Chapter 25 The Prince's Failed Rebellion
He Fei approached with steady, powerful steps, his penetrating gaze fixed on Zhang Xiaojia's busy figure. She was hunched over her desk, her pen dancing incessantly. She would pause for thought, then write rapidly, occasionally picking up a nearby colored pencil to sketch a few strokes. Her intense, focused expression suggested she was working diligently on an important task.
He Fei stood there quietly observing for a moment, thinking to himself: Judging from this, Jia Jia should be almost done with that so-called side quest. Just then, Zhang Xiaojia suddenly looked up and met He Fei's gaze. Her bright eyes sparkled with excitement as she spoke, "Brother He, I'll leave the main quest to you this time, while I'll focus on this side quest. How's that? With a clear division of labor, we'll definitely be more efficient!"
He Fei smiled slightly, walked over to Zhang Xiaojia, gently picked her up, and let her sit safely on his lap. Then, he gently stroked Jiajia's hair and said, "Jiajia, can't we complete these tasks together? Why do we have to act separately? I don't want to be separated from you for too long."
Zhang Xiaojia raised her head slightly, gazing at He Fei's handsome and caring face. After a moment's silence, she nodded gently, and then, like a well-behaved kitten, she lay on He Fei's broad and warm chest. She whispered softly, "Actually... I don't want to be separated from you. I just feel that if we each take on different tasks, we can complete all the work faster. But since you said so, let's do the tasks together. If we really do the tasks separately, God knows how long we will be apart before we can meet again. I really can't bear to leave you even a step." After that, she rubbed He Fei's chest mischievously.
He Fei gently patted Jia Jia's back a few times, and Zhang Xiaojia immediately understood and realized that their conversation might be being monitored.
He Fei then said in a gentle tone: "Jia Jia, I plan to spend a few years conducting experiments to improve road conditions, and then improve grain varieties. After the last incident when I brought people into the palace, the officials of the court may not let me enter the front court too quickly."
Zhang Xiaojia responded, "Okay! But our current Great Zhou is only 3.27 million square kilometers, while the country in my dream is three times larger, stretching west to Conglin (the Pamir Plateau), east to the Liao Kingdom, north to the Jin Kingdom, and south to Wanli Shitang (the Spratly Islands)."
He Fei smiled slightly and said helplessly: "Jia Jia, your request is a bit high."
Zhang Xiaojia said firmly, "That's what I saw in my dream! Even though I haven't seen it myself, now that I've seen it, who can understand how I feel if I pretend I don't know?"
He Fei asked curiously, "Then what did I do in my dream?"
Zhang Xiaojia shook his head. "I don't know. You can't meddle in government affairs. In my dream, my role is to tell me where there's an epidemic. The Imperial Medical Bureau will tell me the condition, and then I'll work hard to come up with a prescription. I'm a genius, and I can always cure the disease with medicine. My eldest cousin would give me money, but then you took my money to fight in the war."
As he spoke, Zhang Xiaojia's expression became increasingly strange, and he looked at He Fei suspiciously: "I'm just a middleman. Did you and my cousin agree to cheat me out of my money?"
He Fei explained helplessly: "Jia Jia, this is just a dream, don't take it seriously!"
Zhang Xiaojia's anger grew. "I still remember in my dream, my aunt gave me all her private treasury before she died, but in the end you still tricked her into going to war."
He Fei's face was filled with black lines. This was simply a case of finding a pretext to accuse someone!
Zhang Xiaojia's anger grew stronger and stronger. She could never have imagined that by the end of the war, her private treasury would be completely empty. Not only her private treasury, but also the private treasury of the prince and the emperor were all empty.
"In my dream, as soon as the taxes in Lin'an came in, you came to me asking for money. My salary had just been paid, and I kept half, and you borrowed the rest. The emperor gave me an IOU for your taxes, and as soon as we took back our own farm, the queen came to borrow half. You must return my money!"
The eavesdropper, Wude Sishi, heard this and went back. He couldn't listen any longer, as it would be a heinous act.
Returning to the palace, the envoy Wu De told the emperor everything he had heard. The emperor asked, "Did Jia Jia tell me how much I owe her?"
The Minister of Military Virtue replied, "I did not hear it."
How could he possibly listen? The Taifei Chen's private treasury had all been given to the Princess of Lin'an. Taifei Chen was the late emperor's favorite woman. How many treasures did she have and how much they were worth? The emperor and Prince Jing had borrowed them all. Didn't the emperor have any idea how much he owed?
The emperor waved his hand to signal him to leave. In his heart, he was thinking: Xiaojia's dream world is so beautiful, it seems that I have to let that unlucky brother realize this dream.
——
Just as the Ministry of Works hurried over, a richly decorated carriage pulled up to the side of the road. A corner of the curtain was slightly lifted, letting sunlight stream into the interior, illuminating the figures of the Third Prince and He Fei sitting opposite each other. They leisurely savored their cups of fragrant tea, as if the clamor of the outside world had nothing to do with them.
At this time, He Fei put down the teacup in his hand and began to give instructions in an orderly manner: "This material has 1,000 kilograms, prepare 2,000 kilograms of sand, and 4,000 kilograms of small stones. Mix them all evenly.
The next step is foundation treatment. It is imperative to ensure that the ground is flat and solid, and there should be no problems such as hollows or dust.
Next, set up the templates. Use those wooden templates to clearly define the layout. Remember, the templates must be flat, straight, and smooth. The specifications are 1 meter wide by 30 meters long. Once all this is completed, report back to me."
Upon hearing this, the Third Prince looked at He Fei with interest and asked, "Are you planning to build a mud wall to pave the road? Will this approach really work?"
He Fei smiled slightly upon hearing this, and responded confidently, "Third Brother, those materials we prepared a few days ago, aren't they too difficult to work with? If all the craftsmen or laborers in the Ministry of Industry worked together, how much do you think they could produce in a day?"
The Third Prince thought for a moment, then replied, "Well... if the entire Ministry of Works were to contribute its manpower, the results would surely be at least ten thousand times greater than what we have achieved."
A hint of excitement flashed in He Fei's eyes, and he continued, "Third brother, just wait and see! As long as this matter is successfully completed, we can return to Beijing!"
The Third Prince suddenly changed the subject and asked in a slightly tentative tone, "I just wonder how long it will take to achieve our goal? Also, can I get the throne?"
He Fei pretended to be dumbfounded and said, "Well... in my opinion, I'm afraid we'll have to wait at least five years."
As expected, upon hearing this, the Third Prince's eyes widened and he demanded angrily, "What? You're going to have to wait this long? Are you treating me like free labor?"
Facing the Third Prince's questioning, He Fei hurriedly explained with a smile, "Hey, Third Brother, calm down, calm down! This matter can't be rushed. After all, the project is huge, and the manpower, material resources, and time required are enormous. But don't worry, even if I can't let you sit on the supreme throne right away, I can at least make you the heir to the throne first!"
Hearing this, the Third Prince's expression softened slightly. He curled his lips and muttered, "Hmph, it doesn't matter what kind of king I am. As long as the throne eventually falls on my head, that's all that matters."
The numerous craftsmen and laborers in the Ministry of Industry were eager to work hard. As the saying goes, many hands make light work. Before long, they worked together to complete the task.
At this time, He Fei continued to arrange the next steps in an orderly manner: "First, you need to pour the mixed materials into a huge container, and then add a full 500 kilograms of clean water. Next, you need to stir the mixture vigorously to make sure it is evenly blended together. After the mixing is completed, carefully pour the mixed concrete into the pre-prepared formwork. During this process, you must also use special tools to vibrate it. This ensures that the concrete can fully fill every space and no bubbles are generated."
He paused, then continued, "Once the concrete has been poured into the formwork, we need to carefully smooth the surface with a scraper or trowel. We must ensure the entire surface is as smooth as a mirror, without any dents or protrusions. Only in this way can we achieve the best construction results."
After explaining all the steps, He Fei turned to the Third Prince and said sincerely, "Third brother, this project will be your responsibility in the future! So, in my opinion, you might as well go down and take a look at it yourself now to understand the specific operation procedures and precautions so that you can have a clear idea of what to do."
After hearing this, the Third Prince, although not reluctant in his heart, knew that He Fei was right. He nodded, then walked towards the construction site, ready to learn and master this new technology himself.
He Fei stared intently ahead, observing the ingenuity of the workers in the Ministry of Works! They had cleverly divided the mixed material into ten equal portions and carefully packed them into sturdy wooden boxes. Then, with deft movements, they added an appropriate amount of water and began to stir evenly and vigorously. Once everything was ready, several workers worked together to lift the mixed mixture and securely place it within the pre-assembled formwork. Then, the workers quickly and carefully poured the materials in all at once, the entire process flowing smoothly without a single delay.
As they pour the material, they meticulously ensure that every corner is completely filled with concrete, leaving no gaps or air bubbles. Any loose spots are immediately filled and compacted with tools. Furthermore, they maintain extremely high standards for surface smoothness, polishing it to a mirror-like finish. There must be no noticeable indentations that would compromise the aesthetics and quality, nor any protrusions that would disrupt the overall balance. And so, after meticulous work, a flawless concrete component finally appears before everyone's eyes.
After seeing this, He Fei continued, "After the concrete has initially set, you should sprinkle water on it to keep the surface moist. The curing time is 7 days. I'll come back to check on it. Third brother, you stay here for these 7 days. This is your way back to Beijing."
After He Fei finished speaking, the Third Prince rolled his eyes at him. He didn't know whether this was the road to the capital, but if he didn't do it, he would probably die of old age in the imperial mausoleum.
He kept waiting without leaving until the road surface was slightly dry. After touching the ground, the third prince directly arranged for people to sprinkle water to keep the concrete surface moist.
On the seventh day, He Fei arrived, took a look, and continued, "Sprinkle water for another three days."
"Sixth Brother, if all of our Great Zhou's official roads were paved anew, it would be truly a remarkable event! The benefits are obvious, both from a military perspective and from the perspective of information transmission. Once all official roads are paved, the army's marching speed will undoubtedly be greatly accelerated, and the transportation of supplies will become smoother and more efficient. In the event of an emergency, we will be able to respond and deploy quickly, without delays due to poor road conditions. Furthermore, the same goes for the transmission of intelligence: messengers can reach their destinations faster, allowing the court to keep abreast of local developments and better formulate strategic decisions."
He Fei said coaxingly, "Third brother, as long as you understand, this road leads to the capital. If you and I pave the road to the capital, do you think the emperor would be happy?"
These matters were numerous and complex, and with his ever-busy schedule, he simply couldn't spare the time to personally handle them. Therefore, this task had to be delegated to one of his subordinates. After careful consideration, he felt that the Third Prince was the most suitable person to take on this important task.
So, He Fei once again brought the Third Prince to handle these matters. This time, He Fei unreservedly taught the Third Prince the cement formula. Over the following days, the two of them worked together diligently. After two long and arduous months, they finally managed to gather all the cement needed for the road back to the capital.
At the same time, all construction materials were quickly delivered to the site in accordance with He Fei's strict requirements. Moreover, these materials were systematically placed at specific locations every 100 meters, so that they could be easily and quickly accessed during subsequent construction.
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