In the fifth month of the lunar calendar, the sun hangs scorching in the sky.
The atmosphere in the capital is as lively as the weather!
From the court to the people, it was bustling.
The court was engaged in another lawsuit, while the people were watching the strange event.
In fact, these two things ultimately come down to one thing: cement road.
Gu Jiu alone stirred up the clamor in the court and among the people, and the cement road that suddenly appeared refreshed the people of the capital's understanding of the world.
"Oh my! This road can be repaired like this!"
"It's so smooth and flat. It rained heavily the other day, and I walked on that cement road, and there wasn't a speck of mud on my shoes."
"Really? That would be great! When will the roads in the city be paved with cement? Then it won't be so difficult to go out on rainy days."
Outside the South City Gate, the official road.
The road split in the middle, and half of it had already been paved with cement. In just a few days, five or six miles had already been built. This was due to the delays, which had caused the construction to proceed so slowly.
The other half of the road remained the same, paved with yellow mud. On rainy days, mud covered my legs. On sunny days, the dust kicked up by passing vehicles was enough to choke me.
Why did the emperor have to spread yellow soil and sprinkle clean water on the ground wherever he passed before leaving the palace?
The purpose of laying loess is to level the road surface and fill in various potholes on the road.
The purpose of sprinkling clean water is to press down the loose soil and prevent dust from flying when vehicles and horses pass by.
Just imagine, the emperor was walking through a cloud of flying dust, bumping into a pothole from time to time. The scene was so beautiful that I dared not look at it.
Gu Jiu asked the engineering team to take their time and slowly build half a cement road outside the South City Gate as a model road.
Because of this sudden cement road, the people of Beijing have recently developed a hobby. When they have nothing to do, they go out of the South City Gate and walk back and forth on the cement road.
So solid, so smooth, so clean.
If the other half of the official road was also paved with cement, the road surface would be even cleaner.
A horse-drawn carriage came and drove steadily on the half-cement road, without any bumps at all.
There were peddlers carrying loads on their shoulders, who, once the horse-drawn carriages had passed, would step from the yellow mud road onto the concrete one, bringing with them all kinds of dust. Hey, this road is much more comfortable to walk on than the yellow mud road.
The hawker held his head high and looked very proud.
Some farmers from the countryside came to the Dahuaishu Market outside the South City Gate with their agricultural products on their backs to set up stalls and take a look at the novelties.
They didn't dare step onto the cement road for fear of damaging it, so they continued walking on the other side of the yellow mud road.
"Fellow countryman, let's go up, take the cement road. It's a comfortable road."
The old man chuckled, shook his head, and still insisted on walking on the dirt road. Just to see it for fun, the cement road is so valuable, how can you just walk on it casually?
The kids in Beijing were the most excited. They called their friends and walked back and forth along the cement road several times every day.
"The cement road has been built to Shili Pavilion!"
"I heard from the steward that if the court agrees, this road can be built to Luozhou next year."
"Oh my god, how much will it cost to build it to Luozhou?"
"The manager said that when the road construction officially begins, we'll need to recruit a lot of people. We'll provide two meals a day and ten copper coins in wages. Anyone willing to endure this hardship can go to the big locust tree dam outside the south city gate to sign up. If you're willing to learn the skills, the wages can be even higher."
"real?"
"The manager of Sihai Road and Bridge Trading Company said it himself, so of course it can't be false."
"What is this Luqiao Trading Company you just mentioned?"
"All road and bridge construction is under the management of the Road and Bridge Merchants Company. Anyone who has connections and wants to sell goods can also go to the Road and Bridge Merchants Company."
"Others have cement, what can we sell?"
"We sell meat, vegetables, snacks, and ready-made clothes—everything. Those who build the roads must continue to work with the Road and Bridge Merchants. With the money, shouldn't you buy something to eat? If your clothes get worn out, shouldn't you buy a couple of decent ones? If your shoes get torn, shouldn't you sell them for a new pair?"
"Is that so?"
"Hehe, the eldest son of the Li family runs outside every day, and I didn't expect that he has gained some experience."
Li Dalang smiled triumphantly, but then he felt a little worried.
The manager of Sihai Road and Bridge Trading Company saw that he was working hard and gave him an opportunity.
If he can organize a road construction team of 30 people, let him be the leader.
As long as he does a good job, Sihai Trading Company can sign a ten-year contract with him, and he can earn at least 20 to 30 taels a year. He can also buy a house at an internal price.
Working at Sihai Trading Company is an excellent choice for those who have no talent for studying and cannot take the imperial examinations, but do not want to serve in the army and receive a salary.
For the sake of his future, Li Dalang is determined to fight for it this time.
He talked to his neighbors and spoke eloquently about how great it was to build the road and what the future would hold.
Little did they know that their neighbors had all performed corvee labor in their early years, repaired city walls and roads, dug ditches and opened up mountains.
They know very well how hard it is to build roads.
This kind of suffering is not something that ordinary people can endure.
In the early years, when the imperial court was unstable, it was a time of labor service. If out of a hundred people who went out for labor service, it was considered a good thing if fifty or sixty could come back.
Those roads, rivers, border towns and fortresses were all built with the lives of ordinary people.
Nowadays, every household in the capital city has a livelihood. Every year, they would rather pay money to redeem themselves from corvee labor than personally perform it. They would never fall for Li Dalang's trick and follow him to build roads.
Li Dalang spent several days working hard, but no one was willing to follow him to build the road.
He was discouraged and depressed.
His father couldn't stand it anymore and gave him an idea.
"People in the city have jobs, so naturally they won't want to join you in building roads. If you go to the countryside, the most remote and poor places, and make a few trips, you can get not only 30 people, but 300."
Li Dalang looked at his father eagerly, "Can people trust me?"
"Stupid! Who in the capital doesn't know about the Sihai Trading Company? Stay outside the city tonight, get up in the middle of the night, and block the way outside the Sihai Meat and Vegetable Store in the Dahuaishu Market. If you get to know those people from the remote villages, they'll be able to help you get as many people as you need to build the road."
After receiving the hint, Li Dalang jumped three feet high.
After packing my luggage, I went out of the city and found a large bunk bed to rest.
Mother Li asked Father Li, "If you can think of a solution, how could Sihai Trading Company not think of one? Don't let Dalang's efforts be in vain in the end."
Father Li chuckled, "Si Hai Trading Company wants to build a road, so how could they not find people? I'm afraid all the peasants in the countryside would be desperate to get there.
I've been thinking about it these past few days, and I guess the reason why Sihai Trading Company gave up the opportunity is to give everyone a way out.
If Dalang is really capable of taking on responsibilities after this experience, he might even be able to become a small manager at Sihai Trading Company. After all, Dalang can read a few words."
"Is Sihai Trading Company so good? They even proactively give people opportunities."
"Hey, you don't understand this. I heard that a cement road is being built all the way to Luozhou. Sihai Trading Company made their fortune in the capital, and when they get to Luozhou, they can't defeat the local tyrants. If they don't bring some local people with them, they'll be controlled by the local powerful families. The road they worked so hard to build will become a wedding dress for others."
"According to you, Sihai Trading Company wants to recruit people from the capital to Luozhou to stabilize the situation?"
"I guess that's the reason."
Father Li did have some knowledge. Of course, in practice, it wasn't as simple as he said.
What can a group of road construction workers do to maintain order?
The real person in charge is naturally the local powerful person in Luozhou.
Gu Jiu has recently distributed no less than five hundred invitations in the capital and Luozhou.
Many people from Luozhou serve as officials in the capital. These people, proud of their status, are reluctant to interact with businesses. However, they don't mind having their families send people to attend Gu Jiu's business tea party.
Considering that it would take those people 10 to 20 days to travel from Luozhou to the capital, Gu Jiu tentatively scheduled the tea party for the fifth day of June.
By then, the quarrel in the court should have come to an end.
Privately, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue frequently contacted officials from Luozhou to build momentum for this road.
Most officials outside Luozhou were opposed to the road construction.
In fact, they are not really opposed.
All the civil and military officials secretly walked along the half-built cement model road outside the city and sat in the carriages to experience it carefully.
Is this road good?
good!
Very good!
It was fast and stable. Once completed, the journey from Luozhou to the capital by carriage could be shortened to five or six days.
Why oppose it?
Some people are just crooked and oppose just for the sake of opposing.
Part of the reason is that they are unwilling to build a road to Luozhou due to conflicts of interest. Why should those bastards in Luozhou get a free ride?
Can't we build a road east of the Yellow River, west of the Yellow River, or northwest of the Yellow River? Does that mean everyone else was raised by a stepmother, while Luozhou was born to a biological mother?
As a result, the court argued about whether a cement road should be built, whether private individuals should be allowed to pay for road construction and set up toll booths, and whether a road should be built to Luozhou.
Nowadays, officials have a strong sense of regionalism.
In fact, in modern society, officials also have a strong sense of regionalism.
Anyone with eyes can see the advantages of cement roads.
Therefore, everyone wants to build a cement road from the capital to their hometown.
Even people from Jiangnan, Lingnan, Southwest, and Central and Southern regions came to join in the fun.
They didn't even think about how far the capital was from their place and how it was impossible to build a bridge there in one go.
However, this did not prevent everyone from winning over these southern officials and opposing the construction of the road from the capital to Luozhou.
The court argued about this for 10 to 20 days.
When the news spread to the local areas, countless local officials became excited and wrote memorials, requesting that a road be built from the capital to their areas.
In fact, these local officials don’t even know what a cement road is.
They had only one idea: since it was a good thing and could shorten the journey time, they would fight for it and grab it.
It's no big deal to watch the fun.
Even if Emperor Wende was unhappy and wanted to punish a few people, it would not be the turn of these local officials.
Local officials are far away from home and are easily forgotten by the emperor. This is a disadvantage.
The advantage is that the risk of being an official is lower than that of Beijing officials, and the income is higher than that of Beijing officials.
For a local official, a little money from his hands is enough to support his family and save some money for retirement.
Those who are more ruthless can become rich by serving as local officials for a few years, laying a solid foundation for their family to become a wealthy family one day.
From the capital to the countryside, the whole place was bustling with activity because of the road construction, and it was extremely lively.
Buzz, buzz, buzz, Emperor Wende's ears were filled with all kinds of buzzing sounds every day.
June was approaching and Gu Jiu's investment and fundraising tea party was about to be held. Emperor Wende coughed lightly and the court immediately became quiet.
Emperor Wende said calmly, "I know you all want to build a road to your hometown. But I must remind you that the Ministry of Revenue has no money to build a road for you.
The road from the capital to Luozhou was built entirely with private funding, hence the toll booths. The court didn't have to pay a penny for the construction, and now we have the finest road in the world. How could I object to such a good thing? How could you object?
If you want to build a road, that's not impossible. If anyone can come up with hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars in grain, I will approve the construction of a cement road from the capital to your hometown.
If you can't come up with it, then stop talking nonsense. If you have the ability to convince the people to invest and build a road to your hometown, I will be happy for you. "
The officials looked at each other in confusion.
Finally, someone stood up and said, "Your Majesty, it is unbecoming for private individuals to finance road construction and then set up toll booths. It is also disgraceful to the imperial court."
Other officials echoed this.
So, the problem returned to the starting point, and the debate began again about whether Sihai Trading Company was qualified to fund road construction and set up toll booths.
Some people are willing to pay for road construction, and everyone actually agrees.
The only thing I disagree with is setting up toll booths.
Setting up toll booths is really an ugly move.
How could a prince's wife be so greedy for money?
Although no one has said it, everyone knows that the boss behind Sihai Trading Company is Gu Jiu.
When everyone was tired of arguing, Emperor Wende chuckled coldly, which immediately made the court officials shudder.
Emperor Wende smiled, but his words were full of sarcasm and pierced his heart, "The face of the imperial court? The Ministry of Revenue's treasury is so poor that rats are running away. Does the imperial court still have any face to speak of?
Someone took out millions of dollars and grain to build roads for the court. Isn't it normal to set up a few toll booths?
You guys, your eating habits are too ugly. You want the horse to run, but you don't want to give it grass to eat. If you keep eating like this, this road won't be built in a hundred years."
"Your Majesty, is the dignity of the court no longer necessary?"
Emperor Wende took a sip of tea and said, "Turn left and go to the streets and ask the people: which is more important, the dignity of the court or a cement road? Can the dignity of the court be eaten as food or worn as clothes?"
"Your Majesty, how could you do this?"
How can you talk like a street scoundrel without any respect for your dignity?
You are the Son of Heaven!
What about decency?
What about decency?
As the emperor, he behaved in such a mercenary manner, which brought shame to the ancestors of the Liu family.
Emperor Wende didn't care at all, and his words were like a knife, cutting across everyone's cheek.
"Am I wrong? If you say that having proper etiquette means you can go without food and clothes, then why not, from today on, the court will no longer pay any civil or military officials a penny in salary, nor will it provide a single grain of rice. Even your shops will not be exempt from tax. You can all go home and eat your own food.
Anyway, as long as there is decorum, everything else can be discarded. Food, clothing, money, etc., how vulgar. Officials are all of high moral character, why would they deal with food, clothing, money, etc., be careful not to lose decorum."
Civil and military officials: MMP, what should we do when we meet an emperor who changes his attitude faster than turning the pages of a book and is also shameless?
Tired!
I almost vomited a mouthful of blood.
"Your Majesty, when the granaries are full, one will know etiquette. Food, clothing, shelter, and transportation are all in harmony and are not mutually exclusive."
Emperor Wende laughed heartily. "Since we are not in opposition, why can't you, my dear ministers, accommodate a cement road? If you, my dear ministers, can't even accommodate a road in your hearts, how can I expect you to do anything else?"
"Your Majesty, forgive me!"
"You are not guilty, I am guilty. I am incompetent. The Ministry of Revenue is so poor that it can't even afford to build roads."
"Your Majesty, forgive me!"
"How could you, my dear ministers, be guilty? You have devoted yourselves to the dignity of the court, and I must reward you. Come, each of you, my dear minister, have a sip of tea."
"I dare not."
How dare I drink water in the Golden Palace? What if I have to pee urgently?
One person insists on giving a reward, and a group of people insist on refusing it.
After giving in to each other, the dispute over road construction ended.
Emperor Wende sighed, as if to say: You guys don’t understand my heart.
Civil and military officials: Oh, oh, oh, we are not concubines in the harem.
Two days later, the court issued an official document allowing the Sihai Trading Company to build a cement road from the capital to Luozhou, and allowing the Sihai Trading Company to set up a toll station every fifty miles.
With this official document, it is equivalent to obtaining a road and bridge license.
Now everything is ready, only the east wind is missing.
As soon as the tea party starts and enough funds are raised, construction will begin.
Representatives from the major families in Luozhou and powerful people from all over the country arrived in the capital one after another.
Everyone was staring at the tea party in early June, but they didn't know that the village massacre case twenty years ago, which had dragged on for more than half a year and implicated the Cai family, had already been sentenced.
Those who ordered the massacre and those who participated in it were all sentenced to beheading.
A total of one thousand people, one thousand heads.
Except for General Cai, several of his brothers were not spared. One by one, they were all killed.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
