Chapter 523 Moisturizing things silently

Chapter 523 Moisturizing things silently

Chapter 523 Moisturizing things silently

"How many?"

Inside the Wuying Palace, even the magnificent and golden palace could not dispel the dull and depressing atmosphere.

The voice of Crown Prince Zhu Biao came from the top.

For some reason today, His Majesty is not here, and only the Crown Prince is sitting here.

At this moment, he was staring at Lu Yunyi who was standing below him, his eyes slightly narrowed.

"Reporting to His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, five million and a half taels!"

Lu Yunyi stood tall and straight at the bottom, his voice steady and powerful.
There was an unquestionable confidence on his face, his eyes were bright and convincing.

"It only takes 5.5 million taels to build enough reservoirs and dams.
At least it can ensure the stability of the Yellow River for a hundred years.

Moreover, even a flood that occurs once in a thousand years may not be able to break through the dam built with concrete!"

Crown Prince Zhu Biao took the document handed over by the eunuch and looked at Lu Yunyi's side.
Compared to the last time, the number of documents has been reduced by nearly half, but his face is still full of disbelief.

He had heard about the new materials developed by the Ministry of Industry.

I only heard that it was extremely hard and could be used for military construction, but I didn't pay any more attention to it after that.

I didn’t expect that today would bring such a huge surprise?

The prince quickly read the document carefully from beginning to end.
The costs recorded in the discovery instrument,
Although raw materials still account for a large proportion, the proportion has been greatly reduced compared with the original.

Even compared to the original 13 million taels of silver,

The cost of raw materials today is less than a fraction of that, only less than two million taels.

Crown Prince Zhu Biao's expression became solemn, and he looked up at Lu Yunyi:
"Is there something fishy? Even if this document can be concealed from me, it cannot be concealed from the officials of the Ministry of Revenue. If there is any adulteration, it is better to confess as soon as possible."

Zhu Biao looked solemn. In recent years, the budgets reported by various places have

There are many exaggerated situations, the purpose of which is to create the impression that a lot of money has been invested in the early stage.
If you don't continue to invest, all your previous efforts will be wasted.

He had seen too many such cases and was very worried.

Did Lu Yunyi in front of him believe the slander of others and do the same thing?

Lu Yunyi looked at the prince in surprise and bowed quickly:
"Your Highness, I am loyal to you.
I would never dare to do anything that goes against the court, let alone deceive the emperor."

"Then tell me why the cost of raw materials has been reduced so drastically?"

“Your Highness, the main material of the dam built with new materials is concrete, of which the refined iron used for bonding accounts for a large part of the cost.

The main components of concrete are sand and gravel.
Daming has vast mountains and rivers, and there are vast expanses of sand and rocks near the Yellow River, which are inexhaustible.
You only need to pay some labor costs for mining and transportation fees, which is almost free!
Apart from refined iron, the only thing that takes time and money is the refining of lime.

Your Highness, you may not know that lime is the ash left after burning.
The price of ash itself is not expensive, and there are mature workshops everywhere in the court.

If it is used to calcine lime, there will be some loss in the process.

Once we build large-scale workshops and engage in lime production business, this amount of money can be further reduced!"

Lu Yunyi spoke clearly and eloquently, and Crown Prince Zhu Biao, who was sitting at the table, could understand him.

He sometimes looked at Lu Yunyi, sometimes lowered his head to check the documents, his brows slightly furrowed.

A few days ago, a proposal was submitted that 10 million taels of silver would be needed for flood control.

Only ten days later, a new proposal was submitted and a solution was proposed.

This speed is amazing.
It operates much faster than many government offices in the six ministries.

Seeing that the prince was slow to speak, Lu Yunyi rolled his eyes and continued to bow and say:

“Reporting to His Royal Highness, I went to the Ministry of Works this morning and questioned many officials in detail.

It was finally determined that concrete was much harder than ordinary soil and was extremely cheap.

If it can be used to pave roads, it will be both sturdy and save money!

The Ministry of Works' Water Conservancy Department is already preparing a memorial.

It is planned to pave a branch road leading from the brick kiln workshop outside the city to the official road with cement and concrete to test the effect.

The money required is not much, just a few thousand taels.

If the court officials had doubts about the magic of this new material,
You can go check it out after the road is paved.”

Crown Prince Zhu Biao showed a trace of absurdity on his face and said:

"I haven't even seen the memorial yet, and you're already preparing to build the road?"

"Your Highness, please forgive me for hearing this good news today.
I arrived in a hurry and had no time to urge you.

When I return, I will ask the officials of the Water Resources Department to draft a memorial as soon as possible and present it to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Zhu Biao was too lazy to expose his trick of getting on the bus first and buying the ticket later.
It's not that he was afraid that the court officials wouldn't believe him, it's clearly that he was afraid that he himself wouldn't believe him.

"Is this thing really able to repair roads, and is it good quality and cheap?"

"Your Highness, I am guilty."

Lu Yunyi looked respectful, bowed, and his face was full of shame.

"What crime?"

"If these objects had been discovered earlier, the money the court spent on building the city over the past 20 years could have been reduced by 70%.
Moreover, the city to be built will be more solid, about five times stronger than the current city!"

"what?"

Although Zhu Biao found this matter novel at first, he also thought of it as just a new way to spend money.

But after hearing what he said, Zhu Biao felt his heart tighten.
A strong feeling of regret that was difficult to dissipate surged in my heart.

This seems to be the case.

Zhu Biao sat at the top, silent for a long time. The more he thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt.

Just last year, in order to build the city of Sichuan Dusi,

The entire Sichuan Province took out almost half of its money.
Only then did they lay some foundations and reclaim some fertile land around the city.

According to the plan, at the end of August this year, Duke Liang will go to Sichuan to supervise the construction of the city and survey the land.

And now, if we can save 70% of the money, what a huge sum that will be!

The city might even have been built!
Zhu Biao felt that the imperial court had been wasting money over the years!
His breathing became slightly rapid and his expression kept changing.

Lu Yunyi, who was sitting below him, glanced at him secretly and felt relieved. This was exactly the effect he wanted.

When you don't have it, maybe the pain is less.

But now that there are better options, past regrets will come back in double the amount.

For the Ming Dynasty court, the most important thing is money!
Especially the money for building cities and cultivating fertile farmland.

Some military farms could not even muster a thousand swords.

It was not that the imperial court had no money, but that the money originally used for the Military Farm Administration was spent on reclaiming wasteland.

Lu Yunyi had seen this many times in the Five Military Commandery.

After a long time, Zhu Biao, who was at the head of the group, finally came to his senses and said in a deep voice:
"Some time ago, some people complained that there were cannons going off in the south of the city. Was it your work?"

Lu Yunyi was stunned, and raised his head in surprise.

"Your Highness, a few mornings ago, the army used cannons to test the hardness of the concrete, and the results were satisfactory."

"It has been a few days now. I have ordered the workshop outside the city to prepare. I want to go and see this magical thing.

As for your Ministry of Works' memorial on road construction, submit it as soon as possible. I want to see it tonight!"

Lu Yunyi was overjoyed and bowed immediately:

"Yes, Your Highness. May I ask when do you plan to go? I will arrange for the staff to prepare."

Crown Prince Zhu Biao looked at the memorial on the table and made up his mind:
"Half an hour later, go get ready."

"Yes, Your Highness!!!"

"Go back."

"My minister retire."

Lu Yunyi bowed and left happily.

Before leaving, he did not forget to remind the eunuch standing beside him to put away the document that was as tall as three adults.

After Lu Yunyi left, the entire Wuying Hall became quiet.

Crown Prince Zhu Biao sat quietly in thought, looking at the mountain of documents in front of him, with no intention of dealing with them.

He was always worried about the extra money he spent.
If concrete is really that useful, then how much money did the imperial court waste in the past?

Several terrifying accounts flashed through his mind.

He didn't dare to think about it any further, as he was afraid that he would find it difficult to accept it.

Taking a deep breath, Crown Prince Zhu Biao looked at the eunuch beside him and ordered:

"Let Wen Cheng come to see me." "Yes"

A quarter of an hour later, an old eunuch in his fifties slowly walked into the Wuying Palace.

He was wearing a scarlet robe, was not tall, thin, had gray hair, and even his eyebrows were half white.

As he walked in, he lowered his head and narrowed his eyes slightly.

When he came to the bottom, he knelt on his knees and bowed deeply:

"I, the Junior Supervisor of the Palace of Gods, pay my respects to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"Get up, no need to be so polite." Crown Prince Zhu Biao glanced at him and said lightly.

"Yes."

The old eunuch slowly stood up, put his hands in his sleeves, and stood there in silence.

After a long time, Zhu Biao finished reviewing the memorial in his hand.
He threw it aside, stood up suddenly, and paced back and forth.

"What is the Ministry of Industry and Waterworks doing recently?"

Wen Cheng bowed slightly:

"Your Highness, I have no idea."

"I don't know? The six ministries are in the imperial city. Is there something you don't know?"

Zhu Biao stopped and looked at him sharply.

"Reporting to His Royal Highness, the Dushuisi Yamen is heavily guarded.

The internal officials did not go out, and the outsiders did not come in, so I have no idea what happened in the Du Shui Si.

All I know is that this was an order from Lord Lu, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works.

Prior to this, Lord Lu also met with Lord Fu, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites.
He borrowed a few mathematicians and concealed the fact from Minister Yang of Rites.

After this, I know nothing about it.”

"Ha." Crown Prince Zhu Biao sneered.
"Is there any other movement in the Ministry of Industry?"

Wen Cheng thought for a moment and said in a deep voice:
"Your Highness, the Director of the Ministry of Construction, Zhou Mingli, has recently connected with some merchants.
He intended to promote tricycles and bicycles, hoping to speed up the court's introduction of them into the private sector.

The Minister of Works, Mr. Ji, also knows about this matter."

"Oh?" Crown Prince Zhu Biao frowned, his eyes full of surprise.

"The Construction Department is so concerned? Ji Yuchen has always disliked merchants, so why is he getting involved with them?"

"Reporting to His Royal Highness, these merchants are not ordinary. They are led by the Xinma Trading Company under Duke Cao.

Lord Ji's move was to seek change.

I guess that Minister Qin and Lord Lu put too much pressure on Lord Ji, causing him to lose his composure. "

"Why did Jiujiang get involved?"

“Reporting to Your Highness, Duke Cao may not be aware of this matter. It must be that the shopkeeper of the Xinma Trading Company is trying to please him.

Duke Cao has been spending the whole day in the workshop lately.

I even personally tasted some of the items that the business exchanged for me.”

Zhu Biao nodded:

"Continue to investigate, find out who is behind Zhou Mingli's actions, and find out who is behind the business."

"Yes, Wei Chen understands."

Wen Cheng's old face showed no expression as he continued,
“Your Highness, Minister Lu has rented a house on Zhongzheng Street and has kept a woman there. She is the daughter of Lord Deng, the former assistant of the Imperial Guard.

The day before yesterday, the housekeeper of the Lu Mansion also sent a sum of money, but I don’t know the exact amount.”

"And you gave me some silver?"

Zhu Biao's expression became strange. After a long while, he nodded gently.

"Go back."

"Wei Chen retire."

After Wen Cheng left, Crown Prince Zhu Biao paced back and forth at the top, frowning:

"Call Mao Xiang over here."

"Yes."

Soon, Mao Xiang, wearing the regular uniform of the Jinyiwei, hurried into the Wuying Palace.

He was tall and walked quickly, but he did not have the oppressive feeling that a burly man should have. Instead, he had a bit more of a cold and gloomy aura.

"I, Mao Xiang, pay my respects to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Zhu Biao did not exchange pleasantries and asked directly:

"How much silver did Lu Yunyi give Deng Lingyun?"

Mao Xiang had been lowering his head, but when he heard this, he raised his head in surprise, then quickly lowered it again, with a gleam of light in his eyes!
"Reporting to His Royal Highness, the total is six thousand taels!
One thousand taels of it was the money Deng Lingyun gave her for all expenses after she moved into Zhongzheng Street.

The other five thousand taels were used as silver for Deng Lingyun and others to open a shop.

These six thousand taels of silver all came from the two shops and a piece of good farm sold by the Lu Mansion."

Crown Prince Zhu Biao's expression became even more strange:
"Did he really sell the shop and the good farmland?"

"Your Highness, it was sold through Xinchen Trading Company.
The item was sold for 16,500 taels of silver, and Xinchen Trading Company charged a fee of 300 taels.

The buyer was Ye Lexuan, the owner of Baiyu Commercial Bank in the west of the city.
He is a merchant from Peking who has just settled in Yingtian. I have checked and found nothing unusual. "

This time Zhu Biao was even more surprised.
"Is he really broke?"

For some reason, Mao Xiang's face looked a little unnatural:
"Reporting to Your Highness, all expenses in the Lu Mansion were borne by the daughter of Marquis Xiping, and Lu Yunyi did not pay a single cent."

"Where is the reward money he gave out during the Northern Expedition? Where is the salary?"

It would have been fine if he hadn't mentioned this. As soon as he mentioned this, Mao Xiang's face became more and more unnatural, and even his voice stuttered:

“Reporting to His Royal Highness, the reward money that Lu Yunyi received from the Northern Expedition was used to open Liu’s Yingtian Fruit Shop, and now it has been completely burned.

As for the salary, from the moment Lu Yunyi joined the Northern Expedition Army, he made many small mistakes.
Three years' salary was confiscated.
The next salary should be received in July next year."

The Crown Prince Zhu Biao's expression changed continuously, and his brows were tightly furrowed into the shape of the Chinese character "川"!

He suddenly thought of something and asked:
"How is the relationship between Lu Yunyi and Chu Ting?"

Mao Xiang thought for a moment, and understood what His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wanted to know, so he said in a deep voice:
"Reporting to His Royal Highness, Miss Mu is obedient to Lord Lu and follows his orders."

Huh? Zhu Biao stood there in a daze, with a ridiculous look on his face!

This. How is this done?
"He has an unclear relationship with Deng Lingyun, but Chu Ting didn't make a scene? And she even took out the money?"

Zhu Biao's voice unconsciously rose a little.

"Reporting to His Royal Highness, according to my humble opinion,

There is no romantic relationship between Lu Yunyi and Deng Lingyun, just some vague friendship."

Zhu Biao felt a little better and murmured:
“That’s pretty impressive.”

Hearing this, Mao Xiang lowered his head even more, hiding the expression on his face, and continued:
“Your Highness, Grand Secretary Song’s granddaughter is also very fond of Lu Yunyi and does not hide her admiration for him.

Song Lin strongly opposed this, but Mr. Song did not stop him and even encouraged him.

Deng Lingyun opened a shop, and Song Wan'er also contributed money.

In addition, there are Qin Qing, the daughter of Qin Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry, and Zhao Yurong, the daughter of Zhao Shangshu of the Ministry of Justice. "

"Them too?" Zhu Biao widened his eyes.

“Your Highness has misunderstood, they do not have a special relationship.

Qin Qing has a good relationship with Lu Yunyi's deputy general Liu Heiying. The two often get together and are considered good friends.

Zhao Yurong didn't have much contact with Lu Yunyi and had only met him once."

For some reason, Zhu Biao breathed a sigh of relief and suddenly laughed:
"It seems that I have underestimated Lu Yunyi. He is so popular."

"Your Highness, there are many people in the capital who have admired Lu Yunyi, but they have never expressed it."

"Yes, he has made great achievements at a young age, is handsome, and has two wealthy wives who obey his orders.
Damn it, how come he got all the good things?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the Wuying Hall instantly became quiet and dead silent.

All the eunuchs fell to their knees with a thud, not daring to say a word.

Mao Xiang was also stunned and didn't know how to answer.

The prince also realized that he had said the wrong thing, and shook his head helplessly and waved his hand:
"Alright, alright, go down."

"Yes!"

(End of this chapter)