Chapter 1532: Get Out

"In extraordinary times, we can only use radical means. Does Magistrate You want to catch up with the progress?" You Rongzhi naturally wanted to, wanted to desperately.

"Follow my method, and the lagging progress will definitely be caught up. In four months, the money will definitely be returned. If it cannot be done, I will go to the King to plead guilty." He Lingchuan was full of confidence, then changed the subject. "Otherwise, this project will definitely not be done, and I will go to resign now."

This big job had already started, and it had been announced to the whole country and the whole city, so there was no turning back. As a consultant, He Lingchuan could run, but You Rongzhi as the commander could not run.

With three "definitelys" out, You Rongzhi could only ask him: "When to start the discussion?"

"Time waits for no one, let's do it tonight."

The sun was already setting in the west.

"Now?" You Rongzhi stood up immediately. "Let me go to the palace."

He had to ask King Yao for instructions.

He stayed in the palace for more than an hour.

That night at the hour of the pig, the Tianshui City expansion suddenly summoned everyone for a meeting.

God was pouring rain again, and officials of all sizes gathered in the rain, their official uniforms all soaked. A few carried the smell of alcohol, while others were full of sleepiness, yawning repeatedly.

"Magistrate You, what big thing happened?" Except for war and natural disasters, officials rarely held meetings overnight.

You Rongzhi looked at them, sighed secretly, and said solemnly: "I just came out of the palace. The monarch is very dissatisfied with the progress of the capital's eastward expansion."

Huang Shilu, the son-in-law of the Gu family, immediately said: "The capital's eastward expansion is beneficial for a thousand years, and the King's reprimand is correct. But the project is vast, and hundreds of items are difficult to coordinate, so there are truly difficulties on the site. For example, Magistrate Xu has been supervising materials and hasn't been home for five days. Magistrate You, haven't you also not closed your eyes for two days?"

The officials said one after another: "Magistrate You has worked hard!"

"The construction is indeed a bit slow; we must be more diligent to share the worries for the monarch and Magistrate You."

"Exactly, exactly, starting tomorrow, we must strictly grasp the progress."

"......"

You Rongzhi knew the rhetoric of these subordinates very well, and also knew what they were thinking, so he turned to look at He Lingchuan: "Island Master He, you come."

He Lingchuan had originally been watching coldly without saying a word, but upon hearing this, he grabbed a thick book and threw it on the table.

With a "bang," everyone was startled.

"Qi Shuhuan, you are responsible for the demolition of old houses and stone transportation in Pantu Ditch. It should have been completed three days ago, but until today, only fifty cubic meters of stone have been transported, not even reaching ten percent of the task requirement."

The stage was set, and he would play the bad guy.

Qi Shuhuan did not expect to be named, and after an "ah," he defended himself: "Th-this is because it has been raining for days, the village roads are muddy, and the stone trucks will get stuck in the mud..."

"It's all stone ground there, the real mud road is less than five zhang long; you could have transported it by paving it with stone slabs." He Lingchuan said lightly, "In the past seven days, you stayed on site for a total of five hours, but spent four times as long in the wine shops, tea houses, and red pavilions in the city."

Not to mention Qi Shuhuan being stunned, the other officials were also surprised, their hearts feeling a bit cold.

He Xiao was even tracking their personal whereabouts?

That's right, the King sent him a guard unit of more than nine hundred people; he now had plenty of manpower.

Qi Shuhuan was about to speak, but He Lingchuan gestured with his chin toward the door: "You are not competent, you don't need to work anymore, go."

His tone was unquestionable, and Qi Shuhuan was shocked: "What, I, I am... Magistrate You! What is going on!"

He was just an Upper Deliberator, a person with no real power and only moving his mouth; what power did he have to make him get out? He Xiao was so direct that You Rongzhi also had a headache, but he had already been set up here, so he had to cough: "Tonight's personnel changes have been approved by my King."

Qi Shuhuan had a bitter face: "Magistrate You, the King..."

He Lingchuan interrupted him and pointed to the door: "Hurry up."

Qi Shuhuan hurriedly said: "This subordinate knows he was wrong, I will definitely work diligently later, and never dare to be lazy again..."

He Lingchuan was unmoved, showing cold ruthlessness: "Pleading is useless, don't waste time."

Qi Shuhuan looked at him and then at You Rongzhi, realizing it was irreversible, so he had to leave, looking back every step of the way.

The Qi family had spent tens of thousands of taels of silver to get a position in the capital's eastward expansion project. He had only stayed for seven days before being driven away; when his brother heard about it, he would definitely scold him to death!

He Lingchuan did not even look at him, flipped through the book on the table, and read out seven or eight more names, all of whom were ineffective, derelict, and lazy, and one had even started taking bribes.

Needless to say, all of them got out.

He Lingchuan did not listen to reasons, only told people to get out. The one who took bribes was angry and pointed at his nose, cursing: "He, you are just a mere Upper Deliberator, what qualifications do you have to boss us around?"

Officialdom was about order and rank; this guy didn't even have a title, yet he dared to point fingers here?

After he finished speaking, everyone did not look at He Lingchuan, but at You Rongzhi.

The commander of the project was here; You Rongzhi was the one who had the final say.

Under the gaze of everyone, You Rongzhi coughed lightly: "Earlier, Island Master He and I were summoned by the King together, and then we came here together."

The point was "together."

What did that explain? He Lingchuan's actions were approved by the King.

Earlier in the palace, King Yao was also very surprised to hear He Lingchuan's request.

This guy was here to ask for power.

But conversely, what was the atmosphere of the Yao court, and what was the character of the officials, King Yao knew best. Since He Xiao had boasted that he could reverse the situation and build the city efficiently, why not give it a try? Anyway, he had no official title, and he only had money in his hands; was he afraid he would turn the world upside down?

You Rongzhi added: "Island Master He was also awarded a medal just now, the Third-Rank Pear Fragrance Silver Medal."

Everyone was shocked.

The Pear Fragrance Medal was a medal bestowed by the Yao Nation to foreigners, with five ranks in total, each divided into three levels. Don't look at He Xiao only getting the third rank; in fact, the first rank was awarded to foreign monarchs and leaders of foreign forces, the fourth rank to soldiers, and the fifth rank to businessmen.

As a foreign merchant, He Xiao being able to get the third-rank Pear Fragrance Medal showed that King Yao highly recognized him.

And it was bestowed tonight, which was to add a halo to support him.

So He Lingchuan's waist was very stiff now, and he snapped his fingers on the spot, pointing at the official who took bribes: "Come, take him away!"

This guy was taken away directly by the palace guards sent by the court official.

After this set of warnings, the atmosphere in the meeting hall changed, and the sleepiness on everyone's faces disappeared, becoming so solemn that it was about to drip water.

Was the King serious?

He Lingchuan then read out another name, which was the Magistrate Xu mentioned earlier.

Magistrate Xu's face changed. In the past seven days, he had spent five days on the construction site, not even returning home; was the other party still not satisfied?

He also had a bit of temper and wanted to flare up, but heard You Rongzhi smile: "Magistrate Xu is diligent and hardworking, forgetting to eat and sleep, and can be a model. The King's decree promotes you to Deputy Supervisor of Crafts." ===== CHAPTER 1533 =====

... as a model. By royal decree, he is promoted to Deputy Commissioner of Craftsmanship."