Li Yun and Tian Mu looked at each other awkwardly.
"What's wrong?" Meton didn't understand.
Li Yun said awkwardly, "Regarding the location of the bridge piers, the Xiangfu family has some disagreements."
"Oh!" Meton raised his eyebrows.
Li Yun waved his hand and brought Meton to the Wei River. He pointed at the water level of the Wei River and said, "Brother Mo, please take a look. The water level of the Wei River is lower in winter, but it still occupies one-third of the width of the river. If we choose to place the piers in the river, we will need to build four piers. This way, although the construction time will be doubled, it will ensure the safety of the bridge."
Meton nodded. This was indeed a safe method. However, if they all chose this safe method, Li Yun probably wouldn't be so conflicted.
Sure enough, Li Yun continued, "If we widen the distance between the piers and place two piers on the exposed river bank, we only need to build two piers. The construction time and difficulty will be greatly reduced. However, due to the increased distance between the piers, the risk will also be doubled."
Meton finally understood Li Yun's dilemma. This was indeed a difficult problem.
"The Old Man proposed the first location. Although building four piers is time-consuming, it is extremely safe. The Wei River Bridge is the best opportunity for the Xiangfu family to revive. We can't afford any mishaps." Tian Mu said firmly. In his view, since the imperial court and the Mo family were the ones contributing, the Xiangfu family only needed to complete the task of building the Wei River Bridge. There was no need to take the risk of building a bridge with two piers.
"Brother Li, what about you?" Meton turned his head and asked.
Li Yun gritted his teeth and said, "I agree with the second plan. This is the first show of Xiangfu's lineage, so we must show off and amaze the Great Tang. How can the School of Mohism be like ordinary craftsmen who are afraid to play safe? Moreover, the second plan seems to be more risky, but theoretically, it is feasible."
"This is simply nonsense! You are gambling with the future of the Xiangfu family. If it fails, the consequences will be unimaginable. "Tian Mu angrily rebuked.
Li Yun gritted his teeth and said, "Just as Brother Mo said, although the first person to eat crabs is taking a great risk, they can also obtain unimaginable gains."
"The first person to eat crabs!" Meton couldn't help but smile bitterly. This sentence actually had such a wide influence that even Li Yun was deeply affected by it.
Tian Qiong was just about to retort when she realized that these were Mosheng's words from Mozi's secret writings. Tian Qiong, who had always regarded the Mohist Scripture as a sacred text, could not refute it.
"No, absolutely not. Not only will the Old Man not agree, even the Xiangfu Clan will not agree." Tian Qiong saw that he could not argue with Li Yun, so he directly used his power to suppress him.
When Li Yun heard this, he couldn't help but deflate. After all, his seniority in the Xiangfu Clan was relatively low. When Tian Qiong took the lead to oppose his plan, the other Xiangfu Clan members also echoed his opinion and pursued stability. Li Yun's influence in the Xiangfu Clan suddenly became weak.
Seeing this, Meton couldn't help but ask, "I wonder who the imperial court appointed to supervise the construction of the Wei River Bridge?"
Li Yun's eyes lit up and he couldn't help but raise his voice. "It's me!"
Although Tian Qiong was a person of virtue and prestige, Li Yun still had the glorious precedent of building the Crooked River Arch Bridge. Moreover, he was the descendant of Li Chun of the Zhaozhou Bridge. Thus, the task of supervising the construction of the Wei River Bridge was handed over to Li Yun.
Meton could not deny it. "Since you are the one who specializes in the construction of the Wei River Bridge, the final decision will naturally be up to you. I believe that Ancestor Li Chun also faced doubts when building the Zhaozhou Bridge. If he had chosen to be timid, I'm afraid that the miracle of the Zhaozhou Bridge would not have occurred in this world."
Li Yun couldn't help but feel enlightened. He immediately said firmly, "This Li has decided to adopt the second plan."
"You …!" Tian Qiong was flustered and exasperated. In his view, Li Yun had been in contact with Mo Jiazi for so long that he had actually become somewhat rebellious.
"Please grant my wish, Uncle Tian." Li Yun solemnly bowed.
Seeing this, Tian Qiong couldn't help but feel dispirited. "It seems that the Old Man is old and can't keep up with the times."
"Uncle Tian!" Li Yun couldn't help but feel somewhat terrified.
Li Yun waved his hand and said, "I know that you want to recreate the miracle of your grandfather, Li Chun. I hope that you remember that you have the honor of the Xiangfu Clan behind you."
"Your nephew will remember." Li Yun solemnly cupped his hands.
"The Old Man will no longer ask about the Wei River Bridge. He will return to the Xiangfu Clan tomorrow." Tian Qiong said resolutely.
"Wait!" Meton suddenly said.
"Merton, what advice do you have for me?" Tian Qiong looked at Meton with an unreadable expression.
"There is a position in the Mo Family Village that I believe Mr. Tian will be interested in." Meton said meaningfully.
"Merton also wants to recruit me?" Tian Qiong said with a faint smile. There were many conflicts between the two clans. How could he betray the Xiangfu Clan and join the Mo Family Village?
Even Li Yun looked at Meton in confusion. Meton had just supported him in driving Tian Qiong away, and now he was trying to recruit him. This was too much of a coincidence.
"It is not a recruitment, but an employment. The former chief editor of the Mo Family's Mo Journal, Li Fuzi, has resigned many times. The current chief editor of the Mo Journal is waiting for you. I wonder if Mr. Tian is interested," Meton said solemnly.
After Li Fuzi returned to the Confucian School, it was naturally inconvenient for him to be the chief editor of the Confucian Journal. Meton thought about it and felt that Tian Qiong was the most suitable.
"Chief editor of the Mo Journal!" Tian Qiong couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement. The Xiangfu Clan had lived in seclusion for many years, and he had only begun to understand the outside world when a Mo Journal had accidentally fallen into his hands. He had never thought that he would one day be in charge of the Mo Journal.
"I wonder how much authority the Old Man has." Tian Qiong was a little tempted.
"The Mo Journal is entirely up to you. However, the Mo Journal must report the truth. This is the bottom line," Merton said.
"Even the Mo Family Village can be reported!" Tian Qiong asked.
Meton said matter-of-factly, "Other than the secret techniques of the Mo Family, the Mo Family will report everything."
"Okay, the Old Man will accept the position of Chief Editor," Tian Qiong said decisively.
"Okay, then I'll be waiting for you," Merton said. Seeing that it was getting late, he got up and prepared to leave.
Li Yun hurriedly got up to send him off and said, "Thank you for your advice, Brother Mo. Otherwise, I would have been afraid of everything."
Merton said, "Although I support you, the risk is still the risk. I think you need someone to reduce the risk for you."
"May I ask who this expert is?" Li Yun asked seriously.
"You should have heard of this person before. He is the descendant of the Zu Family of Mathematics, the founder of the parabola, Zu Mingjun. I think he is the only one who can help you the most." Merton said.
"So it's him!" Li Yun suddenly realized. The reflection of the suspension bridge was a parabola. Perhaps only this person was the most proficient in this field.
"The Mo Family Village and the Xiangfu Family have been in conflict for thousands of years. Why do you help them?" Li Yun thought for a moment and finally asked.
"Although the two families have different ideas, they both belong to the Mo Family. Now the Mo Family has many things to do, and every bit of the Mo Family's strength is precious. I'm not helping the Xiangfu Family, but for the Mo Family," Meton said solemnly.
Seeing Meton's solemn expression, Li Yun suddenly knew how much the Xiangfu Family misunderstood Meton. No matter how difficult it was to understand the Mo Family's actions, all his starting points were for the Mo Family.
"For the Mo Family!"
Looking at the back of Meton, Li Yun couldn't help but feel excited. Looking back at the huge construction site behind him, he firmly believed that once the miraculous bridge in his mind was completed, the reputation of the Mo Family would be known throughout the Tang dynasty.
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