However, the old Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Works had his eyes on that painting made by his cousin as soon as he saw it in the Council Hall.
Privately, the old Chief of Staff pulled Cui Yanjin aside and said, "If that painting by the Master of the Princess were more detailed, it could serve as a terrain map for the Ministry to reference for water management."
This map was indeed too important.
But the old Chief of Staff felt it inappropriate to ask directly, after all, the Master of the Princess was extremely busy at the Ministry of Revenue, barely touching the ground with his feet daily. How could he feel right about personally asking the Master of the Princess for a more labor-intensive and detailed painting? Since it was a matter for the Ministry of Works, he felt it inappropriate to go to the Ministry of Revenue and trouble them, using his old face.
Yet he was indeed struggling to contain his eagerness, and after some days of struggle, he decided to approach Cui Yanjin, attempting to leverage Cui Yanjin’s familial relationship to gain favor.
The old Chief of Staff, with a bitter face, said to Cui Yanjin, "Lord Cui, you and the Master of the Princess are cousins, maybe you could ask..."
Looking at the old Chief of Staff, Cui Yanjin honestly responded, "It’s a cousin relationship but one removed."
"This..." The old Chief of Staff paused, "Are your relations not good?" 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖
The old Chief of Staff had also heard that Cui Yanjin and Zhou Gu seemed not to get along well. On the day of the Princess’s birthday banquet, the two cousins even caused a commotion at the Palace, with Cui Yanjin glaring angrily at Zhou Gu, who had a dark face. If not for the Princess mediating between them, they might have even come to blows at the Palace banquet.
Cui Yanjin snorted, "Previously it wasn’t good, but he’s been wise enough to seek forgiveness from his cousin."
Watching him, the old Chief of Staff suggested, "But the Princess is very fond of you, perhaps, you could go through her? Why not ask the Princess for help?"
Cui Yanjin felt uncomfortable, "For such a trivial matter, to bother my cousin’s wife doesn’t seem quite right!"
The old Chief of Staff puffed his beard and widened his eyes, "How is this a trivial matter?"
He lectured Cui Yanjin, "This matter is very important, it’s a major issue. From that painting by the Master of the Princess, I could truly tell that he personally visited those places. Imagine if the Master of the Princess drew it with more detail—what rivers, the dense terrains, how to divert water for management, how to build dikes, how to carve through or avoid the Mountain Forest, etc. If we had a more detailed topographical map, it would allow for better strategic planning."
"Our Ministry of Works also has maps of various regions," Cui Yanjin said.
"But those items, how do they compare to the ones produced by the Master of the Imperial? Besides, when the Nangong Family controlled the government, there were many places where the Nangong Family’s people were involved. Those of the Nangong Family who died, died, and those who escaped did escape. Before they withdrew from Nanchu, many things were destroyed. Now, what we have in the Ministry of Works is incomplete; some areas have submitted plans that are also incomplete, and there are even several places that need to be reassessed and have their drawings redone. This could take more than a year, which not only wastes time but also hinders this year’s projects. Moreover, who could know the Master of the Imperial, who has practically traveled all over Nanchu, better in such short notice?" the old Chief of Staff sighed, feeling as though his beard had turned white from worry.
Managing river embankments and constructing dikes to prevent disasters involve much work from the Ministry of Works, but the essential drawings for these projects are incomplete, hindering progress in many places.
Especially as this year saw a lot of rain. Although the intense summer heat had passed, the required rainfall hadn’t been reached. Heavier rains were expected in the autumn. If several heavy autumn rains occurred, the Ministry of Works would again be overwhelmed.
Only some crucial areas prone to frequent water disasters were assigned personnel, but there were still many places left unmanaged. Nanchu’s terrain comprises many mountain forests, and issues like landslides are common throughout the spring, summer, and autumn seasons. These are also the Ministry’s responsibilities.
As the head of the Ministry of Works responsible for coordinating national water engineering, how could the old Chief of Staff not desire a detailed national map of the mountains and rivers? But the Ministry now lacked such detailed maps – they were either crudely made or incomplete. Before they fled, the Nangong Family had never considered Nanchu’s welfare; they took what they could and destroyed what they could not. Hence, it wasn’t unreasonable for the King to resent the members of the Nangong Family.
The old Chief of Staff sighed, "Lord Cui, you were transferred to the Ministry of Works because it was short-staffed. Since you are part of our Ministry, you need to put in more effort for us. Moreover, our Ministry needs to produce tangible results. Didn’t you declare you wanted to work harder for the Princess? Why are you now reluctant to request the drawings?"
Cui Yanjin scratched his head, "Okay then!"
Thus, persuaded by the old Chief of Staff, he took the opportunity of today’s Jeweled Grove Banquet to first visit the Council Hall and view that particular drawing. It indeed was exceptionally good, no wonder it had caught the old Chief of Staff’s attention. Then he went to the banquet to badger Zhou Gu.
Zhou Gu naturally refused, "Why are you involving me in the Ministry of Works’ matters? With so many people in the Ministry skilled in drafting, what are they doing if not drawing?"
Cui Yanjin brought up the whole persuasive argument given by the old Chief of Staff, pleading, "Cousin, it’s about time. The Ministry of Works is pressed for time. Even if they dispatch people, they need to painstakingly measure everything inch by inch before submitting accurate drawings of various locations. Wouldn’t that take at least several months, if not a year or more? Besides, I’ve seen the archived drawings kept by the Ministry; their quality is deplorable—many areas are blurred, barely distinguishable whether they depict mountains, rivers, or villages."
He sighed, "Just take my time in the Ministry, for instance. Those newly drafted drawings that quickly surfaced, not to mention aren’t as good as yours, were still rough. Recently, when I took the drawings and went with the Ministry’s people on a field mission, guess what I discovered? The distance from the Royal Capital is only about two hundred kilometers, but what was drawn on paper compared to what we actually inspected on-site was not even close. It might still be identifiably water as Quicksand River was depicted as a mere stream, which left me speechless. But worse, there were two mountains, distinctly separated by a ravine, yet the drawing falsely connected them, concealing the ravine. Consequently, the Ministry had to redo its initial plans and all associated strategies, increasing the proposed budget significantly, requiring it to be reevaluated and causing us to request additional funds from the Ministry of Revenue. It’s such a waste of time and effort."
His words were logical, pointing at himself, "Cousin, look at me; I’ve lost weight from the strain. The Ministry is truly difficult to manage. Please help me!"
He tugged at Zhou Gu’s sleeve imploringly, "Cousin, you have almost personally traversed all over Nanchu. And you’re so clever, with an excellent memory too; you clearly remember every detail—what type of soil and water quality each place has, whether there are any mountain forests, etc. It’s all evident from your painting. It would be such a waste not to offer your drawings to the Ministry for their use."
Before Zhou Gu could speak, he continued, "It’s a matter that benefits both the country and the people. Please agree! If you do, I’ll sneak out treasures from my father’s private collection for you to enjoy."
Zhou Gu rolled his eyes. Sneak, what nonsense? He looked disgusted, "I do not want it."
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