Hu Weiyong felt that Li Shanchang was exaggerating a bit.
Even in Yingtian City, at the feet of the Emperor, Hu Weiyong did not dare to say that he was in a fairyland on earth.
Just because Shanghu County is a small county, can it be called a paradise on earth? This is simply a fantasy.
"Are the teacher's words a bit exaggerated?"
Li Shanchang shook his head with a wry smile and said:
"No, not only is it not an exaggeration, even the wonderland on earth may not be enough to describe this Shanghu County."
"If we really follow that servant's description, this Shanghu County will be the rule of Datong described by the ancients."
Hu Weiyong was startled, his eyes filled with disbelief, and asked:
"The rule of Datong?"
"This is just the imagination of the sages. Even the sages have never seen a prosperous age. How can it happen now?"
"Teacher, is that servant..."
At the end, Hu Weiyong stopped abruptly, but the meaning was that Li Shanchang was probably deceived by his servants.
Li Shanchang shook his head again and said:
"No, he has been adopted by me since he was a child. He is loyal to me and there is no way he would lie to me."
"According to him, that small county on the coast of the East China Sea not only has a large population, but also has prosperous commerce."
"In the county town, there are many high-rise buildings, many shops, and endless cultivated land, filled with working people everywhere."
"There was a severe drought in Jiangnan this year, but Shanghu County was not affected at all."
"The grain harvest in the fields has already begun, and it looks like this year will be a bumper year."
"In addition, there are not only a large number of private schools in Shanghu County, but also many almshouses that provide free support to the elderly."
Hu Weiyong opened his mouth wide, feeling that Li Shanchang was reading the prosperous times in the book and telling him what he said.
You must know that it is the fourth year of Hongwu, and all places are in a state of waste and waiting for development.
Not to mention places like Shanghu County, which were already poor, even Yangzhou, which was once flourishing with flowers, is already in dire straits.
But now Li Shanchang actually told himself that this Shanghu County was actually a prosperous scene. Can Hu Weiyong believe it?
"Teacher, this...is this impossible?"
"Although this disciple is from Huaixi, he has long heard about the poverty in Songjiang Prefecture."
"This mansion is so poor, and it is said to be just a county. It is really hard for me to believe it."
Li Shanchang gently stroked his beard and said:
"This is one of the reasons why I asked you to come."
"I hope you will take the time to go to Shanghu County after completing the things arranged by the emperor."
"Let's see if this is really the case there. If so, then we must pay attention to it in Shanghu County."
"It is likely to become a tax center for the imperial court, even more so than Yingtian Mansion."
"And the Emperor has also begun to pay attention to Shanghu County. As you know, we must find an opportunity to capture it."
"Otherwise, if those people in eastern Zhejiang are allowed to take the lead, our life will be difficult."
After all, Shanghu County belongs to the people of eastern Zhejiang, while Li Shanchang and the others belong to the people of Huaixi.
If the East Zhejiang Party is allowed to take advantage of Shanghu County, it will be very detrimental to the Huaixi Group's situation in the court.
Hu Weiyong naturally knew what Li Shanchang meant and nodded in response:
"Teacher, don't worry. Once the disciples have settled the matters here, they will immediately set off for Shanghu County."
"If it is true as the teacher said, the disciple will definitely tell the teacher as soon as possible."
Li Shanchang nodded and said in appreciation:
"I can rest assured that you are doing things."
"The Emperor went out for a private visit incognito again, but the things you have been asked to do must be completed as soon as possible, and the quality must be ensured."
"This way, when the emperor comes back and sees your abilities, he will promote you again."
"Work hard and you will have a bright future."
Hu Weiyong did not stay in Li Shanchang's residence for long. After explaining the matter, Li Shanchang asked Hu Weiyong to handle the matters assigned by Zhu Yuanzhang.
After Hu Weiyong came out of Li Shanchang's mansion, he was very excited and full of energy.
...
When Zhu Yuanzhang rushed back to Tianfu from Shanghu County, it was already three days later.
During these three days, Zhu Yuanzhang kept saying good things to Queen Ma and explained the reason why he went to Huafang in the first place.
But Queen Ma didn't believe it at all. Although Zhu Yuanzhang seemed not to be a womanizer on the surface, he still couldn't escape the lustful characteristics of men in his bones.
Otherwise, where did all the concubines in the harem come from?
Moreover, Zhu Yuanzhang had 26 princes and 16 princesses in his life. You can imagine how colorful Zhu Yuanzhang's harem life was.
Seeing that Queen Ma was angry, Zhu Yuanzhang quickly pulled Zhu Biao along and explained to Queen Ma.
It was not until they arrived at Yingtian Mansion that Queen Ma forgave Zhu Yuanzhang, which made Zhu Yuanzhang feel a little relieved.
Zhu Yuanzhang loved this girl who had been with him during the most impoverished period.
When Zhu Yuanzhang came to Yingtian City and saw Hu Weiyong supervising the work on the city, he couldn't help but froze.
Unexpectedly, Hu Weiyong had already started working on the Ministry of Works in such a short period of time. Looking at the progress of the project, it was obvious that Hu Weiyong was really serious about it.
"Sister, you and Biao'er go back first, and let's go to the tower to have a look."
After saying that, Zhu Yuanzhang got off the carriage and walked towards the city wall.
Hu Weiyong was shocked when he saw Zhu Yuanzhang's arrival. He hurried forward and saluted Zhu Yuanzhang:
"The humble minister Hu Weiyong comes to see the emperor. Long live my emperor."
After Zhu Yuanzhang asked Hu Weiyong to stand up, he saw a large number of square bricks piled on the city wall and asked:
"How much does this square brick cost?"
When Hu Weiyong heard the question, he bowed slightly and said:
"Your Majesty, the average price of square bricks is thirty-six copper coins per square."
"This square brick is enough for a common person to eat for more than half a month."
Zhu Yuanzhang kept looking along the stacked city walls, and soon discovered the difference in the square bricks, and asked:
"Why are there names and dates engraved on this brick?"
Hu Weiyong smiled confidently and said:
“At the beginning of the construction, the bricks submitted from various places were of varying quality, either defective or shoddy.”
"My subordinates thought that building the city wall was a century-old plan, so they made a rule."
"Instruct kilns in various places to engrave the name, place of origin and date of the person who fired each square brick."
"And also record the name of the brick examiner officer."
"In this way, if there is a problem with the square tiles, we can quickly locate who is responsible."
"In this way, no one from top to bottom can escape responsibility."
"Good rules."
After Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, he smiled and praised:
"Hu Weiyong, it is easy to do a good deed for an official, but it is not easy to set a good rule."
When Hu Weiyong heard this, he suppressed his inner excitement and said calmly:
"This is what subordinates should do."
"This is what my subordinates told them. If the city wall cracks, we will punish and kill everyone who deserves it. No one will be able to escape."
"But if the city wall lasts for thousands of years, wouldn't their names also shine on the city wall?"
"Okay, that's great."
"We know you are a capable person."
Zhu Yuanzhang praised Hu Weiyong again, but then his tone changed and he said solemnly:
"But he's also quite capable of causing trouble, aren't you right?"
