Chapter 1485

Bai Tan crossed the street, and everyone gave way. However, a carriage came from the opposite side tonight, luxurious and wide, driven by four large date-red horses, with golden feathers inserted on the horses' heads, and guarded by more than thirty elite cavalrymen in front and behind.

This one carriage was enough to block Ding'an Street completely.

Bai Tan recognized at a glance that this was the Regent's team.

The pedestrians on the side of the road also stopped—at this time, even pedestrians couldn't pass through, so they simply stopped to watch the excitement.

Both sides were powerful clans; which side would give way first? The two sides stopped and stood in a silent standoff at the intersection.

"General Bai, in front is the Regent's carriage." The attendant whispered, "How about..."

He was also worried that the General would go to someone else's carriage. No matter how high the official, when they meet on a narrow road on this old street, one of them must give way, otherwise neither can leave.

No matter how big the fuss, it has to end eventually.

But before he finished speaking, Bai Tan waved his hand: "Retreat, move to the side."

With an order, the team hurriedly retreated to the old tree intersection, yielding to the Regent's carriage to pass first.

Those dozens of cavalrymen surrounded the carriage and passed the old tree intersection in a mighty procession. The place here was narrow, and the two sides passed each other, less than four chi apart.

The weather was hot, and the carriage had small windows open, so Bai Tan saw Qingyang at a glance.

Qingyang also looked back along his gaze and smiled slightly: "General Bai, after you."

Bai Tan sat on horseback and cupped his hands, his voice like a bell: "Regent, have a safe journey."

The two looked at each other for no more than two breaths before moving their gazes away.

No conversation, no expression, like strangers.

The shopkeepers on the side of the road were a little disappointed, thinking that General Bai and the Regent were at odds, and there would be a good show of meeting on a narrow road today.

Qingyang's carriage rumbled away and finally disappeared around the corner of the street, and Bai Tan then withdrew his gaze: "Let's go."

After both sides left, Ding'an Old Street returned to its bustle and congestion.

This small episode seemed as if it had never happened.

The major project of Youhu Shanzhuang finally began.

After the foundation ceremony, the construction team began to dig soil and fill in the gaps, artificially raising the position of the main gate of the villa.

That is, raising it by about one zhang from the flat ground, connecting it with a particularly spacious gentle slope in the front and back, and the main gate will be built on the top of the slope.

Foreman Guan was originally half-believing, but after seeing with his own eyes one cart after another of giant stones being transported to the south bank of Youhu, he couldn't help but give He Lingchuan a thumbs up: "The Proprietor is truly amazing, you really managed to get such large green square stones, although some have been used before."

His eyes were sharp, and he could tell at a glance that some of the green square stones were probably dismantled from the original pieces, with concave and convex patterns, and moss on the surface.

He Lingchuan smiled: "Are they still usable?"

"It doesn't matter, they will be like new after polishing. These treasures have been lying underground for thousands and thousands of years." Foreman Guan patted the giant stone, "Some ready-made patterns can still be used, which can save a lot of time."

"The Proprietor is truly capable; you can get whatever is missing." He whispered with a smile, "The King should have let you build the Great Temple; then it wouldn't have been delayed for two and a half years and still not finished."

He Lingchuan asked casually: "What's going on with that?"

"The Panjin stone from the stone quarry has been in short supply; we mine a little and use a little, and that's how the construction period has been dragged out for two and a half years." Foreman Guan's voice lowered even more, "I heard that a large amount of money for the stone materials is still owed; the national treasury hasn't paid a cent in the past six months."

He Lingchuan understood: "Alright. From now on, the main gate of the villa must be built quickly, the faster the better!"

Needless to say, this batch of green square stones was all obtained by Tonglin Ji. The output of green square stones is indeed limited, and ordering from the place of origin requires waiting for two months to settle. Conventional channels were limited, so Gu Lin took a different path, found an abandoned villa, dismantled the building materials, and sent them to the south bank of Youhu.

The original owner of this abandoned villa was beheaded by the monarch forty years ago, and the family was also exiled, so the villa was left vacant. Later, ferns grew everywhere, and few people would think of it.

Gu Lin showed such a hand, and He Lingchuan knew that his understanding of the various ins and outs of Tianshui City was indeed something few people could compare with.

Tonglin Ji is still as good as ever; we can cooperate.

Foreman Guan responded hurriedly.

This Proprietor told him a few days ago that building the gate tower should be slow, the slower the better, but now he wants it fast, the faster the better.

However, the one paying is the boss, and this one is still a favorite in front of the monarch, so Foreman Guan couldn't have any complaints, just silently added two hundred more hands.

A team of a dozen people suddenly became two hundred; if it were a few days ago, the Construction Office would definitely have blocked them for insufficient qualifications.

But now, they turn a blind eye.

Actually, the reason He Lingchuan changed his mind was that the Construction Office was willing to cooperate.

Originally, they only approved one gate for him, so of course he had to build it slowly; now that the second phase of the villa is about to be approved, shouldn't he work overtime to speed up the work?

Other materials had long been ready, and the most important stone materials had also entered the site, so Foreman Guan led his men to roll up their sleeves and work in full swing. With sufficient manpower, the construction site became even more chaotic—no, even more bustling, and the progress of the project was greatly accelerated.

Ding-dang ding-dang, guang-dang guang-dang, ah-xiu-xiu-xiu—the entire south bank of Youhu echoed with the loud noise of sawing wood and chiseling stone, and it was very rhythmic.

He Lingchuan specifically instructed that whether it was cutting, digging, carving, or polishing, all stone materials should be transported to the south bank of Youhu for processing.

The Youhu Small Abode on the opposite side is only separated from the south bank by a shallow water, which is really too close. Although the trees have a good sound-insulating effect, the construction noise on the south bank is still audible.

The Youhu Small Abode was originally Qingyang's place for quiet cultivation, but now he has no choice but to set up a sound-insulating barrier.

Although the small abode became quiet once the barrier was opened, the Beijia people who came with Qingyang could not ignore the construction on the opposite bank.

The ground near the bridge entrance of the Youhu Small Abode was dug into pits and bumps, with ruts, mud, mortar, and building materials placed everywhere.

The originally quiet and elegant lakeside now looks like a mud pit where elephants bathe.

Qingyang enters and exits from here every day, so he has to see this distressing scene every day.

And the construction of the villa has just begun, and the end is still far away.

The most infuriating thing is that the main gate of Youhu Shanzhuang is less than five zhang away from the gate tower of the Youhu Small Abode. Looking at the latter alone, it is exquisite. But the main gate of Youhu Shanzhuang is taller and larger than it, and standing behind it, it makes the gate tower of the Youhu Small Abode look like a bullied little daughter-in-law.

Afterwards, King Yao sent a guard team to the villa project.

Although there were only dozens of people, it clearly indicated King Yao's attitude.

A foreign merchant building a house actually has the protection of royal power; this is too prestigious.

Conversely, once this guard team appeared, the fact that "He Xiao building Youhu Shanzhuang was instructed by the monarch" was basically confirmed.

Then, the fact that "buying a villa is taking sides with the King" was once again verified by facts.

In the afternoon, Yuwen Xu brought an important piece of news: the two deputy officials of the Construction Office had accepted huge bribes, the power-for-money transactions were shocking, and the evidence of their crimes was conclusive, and they had confessed without reservation, so they were sentenced to death, to be executed after autumn!

Other arrested Construction Office officials also had their own trials and were convicted one after another.

Fast, too fast.

The main and deputy heads of important functional departments were removed at the same time; except for wartime, this had never happened in the history of the Yao Nation, let alone such a vigorous and resolute action, with results in two days: King Yao used the excuse of huge bribes to send the former deputy head of the Construction Office to be beheaded!

So this news also stirred up a thousand waves, creating layer upon layer of effects.

The deputy official was sentenced to death; how could Liang Xiaohao, as the head official, be a white lotus that emerged from the mud unstained? The officials all knew what was going on.

Death penalty can be avoided, but living sins are hard to escape. No matter how slow the officials were, they truly felt King Yao's anger and toughness.

The Construction Office thought that "acting according to the rules" could make things difficult for He Lingchuan and defy the monarch? Naive!

In the Yao Nation, only two people are qualified to do this:

The monarch and the Regent.

King Yao's move was also to kill the chicken to warn the monkey, dealing with the Construction Office officials headed by Liang Xiaohao with thunderous means. So everyone understood that obstructing the construction of Youhu Shanzhuang was going against the monarch! After this incident, who would dare to underestimate King Yao's determination to provoke and attack Qingyang? The monarch is about to fire at the Regent of Beijia; as a minister, which side should you stand on? Those who bought villas to pledge allegiance to the King were rewarded at the same time.

And those who wanted to hide and stand behind Qingyang would soon be beheaded.

Who else? The Yao court was in turmoil for a while, and everyone was thinking about this question.

Offending the Qingyang Regent might lead to being reported and exposed; but if you offend the monarch, the best case is no hope for a career, and the worst case is losing your head. After all, not everyone has a backer as strong as Liang Xiaohao.

How to choose? Actually, it's not difficult.

At this time, many people noticed that the south bank of Youhu was bustling with construction.

Youhu Shanzhuang had really started construction, right across from where the Qingyang Regent lived! Many curious people had already rushed to watch, and returned to confirm this statement. The rumors that He Xiao could not and dared not build it were self-defeating.

It seems that the Qingyang Regent is also helpless. The construction of Youhu Shanzhuang doesn't seem as difficult as everyone imagined? Then does the smooth start of Youhu Shanzhuang mean that the monarch has gained the upper hand?

King Yao, who had been threatened by Qingyang and had part of his power taken away due to the death of Xue Zongwu a few days ago, finally managed to pull back a game.

"The approval for the second phase is down." He Lingchuan took a stack of documents to find Foreman Guan.

The latter was slightly surprised: "So fast? Unprecedented."

In the past, he had been in Tianshui City for so many years, and he didn't know that the efficiency of the General Affairs Division and the Construction Office could be so high. An approval process usually took two or three months at the shortest, and one or two years at the longest. Of course, it's not impossible if you want to expedite it.

He Lingchuan smiled: "Everyone is in a hurry, so things will be done a little faster."

The Construction Office was very cooperative this time, almost sending him out the door respectfully.

This time even Foreman Guan was very interested: "Proprietor, what is the starting price for the villas in the second phase of Youhu Shanzhuang?"

It's an exaggeration to say that the wood and stone for the first phase have just entered the site, and even a large gate tower hasn't been built yet, and the second phase is about to go on sale. Foreman Guan was very happy; at least he would have work to do for the next few years.

"Do you want to buy?"

"I have a friend who wants to buy, and he asked me to ask."