Ming Dynasty: Huddled in Beiping and became the magistrate of the county Chapter 146 Welcoming the brideLatest website: "What does this have to do with me?"
Zhu Di's face was full of impatience. He knew this kind of rogue officials very well. When he saw that a lot of land and money and grain had been brought into his palace this time, he got jealous. He felt relieved when he had to defraud some of the money and grain.
"Your Highness, even now I have organized the people in the city to dredge and clean the ditches.
But the bottom of the ditch was already full of potholes, and within a few days, sewage was piling up again.
But by using cement to pave the ditches, it can be solved once and for all, and the ditches in the city will not be so stinky every winter and spring."
In the past few days, under the pressure of the superior officials above him, Yu Rentian no longer wanted any face.
Therefore, when he saw Zhu Di being so picky, he couldn't help but get angry and started to mess up.
"Your Highness, although I am the magistrate of Beiping Prefecture, Beiping Prefecture is your fiefdom.
If the ditches are not cleared and paved at once, there will be cases of people getting sick every year due to blocked ditches, and the government will have to clear the ditches every year.
What if there is a big epidemic caused by ditch sewage..."
Zhu Di said: "That means that you and other officials are all people who have nothing to do with their bodies, and none of you can escape the blame."
Yu Rentian said helplessly, "Your Highness, Xia Guan and others are at best guilty of incompetence, but by then, your Highness's Prince Yan's Mansion will be in the midst of a great epidemic..."
"Are you, a thief, a danger to me?"
Zhu Di's face darkened.
"I don't dare to submit to an official position, I only do my duty!"
Yu Rentian quickly looked panicked.
The corner of Zhu Di's mouth twitched, and he was like a fucking knife.
"We need to discuss this matter with the officials of Prince Yan's Mansion."
Yu Rentian quickly stood up and saluted, "Your Highness is kind and I am not in a hurry. I will wait here for news from Your Highness."
"..."
Zhu Di was stunned for a moment and wanted to get angry, but everything Yu Rentian showed was for Beiping Mansion, and he really couldn't be thrown out.
After thinking about it, he ordered Ma He on the side: "Go and summon Zhu Changshi and Guo Changshi!"
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Ma He responded and walked out quickly.
In less than a while.
Guo An and Zhu Fu walked in.
"I am here to see you, Your Highness!"
"My dear friends, please excuse yourself."
After Guo An and Zhu Fu sat down, Zhu Di told Yu Rentian's story.
After hearing this, Zhu Fu's eyes lit up and he felt that this was feasible.
As for Guo An, he looked at Yu Rentian aside with a solemn expression.
"Prefect Yu wants Prince Yan's Mansion to produce cement, and Beiping Mansion to dredge and pave all the ditches in the city?"
"Exactly!"
Yu Rentian’s face is full of expectations.
"Although the road Guo Changshi built with cement outside the city has not yet been completed, I have personally inspected it. The cement is really a sacred object.
If you put cement into the cleaned ditch, the inside of the ditch will be extremely smooth, and there will no longer be sewage pools."
Guo An asked directly: "How much money is the Beiping government office willing to pay to purchase the cement from Prince Yan's residence?"
"Buy cement...this..."
Yu Rentian's face froze.
Guo An asked with surprise on his face, "Is it possible that Magistrate Yu doesn't want to pay?"
Yu Rentian laughed and said, "Guo Changshi doesn't know something, but the Beiping government office doesn't have much money.
In the past, even the repairs of schools and roads were still donated by the gentry, village sages, or merchants.
But now, more than half of the squires in the entire Beiping Mansion have been killed.
As for those merchants..."
"Prefect Yu, according to what I know, in the past, when the sages and gentry donated money, they could give up to dozens of taels of silver at most, but they could be received by the government, praised lavishly, and even had monuments erected for them.
And those merchants, even if they donate hundreds of taels of silver, or even thousands of taels of silver, can only leave a good impression on the officials at most."
Guo An laughed slowly and said, "So, the government does not need the symbolic donations from the gentry."
Yu Rentian opened his mouth and wanted to defend himself.
Guo An added: "Prefect Yu may not know that when cement was developed, the official led a group of craftsmen and worked on it for several months.
Now, if you want to calcine cement, you need dozens of craftsmen working day and night.
But despite this, the cement calcined by the Fushang cement workshop is still too little.
Originally, according to Xiaguan's plan, two more workshops were planned to be built with cement. In addition, Xiaguan also purchased 500 acres of land in Zhangjiawan, Tongzhou, and planned to use cement to build them.
However, the cement stock is too small, so we have no choice but to delay..."
"How could this be?"
Yu Rentian had a look of worry on his face, "If the cement workshop is short of people or raw materials, please feel free to let us know, Your Highness, or Guo Changshi.
The Peking Government will definitely try its best to help solve the problem."
"Thank you, Magistrate Yu, for your kindness."
Guo An said sincerely: "It's just that calcining cement is difficult and requires a large number of literate craftsmen. The Peking government officials can't help much in this matter."
"A large number of literate craftsmen?"
Yu Rentian was startled. If this was really the case, he really couldn't be of much help.
There are not many talented children in Beiping Prefecture, so how can there still be literate craftsmen?
As for Zhu Di and Zhu Fu, their eyelids twitched when they heard this.
Yu Rentian didn’t know, but how could they not?
The cement in the cement workshop has almost become unbearable, and many craftsmen even have a day of calcining and a day of rest!
However, the two of them did not speak.
Yu Rentian sighed slowly and asked, "I wonder what it would take for the Beiping government office to make Guo Changshi willing to come up with some cement?"
Yu Rentian is also a little embarrassed. Anyway, Beiping Mansion belongs to King Yan, and he is just a prefect.