Chapter 85: The Precious Bridge

The final maintenance and inspection work for the flying bridge is proceeding normally, and it can be put into initial use according to the plan at the expected time.

Before that, Wen Gu made a trip to Zhao Zhai to invite his cousin to unveil it.

For this reason, he specifically asked the dog Daoist to check the weather and set an auspicious day and time.

The first representative building of Jingxing Fang and Qingyun Fang is about to be unveiled, and Wen Gu does not intend to do it quietly.

Cousin Zhao is busy with official business, and he generally would not waste time on such a small matter as a new building in a small ward, but considering other matters, he agreed to Wen Gu's invitation after some thought.

The design for that section of the flying bridge above Jingqing Lane had been approved by him, so he roughly knew what it would look like, but he had not yet seen the actual structure.

He did not go to take a look in advance either. Wen Gu should not be disappointing.

The important person for the unveiling has been decided, so Wen Gu went to invite the various financiers of the Wanfu Garden project.

Upon learning that Zhao Shaozhu was going to unveil it in person, the financiers, regardless of their original intentions, showed great enthusiasm and stated that they would definitely be present for the ceremony.

At the same time, it was also to see exactly how much of the money and grain they had provided was used on this.

Even if it were only fifty percent, they would be able to accept it.

The refined scholars of the Shen Family did not suspect that Wen Gu had embezzled the money and grain; they had seen the appearance of the flying bridge in advance. They were not that curious, but rather expectant, wanting the other people in Xinzhou City to see the first achievement of the Wanfu Garden project!

Zhaohui Fang.

People from the collateral branches of the Zhao Family also received the news.

"The cousin actually agreed to go and unveil it?" A young man was extremely surprised.

It is just a flying bridge, and only an incomplete section at that; as the Zhao Clan Young Master, he must have a lot of official business at this time, yet he actually made time to go to that remote place to hold some unveiling ceremony?

Isn't this just to support Wen Gu's scene?!

"It can be seen that he really values it!"

The members of the Zhao Family are also planning to enclose land and build a garden in the next newly opened ward.

They have analyzed that such entertainment venues will definitely make money, and they cannot let the Shen Family earn all the money!

This year, there are more new faces in the wards of the core area of Xinzhou City, and the number of wealthy families has increased again; this is exactly their opportunity!

"Let's go and take a look when the time comes. Those two idiots from the Shen Family are privately bragging about that flying bridge as if it were a celestial palace."

"I want to see exactly where that Wen Gu spent the money and grain?!"

It is also to serve as a reference to estimate the budget.

If they also want to pull people in to build a garden, what would the approximate cost be?

Wen Gu knew that after Cousin Zhao agreed to come for the unveiling, the various wards in Xinzhou City would definitely pay attention, but he felt no pressure and continued to arrange matters in an orderly manner.

He originally wanted to set off firecrackers, but Fire Powder is entirely a strategic material, reserved for the threats of next spring and summer. Wen Gu had to choose to create other kinds of noise—he hired a group of musicians to set the atmosphere.

In the blink of an eye, the auspicious day for the unveiling ceremony arrived.

The weather was fine.

The dog Daoist is indeed accurate in checking the weather!

Early in the morning, Jingxing Fang became busy, and the City Defense Army entered various parts of the ward in advance to inspect.

The Idlers responsible for running errands and passing messages for various parties relayed the latest developments to their employers. However, when they ran back to Jingxing Fang, the number of people at the scene was too high, and it had already been controlled by the City Defense Army, making it impossible to get close.

The crowd who came to watch the excitement upon hearing the commotion could not even enter Jingxing Fang and could only watch from a distance.

Luxurious carriages arrived one after another, and the financiers of the Wanfu Garden came as promised.

Uncle Shen came together with the refined scholars and other Shen family members, but they did not immediately follow the minor officials of the ward to the resting area; instead, they waited at the ward gate.

Seeing this, the other wealthy families turned their steps and came over to wait as well.

Before long, two teams of well-equipped guards approached, escorting a carriage.

The commoners blocked on the outside stretched their necks, but the people in front blocked the view too tightly, making it impossible to see the family crests of the nobles on the carriage.

"Is it the City Defense Army?"

"It's not the City Defense Army. They are dressed better than the City Defense Army and have more spirit; it must be the guards of some noble, right?"

"In Xinzhou City, there is still someone who dares to use such guards..."

There really is!

The Young Master's carriage had already reached the ward gate, and the guards formed a path.

The carriage could have driven straight in, but Zhao Shaozhu got off the carriage at the entrance. Since he came once, he would take a good look at what this place had become.

People guarding the ward gate came over to bow and salute, and the attendants beside them seemed to want to kneel.

Zhao Shaozhu waved his hand and said, "It is freezing cold, no need for formalities, get up."

He scanned the construction site inside Jingxing Fang and the newly built houses, then looked up at the position of the cloth tent.

He said to Wen Gu, who was walking over, "I have long heard that your ward is very lively; it is indeed... full of vitality!"

As the Zhao Clan Young Master, he had seen all kinds of scenes and could distinguish how much of the onlookers' emotions were genuine.

He had seen many people outside the wards, but now looking at the residents inside Jingxing Fang, that vitality radiating from the bottom of their hearts was exceptionally unique.

It is hard to believe that these people were all commoners who had only moved to Xinzhou City this autumn and winter.

"It lives up to the ward name I wrote!"

Zhao Shaozhu was in a very good mood.

Wen Gu just smiled and said, "This is only the beginning."

Zhao Shaozhu thought Wen Gu was talking about the flying bridge to be unveiled today, so he did not linger and quickened his pace toward the cloth tent.

Wen Gu knew that this cousin had other official business, so he did not delay, leading him to the unveiling spot, and briefly talked about the affairs in the ward during this period on the way, including how the people transferred from the Patrol Guard Division were arranged.

The Shen Family's refined scholars, several people from the Zhao Family's collateral branches, and several other wealthy families wanted to follow closely, but were blocked by the guards.

Uncle Shen was calm and did not crowd forward, knowing that this Zhao Shaozhu still had things to discuss with Wen Gu, and very experiencedly kept a safe distance.

Soon, the group arrived at the place of the unveiling ceremony.

They were not too close, near the stairs to board the bridge, yet they could see the bridge body.

The scaffolding erected inside has already been mostly dismantled; another batch was removed this morning, and now the cloth curtains are merely hanging from a few corners, with several spots still being held up by manual labor, just waiting for the final ceremonial removal.

One only needs to pull the red silk to the side, and the craftsmen stationed at the other locations will remove the curtains.

The auspicious time has not yet arrived, so to follow the procedure, Wen Gu invited his cousin to speak a few words first, as he had prepared in advance.

Thus, Zhao Shaozhu, wearing a benevolent and approachable smile, used elegant yet grounded language to express his affirmation of Wen Gu's work, his expectations for Jingxing Fang and Qingyun Fang, and his concern and reassurance for the people who had relocated here.

Wen Gu did not show it on his face, but inwardly he thought: This father and son of the Zhao Family are truly qualified political creatures!

Look at those residents in the Fang; they are so moved that their eyes have turned red—they really aren't shills I arranged!

In this feudal era, status and class are distinct, and now it is a time of chaos; encountering such an approachable superior, the people are naturally moved to tears, and in their hearts, they must be rejoicing that they chose the Zhao Clan.

Glancing at the angle of the sun, Wen Gu gave his cousin a signal without leaving a trace.

Zhao Shaozhu, with his benevolent and approachable smile, ended his speech very naturally.

The atmosphere group started up again, pulling out all the stops, blowing, pulling, and playing, striving to let the young master hear their enthusiasm!

Only at this moment, Zhao Shaozhu's mind was not on other things at all; he followed Wen Gu's guidance and pulled the red silk to the side, but his eyes were fixed on the flying bridge.

Swish—

The heavy cloth curtain was finally pulled down.

As the covering slid away, the flying bridge, which had been hidden for so long, finally revealed its true form under the sunlight.

The atmosphere group playing music suddenly stopped, as if their throats had been pinched, their strange notes cutting off abruptly. But no one cared at this moment.

At the moment the flying bridge revealed its true form, many people, including Zhao Shaozhu, could not help but close their eyes.

It was too dazzling!

The first thing that caught the eye was the typical palace-style green tiles and red walls.

Yet it was different from the glazed green tiles of the past.

The tiles, with their rich, deep, yet somewhat translucent color, were layered like the scales of a crystal behemoth.

The eaves were upturned, resembling a posture of spreading wings to take flight.

The stacked, crystalline tiles, paired with the upturned, lifting posture, did not appear heavy at all; instead, they gave a sense of light, rhythmic movement.

There were five ridges on the roof, and six beasts on the four corners.

Each divine beast had multiple colors on its body, with different expressions; they were richly colored yet crystalline, and there were even nearly colorless parts that were neither conspicuous nor abrupt.

Under the sunlight, the ridge-guarding divine beasts radiated a halo, making it impossible to see their appearance clearly, but one could feel their majestic spirit.

Sunlight passed through the more translucent and pure parts of the ridge-guarding divine beasts, casting rainbow rays onto the roof.

The people below could not see clearly, but the Soldiers on the Neicheng wall had eyes that were almost popping out. Someone shouted something loudly, but was quickly gagged and dragged away.

The red walls were not entirely vermilion lacquer; many patterns on them were actually glowing, as if they were composed of colorful crystal stones inlaid upon them.

The two sides of the long bridge were not simple railings, but were composed of floor-to-ceiling windows!

The window lattices were like turtle shells, fish scales, flower knots, and auspicious clouds... gathering patterns from the north and south, with different colored Glass inlaid upon them, light and shadow interlacing, brightness and darkness alternating.

Combined with the green tiles and red walls, it appeared even more magnificent and luxurious.

It was richly colored, yet not ostentatious or vulgar; instead, it gave a sense of elegance and nobility.

Hanging under the eaves were objects similar to wind chimes.

In the city, sound is used to signal warnings, and other miscellaneous noises are strictly controlled, so what hung there were merely ornaments made in imitation of wind chimes; their surfaces were carved and polished with many raised and recessed patterns, and the colorless pendants extending from within, resembling ice crystals, were also polished with complex facets.

Sunlight shone upon them and was cut into countless tiny shards of light, each ray of light and shadow edged with seven colors, projecting onto the flying bridge.

The wind pushed them to rotate, and countless psychedelic colors continuously swept across the flying bridge, presenting a state of endless, flowing movement.

Sacred and vivid!

Wen Gu was very satisfied with the sunlight at this moment.

True brilliance must be displayed under the sun.

What is called an auspicious time?

An angle of illumination that is just right can maximize the impact on the visual senses!

The scene suddenly went silent, followed by a "roar," as if a vast sea of sound.

Several people from the Zhao Family's branch lines were looking up with their necks craned, making "ah" sounds that were meaningless yet seemed to contain complex emotions.

They stared fixedly at the flying bridge above, shivering uncontrollably.

Their households also possessed some relatively exquisite Glass ornaments, which had been transported from overseas in the past and flowed into the hands of high-ranking officials and nobles. Now that the Zhao Family's status was extraordinary, some people had gifted them to them.

They would treat those as precious items, usually reluctant to take them out to play with, only showing them off on special occasions when they needed to act superior.

Even though Glass windows had appeared during this period, the production was limited, and in terms of exquisiteness and artistic value, they could not compare to the ornaments in their hands.

However, at this moment, they turned from the flying bridge's crystalline tiles and divine beasts to the gem patterns on the walls, and then landed on the "wind chime" spectacle hanging under the eaves...

The impact brought by these various combinations was far beyond what Glass windows could compare to!

Those who were good at arithmetic kept calculating the value in their hearts, and the more they calculated, the more violently they shook.

They only felt waves of suffocation, and cold sweat broke out all over their bodies.

The sheer magnitude of the expenditure was terrifying!

Before their eyes, they seemed to see kiln after kiln, and what was being burned inside was not Glass or Glazed Ware, but countless amounts of grain and wealth!

At this moment, they were intimidated.

They even doubted whether the money and grain that could be gathered—let alone building a garden—could even build such a bridge...

Wen Gu... how could Wen Gu dare to do this!!

Uncle Shen's state was much the same now.

Although he was incredibly amazed by the magic of the flying bridge at this moment, the abacus beads in his heart were the first to move to calculate the wealth.

As his gaze followed, he estimated the values, constantly moving the beads, constantly adding them up, and constantly gasping for air.

His eyes gradually became dull.

The patrons of Wanfu Garden, accompanied by gasps rising and falling, had minds at this moment racing and barking with all sorts of ideas, just like a greyhound race.

There was no loud shouting or questioning, no rushing over to touch and admire it with their own hands; entirely out of deference to the Young Master being present, they could only beep in their hearts.

The Treasure Bridge before their eyes seemed to have seized the creation of heaven and earth; how on earth was it built?

How could the few craftsmen provided be enough?!

Although they knew some prefabricated parts from building the garden had been moved over, those gleaming tiles, the ridge-beasts, and those rare crystals and treasures—even if fired, they wouldn't be simple, right? Perhaps quite a few were purchased through other channels?

The money and grain they invested were allocated in stages, and they knew exactly how much had been given. Yet, could that bit of money and grain build such a Treasure Bridge?

Some even suspected that Wen Gu not only hadn't embezzled the funds, but had instead subsidized it from his own pocket!

Otherwise, how could such a Treasure Bridge be built in such a short time?!

Just how much did he subsidize!

Should they "express" themselves a bit more?

Comparing the results before their eyes with the money and grain they had previously invested.

It seemed, perhaps... it really was a little... bit short.

If it were an ordinary person overseeing the construction of a flying bridge, they naturally wouldn't care; how much you subsidize is none of my business!

But Wen Gu's status was special, and the Young Master valued him; they couldn't really let Wen Gu pay out of pocket... could they?

Not far away, the refined scholars of the Shen Family hadn't thought that much, but they were also shocked by the wondrous sight before them.

Their mouths opened and closed.

"This flying bridge..."

"... looks different from before!"

The appearance when covered by cloth curtains and the look when exposed to the sunlight felt like two completely different things!

One was like a piece of jewelry kept in a box, while the other was a rare treasure embedded in a scepter or a noble crown.

The brilliant radiance made one wish they could immediately light a few sticks of incense to offer it up!

(End of chapter)