At noon the next day, after repeated discussions, Lan Yu and Han Lin'er finally figured out how to reply to Zhang Yangquan.
The two insisted on returning to Jiangdu Prefecture and told the king their thoughts in person. Chang Yuchun left Haozhou with the two of them and returned to Jiangdu Prefecture.
On the afternoon of the fourth day, the three finally returned to Jiangdu City. After driving all the way, they were all a little thirsty, so they drank tea at the tea shed at the gate of the city.
It's early autumn now, and the leaves are falling. I saw a man on the street holding a big broom, cleaning the street.
Generally speaking, each house sweeps the snow in front of the door, and the shops on the street are responsible for cleaning their own areas.
That man was cleaning along the street, wearing blue clothes, which seemed to be uniform.
Lan Yu was very curious and asked Chang Yuchun about the man's identity.
Chang Yuchun said: "These are workers hired by the Street Department to clean the streets."
Han Lin'er wondered: "Why does the Street Department hire them?"
Chang Yuchun said: "Of course it is the king's order."
Han Lin'er asked: "Why did the king suddenly issue such an order?"
Chang Yuchun drank the herbal tea in one gulp and said, "It should be related to the construction of the palace. Then there will be a lot of construction in the city, so some people will be needed to clean up the city!"
Lan Yu and Han Lin'er both changed their expressions and said, "Is the king finally going to build the palace?"
Chang Yuchun said ‘hmm’, with some joy on his face, because the construction of the palace meant that Zhang Yangquan was not far away from ascending the throne.
Lan Yu diligently poured a bowl of herbal tea for Chang Yuchun, and said with a smile: "Brother Chang, tell us in detail!"
Chang Yuchun said: "Although it is necessary to cultivate, we are still making preparations. But our king, you also know that when he wants to do something, he will always be different from others!"
Han Lin'er and Lan Yu looked at each other, both excited.
Every time Zhang Yangquan issued some strange decree, they liked to secretly figure it out, which has become a kind of fun for them.
"Brother Chang, please tell me, what strange decree has the king issued?" Han Lin'er pressed.
Chang Yuchun said with a smile: "About half a month ago, the king ordered the establishment of a new municipal engineering department in the Ministry of Household Affairs. He also placed Yangzhou Restaurant and Handicraft Bureau under the management of the municipal engineering department!"
Lan Yu touched her chin and said: "I heard that Yangzhou Restaurant and Handicraft Bureau used to be industries of Longtan Village!"
Han Lin'er nodded repeatedly and said: "Yes, my mother used to manage a Yangzhou restaurant. She said that when the village was in trouble, it was thanks to the restaurant that it made a lot of money for the village!"
Lan Yu clapped her hands and said: "I understand, this Municipal Engineering Division must be the same as the Municipal Shipping Division, an institution used by the king to make money!"
Chang Yuchun glanced at him and said: "Your sister and I have discussed it for a long time, and we also feel that this is the purpose of the king!"
Lan Yu smiled, very proud.
Chang Yuchun continued: "But from my point of view, the purpose of doing things is never simple. In addition to making money, the most important thing is to do things!"
Han Lin'er wondered: "What are you doing?"
Chang Yuchun said: "After the king established the Municipal Engineering Department, he also ordered the establishment of two workshops to be responsible for the construction of various fortifications."
Lan Yu said blankly: "Aren't there a lot of workshops in Jiangdu Prefecture? The four great merchants Shen, Bian, Cai, and Zeng have each opened their own workshops. Why does the king set up a new workshop?"
Chang Yuchun said calmly: "Maybe the king cannot trust those businessmen! Anyway, there are various theories, and some say that the king competes with the people for profit!"
Han Lin'er snorted coldly: "Those who say such things are as ungrateful as the Song army. If the king hadn't defeated the Mongolian Tatars, they would have had a huge advantage!"
Lan Yu clapped her hands again and said, "I understand. Your Majesty is going to let people from these two workshops build the palace, right?"
Chang Yuchun smiled and said: "It's not just these two workshops. The king has ordered that a total of eight workshops be recruited to build the palace at the same time. Other workshops also have the opportunity to participate!"
Han Lin'er suddenly looked nervous: "Brother Chang, where will the king plan to build the palace?"
Chang Yuchun said: "It's just west of Liyuan Street. When the time comes, the west gate will be changed into the gate of the imperial city, and our Jiangdu City will probably need to be expanded!"
Lan Yu frowned and said: "Who made the suggestion? Isn't the palace always built on the north side? Why should it be built on the west side?"
Chang Yuchun glanced at him expressionlessly and said: "The six prime ministers unanimously made the decision, and the king also agreed!"
Lan Yu said unconvinced: "Even if the six prime ministers make the decision, there must be a reason!"
Chang Yuchun said: "The reason is very simple. Your Majesty has ordered that during the construction of the palace, the impact on people's livelihood must be minimized."
"The west of the city was once hit by Zhang Mingjian's cholera. The people living in the west of the city are the least, so the palace is built in the west, which has less impact on people's livelihood. Moreover, most ministers live in Oriole Street, and the palace is built in the west of the city. The ministers do not need to move again. It affects the people!"
Lan Yu listened silently and nodded.
After the three of them finished drinking tea, it was already past midnight and they headed straight towards the palace.
Arriving outside the study, Zhang Yangquan ordered someone to invite the three people in after the announcement.
The three of them entered the study and finished the ceremony.
Zhang Yangquan smiled and said: "Lanyu, Han Lin'er, you both did a great job in rescuing Liu Futong and Xiao Mingwang this time!"
Lan Yu scratched the back of his head and said with a red face: "Your Majesty, actually we didn't do a good job either. It's only when Big Brother reminds us so often that we realize that we are actually doing it too hastily!"
Zhang Yangquan's eyes flashed slightly: "Oh? How do you say it?"
Lan Yu said: "I thought about it carefully, and actually Liu Futong should be able to escape even without us. Zhang Shicheng will definitely still rob King Xiao Ming. By then, Liu Futong will ask us for help, or even surrender to us!"
"At the moment, we are acting too eagerly, which makes Liu Futong wary of us, which is self-defeating!"
Zhang Yangquan was silent for a while and then said with a smile: "It's good to be calm but not arrogant, and to reflect on yourself. But I have already considered this, so you don't have to blame yourself."
Han Lin'er was surprised and said: "Did you think of this in advance?"
Zhang Yangquan stretched out his hand and said: "Sit down and talk."
After the three of them were all seated, they slowly spoke: "You once told me your purpose of rescuing Liu Futong, so let me ask you, do you know why I agreed to your plan?"
Lan Yu and Han Lin'er looked at each other, thinking that they had simply convinced Zhang Yangquan.
Zhang Yangquan stretched out three fingers and said: "I agree with you for three purposes."
Lan Yu swallowed and listened intently, and Chang Yuchun also listened intently.
Zhang Yangquan said: "The first is the reason why you persuaded me. I really hope to take this opportunity to hone you two!"
"Second point, our army is currently competing for time with the Yuan army. Although we have the advantage and are closer to the goal of unifying Jiangnan, if we can delay the Yuan army's defeat of the Song army, it will be of great benefit to our army and not harmful at all!
”
Lan Yu nodded and asked: "What about the third point?"
Zhang Yangquan laughed and said: "I want to put pressure on Chahan Timur! As long as he finds out that our army is supporting the Song army, he will feel that because his offensive is too fierce, the rebels will unite to fight against the Yuan Dynasty again!"
"In this way, he will be more cautious when dealing with the rebels in the future to prevent the rebels from becoming more united. The more cautious he is, the slower he will move, and we will be able to take the lead!"
Lan Yu and Han Lin'er looked at each other with admiration in their eyes.
Zhang Yangquan continued: "In the morning, the scouts came with news that not only Zhang Shicheng's people were marching towards Anfeng, Zuo Junbi also sent a force to station at the border between Luzhou and Anfeng!"
"I want to hear your opinions on how our army should deal with Liu Futong now. You can speak freely without any worries!"
Lan Yu glanced at Han Lin'er and said, "Your Majesty, we don't think we need to worry about Liu Futong for the time being!"
Zhang Yangquan raised his eyebrows and said: "No matter?"
Han Lin'er followed: "Liu Futong is very wary of our army now. If he steps in to help, not only will he not be grateful, but he will also think that we have evil intentions. In this case, just ignore them!"
Zhang Yangquan pondered for a while and said, "Is there any more?"
Lan Yu hurriedly said: "We investigated when we left Anfeng. Anfeng is short of food. Even if we can withstand Zuo Junbi and Zhang Shicheng's attack, it will not last long. They will definitely come to borrow food from us!"
Zhang Yangquan smiled and said: "Then lend it to them?"
Lan Yu said: "When they came to borrow for the first time, they must have thought that we would lend it to them, but we didn't!"
Han Lin'er sang in harmony and said: "When they realize that it is not us who are begging for help, but they are begging for our help, we will consider borrowing food as appropriate!"
Zhang Yangquan said: "Do you still want to conquer Liu Futong?"
Lan Yu said seriously: "Yes, Your Majesty, Liu Futong has a good reputation after all. If he can surrender to our army, it will be very beneficial to our army!"
Zhang Yangquan pondered for a long time and said: "Regarding Liu Futong's matter, I will leave it to General Sun Hu to take full responsibility. You two go to Haozhou to serve as his deputy!"
Lan Yu and Han Lin'er were surprised and happy, and they both raised their hands and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Zhang Yangquan waved his hand and said: "This is the task I gave you. If you don't do it well, I will punish you. Please step back!"