Chapter 141 It’s Difficult
"Lord Qin, you are putting me in a difficult position!" Zhu Chong's expression changed and he looked at Qin Kui coldly.
"Your Highness," Qin Kui said, giving Zhu Chong a long look. "The Ministry of Works was indeed at fault this time, but you've killed the men and vented your anger. Your Highness, what else do you want? Will you be satisfied only if everyone in the Ministry of Works is wiped out?"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Chong raised his eyebrows slightly, "Minister Qin, it seems that you still don't understand what I want."
Qin Kui stared at Zhu Chong with a grim expression, sighed for a long time, took out a roll of banknotes from his sleeve, and handed it to Zhu Chong respectfully with both hands.
"Your Highness, this is ten thousand strings of precious coins. This is the medical expenses the Ministry of Works is giving your craftsmen. I am here to apologize to you and your craftsmen!"
Having said that, Qin Kui knelt down in front of Zhu Chong regardless of the fact that they were in public.
Zhu Chong was slightly moved. Seeing Qin Kui doing this, he felt very uncomfortable. "Master Qin, why are you doing this? You are not the one who should apologize!"
"No!" Qin Kui raised his head and said earnestly, "It is because I failed to discipline my subordinates that today's disaster has occurred. The main cause of all this lies with me. I beg Your Highness the Prince of Qin to show mercy. The entire Ministry of Works is deeply grateful!"
As he spoke, Qin Kui kowtowed heavily to Zhu Chong again. Hearing a dull thud under his feet, Zhu Chong could no longer maintain his airs.
"Okay, since Lord Qin says so, then I'll do as you say." Zhu Chong put his hands behind his back and noticed someone peeking behind him. He deliberately said loudly, "But if there's a next time..."
"If it happens again, I will bring my head to see Your Highness!" Qin Kui expressed his opinion first, and seeing this, Zhu Chong nodded in agreement.
After Qin Kui left, Zhu Chong took the 10,000 strings of banknotes and turned back to the Banknote Administration Office. Zhang Quan hurriedly came up to him and looked at the banknotes in Zhu Chong's hand with a very excited expression.
"Sir, let's go on..."
"If anyone from the Ministry of Industry comes, take them directly to the place where cement is made in our company." Zhu Chong interrupted the other party directly.
Zhang Quan was stunned when he heard this. "Sir, should we continue to teach them how to make cement? Then..."
"What else? What else do you want? The Minister has come here in person to apologize. What? Do you have any other ideas?" Zhu Chong glared at Zhang Quan unhappily.
This guy has no special ability except to fiddle with it. No wonder he is still a minor clerk in the Baochao Tizhusi for so long.
Zhu Chong thought for a moment, then tossed the ten thousand strings of banknotes to Zhang Quan, then instructed, "Give each injured craftsman ten strings of banknotes for medicine and medicine, and give them three thousand strings of banknotes as a reward for their hard work from the Imperial Guards. The rest will be placed in my personal account."
"Tell the craftsmen and the Ministry of Industry to be attentive in teaching, but they don't need to be overly demanding. Just do your job well."
"Yes, sir. I'll do it right away." After hearing Zhu Chong's arrangement, Zhang Quan immediately took the treasure notes and went to work.
The next day, a large group of people came from the Ministry of Works. Zhu Chong looked carefully and found that except for the leading official, all the others were craftsmen. It was obvious that the Ministry of Works was really determined to learn how to make cement as soon as possible, and sent all the craftsmen they could.
When Zhu Chong saw that the other party's official was polite to Zhang Quan, whose official position was lower than his, after he came in, he no longer had the intention to make things difficult for him. He went straight to find Old Liu and told him what to do in the next stage.
When Zhu Chong finished his work and was about to leave, the prince suddenly sent someone to invite him to the Eastern Palace.
Zhu Chong arrived at the Eastern Palace and saw Crown Prince Zhu Biao writing furiously on a mountain of memorials. He asked with a puzzled look on his face, "Brother, why did you call me here when you're so busy? You didn't want me to help you review the memorials, did you?"
"I heard that you have become a celebrity in Yingtian Prefecture recently. Some people say that your entire family was executed by our father because of you. Is this true?" Zhu Biao asked Zhu Chong casually without even nodding.
"What?" Zhu Chong looked puzzled. "Could it be that Qiu Chuyang is your man, big brother?"
"What are you thinking about?" Zhu Biao was amused by Zhu Chong's words. "Do you think I have nothing to do? I'm worried about you. If you do something like that again, you'll end up alone sooner or later!"
"What do you mean?" Zhu Chong looked puzzled, not understanding why Zhu Chong said that.
"Do you know why I didn't go to see your cement road after it was completed?" Zhu Biao suddenly asked Zhu Chong an even stranger question.
"Ah? It's because you are too busy, brother. It's just one road anyway. It's there whether you look at it or not." Zhu Chong became even more confused and started to make up nonsense.
"You really are..." Zhu Biao was completely conquered by Zhu Chong. "Let me ask you, how many days did it take to build your road? On the day when the emperor came to inspect your road, why did he go straight back to the palace after seeing all the officials accompanying him?"
"Huh?" Zhu Chong frowned. Zhu Chong had also been puzzled by Zhu Biao's question that day, but he didn't take it to heart. Now that Zhu Biao brought up the old matter again, Zhu Chong suddenly felt that he might have missed something important.
"You really are oblivious to what's happening outside. If it were anyone else, they'd probably have been reduced to ashes by now!" Zhu Biao scolded with a smile, "Let me ask you again, do you know how long it usually takes the court to build a road like yours?"
"Hmm?" Zhu Chong suddenly understood. "Brother, are you saying that my path has made some people in the court jealous?"
"You repaired the road in seven days, which others may not be able to repair in seventy days. Isn't that making people jealous?" Zhu Biao retorted.
"Although what you did was a great benefit to our father and the imperial court, you also offended many people. Second brother, you are now an official, how come you don't even understand this?"
"Brother, don't beat around the bush with me. Let's not talk about trivial things between brothers." Zhu Chong scratched his head in annoyance.
"You know best how I got to be this official. I just want to do my own thing. I don't care about anything else, and I don't want to care about anything else. But when someone bullies me, I won't give face to anyone except my parents and you, big brother!"
Zhu Chong's words made Zhu Biao stupefied. "Second brother, are you only concerned with your own little piece of land and nothing else? Officialdom is about collaboration and joint progress. You..."
"Brother, that's strange." Zhu Chong had a strange expression on his face. "Are you trying to test me like our father?"
"How about this? I'm already a prince. Does being an official mean anything to me? If I can take a step further in my position, do you want to give me the throne of crown prince, or do you want to instigate a rebellion with me?"
"Brothers, let's be frank. If you despise our father's behavior and want to rebel against him, I'll be your vanguard and pull him down from that chair. Sooner or later, that position will be yours, so it's just as well for you to take it now..."
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