During this time, being in the rain is typically no big deal for a healthy person. It’s summer, and even if it’s pouring rain, it’s not too cold. Wet clothes can be warmed with ginger tea to avoid catching a cold.

But Shuangshuang doesn’t fare well in the cold. When her clothes get soaked, she feels the cold wind seeping into her bones, and it makes her shiver all over.

After changing into dry clothes and drinking a bowl of hot ginger tea, she finally felt much better, and the chill left her body.

In the following days, Shuangshuang persisted in staying by the dam as the torrential rains poured down. The water level had risen to the point of submerging the previous height of the dam, but fortunately, it had been raised higher, allowing it to hold off the floods.

The previously dug diversion canal proved useful as well. Even though the water level rose, the massive lake continuously stored the floodwaters, helping the dam withstand the impact of the deluge.

Seeing the water storage steadily increase, Shuangshuang forbade anyone from going near the large lake, worried about potential accidents. Two days later, however, a loud sound came from the direction of the lake.

It was the sound of the river rushing forward, loud and deafeningly clear even from far away. Because of Shuangshuang’s strict orders, no one knew what had happened there.

But luckily, the rain started to ease up, and within half a day, it stopped completely. As soon as the rain ceased, Shuangshuang rushed to the lake to inspect the situation.

What was once an empty lake was now brimming with water, connecting on both sides with the Jing River. The lake surface was vast and tranquil, with gentle breezes creating ripples on the calm water.

This time, thanks to the lake, although the Qingyang River’s water level rose, it did not overflow as it had in previous floods.

The greatest advantage is that with the lake acting as a buffer, Qingyang River’s water can continuously flow into the Jing River, reducing pressure on the dam during future floods.

With the rain stopped, the common people began returning home, though their lands were akin to having been flooded due to the incessant rains.

The crops in the fields had long been battered by wind and rain, leaving hardly anything intact, leaving the common people rather despondent.

At this point, the common people could only hurriedly replant some vegetables, though vegetables aren’t substitutes for grain, leaving the government to open granaries and reduce taxes.

Shuangshuang crafted a few recipes for pickled vegetables, planning to teach these to the common people and brand them as Qingyang Prefecture’s specialty products, hoping to help the people through hard times.

Having thought through the disaster relief efforts, Shuangshuang began planning for the future now that the lake was in place: constructing docks, and building inns and taverns.

Perhaps also establishing a Qingyang Prefecture specialty street along the lake, so traveling merchants could browse and spend during their rest stops.

The dam itself remained a concern, being too low, with cracks appearing where concrete was used sparingly. If not repaired, it certainly wouldn’t survive the next flood.

She must ask the Emperor to approve more concrete to raise and reinforce the dam comprehensively, ensuring that Qingyang County won’t fear even greater future floods.

At present, each household possesses some surplus grain, and though life is hard, it isn’t entirely hopeless, chiefly due to Shuangshuang’s timely and proper arrangements.

Shuangshuang’s actions made the common people feel assured that the government would prepare everything for them, and as long as they followed official instructions, all would be worry-free. When Shuangshuang opened the granary, the people’s hearts were completely soothed.

With the flood event behind them and the people’s concerns settled, despite being guarded carefully and constantly by Ying Chang’an and Heng Yue, Shuangshuang inevitably fell ill.

Lying in bed with a persistent fever, her entire body ached severely, and in a state of muddled confusion, she didn’t even know what day it was.

In frustration, Ying Chang’an diagnosed her pulse while scolding her: "Didn’t I warn you and you refused to listen, and now you’re paying the price."

"Standing outside in the blustering wind and rain despite all attempts to persuade you to not, and now you’ve become docile."

"Do you know what this means? You’re just like that goose with its neck stretched, hollering the same thing every day: it’s deserved!"

Lying in bed, muddled from illness, Shuangshuang was amused by Ying Chang’an’s words despite herself, provoking even more irritation from him.

After several days of such travail, Shuangshuang’s health finally improved somewhat, though she remained lacking in energy. It was then that the Emperor’s decree and secret missive arrived.

The decree was the official document, mainly commending Shuangshuang’s performance during the flood and rewarding her, while the secret missive revealed the Emperor’s true sentiments.

Again, it was related to the flood. The Qingyang River passes not only through Qingyang Prefecture but also downstream to another region, Hong Yang Prefecture, which experienced the same incessant rainfall.

Under Shuangshuang’s guidance, Qingyang Prefecture safely endured, but Hong Yang Prefecture was not so fortunate; the flood destroyed the dam and the common people suffered severely.

The Emperor intended to provide disaster relief, but Hong Yang Prefecture’s granaries had no reserve grain, forcing him to dispatch grain from other regions for aid, yet the grain was withheld by Hong Yang Prefecture’s Magistrate from reaching the disaster victims.

Had the Emperor not dispatched Hidden Guards early to investigate, this would have gone unnoticed, leaving him furious with the situation, as Hong Yang Prefecture’s Magistrate was a member of an aristocratic family, known for such behavior.

Natural disasters and human calamities always served as prime opportunities for these aristocratic officials to profit, never sparing the relief funds and grain, disregarding the plight of the common people.

Due to this incident, the Emperor was exceedingly angry, ready to convict the Magistrate of Hong Yang Prefecture, while also instructing Shuangshuang to allocate grain from Qingyang Prefecture for aid.

In truth, this secret missive from the Emperor was more of a grievance against the behavior of aristocratic officials, but it sparked another idea for Shuangshuang, seeing it as a prime opportunity.

The common people always lumped aristocratic officials with those appointed by the Emperor, not understanding the distinction between the two.

To the people, the Imperial Power was supreme, all officials were under the Emperor’s command, and if officials were corrupt, it was due to an incompetent Emperor employing deceitful, harmful officials.

This was inevitably the aristocracy’s scheme, exploiting the common people and leaving the blame on the Emperor, leading them to rebel when life became unbearable, with the Dynasty ultimately suffering.

When a dynasty is overthrown, the aristocracy remains unscathed, and when a new dynasty arises, they still become officials, maintaining oppression over the common people.

Shuangshuang took up her brush and penned a secret memorial to the Emperor, advising him not to rush to punish the Magistrate of Hong Yang Prefecture.

She suggested that the Emperor retain the Hong Yang Prefecture Magistrate for a more significant purpose as she intended to set up a stratagem using Hong Yang Prefecture where this Magistrate serves as an indispensable piece.