Chapter 1,717: A prodigal and a new level of failure
Beside the pier, there is a forest of boats and boats.
Han merchants and Hu merchants were mixed together, and countless merchant ships were slowly approaching their respective ports, led by petite and flexible ships with red flags. Iron and wooden booms unloaded the goods on board to the dock.
On the ship, the goods are transported to the designated warehouse by unusually wide flat-bed oxcarts, or conversely, the goods are transported out of the warehouse and loaded onto the ship one by one...
Countless merchants, sailors, crew members, porters, and strong men were all busy, making the dock lively and lively.
Even though they have seen the memorials of Huating Town many times in the documents, even though they have seen too much of the prosperity of Guanzhong, at this moment, even Fang Xuanling, who was once the prime minister in charge of the empire, and Li Jing, who commanded thousands of troops,
You can’t help but be shocked by the prosperity in front of you!
In a corner of the south of the Yangtze River, the once saline-alkali wasteland has turned into the prosperous appearance it is today...
On the pier, Wang Xuance, who was dressed in official uniform, was waiting with several officials. When he saw Fang Xuanling's boat, he quickly ordered people to come forward to guide him to the dock, and quickly set up a springboard, and was about to board the boat to see Fang Xuanling.
, only to find that Fang Xuanling had already walked ashore with an old man with white beard and hair but a tall and straight figure.
Wang Xuance took two steps forward, bowed his hands to the ground, and saluted, "In my humble position, I have seen the prime minister and the Duke of Wei."
Fang Xuanling looked Wang Xuance up and down, then smiled gently and said, "Are you Wang Xuance?"
Fang Xuanling had seen this strange man under his son who had risen from being a gatekeeper several times in Chang'an, but he didn't know when he actually arrived in Huating Town.
When Wang Xuance saw that Fang Xuanling recognized him, he immediately felt extremely honored and said respectfully, "This is a humble position."
Fang Xuanling nodded happily and encouraged, "Heroes don't care about their origins. Besides, although you are a distant branch of the Wang family in Taiyuan, you are still much better than those scholars who came from poor families. Family background is important, but your own talent and hard work are even more important.
At present, the Tang Dynasty is changing rapidly, and the court is in urgent need of more capable young officials to make contributions. Your Majesty has clear rewards and punishments. As long as you make achievements, you will have a bright future. If you work hard, you will not suffer."
"Here!"
Wang Xuance said respectfully, "Thank you very much, Mr. Fang, for your teachings. I will definitely remember my humble position for the rest of my life."
Fang Xuanling had a very good impression of this young man. He nodded and said, "It's just that the old man is getting older and chatters more. If you like to hear it, just listen to it. If you don't like to hear it, just listen. Today's young people have many ideas.
...Why didn’t that boy from the Pei family come?”
Pei Xingjian's father and brother all served under Wagang Li Mi, and Fang Xuanling was not familiar with him, but this did not hinder Fang Xuanling's appreciation of Pei Xingjian. Compared with his own misbehaving Erlang, he obviously preferred the temperament of a young master from an aristocratic family.
Pei Xingjian was a man of outstanding talent and good moral character.
It stands to reason that when I arrived in Huating Town, Pei Xingjian, the chief official of Huating Town, would definitely come to respond. Could it be that something urgent had happened...
Sure enough, Wang Xuance said respectfully, "When I return to the Prime Minister, because the Sheshan Island Lighthouse collapsed, dozens of civilians were killed and dozens more were injured. Therefore, Pei Changshi had to rush to deal with it. He ordered the minister to greet the Prime Minister again. Duke Wei
, I am disrespectful, but I still look to the Prime Minister, Wei Gong Haihan."
"Sheshan Island? Lighthouse?",
Fang Xuanling looked puzzled and asked, "What's going on?"
Even though he was in charge of the entire Tang Empire as Prime Minister, he could not remember the names of various places in the world. At least he had never heard of the name "Sheshan Island".
And...a lighthouse, what is that?
Fang Xuanling's first reaction was that his bastard son had another whim and thought of something fun... A lighthouse, as the name suggests, is a beautiful tall tower that lights up a light. In addition to being fun to look at, it can also be used for other purposes.
What?
In 270 BC, a group of Greek architects built the world's first recorded lighthouse on the island of Pharos to guide ships entering Alexandria. Later, this lighthouse became one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
.
In the following hundreds of years, the ancient Romans built many lighthouses imitating the Lighthouse of Alexandria and stood in various ports.
However, in China, which has never paid much attention to the ocean, it was not until the 20th year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty that China's first lighthouse, Chongwu Lighthouse, was built with private funds in Hui'an County, Fujian...
A mound "a hundred feet square and more than thirty feet high" was built on the southeast beach, with smoke raised above it during the day and an open fire at night to guide ships in and out of the Yangtze River estuary.
So even someone as knowledgeable as Fang Xuanling still doesn’t know what this “lighthouse” is...
Wang Xuance explained, "It is to build an eighty-foot-tall tower on Sheshan Island, and a flame will be lit on top every night..."
Fang Xuanling was dumbfounded, "Eighty feet tall?"
Although he doesn't know anything about earth and stone construction, he does know how to calculate. An eighty-foot-tall tower... Damn, is this bastard Erlang trying to poke a hole in the sky?
Wang Xuance said proudly, "Yes, eighty feet high! Because when he decided to build this lighthouse, Erlang once said that the world's first lighthouse in Alexandria, in the far west, would be seventy feet high. If we want to build it, we have to be better than him."
It’s tall, so it’s eighty feet high!”
Someone built a 70-foot lighthouse, why don't you have to build an 80-foot lighthouse?
Fang Xuanling felt a headache. This was a boring statement, but it was indeed his bastard son's style...
The most important thing is that this bastard didn't even mention this matter in Chang'an. This is simply unforgivable!
Fang Xuanling endured his anger. After all, he still wanted to save some face for his son in front of outsiders. He took a breath, and Li Jing beside him suddenly asked, "How much does this lighthouse cost?"
Fang Xuanling was stunned for a moment, her heart tightened, and she looked at Wang Xuance nervously.
He understood why Li Jing asked this question. Such a huge lighthouse must be expensive to build. Although Huating Town has the highest tax revenue in the world, it is the court's money after all. If it is used to build such a flashy toy, if the imperial censor says
If officials catch him, impeachment is almost inevitable.
This bastard...
Wang Xuance failed to understand the two people's concerns for a while, and said casually, "This lighthouse was designed by Yu Ming and Erlang. It will take two years to build, and the total cost will reach 600,000 yuan..."
"..."
Fang Xuanling felt that something above was blocking her heart, and she almost couldn't breathe.
Six hundred thousand dollars...
What a prodigal!
Even if all our money is earned by you, even if our family can indeed afford 600,000 yuan, building such a thing will cost the tax of a medium-sized state capital for one year... Are you trying to kill yourself?
Even Fang Xuanling, who is as gentle and gentle as Fang Xuanling, could not suppress his anger this time. His beard trembled with anger and he blurted out, "Nonsense, it's just nonsense! This guy is acting lawlessly and arbitrarily. Do you think no one in the world can control him anymore?"
What is he? This is not the son of man!"
Li Jing also shook his head and sighed, not knowing what to say, "This Erlang... is really courageous!"
Six hundred thousand dollars!
Good guy, Li Jing thinks that he is brave enough, but compared with Fang Erlang, he is simply incomparable.
With this amount, I am afraid that the imperial censors will be impeached a hundred times without stopping.
If it were a tyrannical emperor like Emperor Sui Yang, it might not be impossible to just pull him out and chop him down...
Just at this time, a group of merchants passed by. Hearing what Fang Xuanling and Li Jing said, one of them stood still, stared at Fang Xuanling and said, "This old man is so confused. Fang Erlang built the lighthouse to benefit the people. This
After the lighthouse was built, I don’t know how many fishermen and merchant ships were protected! How come such a kind act turned into wanton nonsense in your mouth? Besides, whether it is 600,000 guan or 6 million guan, that is Fang Erlang himself.
Money, whether you spend it or not, what does it have to do with you?"
A person next to him glanced at Wang Xuance, who was wearing an official robe. Seeing that his official position was not high, he didn't care much, and echoed, "Fang Erlang has a kind heart and cannot bear to see countless fishing boats and merchant ships entering the Yangtze River Estuary every year because they have lost their way.
As a result, it capsized on the rocks, so he funded the construction of this lighthouse, and even rejected our proposal to donate money in order to avoid possible trouble. Such good deeds are enough to make countless fishermen and merchants build shrines for it and offer incense. How can you get it?
Such a comment as 'unworthy of being a son of man'?"
Wang Xuance, who was on the side, pretended to be dumbfounded and kept silent, allowing the two businessmen to angrily attack Fang Xuanling without any intention of stopping them. He obviously did not agree with Fang Xuanling's words of reprimanding Fang Jun.
Fang Xuanling couldn't laugh or cry.
Unexpectedly, because I scolded my son a few words, he would be taught a lesson by a passerby who "sees injustice on the road"...
But who is he? The prime minister is capable of running a boat, so he won't be angry about it. Let's compete with these merchants for a good living and see if I, as a man, can call my son "not a son of a man".
What he is more concerned about is... the bastard actually paid for the 600,000 yuan from his own pocket?
Those merchants saw the injustice and gave Fang Xuanling and Li Jing a lesson. Probably because they had important matters, they left in a hurry, leaving Fang Xuanling and Li Jing looking at each other with a bitter smile and shaking their heads.
However, both of them had the same doubt in their hearts: What on earth is this lighthouse worth 600,000 gold?