Chen Daohao didn't know what they were saying, but it didn't matter what they said. At present, the people of Ye still had to rely on their abilities. A few words of verbal joking and arguing, which were not serious enough to be considered a crime, could be easily covered up.
He smiled and cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "I didn't expect Lord Zheng to be so diligent, taking office today. I am so sorry for not welcoming you properly."
They tried to maintain a superficial harmonious relationship, but Zheng Quchi had no intention of maintaining this false superior-subordinate relationship with them. She said, "No need. I am a useless peasant woman from the countryside. How dare I ask important people like you to come and greet me when I obtained my official position by flirting and flattering the prince?"
When the people of Hualin Garden heard Lord Zheng's self-deprecating humor, their brains immediately exploded. They finally remembered the things they had said when they complained earlier, and it was estimated that Master Zheng had remembered them all.
The people from Nanlin Garden looked guilty and at a loss, not expecting that she had gotten wind of their recent fabricated complaints about the dissatisfaction of the Directorate of Works.
At first, they were a little nervous, afraid that she would hold them accountable when she arrived. But then they thought, didn't they also bring down the previous Grand Master Craftsman? How difficult would it be to bring down another one? So they became bolder again.
"Lord Zheng is joking," Chen Daohao said with a perfunctory smile.
Looking at the faces of these people from Nanlin Garden, Zheng Quchi's original idea changed. She no longer intended to engage in verbal arguments with them.
"Just now, Lord Chen said that your Nanlin Garden plans to take on the entire Cangling Dam project, is that right?"
“Yes, Nanlin Garden has almost the most capable craftsmen in the entire Imperial Workshop. It will definitely not be a problem for me and them to supervise the construction,” Chen Daohao said with a smile.
"No problem? But they still haven't answered the three questions I asked earlier. Why don't you, the young craftsman who strongly recommended Nanlin Garden, answer them?"
"Oh, which three questions are you referring to?"
"I will not ask the question again. You can tell Lord Chen yourselves."
Seeing that Zheng Quchi was making a big show of things as a new official and was determined to outdo them, the people of Nanlin Garden had no choice but to repeat what they had said to Chen Daohao.
Upon hearing this, Chen Daohao realized that this Master Zheng was not an amateur; at least she had some skills. However, he couldn't quite figure out how deep her expertise was. Judging from her age, he figured she probably wasn't that skilled.
“These three questions are not difficult, but they have only just taken over and need time to conduct an on-site inspection and measurement. The specific answers will be presented to Lord Zheng in a little while.” Chen Daohao took on this task for Nanlin Garden.
Zheng Quchi wanted this answer, so she nodded: "Then I will patiently await good news. In addition, His Highness has personally entrusted me with the matter of rebuilding Zichen Palace and Kunning Palace. If you have any objections, you may go to His Highness the Crown Prince for an explanation. However, I do not want to hear any more unfounded rumors, especially those from your Nanlin Garden. Is that clear?"
"Naturally, naturally."
After sounding an alarm for the people of Nanlin Garden, Zheng Quchi stopped arguing with them. She had other plans in mind, so she led the group from Hualin Garden back home.
They followed with their heads down, not uttering a word, and an inexplicable awkwardness and unease spread through them.
"You don't need to worry about the Cangling Dam. Those people from Nanlin Garden won't get through to us. I will get this project back and seek justice for you sooner or later."
Hua Linyuan was immediately taken aback: "..." This is really unnecessary.
If those people from Nanlin Garden can't pass the test, I'm afraid it will be even more difficult for them to take on the main responsibility on their own.
Zheng Quchi thought they were disappointed that they hadn't been able to teach Nanlin Garden a lesson this time and get revenge for them. She added, "And they shouldn't even think about getting involved in any major projects in Shengjing and the Royal Palace in the future. The construction by the people of Ye will naturally be done by the people of Ye themselves. We don't need people like them who look down on us on one hand and come here to make money on the other."
The people at Hualinyuan broke out in a cold sweat.
They thought to themselves, "Master Zheng, don't you ever think about why the State of Ye would spend so much money to hire these foreign craftsmen back?"
Zheng Quchi found it strange that they hadn't said a word. He turned around and saw that they all looked embarrassed, as if they wanted to speak but couldn't open their mouths because they were hesitant.
"You can speak your mind directly. Do you want to shut down Nanlin Garden and kick them out of the Imperial Academy of Works?"
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