In the local area, embankment construction often used silt from dredged ponds, sand, pebbles, and some bamboo-woven reed mats. How could the composition of the soil underground be so similar to embankment materials?
Silt and pebbles could be explained, but what about the reed mats?
She suddenly looked up and heard the rushing sound of surging water very nearby.
She stuck the shovel to one side and walked toward the shed entrance. Several people immediately came to block her.
“I need to relieve myself.”
Several men who looked like servants smiled and pointed to a corner of the shed where another small shed was partitioned off. “Over there. It’s raining outside.”
Tie Ci covered her nose. “It stinks. I also want to go out for some fresh air. It’s too stuffy in here.”
The servants wouldn’t budge. “It’s dark outside and the path is slippery. If you accidentally slip down the embankment, we can’t take responsibility.”
Several burly men blocked the shed entrance tightly. Tie Ci smiled, retreated a few steps, clutched her stomach, and went to the small shed.
Only then did the servants relax and disperse.
Tie Ci went to the small shed—also a partitioned space with a chamber pot inside.
She’d never seen men working outdoors in the open air with a specially prepared chamber pot in the wilderness.
Tie Ci jumped onto the chamber pot and lifted the roof covering. This shed was only supported by thin bamboo poles. Using the chamber pot for leverage, Tie Ci nimbly flipped out.
She didn’t go toward the oilcloth area but ran directly back in the direction they had come. After running for a while to higher ground, she saw thousands of lights below. At this time, the countryside should be pitch dark. Poor farmers would never light lamps at night for no reason. These lights everywhere could only mean something major was happening.
From the high ground, she looked at the terrain below. This sight made her heart lurch.
Below the embankment, behind the oilcloth covering, was clearly a swift-flowing river with turbulent downward currents. Without needing to see the water level, just from the constantly changing fluctuating waves, one could tell the water level was extremely high and about to overflow the embankment.
And the place where they had been digging—that long strip—what else could it be but the river embankment?
They had been tricked onto the embankment!
In another direction of the embankment, people were indeed organized to repair it, but obviously the place where she had just been was the highest water level blocking point!
That wasn’t digging sand and soil for bags at all—that was digging the river embankment!
The Xiao family had deceived outsiders onto the embankment to dig it in the middle of the night, preparing to release the flood!
The Xiao family ancestral home was located upstream, and their ancestral fields were also upstream. To protect their own property, they wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice countless common people and fertile fields downstream!
But the Xiao family had countless servants and the long embankment was under their control. Why didn’t they secretly dig it themselves instead of finding these outsiders and risking exposure?
Tie Ci stood dazed in the midnight rain, momentarily uncertain whether to rush downstream to notify the people to evacuate or rush back to the shed to stop the digging.
Stopping the digging in the shed was the most useful method, but everyone was working enthusiastically. She had seen they had already dug quite a deep pit. If she rushed back now, before she could arrive, it might already be dug through. And even if she exposed this matter, with so many Xiao family people there, they could solve it with one shovel per person.
If she rushed downstream, knocking door to door in the middle of the night calling people to flee—who would listen? How many households could she save?
Moreover, once the embankment was successfully breached, when the flood came, those digging the embankment would bear the brunt.
Tie Ci didn’t hesitate much.
She released a signal flare—a deep red light shot straight into the night sky. The Bureau of Imperial Manufacturing’s fireworks were incomparable to ordinary ones.
Second Senior Brother and Feiyu would definitely pay attention to outside movements. Seeing the fireworks, they would know what to do.
Tie Ci herself rushed straight downstream.
Toward the brightly lit area.
Halfway there, she encountered a large group of people carrying someone on a rattan stretcher. That person was gasping, “Quick! Quick! It’ll be too late if we delay!”
A large crowd of common people surrounded him, stumbling as they hurried toward the embankment.
Tie Ci ran toward them and shouted from afar, “Are you people from the downstream villages? Hurry back and pack your belongings. The river embankment might collapse…”
The man on the rattan stretcher sat up and said urgently, “I’ve told the villagers about this, but they don’t believe me. They insist the Xiao family has been having people urgently repair the embankment these days and wouldn’t let the water wash it away. They want to come see for themselves…” He pounded the stretcher in frustration. “I was even beaten and injured by the Xiao family over this. Our village is closest to the river and at the lowest elevation. If the water comes, we…”
An elder said, “Bah, you kid have been babbling nonsense all day. This embankment is perfectly fine. There’s a gap at the water diversion dam, hasn’t the Xiao family sent people to repair it urgently? If they wanted to breach the embankment to release flood water, would they need to spend so much silver on repairs…”
Another person said, “You kid, recently you’ve been making us come to this embankment every night, saying you’re afraid the Xiao family will secretly dig the embankment. Everyone has to work during the day and you disturb us at night. At first everyone believed you, but after several days, have you seen any activity? Afraid we don’t believe you, you even got people to put on an act. You’ve gone mad!”
Everyone condemned the young man, saying the embankment was pitch black with no activity, not even a soul to be seen. What embankment digging—it was all this boy’s delusional ranting. The young man couldn’t argue and became so angry his face turned red. In a fit of pique, he rolled off the rattan stretcher and limped toward the embankment himself.
Tie Ci stepped forward to stop him and said to everyone, “No need to look! That’s just a decoy. The main embankment has really been dug with a breach! I don’t know this person and wouldn’t conspire with him. Everyone hurry back to pack and evacuate. Pass word to other downstream villages too. I’ll go back to stop them from digging…”
Before she finished speaking, footsteps clattered behind her and someone shouted, “Terrible! Terrible!”
It was someone wearing Xiao family steward clothing, carrying a lantern and leading a large group of people. He ran up in panic, shouting loudly, “Dear fathers and villagers, we don’t know where a group of outsiders came from. They snuck onto the embankment we just repaired in the middle of the night and dug a hole in it! We couldn’t stop them in time. We’re rushing to notify you all now—everyone flee for your lives…”
In a flash of insight, Tie Ci understood the Xiao family’s scheme.
After days of heavy rain, the upstream water level had surged, threatening the Xiao family ancestral home and fertile fields. The Xiao family wanted to breach the embankment to release flood water, but this young man had accidentally discovered it and spread the word, causing downstream villagers to patrol the embankment nightly. The Xiao family, following the Empress Dowager’s hypocritical style, didn’t want their carefully cultivated good reputation ruined by this matter, so they devised this wicked plan of using others as their tool.
They selected outside travelers, intercepted people to help, tricked them onto the river embankment, first led them up and down to make them lose ability to judge elevation and direction, covered them on the embankment, lit disorienting incense, deceived them into thinking they needed to dig soil, and had these outsiders break ground to dig the embankment. When the embankment was breached and flood water came, eight or nine out of ten of these diggers would perish in the water. That’s why they deliberately selected those traveling far distances, without family wealth, from remote mountainous areas. Disappearing or meeting accidents on the road was perfectly normal, and families couldn’t come looking.
If by chance they didn’t die, after being washed by flood water and confused by disorienting incense, they might not remember clearly what happened. Even if they remembered clearly, it would be useless—the Xiao family would frame them for digging the embankment. Who would dare speak the truth then? They’d hurry back to their hometowns and never dare reveal a word for the rest of their lives.
In this matter, the Xiao family would take the opportunity to actively provide disaster relief and protect the people, burnishing their reputation and goodwill once again.
They might even frame political enemies for the embankment breach—killing two birds with one stone.
Truly a seamless scheme.
But this wasn’t the time to analyze the scheme. Suddenly there was a thunderous sound in the distance.
The embankment had broken!
Tie Ci was shocked.
Feiyu! Second Senior Brother!
Sounds of chaos filled her ears—waves, shouts, screams, attempts to stop people, pursuit—she left them all behind as she ran against the crowd.
…
Time returns to two quarters of an hour earlier.
The moment the signal flare went up, Feiyu and Second Senior Brother exchanged glances.
The next instant, the shovels in their hands flew up.
Feiyu attacked the steward, wanting to capture the person in charge.
But Second Senior Brother had no coordination with her—he shoveled toward the neck of a servant behind him.
Two slicing sounds, a splash, and a rainbow arc splattered on the oilcloth.
The servant’s head rolled down to the feet of the working people. They paused, numbly wiped the blood splattered on their faces, and continued swinging their shovels.
The servant died too suddenly and gruesomely, startling those people. The steward jerked backward, and two more people lunged to block. A clang accompanied by screams, an arm fell to the ground, and Feiyu rolled backward to the ground, blood dripping from the shovel in her hand.
She frowned slightly.
Sharp whistle sounds rang out. The remaining Xiao family servants reacted and rushed toward the two.
However, these ordinary thugs were no match for two masters. Before long, they were scattered on the ground.
Yet those outsiders continued numbly swinging their shovels despite the bloody fighting nearby. A deep hole in the ground continued extending forward.
Second Senior Brother obviously didn’t quite understand what was happening, but Feiyu already understood. As long as they dug through that remaining thin layer, river water would come crashing down.
She even suspected that behind the oilcloth was an embankment already secretly half-dug and built up high with sandbags.
When water accumulated to great heights and rolled down, it would be a catastrophe.
Seeing more and more people falling, Feiyu was thinking that after dealing with these people, she’d still have to stop these laborers who had been confused into forgetting everything.
Suddenly she heard “Stop!”
Turning back, she saw Gu Xiaoxiao and the others who had stayed behind, brought here under escort by a group of Xiao family servants.
The leader had a long face, wore luxurious clothing, and could be considered handsome with traces of Xiao family features, but his cheekbones were too high, giving him a somewhat sinister appearance.
In the violent wind and rain, he still held a folding fan, pointing at Feiyu and Second Senior Brother. “You two, please drop your weapons.”
Second Senior Brother ignored him completely. Feiyu originally wouldn’t have paid attention either—what did these people matter to her?
However, her gaze swept over Chi Xue and Dan Shuang, and she couldn’t help frowning.
After a long moment, she threw down the shovel in her hand.
The man continued, “All weapons on your person.”
Feiyu pulled out a short knife and threw it over, then took Second Senior Brother’s shovel and sword and threw them on the ground.
She was very cooperative. The other party seemed quite satisfied. After looking at her, he suddenly said, “Please wipe your face, miss.”
Feiyu wasn’t angry either. She smiled charmingly. Someone tossed over a water bag. She actually poured some water and wiped her face, then tossed the water bag back.
The dim shed instantly seemed illuminated by that brilliant light.
Gasps of indrawn breath filled the shed.
The man was also startled by Feiyu’s beauty and couldn’t help looking several times before giving his companion a meaningful look.
That person said, “Miss is very sensible. Since that’s the case, if you eliminate the people beside you, we’ll guarantee your safety.”
The folding fan man added, “Wanting a lifetime of wealth and honor is also possible.”
His attendant said, “This is Eighth Master of our Xiao family’s second branch. Cousin of General Xiao and elder cousin of Director Xiao.”
Feiyu smiled, “My apologies, my apologies. A master of the Xiao family indeed.”
The sinister folding fan man smiled slightly, both proud and dignified.
Feiyu asked curiously, “General Xiao this, Director Xiao that—this Seventh Master Xiao should at least be some Lord Xiao, right? My lifelong dream is to be with an official!”
Eighth Master Xiao’s expression darkened.
His attendant quickly said, “Impudent!”
Eighth Master Xiao waved vaguely to stop him. “Ah, don’t scare her. Women don’t understand these things. Look at your fierce appearance—you’re probably some female bandit roaming the martial world, right? People with criminal records shouldn’t be so arrogant.”
Feiyu suddenly said, “Indeed, indeed.”
Eighth Master Xiao was startled and instinctively looked at his feet. Suddenly wind rose behind his head, followed by a muffled sound. His neck received a heavy chop and he silently collapsed.
Dan Shuang had somehow already swept over and grabbed his neck. The person restraining her had already fallen to the ground. Chi Xue was withdrawing her hand, saying regretfully, “Too bad I brought too little medicine.”
Dan Shuang held Eighth Master Xiao and retreated toward Feiyu. The Xiao family people holding Gu Xiaoxiao, Chi Xue and the others immediately shouted, “Release our Eighth Master! Otherwise we’ll kill them!”
Dan Shuang raised her hand. Crack.
Eighth Master Xiao screamed loudly.
She had broken Eighth Master Xiao’s little finger.
The bloody little finger fell to the ground. Only then did Dan Shuang say coldly, “Release our people. I’m starting to count now. For each count, I break one of his parts.”
The people over there said in panic, “For each count you make, we’ll also break your people’s fingers!”
“Fine.” Dan Shuang’s face showed no expression, her eyes cold and ruthless. “Let’s see who can crush more. Don’t worry, I won’t kill him. I’ll release him later and let him reward you.”
Eighth Master Xiao angrily said, “Are they worthy of comparison with me? Quickly…” Facing those digging the embankment, not knowing what he saw, he suddenly screamed at the top of his lungs, “Release! Release! Release immediately!”
The other side hastily released people, but it was already too late.
With a thunderous roar, walls of crystal water rose, waves reached the sky. The surging river water finally lost its last restraint and poured down from heaven.
In the short time both sides had been confronting each other, the embankment had been dug through.
…