Three days later, Dong Li came over and said that the cement had almost solidified, and Tong Cheng'er went to see it for herself.
Dong Li first splashed water on the cement floor.
The cement floor is intact.
Then light a fire on top of it.
The cement floor is intact.
Then I smashed it with a hammer and made a mark.
The cement floor is basically intact.
After several more tests, it was proven that the cement was very durable.
Tong Cheng'er nodded in satisfaction. Although it wasn't as hard as steel, it was certainly enough for building and paving roads.
Tong Cheng'er said with a smile, "Dong Li, you did a great job."
Dong Li's face was filled with excited joy: "It's all what a servant should do."
Tong Cheng'er praised Dong Li again and instructed the accountant to reward him, which made everyone happy.
With the cement in hand, Tong Cheng'er immediately had someone invite An Linyu over.
An Linyu was introduced by Yinzhen to Tong Cheng'er to be in charge of the academy.
After An Linyu arrived, Tong Cheng'er didn't exchange many pleasantries and went straight to the point.
"I called you here today because there's something I need you to do."
An Linyu's life was saved by Yinzhen. Now that his great revenge has been achieved, he is grateful to Yinzhen and is naturally willing to follow his arrangements.
Therefore, he was willing to obey Tong Cheng'er's orders.
"Please give your instructions, Your Highness," An Linyu said respectfully.
Tong Cheng'er looked at this person. He clearly had a delicate face, but he insisted on imitating Yinzhen. His whole face was cold and aloof, making people feel chilled just by looking at him.
"Take a look at this."
Tong Cheng'er gave An Linyu a plan she had written about the academy.
An Linyu took the plan and read it carefully. He read it very quickly, and although his face showed no expression after he finished, he was deeply shocked.
Because Yinzhen said that An Linyu was trustworthy, Tong Cheng'er didn't hide anything and showed him the original plan directly. As a working professional before she transmigrated, her plan looked very rigorous and logical.
Of course, what impressed An Linyu was not how logical or well-written her plan was.
The plan stated that the academy's principal wife planned to invest one million taels of silver.
That's a million taels of silver! Not a hundred taels. You can just take it out like that. Most people wouldn't be so willing to do that.
Before his downfall, he was a wealthy young master from a family that had been in business for generations. His family had an unknown amount of money. At that time, one million taels of silver was not a lot for his family and they could easily come up with it. However, no one had ever suggested that they should use one million taels of silver to build an academy, let alone allow students to study for free.
"Madam, one million taels is far too much."
Tong Cheng'er: "Actually, it's not that much. After deducting the silver used to build the academy, the remaining silver is just enough to keep the academy running."
She genuinely didn't think it was much.
Education is of paramount importance.
Upon hearing this, An Linyu stopped talking about the topic.
Because the plan mentioned cement and its uses, An Linyu, who had never seen cement before, was very curious and asked, "May I ask if Your Highness could enlighten me on what cement is?"
Tong Cheng'er had someone take him directly to the cement floor that Dong Li had set up, so that he could experience it for himself.
Then An Linyu was shocked again.
To be valued by Yinzhen, he must not only be of good character but also have excellent vision, so he could naturally see that cement had great potential.
"This servant has just examined the cement; it is truly a gift from the gods. If used to build houses and roads, it will surely make houses more sturdy and roads more durable. Your Highness is truly a genius."
Being showered with compliments by a handsome guy made Tong Cheng'er feel pretty good. After a while, she calmed down. After all, although the cement was mentioned by her, she knew that she hadn't invented it.
She could only listen to flattery to soothe her ears; she wouldn't take it seriously.
Tong Cheng'er said a few words of modesty.
An Linyu then said, "This cement is very good, but this servant did not know that this cement is expensive?"
The product is good, but it's not worth it if it's too expensive.
Tong Cheng'er: "Cement is not expensive; the materials used to make it are all inexpensive."
An Linyu had many more questions, so the two of them asked and answered each other, and time passed quickly. Before they knew it, the sky outside had begun to turn yellow.
When Yinzhen returned from his business trip, he went to Yaocheng Courtyard and, finding her not in the main hall, asked, "Where did the Fujin go?"
"Your Majesty, the Princess Consort is speaking with Mr. An in the study."
Yinzhen frowned upon hearing this, wondering why An Linyu hadn't returned by this hour.
Thinking this, he led Su Peisheng to the study in Yaocheng Courtyard. As soon as they arrived at the door, they heard voices coming from inside.
Yinzhen pushed the door open and entered. Inside the room, besides Tong Cheng'er and An Linyu, there were other people.
When Tong Cheng'er saw him return, she asked, "Why are you back?"
She didn't mean anything by it; she was just a little surprised that he came back so early because she had been talking and hadn't noticed the time.
However, Yinzhen didn't interpret these words the same way. He felt that she was blaming him for coming back early and interrupting their conversation.
“I’ll be back as soon as I finish my business trip. What, does the Princess Consort not want me to come back, or is she upset that I came back too early?”
That statement had a strong sour taste to it.
Tong Cheng'er hadn't noticed yet, but An Linyu, being a shrewd person, did. He immediately felt something was wrong. Was this still the intelligent and capable Fourth Prince he knew?
Tong Cheng'er: "What are you talking about! I just didn't notice the time."
Before Yinzhen could speak again, An Linyu said first, "It's getting late, so this servant will take his leave now."
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