Climbing to the Top: A Reborn Queen's Journey-Chapter 494: Inspection (Part 3)

"I am Zhao Dahong, I greet the Commandery Princess."

"I am Fang Yu, I greet the Commandery Princess."

Zhao Dahong is about fifty years old, with graying hair, and is the most highly ranked craftsman in the Ministry of Industry, specializing in repairing riverbanks.

Fang Yu is younger, appearing to be in his forties, specializing in surveying terrain mapping and calculation.

Both are top-tier craftsmen who truly understand water management. Upon inquiry, Zheng Chen brought them both here.

Jiang Shaohua glanced over them and said with a smile, "Rise, you two. Today, stay by my side in case I need to inquire at any time."

Zhao Dahong respectfully agreed, but Fang Yu hesitated for a moment and said in a low voice, "Commandery Princess, Lord Minister has been urging for a riverbank construction plan these past two days. I have been busy at the government office for days and nights, and today I’m at the most critical point..."

"Bold! Shut up!" Minister Zhou suddenly turned stern: "The Commandery Princess comes on behalf of the Emperor to inspect the Ministry of Industry. It’s your good fortune for her to call you by her side. How dare you reject her under the pretense of being busy? This is disrespectful to the Commandery Princess and to the Emperor!"

Fang Yu, a mere craftsman, could not bear such accusations, so he hurriedly knelt and bowed for forgiveness: "I misspoke, please spare me, Commandery Princess."

Minister Zhou intentionally reprimanded the craftsman to embarrass this ’intruder of the Ministry of Industry’ — the Nanyang County Princess.

Jiang Shaohua inwardly smirked, but said calmly, "Rise, you carry out your duties with dedication and are an exemplar among craftsmen. How could I blame you? I wish that everyone in the Ministry of Industry were as diligent as you, so that the riverbanks would be more stable and secure, preventing their collapse year after year, leading to floods that cause the common people to suffer. This would also save the Ministry of Revenue from spending a lot of money annually." 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Who doesn’t know how to criticize indirectly?

Minister Zhou’s face burned with shame from her words and he coughed once, "Fang Yu, stay with the Commandery Princess today. Answer her questions thoroughly."

Fang Yu dared not decline, bowing his head in agreement.

Jiang Shaohua glanced at Minister Zhou with a smile: "The Ministry of Industry is busy, Minister Zhou, you may attend to your own affairs. I will freely look around, no need for your company."

Minister Zhou thought to himself that everything that should be hidden had been hidden in the past few days, and everyone had been given a consistent narrative. He doubted this young girl could find anything amiss. So, he promptly agreed and returned to his signature room along with a group of Ministry of Industry officials, leaving not even one official to accompany her.

Jiang Shaohua inwardly smirked again.

It seems that not only did Minister Zhou have an opinion about her, but he was also quite irked!

Zheng Chen was also somewhat displeased, frowning and whispering, "With no one to lead, from where should the Commandery Princess start her inspection?"

Jiang Shaohua smiled lightly, "I have hands and feet, where I walk is where I see, and if I don’t understand I can ask. Why need company?"

After saying this, she stepped forward.

Zheng Chen watched the graceful silhouette in front of him, with complex emotions flashing in his eyes. In just a few days, Jiang Shaohua had stabilized the situation with decisive measures, demonstrating a shrewdness and strategy that was truly impressive. Even he, her former love from another life, now found her to be somewhat unfamiliar.

In both lives, he hadn’t changed. But she seemed reborn, completely abandoning her past, revealing an ambitious fervor...

Wait, where was Jiang Shaohua heading?

Zheng Chen snapped back to himself and quickly caught up: "Commandery Princess, the signature rooms of Minister Zhou and the two assistant ministers are over there. Ahead is where the craftsmen stay, it’s crowded and noisy, quite unsophisticated."

Jiang Shaohua did not halt, continuing forward: "Mm, I just want to have a look here."

Zheng Chen’s lips twitched slightly. This was yet another substantial change in Jiang Shaohua.

As a noble Da Liang Princess, it was unclear why she enjoyed inspecting. She had spent half a year touring county by county in Nanyang County, stayed with soldiers in military camps, and chatted with farmers in the fields, observing how commoners lived... Now in the Ministry of Industry, she wanted to see how a group of rough craftsmen worked.

Is this something a Commandery Princess should do?

Jiang Shaohua ignored Zheng Chen’s silent complaints, striding into the craftsmen’s working area.

It was a very spacious room, partitioned in the middle with wooden panels to create four small sections. Each section had a table and several chairs, with tools such as wooden rulers piled on the tables and scraps of paper strewn on the ground. The craftsmen had just found their familiar spots and were about to discuss the previous issues when they caught sight of the Commandery Princess, startling them.

Before the craftsmen could kneel and pay respects, Jiang Shaohua quickly spoke out to stop them, "Just carry on with your own tasks, as if I am not here."

The craftsmen awkwardly obliged, thinking that with the Commandery Princess and the watchful Zheng Sheren present, how could they possibly work in peace!

Who would have thought that the Commandery Princess would indeed find a chair and settle in a corner.

Zheng Sheren stood for a moment, then also found a chair to sit down.

By Jiang Shaohua’s side, Zhao Dahong and Fang Yu stood stiffly for almost an hour before they slowly recovered. The two exchanged a glance from afar.

Are we just going to stand here watching?

What else can we do? We can’t very well leave the Commandery Princess to draw blueprints, can we!

Jiang Shaohua’s voice sounded, slow and steady, "Zhao Dahong, tell me, how are riverbanks usually repaired?"

Zhao Dahong responded without hesitation, "Reporting to the Commandery Princess, the first step in riverbank repair is to clear and dredge the river channel. Then, depending on the terrain, select the construction of the embankment. Generally, in shallow waters, bags are filled with sand and stones, then layered atop one another to form a simple riverbank. In deeper, faster waters, this method is not suitable..."

Jiang Shaohua listened intently, occasionally asking, "How is a riverbank constructed in deep waters?"

"According to what you said, the riverbank construction plan seems sound. Why then do the riverbanks get washed away every year? This year, more than eighty miles of riverbank have collapsed, flooding two county seats. Could it be negligence on the craftsmen’s part?"

Zhao Dahong, growing more enthusiastic under her guidance, let slip, "It’s not the craftsmen’s fault; we are diligent in our work. The conscripted commoners work hard, bringing their own rations and water for the hardest tasks. It’s because the materials purchased by the Ministry of Industry are substandard, so after prolonged exposure to water, they became useless. When the flood came, it naturally washed them away."

Cough, cough, cough!

Fang Yu suddenly started to cough forcefully, his face almost turning red.

Only then did Zhao Dahong realize his mistake, his face turning red and then pale. He hesitated between kneeling to beg for forgiveness from the Commandery Princess or going to apologize to Minister Zhou.

Jiang Shaohua said calmly, "No need to panic, these matters are not your fault, I understand the situation. Is there anything else you know? Feel free to speak."

Zhao Dahong narrowly escaped a crisis, his neck tingling with chills. How could he dare say more? He repeatedly insisted there was nothing else.