Adhere to the gentleman's principles

Chapter 226 Repair the Yellow River Dam

Uncle Chen lowered his head and said tremblingly: "My Lord! Ever since you gave me the twenty taels of silver that day, I have only wanted to repair the dam as soon as possible to protect Xunyang from floods.

So that night I went to the river alone, wanting to finish the work. At this time, this man appeared in front of me without any warning. He told me that if I listened to him, my wife and children at home would no longer suffer from hardship.

Then, he took out a hundred taels of silver and placed them in front of me... My Lord, you know that a poor family like me may not be able to earn so much money in a lifetime! So I was really tempted at that time... Although I regretted it later, I couldn't resist the temptation of money after all... My Lord, no matter how you punish me, I have no complaints, I just hope you can forgive the sins I have committed... But I still have old and young people in my family who need to be taken care of. If I am gone, what will they do..."

Li Ziyan frowned and said sternly, "Uncle Chen, I know that your family is poor. But don't you know that if the Yellow River bursts its banks and causes a flood, not only you, but also the entire Xunyang Jingzhou, Cangzhou where you live, and Dawei will suffer! Do you think you can live to spend this mere 100 taels of silver?"

Uncle Chen's face was filled with remorse, and he kowtowed repeatedly to admit his mistakes: "My Lord, your teaching is right! It was because I was confused for a moment and blinded by money that I did such a stupid thing. Please punish me, my Lord!"

Li Ziyan said seriously, "Your children have been sent to the charity my wife opened in Cangzhou. Now they don't have to worry about food and clothing. When I saw you that day, I immediately sent people to Cangzhou to settle them down. Although there are still many people in the world who are hungry and cold, do you know how many innocent people were almost killed because of your actions!"

Hearing this, Uncle Chen was filled with regret and self-blame. He lowered his head deeply, not daring to look directly into Li Ziyan's eyes.

Li Ziyan continued, "Since you have made a mistake, you must accept the punishment. At the same time, you must find a way to make up for the damage you have caused. Come with me to the Yellow River and repair the dam you damaged."

Uncle Chen slowly raised his head, looked at Li Ziyan firmly, and replied with tears of gratitude: "Thank you, sir!" He knew that the crime he committed this time was not trivial. If Li Ziyan had not been magnanimous and given a chance to reform, the consequences would be disastrous. At this moment, Uncle Chen secretly made up his mind to live up to Li Ziyan's expectations and work hard to complete the task of repairing the dam, in order to atone for his sins and repay this kindness.

Li Ziyan rushed back to the Yellow River embankment without stopping. Looking at the turbulent water in front of him, his heart tightened. At this time, Liu Ming came forward and said anxiously: "Master Li, after a careful inspection, we found that nearly half of the area was filled with bricks and sacks tied with hemp ropes! How can such a embankment withstand the impact of the flood?"

Li Ziyan nodded solemnly, turned his gaze to Uncle Chen who was standing beside him, and said earnestly: "Mr. Xie once told me that you are the best expert in building dams. Now the situation is urgent, you will be the main repairman and lead everyone to repair these damaged parts as soon as possible. Everyone else must also work together and fully assist Uncle Chen to complete this arduous task!"

Uncle Chen Sanbo felt that the responsibility was great, but he still nodded without hesitation and promised that he would live up to everyone's expectations. Then, Li Ziyan ordered Mo Yu to fetch a thick iron chain for backup.

In a tense and busy atmosphere, everyone began the arduous restoration work. They worked tirelessly day and night, and after a whole day and night of hard work, they finally succeeded in filling all the gaps.

Li Ziyan was exhausted at this time, but he still pulled himself together and said to everyone, "Everyone has worked hard today, go back and have a good rest. Mo Yu, you will be responsible for paying the wages to the masters."

Mo Yu followed Li Ziyan's instructions and distributed three heavy ingots of silver to each river repair master. After everyone left, Li Ziyan also turned around and left.