Chapter 1474: You Rongzhi's Plea

However, even during his time in Spirit Void City, He Yang rarely interacted with outsiders. Consequently, He Lingchuan couldn't gather much information about him, knowing only that He Yang was extremely self-disciplined and never abused his power for personal gain.

The intelligence provided by Fang Canran indeed made no mention of He Yang's military record.

Before the fallout with the Mou Kingdom, Beijia had not fought a major war for a long time. Even the generals within the kingdom were eager for action, their eyes red from waiting, so He Yang likely had no opportunity to go to the battlefield.

In He Lingchuan's opinion, He Yang's combat style belonged to the "sectarian" or "academic" school.

Perhaps this point could be subtly exploited.

As he was pondering, Wan Qifeng entered to announce:

"My Lord, Master You is here."

Just a few breaths later, You Rongzhi appeared in He Lingchuan's sight.

He Lingchuan immediately put on a smiling face and stepped forward to greet him: "Master You!"

"Island Lord He." As the imperial supervisor for the villa construction, You Rongzhi had met He Lingchuan at least four times in the past few days, discussing the construction plans. He was well aware of King Yao's attitude towards He Lingchuan, so their relationship was quite harmonious—at least for now. "I had planned to invite you for dinner; I've been waiting for ages."

He Lingchuan exclaimed, "My apologies, Master You, for keeping you waiting. How may I assist you?"

"Let's discuss the construction plan again."

He Lingchuan readily agreed, saying "Good," and instructed Wan Qiliang nearby to serve tea.

"I visited the Office of Works this afternoon," You Rongzhi said as he sat down, his first sentence bringing He Lingchuan great joy. "If the subsequent progress of the Serene Lake Villa project complies with regulations, all documents submitted to the Office of Works will be approved without delay."

"As expected of Master You! You effortlessly navigate all the difficulties I face." He was always generous with his flattery.

Of course, he knew very well that You Rongzhi himself didn't possess such immense influence.

The only one who could order the Office of Works not to obstruct him was King Yao.

Previously, King Yao had personally ordered all departments to cooperate with the approval of Serene Lake Villa in front of He Lingchuan. Yet, the Office of Works had deliberately feigned compliance while secretly creating numerous difficulties for Yang Shan, approving only a main gate and a few roads to this day.

The Soul-Capturing Mirror clicked its tongue, "You were right; King Yao can indeed pressure the Office of Works. I just wonder what methods he used?"

In any case, the Office of Works had conceded, and likely wouldn't dare to make things difficult for He Lingchuan again.

You Rongzhi waved his hand, "It wasn't me at all. I'm just a messenger. His Majesty issued several edicts to the Office of Works today and made a few personnel changes. After this, your cooperation with the Office of Works will be much smoother."

Edicts? Personnel changes? He Lingchuan was startled. "Master You, don't alarm me. What exactly happened?"

You Rongzhi composed his expression and said softly, "Liang Xiaohao, the chief official of the Office of Works, was dismissed for dereliction of duty and ineffective supervision of his subordinates. His deputies, Liu Yun and Wang Fangmang, along with five other officials from the Office of Works, were stripped of their positions and are under investigation for power-for-money schemes and accepting bribes!"

He Lingchuan exclaimed, "So that's what happened!"

All the officials in the Office of Works, from the chief to the deputies, were swept away. No wonder You Rongzhi dared to guarantee that the Serene Lake Villa project would no longer be obstructed.

King Yao finally showed some resolve, kicking away this stumbling block.

Had He Lingchuan's flattery finally worked?

You Rongzhi was unwilling to discuss the matter further and swiftly returned to the main topic: "However, looking at your blueprints, constructing such a grand entrance for the villa will require hard-to-source materials. I've inquired, and large blocks of azure square stone are scarce. The quarries typically mine on order, so if you place an order now, the stone won't be delivered for two or three months."

He paused, then added: "Otherwise, you could scale down the entrance, or use smaller stones and try to minimize the visible seams."

He Lingchuan looked impressed, "Master You, you've gone to such trouble, even inquiring about these details for me."

You Rongzhi had never previously interfered with construction matters and probably hadn't built a house himself. His knowledge was likely all recently acquired through inquiries.

"I am simply following His Majesty's orders and doing my best with this project," You Rongzhi said earnestly. "You were quite rash to embark on the Serene Lake Pavilion project without fully understanding the situation here in Tianshui City, given that you've just arrived."

"Yes, I indeed thought it would be much simpler initially, and I've certainly learned a lot these past few days," He Lingchuan said, rubbing his nose. "However, I've already acquired the azure square stones for the gate tower, and they will be delivered tomorrow morning."

You Rongzhi asked curiously, "Where did you get them?"

"I have my own channels," He Lingchuan said, keeping him in suspense. "Rest assured, Master You, it's all legitimate."

They chatted for a while longer, before You Rongzhi casually asked: "The Serene Lake Villa has only just broken ground, but I've heard that most of your initial twelve exquisite residences have already been sold?"

"It's not that exaggerated," He Lingchuan chuckled. "Publicly, I still say they haven't gone on sale, but between us, there are still this many left."

He held up three fingers.

You Rongzhi was surprised, "Nine residences have already been reserved?"

"Yes, and that's even after I turned down quite a few offers." For the past two days, officials had been personally visiting or sending representatives to inquire about purchasing, but He Lingchuan wasn't selling to just anyone.

"They're that sought after?" You Rongzhi asked, following up on his words, "What about those who want to buy but can't?"

"Toss 'em in a salad... *cough*, I mean, they'll just have to wait."

You Rongzhi pressed, "Will there be more later?"

"It's hard to say," He Lingchuan replied, looking troubled. "It depends on the success of the first phase of Serene Lake Villa. The plans for the second phase are complete and ready for submission for approval. Alas, I don't know how long we'll have to wait this time."

The initial submission for Serene Lake Villa's first phase had been so severely obstructed by the Office of Works that it almost suffocated the project.

But You Rongzhi knew the first phase would be sold out in no time. "Don't worry, approval should be much faster this time. As long as the plans comply with regulations, all departments will cooperate fully. Oh, and will the second phase also feature lake views?"

The chief officials of the Office of Works who opposed He Lingchuan had all been arrested. The new personnel must be King Yao's people; wouldn't they have to cooperate fully?

"Yes, of course, and the views will be even better than in the first phase."

You Rongzhi thought for a moment, then asked, "Of the three remaining residences from the first phase of the villa, which rows are they in?"

"The third and fourth rows."

"And the price?"

He Lingchuan had already sensed his intention, but still replied, "The third row is thirty-one thousand taels; the fourth row, twenty-nine thousand taels."

You Rongzhi was surprised again, "Even more expensive than when the Gu family bought theirs?"

"Each residence has its own price. There's nothing I can do; demand simply far outstrips supply," He Lingchuan said with a wry smile. "Besides, Brother Gu and I are old friends and have business dealings. That particular residence was also partial payment for goods he supplied."

You Rongzhi nodded slowly, hesitating for a moment before saying, "I have an impudent request."

"Please, Master You, just say the word! I will certainly assist you!"

"I would like to purchase the residence in the third row."

He Lingchuan was not surprised by You Rongzhi's words. Just as he was about to speak, You Rongzhi continued:

"Furthermore, I want to reserve a first-row lakeside residence in the second phase!"

He Lingchuan was moved and gave him a thumbs-up, "Master You, you're truly bold and unyielding!"

What were you waiting for?

You Rongzhi was also feeling down. The very night the Scarlet Fortress auction ended, he had considered bidding for the last lakeside residence. However, he hesitated, thinking he would act the next day, and as a result—

—the old fox Bai Tan got there first.

So he had to compromise, buying a third-row residence as a temporary measure, and then, when the second phase opened for pre-sale, he would secure a lakeside residence.

Both by custom and by right, he should be in the first row.

You Rongzhi said earnestly, "Island Lord He, please make sure to reserve one for me."

His words were a double entendre, and a smile appeared on You Rongzhi's face.

"The price will certainly increase by then," He Lingchuan whispered, "but I will still sell it to you for fifty thousand taels of silver. Just tell others it was one hundred thousand taels."

You Rongzhi had initially intended to say, "No need, just sell it to me at the regular price," but upon hearing the figure "one hundred thousand," he silently swallowed his words.

By comparison, fifty thousand taels was a very appealing price.

"Thank you, Island Lord He."

You Rongzhi left cheerfully.

As soon as he left, He Lingchuan rubbed his hands together: "It seems the pre-sale funds for Serene Lake Villa will be significantly more than I expected. Now I have a problem."

"Huh?" the mirror didn't understand. "Is making too much money a problem? Don't you think everyone in the world would want this kind of problem?"

"It seems I'll have to think of more ways to spend money. I need to make time to visit Qian Donglai in the next few days; he has a few battle formations that are said to be outrageously expensive." He Lingchuan mused. "Hmm, no, I shouldn't go myself."

As he talked to himself, the mirror ignored him, and changed the subject: "As you wished, King Yao truly took action against the Office of Works."

"Liang Xiaohao had significant backing, and King Yao usually didn't bother with his petty schemes to obstruct people. But King Yao finally recognized the importance of Serene Lake Villa and was eager to rally the court officials to his side. For the Office of Works to still dare to block him at such a time, weren't they just asking for trouble?" He Lingchuan sneered. "Liang Xiaohao thought he was dealing with me. He was wrong; he was actually helping Qingyang against King Yao, against his own monarch! He's truly foolish beyond measure!"

"Will King Yao deal with him harshly?"

"Probably not," He Lingchuan shook his head. "Liang Xiaohao's charges are 'dereliction of duty and ineffective management of subordinates,' which doesn't seem like a grave crime. King Yao still saved some face for Chief Liang. However, if I'm not mistaken, those deputies in the Office of Works are in for a terrible time. If King Yao doesn't execute Liang Xiaohao, he will certainly deal with them severely to assert his authority in court and serve as a warning to others!"

The next day, at cockcrow.

Qingyang stood on a small hill, facing due east. She first consumed a secret elixir, then began to regulate her breathing.

Each deep breath was spaced out by a considerable interval.

Although the frequency was very slow, she exhaled a plume of white smoke. This smoke lingered in the air, moving about like a living thing.

The guards stood far away, fearing that they might be touched by the white smoke.

This substance was like a maggot attached to bone; once it touched someone, it was impossible to shake off, and it was prone to causing illness.