After the Crown Prince brought the food into the palace, the first thing he did upon seeing the Emperor was to lay out the food one by one.

Roast goose, roast duck, and char siu are all neatly sliced ​​and arranged in bamboo boxes, while side dishes such as cold pig ears and spicy pork belly look incredibly appetizing.

The emperor was pleased. After Rong Fuhai routinely tested the food for poison, the father and son ate it.

As for serious matters, we'll talk about them after we finish eating.

As expected, good food can lift one's spirits. After eating, the emperor was in a much better mood than before.

So the father and son began to discuss the issue of road construction.

Road repair is a huge project. Previously, the road repairs in the capital were done in collaboration between Han Xuri and Zhao Han.

Although Zhao Han has now "gone on a journey," Huicui Pavilion still exists, and the construction team remains.

Why not just cooperate with Huicui Pavilion directly, keeping the profits within the family?

Surely his nephew's wife wouldn't betray her uncle? The Emperor thought to himself.

Road construction means spending money, so it's a big deal.

For an emperor with some miserly tendencies, spending money was like taking his life.

Especially for a country as vast as the Divine Dragon Kingdom, relying solely on the national treasury for funding is unacceptable.

So, in the end, the father and son came up with a terrible idea.

That's extortion.

With so many corrupt officials and wealthy merchants below them, who else should they target if not them?

The father and son are birds of a feather when it comes to these underhanded tactics of extortion.

During the grand court assembly, when the emperor announced the fundraising for road construction.

None of the ministers uttered a sound, as if they were deaf.

In the end, it was Imperial Censor Zhang who stepped forward first and offered to donate 1,000 taels of silver.

Censor Zhang was known for his incorruptibility.

There's no way around it; one reason is his job duties—he really doesn't get much in the way of personal gain.

Secondly, he's always involved in this or that kind of thing, so it would be strange if anyone were willing to give him gifts.

Therefore, when Imperial Censor Zhang said he could take out 1,000 taels of silver, he was thinking that it was time to open his secret stash of money accumulated over the years.

The Emperor couldn't help but laugh when he saw the pained look on Zhang Yushi's face standing below.

Sure enough, he actually smiled.

"Haha, Minister Zhang is still the most supportive of me. What are the plans of all my ministers?"

Do you all think that as officials in the capital, you don't need to travel around, so the quality of the roads doesn't matter to you?

Look at what you eat, wear, and adorn yourself with—isn't everything brought in from outside?

Did the Left Prime Minister's family eat seafood transported from afar yesterday?

The taste was delicious; I heard that the fish that were transported here were still alive.

If the road hadn't been so difficult to travel, we could have arrived two days earlier.

Vice Minister of Works, your family…

Before the Emperor could finish speaking, the Vice Minister of Works quickly kowtowed.

"Your Majesty, I am willing to donate 5,000 taels of silver for road repair."

Immediately afterwards, everyone reported the amount of silver they had donated.

The first person named, the Left Chancellor, was forced to donate 20,000 taels of silver.

The Left Chancellor was extremely annoyed.

Knowing that the emperor would personally call on them, they might as well be the first to step forward and donate.

That wasn't the worst part. What terrified him most was that the ruler of a nation knew exactly what his family had eaten the previous day.

Does that mean that if the emperor wanted to investigate me, he could find out everything just by how many farts I let out while I was sleeping?

This was terrifying. He desperately wanted to get home and check if the gold and jewels in the secret room had been stolen.

If it's lost, then the thief must be the Emperor.

The king of a country was inexplicably burdened with the reputation of a thief.

Since all the ministers who could attend court had donated, what remained were wealthy merchants and officials from various regions.

Especially for local officials, the saying "a clean prefect for three years can earn 100,000 taels of silver" is not just a simple matter.

The Emperor knew exactly which officials he could ask for more from and which officials he didn't need to take from at all.

His ability to investigate matters is no joke.

He knew perfectly well whether or not he had embezzled, but he simply kept quiet about it.

It's not that we don't care; if the water is too clear, there will be no fish. We still have to give these officials some benefits.

However, we cannot cross the bottom line; once it causes problems for people's livelihoods, it will become a major issue.

However, there will always be people who jump back and forth on the dangerous line.

However, this time, after the emperor issued the policy of donating money for road repairs, the funds were distributed throughout the country.

It was clearly stated that donations from farmers would not be accepted.

As for the termites in various places, it's uncertain whether they will try anything funny.

Chang Yi of Huicui Pavilion signed a road construction contract with the Royal Family.

The Vice Minister of Works initially wanted Chang Yi to give him a rebate, which was quite obvious.

Chang Yi would clasp his hands in a fist salute facing the direction of the palace.

"Thanks to His Majesty's favor, he has designated our Huicui Pavilion's construction team to cooperate."

However, Huicui Pavilion has limited manpower, and the price they offered, after deducting various costs, only covers the labor costs of the workers; they didn't provide a budget for our meals.

With such a low budget, Hui Cui Ge cannot afford it.

Perhaps, Your Excellency, you should see if there are any other construction teams willing to take on the job.

Furthermore, our cement production capacity at Huicui Pavilion is currently insufficient to meet the needs of the entire country.

"I will not take up any more of your time, Your Excellency. I take my leave."

Chang Yi left with an incredibly domineering air.

An hour later, when the Minister of Works asked the Vice Minister for the contract, the Vice Minister was dumbfounded.

"My lord, that Hui Cui Pavilion really doesn't respect the government. They actually refused to sign a contract with us."

They even complained that the wages were too low. They were incredibly arrogant.

"Sir, this Hui Cui Pavilion is far too arrogant. Perhaps we should find another construction team to work with."

The Minister of Works looked at the Vice Minister as if he were a fool.

"Replace? Replace who? Replace who will have cement?"

Who else could be as reliable as Huicui Pavilion?

Walking on the streets all day, haven't you noticed...?

Is the road after the construction at Huicui Pavilion better than any previous repair?

Clean, flat, and not prone to cracking.

Do you have a better idea?

Are we still using bricks?

Do you know why His Majesty insisted on road construction this time?

A barrage of questions left the Vice Minister of Works dumbfounded.

He simply wanted to use the opportunity of demanding bribes to make Huicui Pavilion back down, so that his brother-in-law could take over the project.

Since ancient times, building bridges and roads has been one of the most profitable businesses.

As a result, he was rebuffed by the Minister.

"My lord, I'm just so angry. The manager of that Hui Cui Pavilion really doesn't respect the imperial court at all."

The Minister of Works really wanted to crack open this guy's head to see if it was filled with soy milk or tofu dregs.

"The imperial court? I don't see that coming. Who represents the imperial court? You?"

I'll take care of signing the contract; you should go and attend to other matters.

"By the way, bring me the contract you drafted for my review."

The Minister of Works' words were like a knife, instantly stripping the Vice Minister of Works bare.

After the Vice Minister of Works reviewed the contract, he gently shook his head.

"They really think Huicui Pavilion is an easy target."

"Heh, if Chang Yi can sign this contract, I'm worried he might have some other tricks up his sleeve."