using clean water to wash away turbidity, storing water to attack sand, this plan is very clever."

Li Jingchen nodded: "How long will this method take?"

"It can range from ten years to decades."

There was a long silence in the hut.Li Jingchen pondered for a moment: "Huang Shiliang, you know that the court cannot afford to spend such a long time."

"I know, but since ancient times, there has been no one-and-done solution to the management of the Zhuohe River. It is not something that can be relieved in three to five years. Since Your Highness recommends the minister to be the governor of the river, I should spare no effort to manage the Zhuohe River smoothly. Isn’t it a failure to live up to the trust of the emperor and His Highness? I can only do my best to ensure that the Zhuohe River will not have a major embankment breach during my lifetime, and no one hundred thousand refugees will be lost, and no ten thousand acres of fertile land will be affected by disasters. , the imperial court has no loss of tens of millions. If you can do this, I will have no regrets in this life."

Li Jingyu was thoughtful, and the worries in his eyes gradually melted away, revealing a clear trust and firmness.It was this confidant-like trust and firmness that gave Huang Shiliang the urge to go through fire and water for her.

"Okay. Huang Shiliang, I can't be the master of other things, but I can still say something about the river. I will give you the time of your life to manage the river. If you have any difficulties in the future, you can come Find me. Tian Sanqi is a gift for you from Gu. In the future, wherever the Zhuo River flows, there must be the most honest officials in this dynasty, at your disposal. Don't let Gu down."

The middle-aged man smiled knowingly, bowed his head and said firmly: "I will do my best to repay Your Highness for your kindness."

On the occasion of parting, Gu Mian handed an envelope to Li Jingchen, and said meaningfully: "I have sorted out what your Highness wants overnight. This person is a great talent. Wen Tianxia. He was supposed to stay in Beijing for appointment, but he was dispatched here for some reason. I have heard that this person is determined not to know right from wrong, and His Highness must make an unannounced visit before this trip can be accomplished."

Yun Zai looked at Gu Mian and started walking with his bridle in his hands, and asked, "Master Gu, isn't he with us?"

"Well, he went to visit some relatives and friends. It's inconvenient to follow."

"Then where are we going next? Do we want to continue patrolling the river?"

Li Jingchen glanced at what was written in the letter, and said:

"Tell Yunzhong, the horses and chariots that are going west, the next stop is Longmen County."

"Longmen County? Why does this name sound familiar?" Yun Zai was stunned for a moment, then suddenly came to his senses, and said in surprise, "Ah, the second princess seems to say that Cen Zhuangyuan is working in Longmen County. Your Highness wants to Do you want to help the second princess inspect the son-in-law?"

Li Jingchen folded the envelope smoothly and said, "That's right."

Yun Zai immediately jumped up excitedly, obviously happier than his own son-in-law.Quickly go to inform her compatriot brother Mu Yunzhong that the carriages and horses are ready, and they will go to Longmen County for a blind date.

Since the river cruise was over, the three of them hired a carriage and traveled lightly, admiring the scenery of mountains and rivers along the way, but walking comfortably.

At noon the next day, Fang left the boundary of Mayang. After walking for a long time, he heard the sound of raging waves, like drums beating a mountain, and the momentum was majestic.The little girl hurriedly got out of the car and turned her head to watch, but saw two miles away, there was a waterfall hanging from a mountain, hanging high between the cliffs, looking at the clouds steaming and the water rolling.The conical peaks on both sides go straight into Xiaohan, like two pillars supporting the sky, supporting a Yushui Tianmen.

"Could it be..."

The old man driving said: "The little official has good eyesight, so that's Longmen."

The little girl danced excitedly, "It's really Longmen Waterfall, my lord, we're here!" Yun Zhong sat on the horse, covered his forehead with his hands, and looked into the distance, seeing the dragon's head spitting foam and the clouds dancing.

After another mile, the road was blocked, and the three of them wanted to abandon the car and take a closer look, but they were afraid that they would lose their bags.The driver said with a smile: "Don't worry, the three officials. This old man is here to help look after the luggage and horses. I won't lose anything." Yun Zai said: "Old man, don't you want to go and see?"

The old man said: "The old man's legs and feet are inconvenient. Besides, this waterfall is tired of seeing it. Most of the people who come here have heard the legend that every spring, carps from all over the world will swim over and jump over the dragon gate. They can jump. In the past, you can turn into a dragon. The legend has been around for many years, and I have never seen a dragon. You guys are more blessed than the old man. Just look at it, I will smoke a pipe in the car by the way Take a nap." While talking, he really pulled out the cigarette rod from his back, took out two flints from his belt, hit it three times and lit it, biting his sharp beak and sucking in a sharp mouthful , spit out slowly, there is really a calm and calm.Yun Zai smiled and said, "Old man, don't just take a nap, you have to help us look after our luggage!"

The old man smiled and said: "I know, I know, you should take all your valuables with you, and you can rest assured. I am so old, I won't be greedy for you or anything. Besides, you are officials, and ordinary people can't mess with you." Get up."

Yun Zhong thought to himself: "This old man also has eyesight." According to what he said, he must be on guard against others.He put the important seal on his back, picked up the sword, and was about to leave.But the old man said again: "Wait a minute, three officials, take these two umbrellas with you."

"It's fine and it's not raining, why do you need an umbrella?" Yun Zai was puzzled.

"You'll know when you go." The old man didn't say any more, and puffed on the smoke.

The three of them held umbrellas, walked down the official road, and went straight to the waterfall.

The closer you get to the mountain, the louder the sound of the water is. When you reach the foot of the cone peak, you can already hear the roar of dragons and tigers. Five steps away, the sound of people is lost and you have to shout loudly to hear it.Looking up, I can see a cliff standing on the cliff, more than twenty feet high, and the width does not see the end.The waterfall comes out from the east between the two cone peaks, hangs in the air and falls straight down, galloping into the valley with great momentum.There are several round-headed giant rocks piled up on the bottom of the valley, which have been washed away by waterfalls and rains for a long time, and their edges and corners have long been smoothed.On a bright and clean standing rock near the shore, there are two dragons and phoenixes engraved in large characters, which are "Dragon Gate"!

Li Jingchen sighed to himself, unexpectedly, this winding and crawling giant torrent has the potential to soar and hang upside down here.

The waves aroused by the bottom of the valley are as high as several feet, and people standing below can only see the mist, which is like rain, and the cold silk hits the face, and the clothes are wet in a short time.

Yun Zai quickly opened the umbrella and covered His Highness's head, "Fortunately, the old uncle reminded me to bring the umbrella, otherwise we would all be drowned."

Yunzhong also opened the umbrella, leaned over a little, covered the petite Yunzai, and said loudly:

"I often hear Taifu Tan say that Longmen Waterfall is the world's first wonder, and it really lives up to its reputation. Only this kind of Longmen can save fish and transform into dragon, and go straight to the nine heavens!"

Li Jingchen closed his eyes and listened to the thunder, unconsciously his heart was racing.

Yun Zhong followed her angle to look at the cloud and smoke, but saw that in the hazy fairyland, there seemed to be a real dragon coming out of the water, breaking through the sky with great momentum, and reaching the Nine Heavens.The thunder and the lightning turn the clouds and rain.I don't feel intimidated.

When the three of them lingered under the waterfall for a long time, the accumulated lumps in their chests seemed to be washed away by the jade water, and they were open-minded and very clear for a while.

"Your Highness, there is a pavilion over there, let's go and have a rest!" Yun Zai suddenly pointed to the halfway up the mountain, and there was indeed a four-cornered winged pavilion flying among the towering emerald green hills.The three of them went up the stairs and entered the pavilion, only to find that it was a stele pavilion.There is a mountain-shaped stone tablet standing in the middle of the pavilion, with a thousand-character inscription "Longmen Fu" engraved in the middle, which begins with:

"Heavenly meritorious work, two mountains confront each other, clanging godly axe, in a water passage. The formation of the que corresponds to the mighty power of the dragon; the opening of the gate corresponds to the voice of the shepherd boy. It is named Yique, according to the mountains and rivers And it is famous; it is called Longmen Xi, and it is famous because of the emperor's prestige. 【1】”

"It's so bold!" Yun Zhong praised, "I don't know who wrote it?"

Li Jingchen said: "This Longmen Fu was written by the predecessors, but looking at this inscription, the dragon tendons and phoenix bones, three points into the stone, seem to be from the hands of Chuan Zhijie."

Turning to the back, there is a small inscription on the back, detailing the origin of the inscription.It turned out that this stele pavilion was built by Cen Zhu, the magistrate of Longmen County three years ago, and the inscriptions in the pavilion were also transcribed by the magistrate of Longmen County from the manuscript left by his teacher Chuanzhijie.

"Written by Cen Zhu, magistrate of Longmen County in the spring of the 22nd year of Qinghe." Yun Zhong read the small characters at the end. Although the strokes are not as strong as the previous ones, they are still upright and round, with a lot of muscle.Holding his sword in his arms, he said, "Isn't this Cen Zhu the person His Highness will be looking for during this trip?"

When he turned his head to look, he couldn't help but startled.I saw Li Jingchen standing in front of the stele in a sluggish state, with an expression of disbelief in his pupils.After a while, he squatted down halfway, touched the inscription with his hand, and traced the cold inscription with his fingertips: "This word..."

The author has something to say:

[1] From Sun Jigang's "Longmen Fu".

Beaming water and attacking sand comes from Pan Jixun, a water-controlling minister of the Ming Dynasty.