The emperor nodded with satisfaction and said, "Yes, Doctor Du's suggestion is very good. I didn't expect that I could achieve such a great achievement before I die.
It's a good idea to turn the north of the city into a manufacturing hub. In this way, she will probably use all the useless wasteland in the north of the city to build workshops."
"Yes! This is Doctor Du's plan." The prince also admired Du Wanwan's proposal, "She will use the silver to buy those places and develop and utilize them.
After the construction is completed, the cost will be recovered and then returned to the North District in batches, which is equivalent to returning it to the court. People are smart and the solutions they come up with are so convincing.
We don't have to pay a penny, just wait a few years and we can get a brand new city north and all the houses built."
The emperor was silent for a long time, and then looked at the prince and said, "Pick a good day, prepare the saplings, and I will plant one myself."
Dr. Du’s suggestion is a good one. He will die, but the tree will not.
A hundred years after his death, people may not remember who he was, but as long as they see the trees he planted, they will definitely remember him.
Why wouldn't he do something that would make him famous forever?
The transformation of the north of the city was simpler and more brutal than that of the west. After Du Wanwan went to investigate on the spot, she came back with a blueprint, gave it to You Chengzi, and told him her ideas.
You Chengzi understood, and immediately went to find He Xiangjin, deciding to humbly ask him how to build the north of the city as quickly as possible.
When the people in the north of the city heard that their area was going to be renovated, there was no need to mobilize each household. After measuring the area of their houses and registering them, they took the initiative to move out and demolish their houses.
It’s just a broken thatched hut, what’s there to be reluctant about?
The People's Clinic can afford to build them a new house. If they don't tear it down during the day, it will be torn down at night. Only a fool would keep this thatched hut.
He Xiangjin had had a quarrel with You Chengzi before, but now seeing that You Chengzi came to him politely and it was Doctor Du who asked him to come, he no longer dared to give him a cold shoulder.
Doctor Du was his benefactor. Without her, he would not be respected today.
The two of them trampled on the past under their feet, cooperated as much as possible, and soon all the dilapidated houses of the residents were completely demolished.
Du Wanwan said that she wanted to hold a groundbreaking ceremony, so she asked them to find a lot of saplings and even dug a lot of pits for planting trees.
He Xiangjin's people are very knowledgeable about digging tree pits, and they have planted a lot of street trees in the west of the city.
Everything was ready, an auspicious day and time were chosen, Ye Zhenghai, Yetingxiao and the prince were called to accompany the emperor to lay the foundation stone.
Originally, a foundation stone had to be prepared for the laying of the foundation, and the cause of the event had to be engraved on it. However, Du Wanwan thought that was too boring, and was afraid that she would not be able to invite the emperor, so she did not prepare it.
Some cypress seedlings were prepared, and a strong and beautiful one was picked out and placed aside. When the emperor came, he would plant it with his own hands.
This is something of great significance. With this tree, the people in the north of the city will remember the emperor for generations to come.
After the court session, the emperor changed into ordinary clothes and came to the north of the city accompanied by Liu Xiaowu and led by the prince.
The north of the city looked empty at this moment. All the houses had been demolished. At a glance, it looked flat and empty.
There were one or two hundred people working not far away, and it looked like they were laying the foundation.
The emperor looked into the distance and felt that if this place was rebuilt, it would be ten or a hundred times better than it is now.
Du Wanwan did not attend the groundbreaking ceremony. She was accompanied by the Crown Prince and Ye Tingxiao, but no civil or military officials accompanied her.
When the emperor travels, the rules and ceremonies are too complicated, so the prince suggests traveling light so as not to disturb the people.
The emperor thought it was okay and followed them in the carriage.
He Xiangjin and You Chengzi both knew that the emperor would come to hold the groundbreaking ceremony today, and Du Wanwan had told them all the procedures.
Trees tied with red cloth and shovels tied with big red flowers were also ready. As soon as the emperor got off the carriage and washed his hands, they started setting off firecrackers.
"Father! In order to avoid attracting onlookers, the ceremony was not known to too many people. Only a few of us came here, and each of us planted a tree, as a way of showing our concern for the people in the north of the city."
"Hmm!" The emperor walked to the dug tree pit and looked at it. "The pit is already dug. Okay, let's get started!"
He Xiangjin suppressed the trembling in his heart and handed the sapling and shovel to Yetingxiao, who then passed them to the prince, and the prince passed them to the emperor.
This was the first time in his life that he saw the Emperor's face. Thanks to Doctor Du, if she hadn't organized this ceremony, they would never have seen the Emperor in their lives.
You Chengzi was preparing water on the side. It was also his first time to meet the emperor, but he was not as nervous as He Xiangjin.
He seemed to care nothing about these things, and just followed Doctor Du's instructions. As long as he and his people could live a good life, he was happy to do anything.
The emperor had just picked up the iron shovel with a big red flower tied to it and dug the soil in the tree pit when firecrackers started to crackle.
He was slightly stunned and a smile appeared on his face.
I knew that the doctor would never invite him to lay the foundation stone in such a lonely place. He must have prepared some surprise for him.
The firecrackers blasted for several minutes. He had planted the saplings and was adding soil. All the people working behind him knelt down on the spot and kowtowed to him.
They all shouted, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for planting trees in the north of the city. Long live the emperor, long live the emperor."
The people shouted several times in a row, their voices clear and loud, shaking the heavens and the earth.
The emperor listened and worked, and although he was sweating profusely, he felt comfortable in his heart.
Now that this has happened, his good reputation for being diligent and caring for the people will surely live on forever. Even if he is asked to abdicate immediately, it will be worth it.
After the trees were planted, the people stood up and continued to work, and firecrackers rang out again.
People in the west and east of the city didn’t know what was happening in the north, so many of them gathered around out of curiosity.
You Chengzi followed Du Wanwan's instructions, stopped the people outside, and shouted loudly: "The emperor planted trees for the reconstruction of the north of the city. If you are willing, you can also plant a tree by yourself. But there is a fee, five taels of silver to plant a tree of the same type as the one planted by the emperor. If you are willing, please come here to line up and register, and we will arrange it immediately."
"What? Hahaha! Hahaha!" The emperor laughed loudly after hearing this and pointed at Ye Tingxiao, "This idea must have come from your doctor Du."
Ye Tingxiao did not shy away from the question and smiled helplessly: "What can we do? Doctor Du is just a money-grubber. She said that the emperor's tree planting cannot be in vain, and it must leave a deep impression on the people.
He also said that a lot of money was spent on hiring people to plant the trees on the roadside in the west of the city. If there was free labor, he could also earn some money, so these saplings would be like picking them up for free.
The emperor's tree planting is of great significance. Whenever anyone asks about it in the future, they will have to proudly brag to others that they have planted trees with the emperor.
The emperor's reputation as a man of common humanity will spread and be passed down from generation to generation." (End of this chapter)
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