Outside Qingyang Prefecture, the vast Qingyang River shimmered under the sunlight, glistening with tiny sparkles of light.

The full name of the Qingyang River was not originally Qingyang River; only the segment that passes by Qingyang Prefecture was given this name by the common people of the prefecture.

To the common people of Qingyang Prefecture, the Qingyang River was both loved and hated. With the Qingyang River, the irrigation of farmland in several neighboring counties of Qingyang Prefecture was made very convenient, and the land was also very fertile.

However, what was hated about it was that the Qingyang River would flood every two years, sometimes lightly flooding the fields and wasting an entire year’s harvest, or even more severely, causing houses to collapse and displacing the common people.

Therefore, water management has always been a task that every Magistrate of Qingyang Prefecture cannot avoid, and Yin Shuangshuang was no exception. At this moment, she was sitting in a sedan chair, inspecting the water conditions on this riverbank.

The embankments of Qingyang Prefecture were specially approved by the Emperor to be constructed with cement, making them extremely sturdy. Walking on them felt very stable. During this period, Yin Shuangshuang had been studying various water management documents and had gained some understanding of water management.

Upon inspecting the riverbank, she found problems. The previous Magistrate of Qingyang Prefecture seemed to be quite honest and did not embezzle the funds meant for building the riverbank, so the construction was of genuine quality. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

However, although the embankment was built solidly, it didn’t appear tall enough. Perhaps the amount of cement granted by the Emperor was insufficient, so the places that used more cement were only a few critical points.

But an embankment cannot be defended by just a few important sections; in the event of an unexpected major flood, such a build is clearly inadequate.

Moreover, cement is not all-powerful. Even under the impact of a flood, the impressive reinforced concrete structures of modern society would collapse.

Looking at the seemingly very sturdy embankment now, if a rare centurial flood were to occur, it might still not be able to hold it back.

Most importantly, the route taken by this Qingyang River embankment is one of blocking rather than dredging. The reason for this method is because the area around the Qingyang River is surrounded by fields.

If a dredging method were used, it would inevitably damage innumerable plots of land first. In this era, people valued land too much, so they were unwilling to destroy it.

Moreover, even if the government were willing to destroy these lands, resettling those who lost their land would be a big problem, at the very least requiring the redistribution of new land to those who lost it.

And the land is limited; aside from what belongs to the common people, the rest are held by aristocratic families, and extracting land from these families is impossible.

As for reclaiming wasteland, fertile land under the aristocratic families’ exploitation would be left with nothing; what remains is either hard-to-cultivate land or land that, when reclaimed, can only become inferior fields.

Not to mention that reclaimed wasteland takes at least several years of cultivation to mature into arable land, and the taxes for the common people would not reduce even if they were cultivating wasteland.

Because of these constraints, based on the principle of minimizing problems, successive Magistrates of Qingyang Prefecture have followed the precedent of the previous officials, annually reinforcing the embankments using blocking and strengthening methods.

These methods, not addressing the root cause, still had frequent omissions. Unfortunately, officials merely aimed to avoid mistakes rather than pursue merits, dragging it out year after year.

Yin Shuangshuang, however, was different. She always acted decisively and efficiently; she was determined to resolve the water disaster thoroughly to feel at ease.

The Qingyang River spanned half of Qingyang Prefecture, winding through four counties, occupying a vast area, and the Qingyang River was not just for irrigation; one end connected with a major waterway, the Jing River, frequented by numerous boats.

Yin Shuangshuang spent a full month thoroughly inspecting the Qingyang River within Qingyang Prefecture, familiarizing herself with all the water trends and directions.

Upon returning to Qingyang Prefecture, Yin Shuangshuang made a sandbox and took out the map book of Qingyang Prefecture, pondering daily how to manage the water disaster of the Qingyang River.

Cough, cough!

After a month of travel despite careful care, Yin Shuangshuang still felt unwell upon her return, often coughing and slightly catching a cold.

Luo Linlang held a tray with a medicine bowl, standing by Yin Shuangshuang’s side, sighed helplessly at the always-busy Yin Shuangshuang: "My lord, the medicine is getting cold, you should drink it quickly.

After the arduous trip, you were already slightly unwell and just coughed again. If you don’t drink the medicine soon, Doctor Ying might have to make you drink the bitter yellow lotus water again."

Yin Shuangshuang casually responded, taking the medicine bowl from Luo Linlang and drinking it all in one go. Luo Linlang was wrong; the medicine wasn’t about to get cold; it was already stone cold.

The icy medicine tasted intensely bitter upon entering her mouth, and swallowed down it felt like a cold lump of ice in her stomach, bringing with it a strong bitter aftertaste, very uncomfortable. Yet, without any reaction, Yin Shuangshuang put down the bowl, continuing to look at the map and sandbox in her hands.

Luo Linlang hesitated, wanting to advise her but knowing that when Yin Shuangshuang got busy with serious business, she never listened to advice.

Finally, Luo Linlang closed her mouth without speaking further, quietly retreating to prepare some hot porridge and side dishes.

Yin Shuangshuang kept busy until the lamps were lit, only pausing for a meal and medicine break after Ying Chang’an stormed in with a medicine bowl, angrily kicking the door open and forcibly dragging her away to eat.

Even holding a bowl of porridge, Yin Shuangshuang continued thinking about water management, her gaze somewhat dazed. After a long time of consideration, she now had some ideas for tackling the water issues.

The area along the course of the Qingyang River featured a vast expanse of wasteland, wide and extensive, where vegetation was never abundant. Despite its vast size, it could not be reclaimed for farmland.

The tax payable by common people was the same for all cultivated land, and no reduction in tax was provided even when the wasteland, yielding little in the initial years, was cultivated.

Given these circumstances, even if there were wasteland that could become fertile land over time, no one was willing to cultivate it.

In such a situation, the area happened to be suitable for excavating a large lake for flood diversion. Most importantly, this wasteland was centrally rounded with long sides.

The segment of the Jing River where it joins the Qingyang River formed a large crescent shape, and the center of this crescent happened to be where the wasteland was located.

If a lake could be excavated at this crescent midpoint in the Jing River, linking it before and after with the waterway and making this connection wide enough.

Big enough to allow ships from the river to pass through, eliminating the waterway’s curve would save at least four or five days of sailing time. With this advantage, there would surely be no shortage of ships passing through.

Then, by establishing a dock where the large lake is, setting up taverns and inns, and perhaps routing sugar from Qinglin County and Lin County through the waterway here, it would save several days compared to overland routes.

And a single dock could stimulate the prosperity of an entire county since bustling places are either centers of unique industries or transport hubs.