Zhao Xian looked at the huge rocks beside him; some of them had been carved into rectangles, specifically for building bridge piers.
In the middle of the riverbed, the bridge piers were already quite high. The higher they went, the more difficult it became to build. In ancient times, there was no construction machinery, so these huge stones had to be piled up entirely by manpower.
"Tell me what difficulties you're facing," Zhao Xian asked.
“Building bridge piers and stacking these huge stones is no easy task. At first, when the height was not too great, it was a little easier, but as the height of the bridge piers increased, the difficulty of construction increased.”
"Is there any way to solve this problem?" Zhao Xian asked.
"There is definitely a way. When we are building bridge piers and piling up huge stones, we fill the area around the piers with soil, keeping the height of the soil cover the same as the height of the piers, so that we can move the huge stones."
However, as the height increases, the difficulty of constructing bridge piers using this method becomes increasingly greater.
The greater the height, the more soil needs to be filled around the bridge piers, making the project extremely large.
In this way, the effort required is a minor issue; the major issue is the delay in the construction period.
Zhao Xian didn't speak. He walked to the bridge pier, circled it once, and then said:
“I have a very simple way to lift the huge stone directly up, which will save time and effort and make the bridge piers you build much faster.”
The foreman found Zhao Xian's words a bit unbelievable; how could such a heavy boulder possibly be hoisted up?
Seeing the foreman's bewildered expression, Zhao Xian continued:
“You build a giant frame next to the bridge pier, make a device to fix it on the frame, and have people pull ropes below to lift the stone up.”
In fact, Zhao Xian's method is very simple: build a large frame next to the bridge pier, install a pulley system on the frame, and use the principle of labor saving of the pulley system to easily lift heavy objects.
The principle that pulley systems save effort but not work is something even junior high school students know, but the ancients at that time did not understand it.
Seeing that the foreman still didn't understand, Zhao Xian had no choice but to draw a diagram for him. This time, the foreman finally understood, but he didn't understand what the pulley system was all about.
"Lord Shaoqing, there's no problem setting up this scaffold, but can this pulley system really lift the boulder?"
“Of course, I’ll draw another diagram for making the pulley system. You can just follow my instructions,” Zhao Xian said.
Zhao Xian quickly drew up a blueprint for making the pulley system, and the foreman immediately found a carpenter to start making the pulley system, while at the same time building a scaffold next to the bridge pier.
While the foreman was doing these things, he was still worried about whether this method would really be able to lift the boulder.
However, Lord Shaoqing is a man of great stature; listening to him is surely the right thing to do.
Zhao Xian saw that it would take at least another day to set up the frame and assemble the pulleys.
They did not linger there. After giving the foreman some instructions, they left to continue inspecting the canal project.
It wasn't until the sun was setting that Zhao Xian and his team finished their inspection. Based on this progress, they estimated that it would take more than a month for the entire canal construction project to be completed.
When the group returned to Narcissus Village, the Fourth Prince had already woken up, and Li Guang had been brought over by the old man.
When Prefect Shen saw the Fourth Prince, he immediately stepped forward and bowed.
"Your humble servant Chen Yong greets Your Highness."
The Fourth Prince did not recognize Prefect Shen, so Zhao Xian stepped forward to introduce him.
"So you are the soon-to-be-appointed Vice Minister Shen. You have made a great contribution this time. If it weren't for your timely investigation and decisive actions, this plague would have spread, and the people of the world would have suffered another calamity."
"You flatter me, Fourth Prince. As an official, it is my duty to benefit the people in my jurisdiction. This is my responsibility."
At this moment, Li Xue spoke up, "Father, what about me?"
"Yes, Xue'er also deserves credit. Otherwise, if you had contracted typhoid fever, Minister Shen would not have noticed it, and the plague would have spread."
However, when I learned that Xue'er had contracted typhoid fever, I was almost scared to death. After saying this, the Fourth Prince burst into laughter.
The banquet soon began, and everyone took their seats. Because the Fourth Prince had drunk quite a bit of wine at noon, and because of Li Xue's worries, he didn't dare to drink much.
Early the next morning, Prefect Shen bid farewell to everyone and returned to Qing'an Prefecture. In two days, he would be going to the capital to take up his post.
In the following days, accompanied by his entourage, the Fourth Prince traveled to every corner of Narcissus Village, and was filled with emotion.
Two or three years ago, Shuixian Village was just an ordinary, impoverished mountain village.
Now, the village not only has the first and second phases of the market, but also a large number of workshops and factories both inside and outside the village.
Most villagers have small workshops at home, and Zhao Xian's large-scale textile workshops are under construction.
The development of Shuixian Village amazed the Fourth Prince. Even ordinary prefectures and counties did not have such an industrial cluster, and Shuixian Village was also building a canal to connect with the outside world.
According to Li Xue, once the canal is completed, the village will launch the third phase of the market construction project, which will double the size of Shuixian Village.
The water chestnuts in the lake grow very quickly; in the shallow water, the leaves are almost emerging above the surface.
"Father, have you seen the water chestnut seedlings in the lake? These water chestnuts are a new variety that can grow very large and can be eaten as food. A large area of water chestnuts in the lake was planted by Xue'er."
Li Xue stood on the pavilion by the lake and pointed to a body of water in front of her.
"Xue'er is doing well, she can do farm work now," the Fourth Prince said excitedly.
The Fourth Prince looked around. The lake in front of him was like a bright pearl, inlaid on this land. The scenery here was too beautiful.
The distant green mountains, the boundless fields all around, and the farmers working in the fields create a stunningly beautiful picture.
This place is indeed a blessed land. It was only after Li Guang came to Shuixian Village and with the help of Zhao Xian that he gradually gained such great strength.
No wonder Li Xue was so resistant to the Marquis of Huainan's marriage proposal; it turns out she couldn't let go of Narcissus Village and everyone there.
Forget it, daughters are beyond their fathers' control once they grow up. As long as Li Xue is happy, that's all that matters. I won't interfere with Xue'er's marriage anymore.
After staying in Narcissus Village for more than twenty days, the Fourth Prince felt that he should return to the capital. Although Li Xue was a little reluctant to leave, there were still some matters in the court that required the Fourth Prince to return and handle.
On the day the Fourth Prince left Narcissus Village, everyone came out of the village to see him off. The Fourth Prince held Zhao Xian's hand and said:
"Xue'er is unwilling to return to the capital with me. She will stay in Narcissus Village for a while longer. I ask Zhao Shaoqing to take good care of her."
"Your Highness, rest assured, the villagers have already regarded the princess as one of them. We will take good care of her and make sure she lives a happy life."
Watching the Fourth Prince's carriage depart, Li Xue's heart remained unsettled for a long time. Logically, she should have returned to the capital with the Fourth Prince, but she couldn't bear to leave Shuixian Village and wanted to spend every day with everyone in the village.
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