After the fairy disappeared

Chapter 1454: Making a stumbling block

Gu Xuan laughed and added fuel to the fire: "Don't say you won't buy it, you're just buying it too slowly..."

Even if you buy slowly, it will arouse the suspicion of the king.

Why did you hesitate to buy it now? Do you need to think twice before showing your loyalty to the monarch?
Do I have to make a choice between the monarch and the regent first?

Some people immediately calmed down and said to Gu Xuan, "Something happened at home. I will go back first. You can chat slowly."

As soon as they left, an official reacted: "Oh, that guy must have gone to buy a temple!"

"Cunning!" Two more people immediately said goodbye and left.

The remaining people also lost the motivation to talk, they were all preoccupied with their own concerns.

Gu Xuan smiled but said nothing.

He knew that most officials did not want to take sides. The battle between King Yao and Qingyang Regent was for power. No matter who won in the end, what did it have to do with them? Aren't they still doing this job?

Yao Wang's move forced them to make a choice. It was either black or white, there was no middle option.

The price of pleasing King Yao is to offend Qingyang Regent, which may very well lay hidden dangers for the future; but if you don't express your position to King Yao now, you will probably be classified as part of the other camp.

What good outcome can there be if one is hated by one's own monarch?

It’s difficult. For officials who want to sit on the fence, this question is too difficult.

After seeing the mystery behind this, I don’t know how many powerful people will lose sleep tonight.

……

The new problem that the Imperial Household Department posed to He Lingchuan was the qualifications of the construction team.

Yangshan's business is flourishing in the central and western parts of the Golden Plains, but it has not yet established a firm foothold in Tianshui City. It does not have its own construction team and can only recruit people on the spot.

Building a dozen or so monasteries, they are only two or three stories high, they are neither skyscrapers nor pagodas, how difficult can it be?
When ordinary people build a house, they only need to hire a few carpenters and bricklayers. Some people even build it by themselves without the need for anyone else.

The craftsmanship of the official residence is just a little more complicated.

But it didn't work. The Imperial Household Department told the Yangshan Chamber of Commerce that starting construction on the royal territory was a big deal and it was not something that could be done with just a makeshift team. The team had to have at least three years of experience in building royal palaces and official residences, and each person had more than ten years of experience in building luxury houses.

This is the rule.

Reasonable and well-founded.

After receiving this request, He Lingchuan shrugged his shoulders and went to find Yuwenxu.

The Yuwen family rushed to buy the Paper House in Youhu Villa, which was to submit their pledge of allegiance first, showing that they were staunch royalists. If He Lingchuan had any difficulties, he would find a way to help solve them.

Even things that the Yuwen family couldn't do before are now possible.

So Yuwenxu nodded repeatedly after hearing He Lingchuan's request: "Sure, it's not difficult! The team that is doing the renovations for my house has also renovated the facades, built gardens, and renovated the wing rooms for five or six other wealthy families, and even expanded half of the mansion for Lord You Rongzhi. They are fully qualified, and all of them are skilled masters, you can take them over."

He Lingchuan thanked him.

That afternoon, the team rushed over from the Yuwen family. There were about ten people, which was less than He Lingchuan expected.

The fewer people, the better.

The team leader's surname is Guan. He is less than 40 years old, but he has more than 20 years of construction experience. He is from the suburbs of Tianshui. When he was young, he brought villagers to the city to find work. Because of his superb craftsmanship, he gradually became famous.

However, he seldom does anything himself now. He mainly takes on jobs, supervises work, purchases materials and coordinates on site.

After chatting with him for a few minutes, He Lingchuan understood why Yuwen Xu recommended this person to him.

The team leader is well connected in the underworld and has good relationships with people. He knows all the rules, both explicit and implicit, and how to deal with people from top to bottom.

He is also the soul of this team. Without him, it would be like Tonglinji without Tu Yuanhong. They simply cannot function.

He Lingchuan got something for nothing by taking on such a big job, especially since it had to be done on the royal territory, so he really needed a helper like Guan Bantou.

After reading the blueprints and the approvals, and listening to He Lingchuan's request, the foreman rubbed his chin and said, "So, we should build the gatehouse first and repair the road first, and the house cannot be built for the time being?"

"Yes." He Lingchuan smiled, "Remember to work meticulously. Only slow work can produce fine work."

The word “慢” is pronounced with emphasis.

The foreman immediately exclaimed, as if he had realized something.

"This gatehouse -" that is, the main gate of the villa, "should be six feet high?"

"That's right. It should be luxurious and grand, showing the official style." By that time, many officials will gather here, and the residents will all be people of status and style. Of course, the gate of Youhu Villa should be as magnificent and exquisite as possible.

"It can't be any higher. Otherwise, it will be taller than the temple tower, which would offend the gods and cause taboos."

"The captain is indeed familiar with the local customs. I made the right decision to invite you here." He Lingchuan complimented him and continued, "So you raise the ground under the gate into a small hill."

Since the height of the gate tower could not be increased, he increased the ground height.

No one said the ground can't be raised, right?
"..." The foreman was embarrassed, "If we raise the ground and build a gatehouse, the height will exceed the Youhu Cottage opposite."

"What's the problem?" This means that the "status" of this side is higher than that of the other side, which is good. King Yao was definitely happy to hear that.

“Uh…” This Lord He Islander is very courageous. Could he really be a dragon crossing the river?

Yes, he had also heard about He Lingchuan’s past.

"There is indeed a problem." The foreman said seriously, "We need to use blue square stone to carve the gate tower. The bigger the stone, the more magnificent it is. But the trouble is that we can't get big stones right now."

He Lingchuan asked curiously: "Why?"

"The market for bluestone in Tianshui City is not big, and the sources are very limited. It is basically produced in Baigang County in the north and Hexiang in the west, and then transported to the city after being cut." The foreman explained, "There is no rush to build official residences and mansions. It takes more than ten years to build them, so the usual process is that we assess the amount of stone required, and the two counties and towns will mine and process it after receiving the orders. Stone is rough and heavy, and there is no place to put it after it is mined."

"So, there is no ready-made Qingfang Stone?"

"I asked before I came here, but there is no stone that meets your specifications. In fact, the Li family ordered a batch of stone two months ago, and the specifications were all seven feet square. But the officials of the Li family were reported by the regent and thrown into prison. A lot of their property was confiscated, so they couldn't build their villa anymore." He scratched his head, "This batch of stone is very suitable for building a gatehouse. But when I asked, it was bought by someone three days ago. The strange thing is that I can't get any information about the buyer, and I don't know where the stone was shipped to. The village only said that the other party sent a convoy to take it away."

As a senior industry insider, it was a bit strange that he couldn't get any information.

(End of this chapter)