Chapter 1526

Keeping the monarch company for a meal was the supreme honor for the subjects of the Yao Nation. As soon as He Lingchuan sat down, the old eunuch Qiu Long personally set out gold plates and silver chopsticks for him, and brought him a basket of rolled pancakes.

This snow-white pancake skin had not been fried in oil; it was as thin as paper and covered with gold leaf.

The King of Yao pointed at the rolled pancake, "This is a golden pancake; it is edible."

The herb-roasted beef ribs were tender and juicy, sliced vertically to reveal a beautiful pink color inside. The King of Yao used the golden pancake to wrap the beef ribs, added two sprigs of ice grass, dipped it in a bit of rich sauce, and put it into his mouth to chew heartily.

He Lingchuan followed suit, and it was indeed mellow and rich—an unforgettable bite.

As for the gold leaf, it had no taste at all; it was just for the sake of prestige.

The King of Yao had a good appetite, and half the table was meat. He said while eating, "You also know why I summoned you to the palace?"

Straight to the point? He Lingchuan tasted a little, wiped his hands clean with a white towel, and said seriously, "Please instruct me, Your Majesty."

The King of Yao inviting him to eat didn't mean he could eat heartily without regard for others.

This kid doesn't leave any handles. The King of Yao chuckled, "Regarding the expansion of Tianshui City, I want to hear your method."

The flood season hadn't ended yet, and Tianshui City was waterlogged again; this time, it even flooded two temples. The King of Yao had just received news that the foundation of a pagoda had been soaked and rotted, collapsing with a boom, killing five pedestrians underneath, not to mention two attendants who perished inside the pagoda.

These temples were also renovated regularly, but the groundwater had been eroding them for years, creating sinkholes.

Cities, like people, grow old. When they get old, problems emerge one after another, and they are all stubborn diseases that cannot be eradicated. The King of Yao felt exhausted whenever he dealt with these problems, and he wanted to expand the new city again.

Of course, He Lingchuan didn't find it strange at all that the King of Yao was so straight to the point. This monarch felt that He Xiao had already made a fortune in the Yao Nation and had severely offended Qingyang, so he would have to rely on the King of Yao's power to keep himself safe in the future.

Wouldn't he have to be submissive and responsive to every request? The King of Yao glanced at him and spat out a bone, "Also, I haven't decided whether to expand east or west. There are reasons for both directions."

He wanted He Lingchuan to lay out the reasons for him and convince him.

And this sentence contained a premise: the expansion of the capital was imperative; the King of Yao just hadn't thought through the next step of the plan.

He Lingchuan understood his urgency; after all, so many ministers had submitted their letters of allegiance to him. People had paid their money and offended Qingyang, so the King of Yao had to reward these loyal subjects well.

Otherwise, where would the next time be? But his worries were also great: expanding Tianshui City would cost a lot of money, and the national treasury was already empty. If he squeezed it again, what a huge hole would be blown open? So he had to find He Lingchuan for a solution.

Something that could build a new city without exhausting the treasury, and preferably make some money.

He Lingchuan had been prepared for a long time and gave him a strategy, "I've been supervising the work at Youhu for the past few days and saw that the area behind the south bank, from Shuangyue Valley to Yunsong Town, has open terrain and beautiful scenery. Yunsong Town is also the closest town to Youhu, less than four miles away."

"The supplies for Youhu are all transported from Yunsong Town; resources are abundant nearby." Originally, Yunsong Town was the residential area, and Youhu was just a scenic spot. "From Youhu to Yunsong Town, it's mostly plains, with open terrain, crisscrossing rivers, and a few small hills that don't get in the way."

The King of Yao naturally knew, "The water from Youhu also flows to Yunsong Town, so what?"

"Your Majesty, expanding Tianshui City toward this area has a very good foundation." Better than expanding to the west.

The King of Yao stroked his beard, "You said that while expanding the capital to the east, the national treasury would not only not be empty but could be filled in reverse. How is this possible?"

He Lingchuan knew that what made him itch the most was this answer.

"There is a premise for this: the people of Tianshui City must be willing to move to the new city and scramble to move to the new city."

The King of Yao frowned, "The people of Tianshui City are relatively conservative."

A capital city of nearly two hundred years—what hadn't the residents seen? Their mindset was stable.

"The good plots on the south bank of Youhu have all been developed, but there are still so many officials and nobles begging for residences around Youhu." He Lingchuan said, "Look, isn't this scrambling to buy?"

"The luxury residences at Youhu Villa are limited in number and have special meanings, which is why they sell well. But officials won't live there." The King of Yao wrapped another pancake, "The city residents are used to living in Tianshui City; why would they be willing to move to the suburbs?"

Tianshui City is the capital, and the officials and nobles all live in Tianshui City. No matter how well Youhu Villa is built, it's just a luxury residence.

What does "luxury residence" mean? A place for the wealthy to occasionally rest their hearts and cultivate their nature.

He Lingchuan laughed, "Times are different now. The officials and nobles who bought the Youhu Villa, especially those who bought the first two rows, will definitely move in. Even if they don't live there themselves, their families will move there."

Since ministers like the Qing Prince's Mansion, Bai Tan, and You Rongzhi all spent huge sums of money to buy luxury residences to show their loyalty, they must express it thoroughly and truly stand in confrontation with Qingyang across the water.

If they just left a house there, dark and quiet all day, what kind of confrontation is that? It must be bustling with noise and brightly lit, letting Qingyang truly feel the clamor and inconvenience.

"That place has green mountains and clear waters, and it's only a few miles from Tianshui City. Qingyang can live in Youhu despite her busy official duties; why can't they?"

The King of Yao was noncommittal, "Go on."

"Youhu itself is royal territory. I remember you have a palace there, right?"

"Yes." But that palace was last renovated more than twenty years ago and is now slightly old; the King of Yao only goes to stay there for a few days occasionally in the spring and summer.

"Then, Youhu has Your Majesty's palace, as well as the Regent, the royal family, and the high officials and famous generals of the court—" He Lingchuan said seriously, "If I may be so bold, that place will be full of nobles in the future; why can't it be seen as the second center of Tianshui City?"

The King of Yao opened his mouth but stopped himself.

Nonsense! Can that remote place be the second center of Tianshui City? However, He Xiao was at least right about one thing: wherever the monarch and the dignitaries work and live, that place will inevitably flourish.

"It just so happens that everyone is discussing Youhu Villa on the streets lately, and the heat is very high. If we take this opportunity to launch the eastern expansion plan, it will be known to everyone in a few days, saving a lot of trouble." Publicity is hard work, and it just so happens that Youhu Villa is still hot right now; why not ride the wave of one's own success?

The King of Yao pondered silently.

"The Youhu area will definitely be very hot in the future. Although the houses there are already sold out, the demand from buyers is still very strong. Then we can settle for the next best thing: buying houses in the surrounding area of Youhu, that is, Yunsong Town, is also good." He Lingchuan opened his mouth, and free flattery flowed out, "Everyone is willing to live around you."