Chapter 270: Infrastructure Sewer Construction Mission: Initial Completion...
No matter how you look at it, the facts are already there.
The family of three, like wandering souls, took six or seven days to process what had happened. It wasn't until they received another invitation—this time to a banquet hosted by Madam Qi, the same woman from their first meeting—that the Tao family understood.
Once this invitation is accepted today, the new emperor will understand their reply.
“My daughter, the palace isn’t easy to navigate, but you have so many advantages, and you’re happy to accept it. If our family is unwilling, then we’ll be struck by lightning and even geese will peck at our eyes! Where will we find a better family in the future?” Tao’s mother thought back to the day she talked to her daughter, and how her daughter, shy and timid, buried her head in her arms and acted coquettishly after she said this, without showing the slightest sign of reluctance.
She snapped out of her daze, nodded emphatically, and accepted the invitation.
On the other side.
Upon receiving the news, Qi Chengming smiled with delight. He summoned Song Gu and the Minister of Rites, and immediately dropped a bombshell, ordering them to prepare for the Emperor and Empress's wedding. He then drafted an imperial edict and sent it out in a swaggering manner to the Tao family. No one dared to compete with Eunuch De for this honor of delivering the edict.
Before half a morning had passed, most of the capital was in an uproar over this seemingly quiet news. Those with keen insight quickly uncovered the truth. The new emperor's empress had been chosen—and it was merely the eldest daughter of an obscure fifth-rank official?!
He was eighteen years old, a year older than the new emperor.
Leaving aside the countless people whose hopes were dashed, who beat their chests in despair and sighed incessantly, and the many who cursed in secret or tossed and turned in sleepless nights, even the reborn officials felt a deep sense of regret… The imperial concubine selection was out of the question; how come His Majesty had spent so long choosing an empress, yet ultimately didn't select their family?
Grand Scholar Mu smiled slightly, concealing his merits and fame.
Because of the matter concerning the reborn ministers, he had recently lost some of the new emperor's trust, but he still had many important matters on his hands. At least the list of the new emperor's future wives was still being handled by him and Shen Shuzhi. After Shen Shuzhi was ordered to leave the capital to manage the floods, Grand Secretary Mu took over the entire supervision of the matter with an iron fist.
He was filled with longing that the new emperor was finally willing to get married in this life, so he must choose a loving and devoted person for the new emperor to spend his life with, so that he would not be as lonely as he was in the previous life. Who knows if the new emperor's death was due to his depression for many days and the lack of anyone to comfort him?
Therefore, Grand Scholar Mu ruthlessly rejected many who tried to curry favor with him. The new emperor's ascension to the throne was too sudden, and his tastes were unconventional. There were few suitable candidates among the noble ladies of powerful families in the capital. This was not a flaw; Grand Scholar Mu, reborn in this life, knew that the new emperor actually preferred not to have too much contact with daughters of aristocratic families. The daughter of a fifth-rank official was just right.
In any case, with these reborn ministers supporting him, the new emperor's position will not be unstable no matter what.
Upon thinking of this, Grand Scholar Mu smiled with satisfaction, picked up a tinderbox, lit a wisp of smoke, and sincerely bowed in his study.
Ever since the new emperor made his move, he took a statue of the Goddess of Fertility from his wife's storeroom and secretly hid it in his study. During this time, he devoutly worshipped her every day, regardless of the reactions of the steward and his wife.
Hmph... What do they know! They even said he was worrying too much.
He's praying for the new emperor! He hopes that he will have a smooth successor and that these old ministers won't have to live in constant fear anymore... The foundation of the nation is the most important thing!
The Imperial Astronomical Bureau acted swiftly, and after analyzing the compatibility of the birth dates and times, they provided several auspicious days for the wedding.
Preparations for an emperor's wedding typically take two or three months, and often a year. After several discussions with the Ministry of Rites, Qi Chengming set the wedding date for October 9th of this year, a perfect six months' preparation time. This day is auspicious for weddings, travel, betrothal gifts, and the exchange of wealth—a truly exceptional day. Although the wedding will be grand, the new emperor has commented that it should be 'not extravagant, but rather practical,' and Chief Eunuch Song has also offered subtle advice—
While avoiding extravagance, the wedding should also not be too simple, otherwise outsiders might think that the new emperor has fallen out of favor with the Tao family, which would be disastrous.
These demands caused the Minister of Rites immense distress.
Unfortunately, the new emperor seemed to take his marriage very seriously, summoning him every few days with new ideas. Several times, he even saw the Minister of Works present, the two looking at each other with worried expressions. But who would dare to easily abandon their responsibilities at the new emperor's wedding? They could only tighten their belts and work hard.
At that time, the entire capital was like a boiling pot, with everyone discussing the future empress's social standing and family background, how lucky the future father-in-law of the emperor had been, and how much the new emperor valued this marriage. No one dared to speak out against it...
Qi Chengming sat in the side hall of Zichen Palace and breathed a sigh of relief: "These blueprints are not bad."
Over the course of two months, several experienced officials from the Ministry of Works diligently traversed the entire city of Luoyang and its surrounding areas like ants, drawing up a construction plan for the replanning of Luoyang's urban area. Their aim was to clarify how to replan the sewer system.
"Yes." The Vice Minister of Works' tired face lit up with joy; their long journey had not been in vain.
The sewer system in Luoyang is generally quite clear and not chaotic, thanks to the wisdom of our ancestors thousands of years ago.
When Luoyang was first built, it was situated along the Luo River, divided into two main urban areas, north and south, with the east-west main street as the central axis, connecting to various neighborhoods. This crisscrossing network formed a grid-like urban landscape. Although it is said that "Luoyang is built on a sloping slope," and the entire city is built at an angle along the river, in its overall layout, Luoyang is a square chessboard shape.
That's right.
When Qi Chengming rebuilt the entire city's sewer system in Liuzhou, he created a grid-like network of interconnected, square structures, modeled after the layout of Luoyang. Luoyang's layout facilitated the emperor's administration of the people, and made daily travel convenient for the citizens, eliminating any worry of getting lost.
He really liked this grand and spacious layout.
...It is also thanks to Luoyang's good foundation that, despite the turmoil of many dynasties, it still has a convenient drainage system, of which 80% is still usable. The new blueprints presented by the Vice Minister of Works and others simply identified the abandoned waterways that needed repair and added the waterway lines to the neighborhoods that had been changed over the years, and so on.
Qi Chengming lowered his eyes; several notifications on the infrastructure system panel in front of him were already silently flashing:
[Infrastructure Task: Planning of Luoyang Urban Area (Completed)]
[Infrastructure Task: Luoyang City Sewers]
Branch Task 1: Investigate the old blueprints and provide new feasibility drawings (Completed)
"I'll leave this matter to you. Take a look at these prescriptions and use the ones that are useful." Qi Chengming glanced around at the senior officials present. He could tell from the past few days that most of the Ministry of Works officials were capable, hardworking, and had solid skills. He could rest assured that he could entrust the task to them.
The adults entrusted with this important task had no time to celebrate. They carefully took the papers handed to them by Eunuch Cheng, took turns reading them, and began to discuss them intensely. The more they discussed, the more flushed their faces became: "Wonderful... truly wonderful!"
Today, Luoyang's drainage system consists of two parts: open ditches and covered channels. The covered channels are constructed of bricks and stones and use ceramic pipes for circulation, while the open ditches are built in a trapezoidal shape with bricks and earth. There are also large iron sluice gates at the city gates to prevent flooding.
Brick and stone pipes have weak sewage discharge capacity, while ceramic pipes are less resistant to external impacts. Qi Chengming's bamboo-reinforced concrete pipe method is more convenient and stable than these, but its lifespan is shorter, requiring regular replacement and making it less durable than brick, stone, or ceramic pipes—each has its own advantages. Furthermore, Luoyang is an ancient, vast, and prosperous city; any change would have far-reaching consequences. He cannot undertake a complete renovation and reconstruction like he did in Liuzhou. It's very likely that the next major overhaul of Luoyang's waterways will not be for centuries to come…
After careful consideration, Qi Chengming decided to leave it as it was.
So he specifically went through all the books he had obtained from the system in the past, found a few usable prescriptions, and wrote them down based on his own modern experience.
[Pipe pre-embedded copper wire welding technology], [Anti-clogging inverted U-shaped bend technology], [Biofiltration anti-clogging design].
These features can significantly enhance the durability of ancient drainage pipes.
"How could this old minister not have thought of these things..." The officials from the Ministry of Works praised them highly, accepting the papers as if they were priceless treasures and receiving their orders. These were not great contributions, just clever ideas; if someone had given them some guidance, they could have come up with these ingenious solutions as well. But what they lacked was this inspiration.
In this way, the overall usability of the sewer system is greatly improved when it is repaired!
"My dear ministers, you have worked hard. Go home and rest for a day or two before taking on your new duties." Qi Chengming gave Xiao Chengzi a look, and Xiao Chengzi, understanding, presented each of them with a generous reward. This reward had been decided beforehand: gold, silver, silk, calligraphy, paintings, and horses, to be given to each according to their preferences and what their families needed.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!!" The elders had not expected to receive such a generous reward. Their faces flushed red, and they knelt down to express their gratitude.
— Qi Chengming was so generous that even his uncle, the head of the clan, came over and cried out in indignation at the injustice.
But that is his governing policy.
He was stingy with himself and those who didn't contribute, not wanting anyone to take advantage of him in the slightest. But with officials who actually did the work and put in the effort, Qi Chengming was generous in spending large sums of money to support them. In Qi Chengming's view, the concept of "high salaries to encourage integrity" was correct, but the issue of the degree of supervision was always prone to imbalance.
Qi Chengming watched with satisfaction as the rewards were carried out by the eunuchs and maids like a flowing stream. He looked at the few people who hadn't taken their leave with some doubt: "...Is there anything else?"
"His Majesty."
The leader gritted his teeth and said with difficulty, "The repair of the new sewer canals can be completed before the ground freezes in winter, but there are many powerful and wealthy people in the city, and some of the sewer canals are distributed... We are powerless to help!"
The Ministry of Works' repairs inevitably involved their household.
But these officials in the Ministry of Works are all minor officials, how could they possibly be ordered around? Even if this is an important task personally assigned by His Majesty, it won't work. Ideals and reality are ultimately two different things, and no matter how much you try to use someone else's authority, you're bound to be harassed.
Qi Chengming suddenly smiled and tapped the table with his knuckles: "No rush, go find your Minister and make another trip to the Ministry of Rites, they already know."
The group stared at each other in bewilderment: "...?"
Qi Chengming said calmly, "For the sake of the grand wedding, everything must be done perfectly. To show how important it is, I have already proposed that Luoyang city be renovated, and all the streets must be cleaned up so that there can be no more of the usual chaos. The Ministry of Works must come up with a plan for the renovation."
"The whole city must be mobilized. I want to see who dares to play tricks at a time like this!"
This is why Qi Chengming emphasized that "the wedding should not be extravagant and should be practical," and why he summoned the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Works repeatedly, fully demonstrating how much he valued it.
They truly value it.
But at the same time—
In the two months following the New Year, Qi Chengming couldn't possibly neglect state affairs to pursue romance and choose an empress. He needed to choose an empress, but he couldn't neglect state affairs either. So, while everyone's attention was focused on the selection, Qi Chengming's people quietly carried out infrastructure construction tasks.
The atmosphere in Luoyang is now incredibly lively and intense. Everyone knows how much the new emperor values the future empress's family, and they cannot be underestimated even if they are just a family of minor officials. With this momentum, Qi Chengming's men can also take advantage of the situation to get things done: the infrastructure project of repairing Luoyang's sewers and sanitation facilities presents an opportunity, doesn't it?
The two influence each other perfectly, killing two birds with one stone.
"..." This time, the senior officials of the Ministry of Works had no more questions and respectfully and impatiently took their leave.
All that remained was Qi Chengming looking at the newly refreshed text in front of him, his heart filled with the sense of accomplishment brought by the immediate positive feedback, feeling utterly delighted:
[Infrastructure Task: Luoyang City Sewers]
Branch Task 2: Establish an infrastructure team and appoint a leader (Completed)
...
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Author's Note: Qi Chengming (shouting): My wedding is a grand affair! Take it seriously! Renovate the entire place! Clean the house! Did you hear me?!
Everyone (tightening their skin, not daring to say anything): ...Okay, okay, okay.
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