In the Imperial Garden of the capital, next to Taiye Pond.
The breeze blows slowly and the water waves are calm. Occasionally, a koi fish pokes its head out, blows a ripple on the water surface, and then quickly submerges into the water and disappears.
Su Lu stood in the pavilion, looking at Taiye Pond, his brows furrowed.
It is difficult for an upright official to deal with household affairs. The government affairs are also very troublesome to deal with. It is easy to say that the political affairs of various ministries are handled according to the schedule. They can just deal with them casually. However, it is the lawsuits between ministries and the disputes between prefectures and counties that are quickly...
It made Su Lu crazy.
It’s so damn hard to deal with. The father-in-law says the father-in-law is right, and the mother-in-law says the mother-in-law is right. If you listen carefully, it turns out that everything is right, but you are the only one who doesn’t!
Just now, Zhou Yuan from the Ministry of Husbandry and Zhou Ping from the Ministry of War had an affair again. The Ministry of War dispatched 96,724 guardsmen to build roads, and among them there were more than 6,000 civilians who cooperated. Naturally, the money, food and silver would be available.
Go to the household department.
Zhou Yuan had a stick in his neck. He didn't need money, but his life.
The construction of the stone rail line is a national event, so it is natural that money cannot be withheld. However, for the civilian men employed by the Guards, the Ministry of Household Affairs will not give them this money.
"Whoever uses the servant will get the money."
Zhou Yuan's words are reasonable and well-founded.
"The guards are here to do the work, so why do they still use six thousand civilians? Could it be that the guards can't do the work that these six thousand civilians can do? If they can't do it, they won't give them a penny."
Su Lujue is right. What Zhou Yuan said is correct. These six thousand civilians should not be used. Your Ministry of War is not handling this matter honestly.
Zhou Ping’s reasons are also very good:
"The journey from Ping County to Jiangzhou is an out-of-prefecture. The area where the two prefectures meet is extremely mountainous. The road chosen is too difficult and dangerous, so we can only ask local people to help us find the way. To find a suitable route, we must use local people.
If you come and go again, you will spend a lot of money."
"If we don't use it, it won't work. The stone rail line in Ping County will not be able to be laid to Jiangzhou. The prince has given a dead order to complete it on time. What should we do? We can only hire local natives to complete it on time."
Su Lu was a little dumbfounded. This nonsense went in a circle and I ignored it.
After driving away the two of them, Su Lu felt like his head was about to explode.
Lu Zhan came over and reported:
"Your Majesty, Madam Wang Dani of the Ordnance Mansion wants to see you."
Su Lu waved his hand and motioned to Lu Zhan to bring Dani over. The stone track line has been opened to traffic. There must have been several trips in the past few days. Dani should have come to report the latest progress to him.
Sure enough, Dani entered the pavilion holding a box in her hand.
"I have met the prince. Your prince is safe. Our wooden wheel vehicle is ready for trial operation."
Su Lu waved his hand, motioned for Dani to sit down and said:
"This is Longjing tea extorted from Xie Ruyu in the Tang Dynasty. It is made from the buds before the Qingming Festival. You can try it."
Su Lu asked the female officer next to him to pour tea.
Dani took a sip and then said:
"We made six trips in the past few days, trying to carry 15,000 kilograms and 36,000 kilograms respectively, and the results were very good."
"Our wooden wheel cart was a success."
Dani's cheeks were full of excitement, she clenched her right hand into a fist and said excitedly.
"I personally went to Jiangzhou yesterday. This is Jiangzhou's local snack Guiling paste I brought back from Jiangzhou. It tastes very good. Please try it, Your Majesty."
Dani opened the box and showed Su Lu the Guiling Ointment.
Su Lu twisted a piece, took a bite, and frowned. What was Guiling paste here and there? It was just ordinary pear paste. These Jiangzhou people can also deceive others.
"Well, it's good. It tastes quite sweet, but it's a pity that the spiciness is a bit strong."
"The stone rail line is completed. From now on, whether we are transporting food, baggage, or soldiers, our speed will be much faster. Dani, you have done a great job this time. What reward do you want?"
Su Lu praised Dani.
Dani's cheeks turned red, and just when she was about to speak, footsteps sounded again by the Taiye Pond.
"Your Majesty, your Majesty heard that the wooden wheel carriage to Jiangzhou has opened, and he especially wants to come and see Mr. Wang."
With Chang Ning's support, Li Qing entered the pavilion surrounded by a group of female officials.
After waving his hand to stop Dani from saluting, Li Qing also praised and said:
"Zhou Ping just told me that you have tried transporting food and grass a few times, and the results have been very good. Dani, you have done a great job, what reward do you want this time?"
Dani's cheeks turned slightly white, her head lowered, and her voice was low.
"Your Majesty, I don't want any reward. I have been poor since I was a child. After my father died during the civil war, life at home became even more difficult. It was the prince who personally took action and saved my family. I am so grateful for the prince's great kindness that I can't repay it even if I am broken into pieces.
No rewards."
Li Qing sat down next to Su Lu, twisted some pear candy, ate a piece, and counted with longing on his face:
"This is Jiangzhou's pear candy. When I was young, I went to Jiangzhou with my father and ate pear candy. This is the second time I've eaten it, and the taste is exactly the same."
Li Qing's cheeks were full of nostalgia, as if he missed Li Weiyuan and the happy days of his childhood.
Su Lu did not dare to make Li Qing too sad and said:
"Then let's go to Jiangzhou and take a look at the places you visited when you were a child. It's boring to stay in the capital all the time. It's good to go out and get some fresh air."
Li Qing's cheeks were full of joy when he heard this, but the joy disappeared from his cheeks after a moment, and he said helplessly:
"It's better not to do it. Last time you took me to Keshan to eat meat pie, the officials of Yushitai criticized you for half a month. If you go to Jiangzhou this time, they may not want to join you for a year."
Su Lu picked up a military newspaper on the table, handed it to Li Qing and said:
"It won't happen this time. Zhao Wu lost another battle. Gao Yang destroyed Anzi Village. The Tang army has already approached Shangshan County. The soldiers who are now training in Shangshan are soldiers from the Beida camp. These old soldiers are gone.
After the battle, I’m afraid nothing will happen this time.”
Li Qing understood after hearing the words: "That's great, let's go together, you can move your little finger and point out Zhao Wu, defeat Gao Yang in one fell swoop, and we won't be criticized by the Yushitai."
"Then let's go. If it's too late, we won't be able to reach Jiangzhou today."
Li Qing stood up excitedly and ordered the female officer next to him to pack her clothes and salute.
Su Lu asked Dani and said, "You can handle the affairs of the Ordnance Mansion. This time, you have done a great job, so it cannot be justified that you should not be rewarded. How about this? I will give you a knighthood, and we will be an academician of the Imperial Academy of Han Dynasty."
Next to him, Li Qing asked in surprise: "When did the academician of the Hanlin Academy become a knight?"
Su Lu waved his hand and said: "Those official positions in the Hanlin Academy are of little use. I am going to add a new title, which is the academician of the Hanlin Academy. This title can only be obtained by the top people from all walks of life in Han Dynasty, and as long as they are
The best people can get it."
Li Qing was thoughtful after hearing this. It seemed that this academician of the Hanlin Academy was more than just a title and an official position.
Dani thanked her with a smile as bright as a flower. Although she didn't want to be rewarded, the title of academician made her happy to the core.
The female officer acted very quickly and quickly put away her clothes.
Su Lu did not leave the capital with much fanfare this time, but ordered Lu Zhan to take Gao Dabao and a few others to escort him to the newly established stone track station.
Lu Zhan relied on his badge as commander of the imperial guards to get into a wooden wheel carriage and set off for Jiangzhou as the sun began to set.