The Ministry of Works had been very busy recently.
With the money and the cement recipe, they had finally caught the attention of the Emperor. They had to work hard to produce results.
Since the Emperor had pointed out that the road needed to be repaired, the focus would naturally be on that road.
After discussing with his subordinates, the Minister of Works decided to enclose that road and not announce it until there were results.
This was a decision made after careful consideration. It was too easy to crack the cement recipe, and they still didn't know where His Majesty would eventually use it. To be safe, they would not let this thing leak out before they received His Majesty's explicit order.
As the main sponsor, Yan Zheng only knew that the road was being repaired. He didn't know how the encircled road was being repaired. Since his goal had been achieved, he didn't care much about it.
After a period of hurried work, that road was finally repaired. The Minister of Works stood in front of the flat road and sighed, "It's indeed much better than the previous one."
The person in charge of repairing the road was also from the Ministry of Works. Seeing this, he walked over and said, "Sir, this kind of road can't absorb rainwater like the previous ones. If we want to build it on a large scale, there are still many problems to consider."
"I will submit a memorial to the Emperor. You have made a great contribution this time. I won't forget it."
"Thank you, sir." Fu Xin couldn't hide the joy in his eyes. He was originally an unremarkable minor official in the Ministry of Works. If he hadn't done some research on road construction and received the favor of the Minister of Works, he wouldn't have had the chance to make a name for himself.
The Minister of Works patted his shoulder and said, "Work hard. The Emperor values the cement very much. As for the problem you mentioned just now, you have to think of a solution when you go back. In two days, the Emperor will personally come to see the results. Whether or not you can seize this opportunity depends on you."
Fu Xin excitedly kowtowed to the Minister of Works and said, "Thank you, sir, for your support!"
He understood that this was an opportunity given to him by the Minister of Works. Otherwise, he could have just brushed over what he had done. The higher-ups would only care about the final results and wouldn't pay attention to him.
Time passed in a flash. Soon, it was the day to leave the palace. This time, because they had to go to see the road paved by the Ministry of Works, Shen Yu and Shang Junlin did not disguise themselves. They just changed into casual clothes and sat in the carriage to leave the palace.
"Speaking of which, we have taken this path many times." Shen Yu lifted a corner of the carriage curtain and looked out. "Who would have thought that the Emperor and I have left the palace the most often was to go to the secret prison?"
"Take A Yu to other places in the future." Shang Junlin sat upright in the carriage, his eyes fixed on Shen Yu.
"I'm just saying." Shen Yu put down the curtain and sat down beside Shang Junlin. "Your Majesty, will this road be completely rebuilt?"
"If the Ministry of Works is successful, not only here, but also the entire capital. Not only the capital, but also the official roads in other places."
The carriage moved very steadily. Shen Yu leaned on Shang Junlin's shoulder. "If Your Majesty wants to repair all the official roads in Dahuan, the horseshoes will also need to be improved. This kind of road is indeed very convenient, but it will damage the horseshoes if it is used too much."
There were horseshoes in Dahuan. Shen Yu had read in a book that the damage caused to the horseshoes by cement roads was much greater than the roads they were using now.
"When the time comes, let the people from the Ministry of Works study it together." Shang Junlin was interested in the benefits that the road would bring after it was repaired. As for other things, they could find ways to solve them.
The carriage moved for a while and stopped.
The Minister of Works, who had already received the news, came forward with his people and saluted together.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty."
Shang Junlin got off the carriage first, then helped Shen Yu down. "No need to be so polite. Just take me there."
"Yes." The Minister of Works stepped forward and led the two of them to the place that was surrounded by people.
Shang Junlin looked at the barrier that was taller than a person and smiled. "What are you doing with these?"
"I was worried that there would be some blind people who would make trouble, so I simply surrounded this area."
Shen Yu looked around curiously. There were people guarding every distance. It was obvious that the Minister of Works was very attentive to this place.
"Your Majesty, don't worry. I had people put up a notice at the intersection and arranged for people to guard the intersection. I won't let the pedestrians walk for nothing." The Minister of Works explained carefully.
"I saw it just now. You did a good job." Shang Junlin put one hand behind his back and the other hand holding Shen Yu as they walked forward.
After bypassing the messy area, a straight road came into view. The greenish-gray road gave people a clean and flat feeling. Shang Junlin had seen the appearance of a cement road before, but he was still deeply shocked at this moment.
Different from the road in Shen Yu's manor, the road paved by the Ministry of Works was an entire road. The visual feeling was completely different from before.
The people from the Ministry of Works brought a small carriage over. The Minister of Works walked to the side of the carriage and said, "Your Majesty, I have already asked people to test it. On the same road, the carriage will not only shorten the time it takes to travel on the cement road, but it will also greatly reduce the bumps."
"Does A Yu want to try it?" Shang Junlin turned his head and asked in a low voice.
Shen Yu nodded.
The two of them got on the carriage. The driver was changed to the person brought by Shang Junlin. The carriage moved forward without the bumps from before.
The carriage drove one round and returned to the original road. Shang Junlin did not say anything, but the expression on his face showed that he was very satisfied with this road.
"Your Majesty, I have another thing to report." The Minister of Works called the man who was waiting at the side. "This is the person who has the most credit for paving the road. His name is Fu Xin."
Fu Xin never expected that the Minister of Works would directly introduce him in front of the Emperor. He trembled and saluted, "Your humble servant greets Your Majesty and Your Highness."
"Fu Xin, right? You have done well this time. Reward!" The final result was better than expected. Shang Junlin was very happy.
Fu Xin, "Your humble servant thanks Your Majesty for your grace."
Shang Junlin, "In the future, you will be responsible for the roads in other places. If you lack anything, just tell the Minister of Works."
Fu Xin, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Fu Xin did not expect to be directly entrusted with such an important task. He was excited, but there was a faint uneasiness in his heart. He was just an ordinary person. Could he really fulfill the expectations of the Emperor?
"Your Majesty, I have another thing to say." Fu Xin thought of the important matter and quickly said, "It is about the problem of water accumulation. This new road cannot absorb the rainwater that falls to the ground. If we want to pave a large area of this road in the city, we need to replan the problem of water accumulation in the capital."
Shen Yu did not expect that someone had already realized this point. He asked with interest, "Since you have brought it up, do you have any good ideas to solve this problem?"
"In reply to Your Highness, I do have some ideas. However, whether they can be implemented or not, I have to test them before I know," Fu Xin replied.
"If this matter is given to you, do you have the confidence to do it well?" Shen Yu liked Fu Xin's serious attitude.
"I do not dare to guarantee, but I will do my best to do it," Fu Xin replied firmly.
"Very good. I have some small suggestions here. When the time comes, I can give you a reference. As for how to do it, you can discuss it with the people of the Ministry of Works."
"There is also the matter of the horseshoes," Shang Junlin added, "You should have noticed that this kind of road causes more wear and tear on the horseshoes."
The people of the Ministry of Works had noticed it. However, because the horses did not run back and forth many times, they did not take it seriously. Only when the Emperor brought it up did they become serious.
"It is my negligence. I will have people study it." The Minister of Works bowed his head.
"The use of cement is far more than this. You can expand your imagination and see if there are other places where it can be used."
"Yes."
After explaining the matters here, Shang Junlin left with Shen Yu.
"Her Majesty is not as scary as we thought," someone in the crowd said in a low voice.
"Her Majesty is not a scourge. Of course, she is not scary." The Minister of Works glanced at the person who spoke and secretly said, "You have not seen Her Majesty when Guijun is not here. She is like a different person today."
"Guijun is also different from the rumors. He is handsome and elegant. Obviously, he is a good match for Her Majesty. Moreover, Guijun knows a lot. He has considered what we did not consider. Unlike the rumors …"
"Be careful with your words," the Minister of Works frowned and interrupted the discussion, "Do not talk about this matter. Go back to work."
Although the discussion was interrupted, the image of Shen Yu and Shang Junlin had changed in the eyes of the people. In the past, he had not met them and could only know them from the mouths of others. Now that he met them, he knew that there was a big difference between the rumors and the truth.
Shen Yu sat in the carriage and recalled the events of his previous life. In his previous life, Shen Qingran also took out cement. However, this thing was firmly in the hands of the King of Yue. It brought him huge profits, but it was not really used to benefit the people.
Shen Qingran knew a lot of things. In the palace, there was also Shen Yue. These two people came from the same place. Perhaps he could ask more things that would be beneficial to the development of Dahuan.
"What is A Yu thinking about?" Seeing that Shen Yu had not spoken since he got on the carriage, Shang Junlin pinched the soft flesh on his face.
Shen Yu was already used to being pinched by him from time to time. His thoughts returned and he said, "I am thinking about Shen Qingran."
"That brother of yours? What is there to think about? "Shang Junlin did not have a good impression of Shen Qingran.
Shen Yu was silent for a moment and said, "Actually, the reason I know about cement is also related to Shen Qingran. Does Your Majesty know what he said in the letter he wrote to the King of Yue?"
Although he did not know why Shen Yu suddenly asked this question, Shang Junlin still replied, "Why would I read his letter? That letter was kept by the King of Yue. If A Yu wants to know, I can send the Hidden Dragon Guards to investigate. "
"Your Majesty, after we return to the palace, I want to see Shen Yue."
"If you want to see her, just ask her to come to Yuzhang Palace to see you. What is wrong with you today? You have not thought of her since just now."
"I thought of something," Shen Yu shook his head and threw his chaotic thoughts to the back of his mind, "Your Majesty, are we arriving soon?"
If Shen Yu did not want to say, Shang Junlin would not force him, "Yes, we will arrive soon."
Jiang Huaiqing was moving his books to the courtyard to bask in the sun when he saw a carriage coming from afar. He shouted into the house, "Brother Chengyu, do you have a friend coming today?"
"No," He Chengyu's voice came from the house, "What's wrong?"
"There is a carriage coming this way," Jiang Huaiqing scratched his face, "They are not here to look for us, right?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the carriage began to slow down and finally stopped at the entrance of the courtyard.
"Who is it? No one said they were coming today," Jiang Huaiqing was full of questions, "Brother Chengyu, come and see if you know them..."
Seeing two familiar figures getting off the carriage and walking towards them, Jiang Huaiqing opened his eyes wide and the rest of his words were stuck in his throat.
Why did His Majesty and Guijun come here without saying anything?!!
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