He was sweating profusely, and even his somewhat rounded physique appeared to have thinned considerably.
He looked hurried, clearly having just returned from outside.
Xu Lin spurred his horse forward, then dismounted and stood before Wen Zhonghe, immediately presenting the token of the Ding Wang Manor.
Wen Zhonghe was startled and immediately looked towards the group of people.
He saw that the man at the forefront, though his face was ordinary and not as he had seen before, possessed an aura that immediately revealed his identity.
As for who was following behind, he was unsure and did not have time to ask.
He quickly walked over and bowed respectfully before the Ding Wang's horse.
But he did not address him by name. Since he had come in disguise, he naturally did not want others to know his identity.
Therefore, he used his previous alias, He Fang, and said,
"Mr. He, you have traveled a long distance. Is it about the flood?"
"Yes, how has Lord Wen handled it?"
"It's a complex situation. Please come inside, Mr. He, and we can discuss it in detail."
He then instructed his servants to prepare food and lodging at the Wen family residence. Since they had come, they would naturally not stay anywhere else.
It was only fitting that they stay at the Wen Manor.
Upon entering the yamen, Wen Zhonghe ordered tea to be served, then said to the trusted advisor by his side,
"Have someone guard the courtyard and do not disturb us unless absolutely necessary. I have matters to discuss with Mr. He privately."
"Speak!"
This Mr. He, the advisor had heard of him before. His lord always praised him highly, and he had imagined him to be a refined elder. He never expected him to be so young, appearing to be only in his early thirties. Yet, he was so highly regarded by the prefect of Shuzhou; his abilities must be extraordinary.
Currently, Shuzhou was in dire need of capable individuals, so Mr. He's arrival was like a divine intervention.
He nodded solemnly and went outside to make arrangements.
Unbeknownst to them, the dark guards of the Ding Wang Manor had already been ambushed around the area, closely monitoring anything that could threaten the safety of the prince.
Inside the main hall, Wen Zhonghe, seeing that no one else was present, immediately knelt to pay his respects.
"This subordinate greets Your Highness."
"Lord Wen, please rise."
Without any pleasantries, the two began to discuss the matter of the flood.
"Since the beginning of spring, Shuzhou has experienced continuous rainfall. The region is already crisscrossed with rivers, so I anticipated the possibility of river levels rising. I had artisans dig and dredge the channels in advance. For this purpose, I specifically lowered the floodgates connecting the West Water River and the Luo River, intending to divert the water through the newly dug channels. Everything was going well, but half a month ago, someone deliberately blew up the floodgates. The floodwaters surged out like a ferocious beast, instantly destroying thousands of acres of fertile land and the homes of the common people outside Shuzhou city. Many people were swept away by the flood and their whereabouts remain unknown to this day."
As he listened to the report, Xiao Tingyi's heart grew colder.
The flood had been ongoing for over half a month, yet the casualties could not even be tallied. He immediately became angry.
"What is Yang Xu doing? I ordered him to guard the southwest army and protect the region, and this is how he protects it?"
"Your Highness, please do not blame General Yang. The roads and bridges between the southwest army and Shuzhou were all washed away. That night, General Yang ordered his men to repair them, while he himself led over two thousand soldiers familiar with water to cross the river. The tents outside the city were erected with their help, otherwise, the people would have had nowhere to go."
Hearing this, the Ding Wang's anger subsided slightly.
"The road and bridges are nearing completion. It is estimated that the southwest army will be able to come and assist tomorrow or the day after."
Wen Zhonghe was grateful. If it weren't for Yang Xu and the southwest army, Shuzhou would likely have fallen into true chaos.
Although the situation was difficult, the refugees had not scattered outwards. Once the southwest army crossed the river, they would be able to help with the recovery.
He was not afraid of this; it was other things that worried him.
The Ding Wang noticed his concern and quickly asked,
"What is it?"
"This subordinate worries that Shuzhou's land is inherently fragile. Earthquakes have occurred frequently over the past few centuries. After this flood, I fear that stabilizing the soil on the mountains will be a problem. If it triggers an earthquake and landslides, Shuzhou will truly be plunged into catastrophe."
After he said this, even Xiao Tingyi fell silent.
On the way here, he had considered this matter. If an earthquake were to occur, what would they do?
In the face of natural disasters, human power seemed so insignificant.
The refugees outside had yet to be dealt with, and unexpectedly, Wen Zhonghe's words proved prophetic.
The yamen, which had been fine moments before, suddenly began to shake.
The porcelain vases on the table clattered to the ground. Even those with high martial arts skills like the Ding Wang and Xu Lin were nearly thrown off their feet by the tremor.
"Earthquake! Earthquake!"
Wen Zhonghe's eyes were filled with terror. The thing he feared most had happened just as the Ding Wang arrived in Shuzhou.
If he were to be harmed in the slightest, the entire southwest army would surely seek revenge.
Therefore, disregarding his own safety, he lunged forward to protect the Ding Wang. However, as he got up, he was struck by a wooden chair beside him, and a heart-wrenching pain shot through his arm; it was likely broken.
Xiao Tingyi inwardly exclaimed, "Not good, A'Yao is still on her way to the Wen family!"
He then quickly ran towards the outside, saying to Xu Lin behind him,
"Protect Lord Wen and lead everyone to a safe place first."
"Your Highness!"
Xu Lin was filled with anxiety. His concern was naturally for the Ding Wang's safety, but he could not disobey the prince's orders. In the end, he gritted his teeth, hoisted the injured Wen Zhonghe, and ran out of the room.
It was unclear how long the earthquake lasted, and the entire Shuzhou was thrown into chaos.
Because of past earthquakes, the houses in Shuzhou were not built very high, and the wooden piles used had deep foundations.
However, the disaster was too violent, and the wooden piles supporting the houses were uprooted. Naturally, the houses collapsed in large numbers.
The wealthy families hiding in their homes in the city, panicked, rushed out. Upon closer inspection, some were even carrying gold and silver, truly not forgetting their possessions even when fleeing for their lives.
Feng Jin Yao and Chi Zi Mo, Qiao Shan Wei, and others, who were in the carriage, had intended to go to the Wen family to rest and wait for the Ding Wang to rendezvous with them.
They did not have official ranks and therefore could not rashly enter the prefect's yamen.
Unexpectedly, as they were halfway there, the ground began to shake violently.
Coincidentally, they were passing through a residential area. The buildings in these residential areas were not as sturdy as official residences. As they shook, they all collapsed from all directions.
The horses were startled and threw off the coachman, then ran wildly forward with Feng Jin Yao and her two servants in the carriage.
"Cousin!"
"Third Miss!"
Qiao Shan Wei and Chi Zi Mo immediately spurred their horses to gallop forward, trying to stop the carriage or pull the three of them out.