Looking at the busy people, Guan Zhiyue suddenly remembered Zhang Yanghao's poem "Mountain Slope Sheep: Reminiscing about Tongguan", which contains a classic and fitting line.

She couldn't help but sigh softly.

"When a dynasty prospers, the people suffer; when a dynasty falls, the people suffer!"

Li Qiji, who was standing to the side, was deeply shocked after hearing this and pressed Guan Zhiyue for an explanation.

"Yue'er, what do you mean by that?"

Guan Zhiyue withdrew her gaze from the distance, returned to her tent, and sat down on a chair.

He slowly began to speak, saying, "I once read a poem."

"It's Zhang Yanghao's poem 'Mountain Slope Sheep: Reminiscing about Tongguan.' This poet is doing something quite similar to what we're doing now!"

"Zhang Yanghao was an honest and upright official who loved the people like his own children. One year, due to a drought in Guanzhong, he was appointed as the Vice Minister of the Shaanxi Provincial Government to provide disaster relief to the victims."

During his journey to the Western Qin region, he witnessed firsthand the profound suffering of the people, and filled with sorrow and indignation, he gave away all his wealth to dedicate himself to disaster relief. Ultimately, he died in the line of duty due to overwork.

"Therefore, he wrote this poem during a severe drought in Guanzhong!"

"It's exactly the same as what we're experiencing now. He experienced a drought, and we are experiencing a locust plague, but in the end, it is the people who suffer!"

"The rise and fall of a nation comes at the cost of the suffering of its people!"

"When a country falls, it is the people who suffer!"

"That's why I said this out of genuine feeling. It's not directed at anyone in particular! Don't take it personally and then get angry with me!" Guan Zhiyue expressed her meaning.

Li Qiji, standing to the side, was lost in thought; he was very depressed!

Despite their hard work and efforts to improve the situation, they still caused suffering to their own people, without receiving the slightest comfort.

“In the past, when the country was in my father’s hands, I thought it had been deposed. So I desperately tried to bring him to justice, even if it meant bearing the crime of patricide. I thought I could make life better for the people.”

"Little did I know, these disasters were still unavoidable. Even providing more food for the people would have been helpful, but I couldn't do any of that!"

"If it weren't for you, Yue'er, I wonder what kind of situation this locust plague would have been in?"

Li Qiji spoke in a low voice, admitting his own faults. It was already commendable that a monarch could look for the reasons within himself.

Guan Zhiyue listened and then smiled and said, "Since you've put it that way, let me give you another suggestion. See if it's feasible?"

Li Qiji looked up at Guan Zhiyue with a very deep gaze. At this moment, he seemed to understand her less and less, as if no difficulty could defeat her.

"Hmm! Please enlighten me, Yue'er!"

Guan Zhiyue patted Li Qiji on the shoulder and said, "It's what I just said!"

"If you want to get rich, build roads first!"

"Think about it, all those so-called official roads we've traveled along have been full of potholes. It's fine when it's not raining, but when it rains, how troublesome it is to drive on those muddy, uneven roads!"

Looking back, Li Qiji realized that the path he had walked over the years was indeed like that.

"So, does Yue'er have any way to solve this problem?" Li Qiji asked.

Guan Zhiyue asked, "What are the streets and roads like in the capital?"

Without a second thought, Li Qiji blurted out, "It's flat and smooth, and it won't get muddy when it rains or snows."

Then, as if remembering something, she quickly retorted, "That's not right, Yue'er. The roads in our capital are all paved with bluestone slabs, which takes a lot of manpower and resources."

"If we pave the road with bluestone slabs as you say, it will cost a lot of money."

"This method is unacceptable! Unacceptable!"

"At that time, I don't pray for lasting fame, I just hope I won't be infamous for eternity!"

Guan Zhiyue laughed and said, "Then I'll give you a chance to be remembered in history, do you want it?"

Li Qiji's eyes widened. Who in the world doesn't want to be remembered for all time?

"Won't it be infamy? Being praised or cursed can both make you famous throughout history."

Guan Zhiyue looked at Li Qiji and suddenly realized that this guy still had a bit of a comedic side.

"Come on! I said I'd make you famous for all time, of course it'll be in praise."

"Let me tell you, I know a way to build a smooth, durable, and long-lasting official road."

As long as the initial construction wasn't done with shoddy workmanship and daily maintenance is proper, I guarantee your descendants can continue to enjoy it for generations to come!

Upon hearing this, Li Qiji exclaimed in disbelief, "Wow, there's such an amazing official road?!"

He then asked, "Yue'er, are you sure you mean it?"

"Absolutely true!"

Li Qiji was excited, his mind was already filled with anticipation.

What a life that would be!

What a sight it would be if there were wide, flat roads that were free of mud!

Will I be able to achieve this in my lifetime?

"Yue'er, what kind of path did you mention? How can it be achieved?"

"asphalt."

Li Qiji didn't understand and looked at Guan Zhiyue with a puzzled expression.

Li Qiji asked, "Yue'er, what is this thing you're talking about?"

"It's asphalt! It's a complex, dark brown mixture composed of hydrocarbons of different molecular weights and their non-metallic derivatives. It's a waterproof, moisture-proof, and corrosion-resistant organic cementing material."

Li Qiji didn't understand and kept blinking. Guan Zhiyue looked at Li Qiji's expression and couldn't quite put her finger on it!

He was so clueless, just like a naive and eager-to-learn child.

“This asphalt is made up of these things, but with current technology, I think it’s very difficult to achieve!” Before Guan Zhiyue could finish speaking, Li Qiji interrupted, “Ah, then doesn’t that mean what you said is impossible to achieve?”

Guan Zhiyue shook her head and said, "That's not what I meant. Although we can't manufacture asphalt artificially with our current technology, we can find naturally formed asphalt!"

Li Qiji immediately transformed into a curious child, asking without hesitation, "What is natural asphalt?"

Guan Zhiyue explained, "As the name suggests, natural asphalt is something that forms independently in nature and does not require artificial processing."

Natural asphalt is formed from petroleum that has been subjected to long-term compression by the Earth's crust and has gradually changed through contact with air and water.

Petroleum asphalt exists in its natural form and often contains a certain proportion of minerals. Based on its formation environment, it can be classified into rock asphalt, lake asphalt, and seabed asphalt.

"So as long as we find a way to get this kind of thing across the country, then our asphalt roads can be implemented."

"If you can't find it, then you can talk about not being able to find it!"

Guan Zhiyue said firmly.

Li Qiji's lips twitched, but he still had certain expectations for this natural asphalt, hoping that his great nation would surely create a different kind of official road and lifestyle.

"Yue'er, tell me what that thing looks like, and I'll issue an order to send people to find it!"

Guan Zhiyue nodded and said, "Your Majesty should keep this a secret for now and search for it privately on your own!"

"Yes! I know!"