The grass in the factory should be plucked

Chapter 585 Exploring the Canal (Part 1)

After listening to Jiang Li's detailed analysis of the court situation, Xie Buli and her three siblings finally understood.

Powerful ministers like Jiang Li, who held the lifeline of the Great Chu, and commanders like Xie Chang'an, who led the Great Chu army, were wielding immense power.

If such a couple were to plot a rebellion, the emperor would have absolutely no chance against them!

If it were anyone else, they would surely arouse the emperor's suspicion and be determined to get rid of them.

Such families would inevitably send their daughters to the palace to marry into the royal family, forming a powerful and intricate network of influence through bloodlines, making the emperor hesitant to act against them.

Dare to try and exterminate their entire clan? Even the princes and grandsons of the emperor are among their three clans!

But for Jiang Li and Xie Chang'an, there was absolutely no need for this.

As the saying goes, "One force can overcome ten techniques," these two individuals are so powerful that no one can match them.

Would the emperor dare to suspect them?

If these two immortals had even the slightest thought of such a thing, they could simply pack up and leave, and no army could stop them!

They also control the heavily armed Tianji City and the unpredictable and all-pervasive Tianji Camp. The Dragon King of the East Sea, the Dragon Lords of the Four Rivers, and the Shark King of the South Sea are their allies, and even birds and beasts obey their orders!

If they wanted to assassinate the emperor and usurp the throne, it would be as easy as drinking water for them!

Nangong Qinghe and Jiang Li were, after all, close friends who had gone through thick and thin together, so it wouldn't be a case of "when the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked; when the birds are all gone, the good bow is put away." But it's hard to say what will happen when it comes to the next generation or the generation after that emperor.

They'll probably settle the score eventually!

Therefore, Jiang Li did not want her four children to have any connection with the royal family.

If this world still exists after she and Xie Chang'an have successfully retired, she hopes her child will have the ability to protect himself, retire from the martial world, and live a free and peaceful life.

Xie Buli's eyes sparkled: "Tianji City, Liuli City, and Longhu Mountain are the escape routes you left for us!"

Jiang Li smiled and said, "That's right. With this confidence, you can roam freely in the world, do whatever you want, go wherever you want, without being restrained by anyone."

Xie Wuchou threw herself into her arms again: "Mother, thank you and Father!"

The four siblings were extremely grateful, and at the same time, they secretly resolved to become upright and honorable people like their parents!

The next morning, a message came from Jifeng that Shen Muchun and his party had rushed to Cangzhou overnight to begin treating the sick and to take samples from the Huichang Canal for testing.

Shen Muchun mentioned two points in his letter: First, there were only sporadic cases in Cangzhou, and the symptoms were similar to those reported in other places. They all started with a cold, gradually became weak all over, and eventually became bedridden. No matter what medicine they took, it was ineffective.

Even a top-tier doctor like him couldn't find the cause of the illness.

The only good news is that no trace of human-to-human transmission has been found, which basically eliminates the possibility of an epidemic. As long as the source of the disease is found, the spread of this "strange disease" can be stopped.

Secondly, after sampling and testing by doctors at the Longmen Medical Bureau, no pathogenic factors were found in the water of the Huichang Canal.

Shen Muchun replied that he would continue to observe and study this "strange disease" to see if he could find a cure.

Nangong Qinghe breathed a sigh of relief. Since it was not transmitted from person to person and the possibility of an epidemic had been ruled out, all that was left was to wait for the Longmen Medical Bureau and the Imperial Hospital to find the source of the disease and a cure.

Prior to this, he still followed Jiang Li's suggestion and temporarily closed the Huichang Canal.

Winter has arrived, and many channels in the north are already frozen. Closing the channels will not have much of an impact.

As long as the source of the strange disease is found before spring, it will not affect agricultural irrigation.

The four Xie siblings have also gone their separate ways.

The Bai Xian clan has now traveled to Cangzhou, Hebei, to join Shen Muchun.

This was also the first time Shen Muchun had met the immortal "big shots" in the Heavenly Mystery Camp. He was shocked, impressed, and incredibly curious.

He had heard that animals could only speak human language after their transverse bones were removed once they became spirits. He really wanted to know what exactly a "transverse bone" was.

Why is it that only after the horizontal bone is removed can one speak human language?

If he weren't afraid of Old Lady Bai's anger, he really wanted to catch a "little white fairy" to study what changes would occur when an animal becomes a "fairy".

Xie Wuyou also sent a message to Zhang Tianshi, asking him to arrange for disciples from various Taoist sects to go to different places to investigate whether there were any evil spirits causing the frequent occurrence of strange illnesses.

Xie Buqi would go to Longmen Medical Bureau to take inventory of medicinal materials every day and make a purchase list, keeping him extremely busy.

Jiang Li then obtained a secret decree and, together with Xie Chang'an and Xie Wuchou, traveled through the Dragon Palace to Dongping Lake.

The Huichang Canal draws water from the Yangtze River in Yangzhou and uses the Grand Canal to pump water northward in stages, delivering it to Hongze Lake, Luoma Lake, Nansi Lake, and Dongping Lake for storage.

After leaving Dongping Lake, the water continued northward, using underground channels to transport it to Hebei, Henan, Shanxi, Shaanxi and other places.

The imperial court has now ordered the closure of this section of underground canal that begins at Dongping Lake.

Jiang Li felt that the first thing to investigate was this underground culvert.

After all, the waterways here connect directly to the outskirts of the capital.

The entrance to the underground channel of Dongping Lake is now closed, with the sluice gate shut and the two stone gates, each about the height of a person, tightly shut.

Outside the stone gate, there were many soldiers guarding it.

Jiang Li and the other two changed into the night clothes of the Eastern Depot's secret guards, sneaked out of the Dragon Palace, quietly went ashore through a reed marsh, and walked towards the entrance of the underground canal.

"Who goes there? This is a water conservancy site; unauthorized personnel are not permitted!"

A soldier saw three men dressed in black night clothes and wearing black copper masks approaching. He warily drew his knife and stopped them, demanding an explanation.

Xie Chang'an said in a deep voice, "We have come here on imperial orders."

Jiang Li took out the secret decree and ordered the soldiers to open the stone gate of the underground channel.

The captain, trembling with fear, verified the imperial decree, hurriedly opened the stone door, and said respectfully, "Please, gentlemen—would you like me to send someone to escort you?"

Xie Chang'an said, "No need, you just need to keep an eye on this gate."

"Yes, my lord!"

At this point, the sluice gate was closed, and only water that barely reached the ankles remained in the culvert.

The three of them walked into the underground canal, and a damp, cold aura hit them.

Winters in the Jiangnan region are colder and more gloomy than those in the north.

Jiang Li asked, "Wu Chou, are you cold?"

She and Xie Chang'an were protected by divine senses and were not afraid of the cold. I wonder if the mermaid pearl in Xie Wuchou's body has the same effect?

Xie Wuchou giggled and said, "Mother, of course I don't feel cold. Some places on the seabed are much colder than here."

The pearl inside her is the Pearl of the Mermaid King, so she is naturally not afraid of hot or cold.

"Come here, let your mother hold your hand."

Fearing for her safety, Jiang Li held her tightly and enveloped her entire body with her divine sense.

Xie Wuchou asked enviously, "Mother, when will I be able to cultivate divine consciousness?"

The four siblings were trained by Jiang Li in the "Divine Speed ​​Body Refining Technique" while still in their mother's womb. Because they lacked divine consciousness, they had only managed to master the first level of the technique.

Jiang Li sighed. In this small world, how easy is it to cultivate divine consciousness?