Translated by: Hypersheep325 Edited by: Michyrr After traversing through numerous alleys, Wang Gen's carriage abruptly came to a halt around a dozen streets away from the Ten Sun Tavern.
Wang Chong leaped out of the carriage and bade farewell to Big Uncle Wang Gen before sending the carriage off with his gaze.
"Gongzi, where are we heading to?"
Eagle, Solitary Wolf, and Steel Arms followed Wang Chong down from the carriage and asked.
"We're going to look for someone."
Wang Chong smiled. Glancing at the golden token in his palm, he quickly kept Zhangchou Jianqiong's token into his robe.
After meeting Xianyu Zhongtong, obtaining Zhangchou Jianqiong's token, and learning that Zhang Wentuo had come to the capital with him, it was time for him to look for that person.
Following a dark and damp alley, they soon left the affluent region of the capital. Before them, a series of short and dilapidated houses gradually appeared.
This was the slums.
Wherever there was a rich, there would be a poor. The same went for the capital.
After turning a few alleys, the houses before them grew more and more dilapidated.
"What is gongzi doing here?"
Eagle, Solitary Wolf, and Steel Arms were getting more and more curious. The three of them could be considered to be familiar with the capital, but they had never been to this place where Wang Chong had come to.
As the heir of the Ninth Gongzi, a clan of ministers and generals, they couldn't understand why a noble like Wang Chong would come to such a dilapidated place.
"This should be the place."
Wang Chong looked at the residence before him and said.
According to the standards of the slums, the mansion in front of him should be quite grand. However, the decaying wooden door, the wet steps covered in moss, and the grass growing at the base of the walls were more than enough to show that this wasn't some grand residence.
Peng peng!
Wang Chong walked up the steps and knocked on the door knocker. A moment later, the door opened, and a head peeked out.
"Who are you looking for?"
That person had sleepy eyes, and he seemed to be a servant.
"We are looking for Master Zhang."
Wang Chong smiled and said politely.
The servant immediately came to his senses. He glanced at the luxurious clothes that Wang Chong and the others were wearing and quickly opened the door.
The room was very dark, and there was only a simple oil lamp that emitted a dim light.
An old man in his fifties with a face full of wrinkles was lying on a bamboo chair, smoking a pipe. Wisps of bluish-purple smoke lingered in the room, and he looked very dispirited.
"Ordinary people wouldn't be able to find their way here. Who are you people? "
Although he was talking to the four of them, the old man's eyes were out of focus, and he was smoking his pipe nonchalantly.
"Haha, old mister, I'm here to ask for your help in building a house."
Wang Chong said.
"Hmph!"
When he heard Wang Chong's words, the old man was stunned for a moment. He finally showed a slightly serious expression, but he only smiled coldly. He closed the ash in his tobacco pipe and refused without hesitation.
"I don't know where you heard the news that I'm here. However, I advise you to give up on that thought. Ever since I left the Ministry of Works, I will never build a house for anyone else. "
This person was actually from the Ministry of Works!
Behind Wang Chong, The Eagle, Steel Arms, and Solitary Wolf were astonished. Most of the people in the Ministry of Works were highly paid, and even ordinary officials were well-off. At the very least, they wouldn't live here.
No one could have imagined that someone from the Ministry of Works would live here.
"It seems like gongzi is looking for him for that matter."
The three of them thought to themselves.
When Wang Chong attended Zhangchou Jianqiong's banquet, they were there as well, just that they weren't seated at the table. The trio was well aware that Wang Chong had bought the Lion Rock Ridge to build a base here.
"It seems like gongzi wants him to help build a base."
"On the other hand, gongzi, given how well-hidden this place is, how did gongzi know that he is here?"
The trio was perplexed.
"Elder Zhang, it's not just building a house. I want to build a city. "
Wang Chong said with a smile. His attention was completely focused on the elder before him.
The reason why Wang Chong knew that the elder was here was simple, and it had nothing to do with his memories of his previous life. Back when Wang Chong was still a profligate scion, he had once met the elder on the city gate tower.
Wang Chong recognized him immediately.
As a qualified profligate scion, this was the most basic ability one should possess.
"A city?"
Even though the elder wasn't interested in the four of them, he couldn't help but widen his eyes upon hearing Wang Chong's words. However, his face soon darkened, replaced by rage.
"Gongzi, are you joking with this old man? I don't care which family you are from, but scram right now! "
As he spoke, he pointed his tobacco pipe outward.
He had seen many things in his life, and he had seen all sorts of people. There were many who had made all sorts of requests. But none of them was this ridiculous. Build a city?
Did he think that this was some child's play?
Was this something that a single person could build?
Did he know how much money it would cost? How much manpower and resources would it take?
Even the prestigious clans in the capital wouldn't dare to make such a claim. Was this lad insane? Or did he come here just to tease him?
"Hehe, Elder Zhang, if I say it's true, then it's true. If I wanted to tease you, why would I come all the way here? "
Wang Chong said seriously.
This old man was a little stubborn, and it wouldn't be easy to convince him. However, the base in Jiannan, as well as many of his future plans, would require the capabilities of this craftsman from the Bureau of Works.
In Wang Chong's plans, Elder Zhang was an important figure. In fact, he was almost on par with Zhang Munian.
It was just that the timing wasn't suitable.
Only now, with Zhangchou Jianqiong's connection, did Wang Chong find an opportunity to invite him out of his seclusion.
"Haha, lad, it's not that I'm looking down on you. Do you know how much money it takes to build a city? "
Zhang Shouzhi said disdainfully. He still couldn't believe that this lad was here to invite him to build a city.
"A million taels?"
"What? Copper coins? "
Zhang Shouzhi sneered coldly.
"Gold!"
Wang Chong replied seriously.
As soon as he finished speaking, the dark, dim room suddenly fell into a deathly silence. Zhang Shouzhi's pipe hung in midair, and he even forgot to refill it.
The Eagle, Steel Arms, and Solitary Wolf widened their mouths in shock.
"A million taels?"
"Does gongzi have that much money?!"
"And gold? Does building a base require so much money? "
…
The trio was even more shocked than Zhang Shouzhi. They had been following Wang Chong for quite some time now, and they had vaguely heard of this gongzi's deeds. They knew that this gongzi was skilled in business.
However, they didn't know that Wang Chong's capability had already reached such a level!
This was especially so for Solitary Wolf. He had accepted countless missions in the past. No one understood the significance of a million gold taels more than him.
Despite working hard for so many years, his earnings didn't even match up to a fraction of what Wang Chong had earned.
A million gold taels, this was simply unimaginable!
"This is already comparable to the entire wealth of a prestigious clan. Gongzi's capability in business is truly astonishing!"
Lone Wolf thought to himself.
"Lad, are you joking?"
Zhang Shouzhi's face froze in disbelief. He wanted to say a hundred thousand or two hundred thousand, but who could have thought that Wang Chong would directly offer a million gold taels? This was far beyond his expectations.
Qiang!
Without saying a word, Wang Chong pulled down two tokens from his waist and tossed them over. One was Zhangchou Jianqiong's personal token, and the other was the Wang Clan's token.
Zhang Shouzhi took the two tokens in his hand. His eyes, which had been indifferent at first, suddenly trembled when he saw the emblem and symbol on them.
Only then did he realize that the background of the young man before him was far beyond his imagination.
"Old mister, our gongzi is a man of his word. His words are worth their weight in gold, and he would never lie. Old mister, you can trust this. "
The Eagle chimed in.
"Hmph!"
In just a short moment, Zhang Shouzhi harrumphed. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed Wang Chong's two tokens back.
"Even though I don't know how gongzi managed to find this place, gongzi need not waste your efforts. Back then, when I left the Bureau of Works, I said that I would never build anything for anyone ever again. You should just give up on that thought. "
Zhang Shouzhi placed his tobacco pipe on the flame, lit it, and began puffing on it once more, as though he was unwilling to talk to Wang Chong anymore.
Back then, when he left the Bureau of Works, many prestigious clans came to look for him, and they offered him generous conditions. But in the end, he didn't agree to a single one of them.
He was truly disheartened.
He had been the supervisor of the Bureau of Works for his entire life, and he had built countless magnificent palaces. But in the end, he was treated like this, and he was even expelled from the Bureau of Works.
This humiliation was unbearable.
From then on, Zhang Shouzhi made up his mind to never come into contact with anything related to construction.
"Old Zhang, why are you in such a hurry to reject me?"
Wang Chong smiled. He had long heard of Zhang Shouzhi's temper. All of the outstanding masters in the Bureau of Works had the same temper.
However, if he didn't have absolute confidence, he wouldn't have come over.
"200,000 gold taels, as long as Old Zhang agrees to come out of retirement. I'm willing to provide 200,000 gold taels for Old Zhang to continue his research on that secret recipe, and I'll provide even more resources in the future. "
Wang Chong suddenly extended two fingers and smiled mysteriously.
Upon hearing the words' secret recipe ', Zhang Shouzhi's heart skipped a beat, and he almost swallowed the stem of his tobacco pipe. How old is this lad? How does he know about that matter?
Zhang Shouzhi looked as if he had seen a ghost.
"Lad, don't speak carelessly. Do you really know about the research?"
Zhang Shouzhi was a little tempted. If this lad was really talking about that matter, it would be a great temptation for him.
"Of course."
Wang Chong faintly smiled.
"Old Zhang, didn't you embezzle money from the palace because of this? You were almost sent to the Ministry of Justice to be beheaded?"
Zhang Shouzhi blushed, which was rare for him. Even if he was thick-skinned, he still felt embarrassed when this scandal was exposed in front of him.
"200,000 gold taels may not be enough. Young man, you have to think carefully. That is a bottomless pit. I know you come from a prestigious family, but this research is basically a bottomless pit. No matter how much you invest, you may not succeed. If it was that simple, I would have succeeded in the Bureau of Works. How could it be leaked to this extent? "
Zhang Shouzhi said seriously, which was rare for him.
In more than a decade, this was the first person who expressed his support for him to continue his research. This made Zhang Shouzhi have a good impression of Wang Chong.
Although he might not agree to it.
"Of course. Not only can I support you with 200,000 gold taels, 300,000 gold taels … I can even provide you with a cement formula. "
Wang Chong said.
"Cement?"
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