Chapter 116 Yu Lang, the Corporate Slave (Simplified Two-in-One Version): Engineering has always been a notoriously complex and unpredictable field. In later generations, it's at least as complex as it seems…
Engineering has always been a very complex and complex field.
Even if the industry is complex and demanding, at least there are established industry standards. There's a framework to follow, and as long as things don't go too far, even if the management isn't a seasoned industry insider, they can't really go too far.
But things are different now. Nowadays, craftsmen in all trades follow the master-apprentice system. "Teaching an apprentice can starve the master" is a common saying. And if things are kept secret, they are easily tampered with and easily fooled.
Previously, Zhuang Mingguang had gone through many ups and downs just to learn the craft of smoking cured meats. First, he hired a master, and then he formally held a banquet to pay homage to his master. He agreed that from now on, he, as the apprentice, would give his master gifts on the three major festivals and two birthdays every year, and that he would also give his master a pension when he got old.
Even so, the old man still held back a trick. Zhuang Ming, an honest man, couldn't stand it, so he put silver in front of the old man, stacking silver ingots on top of each other until the master had no courage to shake his head anymore. Only then did he buy the most crucial skill from his master.
Of the Six Ministries, the Ministry of Personnel was the most powerful for most of the time, holding the power of life and death over the promotion and transfer of officials. The Minister and Vice Minister of Personnel had always been Kangxi's confidants and had never fallen into the hands of outsiders.
The Ministry of Works has always prioritized practical work over decision-making. In other words, most tasks are carried out by the Ministry of Works, but the real decision-making power is usually not in the hands of the Ministry of Works.
As a result, the Ministry of Works became the lowest of the six ministries. Although there was a lot of money to be made in doing official business, it was difficult to enter the core decision-making circle.
Only by placing Yulang in such a position could Emperor Kangxi feel at ease. Only if Yulang could sit firmly in this position could Emperor Kangxi entrust him with more important matters in the future, in addition to his favor.
This job is not easy. This has been passed down from generation to generation. They won't tell you everything just because you are a confidant of the Crown Prince. Even the Emperor can fool those craftsmen. What are you, a newly appointed official in the Ministry of Works?
Yu Lang couldn't just smash their pot all at once and insist that they make all the construction processes transparent. Since the processes and technologies weren't transparent, he could only tighten the rules and regulations again and again.
For this reason, Shen Wanqing, who had been in this world for several years and had always insisted on working and handling things on two fronts with Yulang, and never interfered too much in his affairs outside, finally talked to him for the first time about how to allocate and arrange the work schedule.
I don't care what secret formula or technique you use, the tasks I assign must be broken down into detailed steps, from the surface to the line to the point.
The Ministry of Works only has so many craftsmen. Even though another batch was recruited at the end of last year, it's definitely not enough for them to work together in one go. The only way is to break down each process into separate, overlapping tasks, with whoever delays being held responsible. Only then is it possible to finish the construction of the two Prince's mansions and the three Beile mansions within the one-year deadline.
As for how to proceed from surface to point to line, Shen Wanqing had someone bring over a huge piece of parchment, almost as big as the entire wall, and hung it on the wall to create a construction schedule, listing out the things that need to be done this year, the specific person in charge, and the timeline.
Then the rest is all Yulang's business. By assigning tasks according to this logic, not only can responsibilities be broken down, but the process of making the construction schedule can also help him get to know his subordinates, clerks, and craftsmen who were not familiar with him before.
In short, the key is to get things done in advance in order to control the overall situation. Being constantly chased by tasks might have been acceptable when there were no specific work assignments, but now that we need to get real results, we can't afford to be like that anymore.
Shen Wanqing hung the work schedule she had prepared in the small courtyard, and Yu Lang stayed in that room for the entire day without coming out.
He knew before that Shen Wanqing was a decisive and capable person with ambition for power. But after all, he had spent most of the past few years working at Yuqing Palace, or serving as a captain in charge of banner affairs, leaving early and returning late every day, only at home in the evenings and early mornings.
No matter how busy Shen Wanqing was, the mornings were always the same. She would make sure to eat breakfast properly and settle Yi'an down before letting the old women and stewards from inside and outside the house come to the East Courtyard to report on their work.
Sometimes Yu Lang would run into them, but he would just watch the show. He entrusted all the household affairs to Shen Wanqing, and he meant no questioning.
It wasn't until Shen Wanqing put her plans into writing that Yu Lang truly understood how much Shen Wanqing had accomplished over the past few years.
That night, Lord Yu returned from the small courtyard with a slight chill in his body. He hummed and whimpered as he snuggled into Shen Wanqing's bed. Since their marriage, they had been on a passionate and fiery path, and every time they paid their dues, they wanted to be people who were consumed by love and hatred. This was the first time he had been so tender, gentle, and careful.
Shen Wanqing was a little uncomfortable with this. She wrapped her long legs around the blanket and clung to Yu Lang, her delicate heels kicking him repeatedly to urge him on, almost making Yu Lang lose his breath before she finally returned to her usual rhythm and frequency.
Shen Wanqing knew what he was thinking, and the next day she didn't buy into Yu Lang's tenderness. Don't try that on her; she knew exactly what she wanted. If she really wanted to lay bare her hardships for him, she wouldn't have waited until now.
Besides, this kind of touching moment is enough once or twice. If you keep talking about how hard you work, your hard work will soon become worthless.
People, no matter what they say, ultimately like and yearn for those who are always beautiful and elegant, never show any weaknesses, and always seem to be able to handle anything with ease. That's what makes them forever rare and what keeps their hearts and minds on them.
Shen Wanqing was like the most precious cat, and the more she acted this way, the more Yu Lang liked her. The more he had someone he liked in his heart, the more motivated he became when he worked.
After the first month of the lunar calendar, Yu Lang relinquished control of the banner affairs to his deputy generals, while he himself, along with a few clerks, plunged into the Ministry of Works and began a fierce battle with the residences of several princes and nobles.
His Majesty has set a one-year deadline for the Ministry of Works, meaning that these princes and nobles will have to move out of the palace by next spring at the latest.
Several princely mansions and noble residences need to be completed within a year. This requires ensuring that every step is completed without delay. If any part is delayed, Yu Lang's task will not be completed.
The first priority is to finalize the blueprints.
The construction process for all mansions and residences begins with drawing up blueprints. Based on these blueprints, the planners and craftsmen work together to determine the approximate amount of timber, stone, bricks, tiles, and vegetation needed. Then, a letter is sent to the purchasing personnel outside, asking them to send the materials back.
The process was largely the same as in later generations, and the accuracy of the drawings was even more detailed. Not only were there floor plans, elevations, and detailed drawings of the internal structure, but the Ministry of Works could even create hot-stamped models. Detachable architectural models were made using paper, wooden strips, etc., both for the emperor's convenience and for the craftsmen to use as a guide for construction.
But those are the overall blueprints. When it comes to the details, everyone's thinking is mostly just to make do. Let's start working on it first, and if there are any additions or subtractions, or if the boss has any new ideas, we can raise them and make changes at any time.
Shen Wanqing repeatedly instructed Yulang to keep a close eye on the blueprints and not let go of any promises. She was willing to make the first month more complicated, even if it meant getting scolded by the princes and nobles for finalizing the blueprints, just to get all the details and scope of the blueprints finalized in advance.
Just like in later generations, when a project is undertaken, the design institute must first produce blueprints. During the design phase, you can change or criticize as you please, but once the blueprints are finalized and submitted to the Minister of Works and the Emperor for approval, they cannot be changed again.
Changes are possible, just like making project visa forms in later times. If you want to change something, you first need to tell the Imperial Household Department. Once the Imperial Household Department knows, they will then negotiate with the Ministry of Works. After the negotiations are completed, the final report will be submitted to the Emperor.
You princes and nobles are not afraid of trouble, so go ahead and do it this way. At most, the servants below will have to redo the work and waste time. When His Majesty gets annoyed by you sons, only he knows who will get scolded and who will be left to watch the drama unfold.
When the princes first looked at the blueprints once or twice, they didn't quite understand. One or two of them had an indifferent attitude, saying, "You guys just do it first."
It wasn't until Yu Lang repeatedly refined the blueprints and compiled a booklet of the styles and materials of all the most commonly used stone, wood, bricks, and tiles, which he then presented to them for them to choose from in advance, that these princes and nobles realized what was happening.
Yu Lang meant that they should make a decision in advance, and once it was decided, they shouldn't change it, so as not to delay his work and the construction period.
Prince Cheng, Yin Zhi, didn't care about this at all. He decided to make the decision sooner rather than later. He then went to his study and wrote a lot of drawings and designs for Yu Lang.
If you, Lord Yu, say that I can make requests and make changes, then naturally I can have whatever I want. As for how to make appropriate changes, that's a matter for your Ministry of Works to worry about.
After several years of study in the Imperial Study, the Fifth Prince's level of Chinese language and writing had improved to the point where he could understand the various markings on the drawings. However, it would be a bit difficult for him to make further improvements on this basis.
Fortunately, Fifth Prince was only bad at Chinese and had a simple and honest nature; he wasn't truly stupid. If he didn't know how, no one else would. Yu Lang took the blueprints from him and immediately packed them all up and sent them to Seventh Prince Yin You's courtyard. The Seventh Prince was a meticulous person; entrusting this matter to him was definitely the right thing to do.
Ever since Yulang rescued him from his horse that year, the Seventh Prince and Yulang never stopped communicating. During festivals, the Seventh Prince would always give a share of the rewards sent from the palace to the Hesheli family.
The gifts were few and never sent through the Dai family outside the palace. They were either writing implements or various swords, but in short, they conveyed the same message and would never put Yu Lang, a member of the Crown Prince's faction, in a difficult position.
Yinyou's mother, Consort Daijia, is still a concubine. According to the regulations, she is treated as a concubine, but because she has not been formally conferred a title, she is still mostly referred to as Consort Daijia in the harem.
Yinyou was born with a leg ailment, and from then on, Lady Daijia lived in the side hall of Chuxiu Palace. Even after Yinyou was conferred the title of Beile, the Emperor did not seem to intend to move Lady Daijia's rank.
Fortunately, Yinyou was an extremely competitive person. The fall from his horse that time did not frighten the young prince; instead, it fueled his competitive spirit.
Although he couldn't match the martial arts skills of Yinzhi and Yinreng over the years, he was definitely not at the bottom among the princes.
Two years ago, he went on an expedition with the central army. Although he did not officially fight on the battlefield, because the Dai family was a member of the Bordered Yellow Banner, he was naturally assigned to lead the Bordered Yellow Banner to guard the emperor. He was very good at managing logistics and guards. Even Emperor Kangxi once praised this son, saying that he was a person with a broad vision and a sense of the big picture.
He was given the construction drawings for the two princely mansions. He kept the drawings and spent three days carefully reviewing them himself. Afterward, he called his fifth brother over to discuss them together.
After discussing it, the blueprints of Yinqi's residence were divided up and sent to the Empress Dowager and Consort Yi's palaces one after the other. After the Empress Dowager and Consort Yi had reviewed them and confirmed that there was nothing else to instruct them on, Yulang was summoned to the palace. The necessary additions and subtractions were explained to the officials and clerks that Yulang and he had brought to the palace. After that, there was nothing else to worry about.
When Yu Lang returned home, he lamented to Shen Wanqing that it would be wonderful if all the princes were as easy to talk to as the Seventh Prince.
Shen Wanqing smiled but didn't say anything. Yinyou had a leg ailment, and Yinqi was originally a little toy that the emperor sent to the Empress Dowager's palace.
From the moment they were born, they were destined to be marginal figures in the palace. Marginal figures have their own way of life, and one of the most important aspects is to avoid causing trouble for others, even if they are masters and others are servants.
The Fourth Prince was even more interesting. He was very interested in the blueprints produced by the Ministry of Works. He didn't make many changes, or rather, he deleted more than he added to the blueprints.
His idea is that he doesn't like your aesthetics. You just need to build a framework for him. The mansion has to leave me room to maneuver and give me enough room to develop. After I leave the palace, I will have to add to it brick by brick myself.
Secondly, he was more interested in Yulang's control over the entire construction period and the procurement process for craftsmen and materials. This man had an instinctive aversion to corruption from the bottom of his heart.
He repeatedly pressed Yulang to find out who was in charge of supplying materials to the Fourth Prince's residence. Besides the Ministry of Works, the Imperial Household Department, and their subordinate Jiangnan Textile Station and Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln, were there any other people involved? How many times would these timber and stone materials change hands before reaching the capital, and how much money would be wasted?
Yu Lang did not answer any of these questions. He was a secretary in the Ministry of Works, not the Ministry of Revenue. Besides, it was still in the preparation stage. As long as the materials were not of inferior quality, Yu Lang had no intention of making a big deal out of it at the moment.
After all, the Imperial Household Department has Ling Pu, and there are countless protégés and old friends of Shi Wenbing among the officials in Jiangnan Textile Bureau and other places in the south. These are all his own people. Do you really want to turn the gun inward and clean up these people first?
And those merchants who can monopolize the purchase of certain stones and timber by simply putting on a facade, behind them may be the servants of these princes and nobles, or they may be people related to the maternal families of the princes. Can Yu Lang find out all of these people one by one?
Let alone the fact that a son's greed for his father doesn't count as greed, even if he were greedy, it's very likely that the money would just go from one pocket to another. Only a madman would bother to care about this.
To put it bluntly, the fact that the Crown Prince could so openly bring his trusted confidants to build mansions for these brothers, and that the brothers didn't say a word about it, suggests that the exchange of benefits and mutual compromises involved were already tacitly agreed upon.
The young Fourth Prince is only nineteen years old this year, and it hasn't been many years since Emperor Kangxi said that he was unpredictable. Before he even officially entered the court to serve, the young Fourth Prince's temperament and patience were not yet fully developed.
Fortunately, his deep and thoughtful nature remained intact. Seeing that Yu Lang repeatedly smiled without answering or gave evasive answers, he quickly realized that he shouldn't be involved in this matter, or rather, that he shouldn't be involved in it now.
He immediately changed the subject and stopped asking about it. The next day, he went to the Crown Prince's palace in person to explain to the Crown Prince that his intention was not to question whether Yu Lang, the supervisor, had any problems with the matter.
Yinreng looked at his younger brother sitting opposite him, whose eyes were firm yet tinged with doubt, and didn't know what to say.
Yinzhen was a pragmatic and steady man. Although he was a bit impatient, he was undeniably a loyal and protective person. This kind of temperament was fine when Empress Xiaoyi raised him, but after Empress Xiaoyi's death and his return to Yonghe Palace, no one indulged him anymore.
This time, he took the initiative to ask Yulang whether anyone had embezzled money when building the mansions for them. The subtext was that Consort De, his biological mother, hadn't intervened to help her son, Yinzhen, and he was completely unaware of the exchanges of interests behind it.
Although Yinzhen was already married and had a wife, he was still limited by his wife's family background and his own age, so he couldn't have as many capable people under his command as Yinzhi and Yinzhi.
The fifth prince had the Empress Dowager and Consort Yi as his mothers to take care of him, and even the least prominent seventh prince had the Daijia clan doing their best for him.
Consort Daijia's cousin is the Minister of the Imperial Household Department. Because of his capable service, the Daijia family was promoted from bondservants of the Bordered Yellow Banner to the Bordered Yellow Banner. With him overseeing the affairs of the Seventh Prince's residence, Yinyou can rest assured.
This puts Yinzhen, the fourth prince who had been raised by Empress Xiaoyi for many years, in an awkward position. Yinreng doesn't understand why Consort De is so biased towards the fourteenth prince, and it's not his place to interfere in this matter right now.
He could only get up and walk around behind Yinzhen, then reach out and squeeze his shoulder. “Once you leave the palace, do your job well. Get things done before thinking about anything else. Remember what your father told you a few years ago: only when all the civil and military officials and your brothers have forgotten the words ‘unpredictable’ will you be able to succeed.”
"Your Majesty, I understand. I thank you for your guidance." Yinzhen stood up and knelt before Yinreng. He knew that he had been too rash this time. If Yulang had ulterior motives and wanted to complain, or if the Crown Prince had misunderstood him, then it would be beyond his ability to explain.
These princes were all won over, whether willingly or unwillingly, except for Yinzhi, whom he just couldn't win over. Ever since he had stolen the limelight from Yinzhi's personal guards back then, Yinzhi's attitude towards Yulang had become one of irreconcilable antagonism.
This time, the blueprints for the Prince's Mansion were so detailed that there was nothing Yu Lang could not have imagined, and nothing Yin Zhi could not find fault with.
"My lord, perhaps I should go in first. Maybe the Prince of Zhi has nothing to change today, so you won't need to come in."
"Since we're already here, why bother with this charade? Let's go. Whether we cower or stick our necks out, we'll all get stabbed anyway. Let's finish this quickly and go home. We have a ton of things to do back home."
The first batch of ships carrying timber to Beijing are about to arrive in Tongzhou in the next couple of days. Yu Lang really doesn't have time to argue with Yin Zhi over such trivial matters.
Unfortunately, he was Prince Zhi, and he said that if the person from the Ministry of Works who came to the palace to deliver the blueprints was not Yu Lang, the Director of the Construction Department, he would definitely not see him.
"Fine, let's meet him then," Yu Lang thought, having been rendered speechless by Yin Zhi's antics. But when he entered the courtyard of the Fifth Prince of Gan Dong with the newly revised drawings, he ran into Yin Zhi walking out with a complicated expression.
“Your subject Yu Lang, Director of the Construction Department of the Ministry of Works, has met with Prince Zhi.”
"Get up."
"Your Highness, the blueprints have been revised. Please take a look and see if these changes suit your taste."
"You should go to the First Princess Consort about this matter from now on. I don't have time to deal with you."
Yinzhi's expression was complicated. He circled Yulang twice, wanting to say something but unable to hold back.
"You really are favored by the Crown Prince. He can't stand seeing you being made difficult by me, so he sent me all the way to Khalkha."
"Your subject extends congratulations to Prince Zhi. Princess Kejing is marrying into the Mongol tribe. As the representative of the court and the eldest brother, Your Highness is escorting the princess to her wedding. This is truly a good thing."
"Stop talking nonsense. I don't know if it's a good thing or not. In short, you should discuss all matters of the Prince's Mansion with the First Princess Consort. Whatever the First Princess Consort says goes. If the First Princess Consort is dissatisfied with anything when I come back, your job as the Minister of Works will be over."
It turns out that Princess Kejing was to marry into the Khalkha, and in principle, a prince should have accompanied her. Originally, Emperor Kangxi wanted the fifth and seventh princes to go, but Yinreng went to the Qianqing Palace instead. This task, which was time-consuming, laborious, and only brought empty prestige, fell to Yinzhi.
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