Chapter 1521: The Money-Attracting Plan

He Lingchuan chuckled at himself, "I'm like a generalist, ready to go wherever I'm needed."

"Let me think about it more carefully," King Yao said, his expression relaxing. "You may leave now."

He Lingchuan immediately stood up and excused himself.

Walking out of the palace, the Soul-Capturing Mirror asked him, "Will King Yao adopt your plan?"

"Yes," He Lingchuan stated emphatically. "No one can refuse it!"

After all, it was a plan to make a fortune.

A few days later, the remaining payments for the previous villa auctions were also settled. After deducting land prices, taxes, and the initial profits submitted to King Yao, He Lingchuan's income from the property sales still exceeded three million taels. Having arrived just a month ago, he already had three million taels in his account.

Construction on the south bank of Lake You was in full swing, with work continuing around the clock, even through the night with bright lights. With official support, He Lingchuan's construction team was no longer a makeshift crew but a mature team with clear divisions of labor, complete qualifications, and excellent craftsmanship. He Lingchuan already had firsthand experience planning and constructing the Yangshan Archipelago, and in just a few days, he had gained a good grasp of the ins and outs of Tianshui City's construction industry.

Subsequently, You Rongzhi signed so many material requisitions for Youhu Villa that his hand cramped. No one could say how many large carts traveled in and out of the city daily, transporting various materials for Youhu Villa. Some officials grumbled, but He Lingchuan again opened up the construction progress of Prince Qing's mansion villas for public viewing.

They were exquisite, grand, luxurious, and meticulous. Even the notoriously picky Zhang Zhan was highly satisfied, only pointing out a couple of minor flaws for appearance's sake, but he couldn't hide the smile on his face. Others had nothing to say; after all, construction and renovation were bottomless pits that could swallow any amount of money.

Only Wan Qifeng and Gu Lin of Tonglin Records silently crossed off item after item on the list He Lingchuan gave them. The speed at which money was being spent astounded even Gu Lin, who was accustomed to large-scale operations. He Lingchuan specifically sent Wang Fubao and two Yangshan soldiers to Gu Lin's side, ostensibly as personal bodyguards, but in reality, to monitor his every move. For reasons of confidentiality, Gu Lin no longer met privately with He Lingchuan, but he heard daily about the activities of the increasingly prominent Island Lord He.

He was riding high, unrivaled in his prominence. Island Lord He was not only King Yao's most favored person but also dared to kill the head of the Green Guards under the Regent Qingyang! Gu Lin gasped when he heard this news, as he knew the value of that list. He suddenly understood that the future of Tonglin Records and his own life were firmly in the hands of Island Lord He; from now on, they would rise and fall together. Facing such a person, it was best not to entertain any dishonest thoughts, but to simply work diligently for him.

During this period, He Lingchuan also learned about the recent developments in the imperial court through several officials. King Yao presided over five meetings, large and small, regarding the "expansion of Tianshui City." Five meetings were held in three days. Yao Nation was a major power on the Shanjin Plains with a busy state agenda, not just the major task of expanding the capital. King Yao took the time to focus all his attention here, indicating that he was serious this time. Therefore, the imperial court was very lively these past few days.

However, as He Lingchuan sifted through the more than a hundred pieces of information he had gathered, he found that, apart from the feasible plans for the new city's expansion, officials were most concerned about the list of members for the expansion team! Without a doubt, such a massive project required an equally massive leadership and command team. Without a doubt, this leadership team would be responsible for allocating vast resources. As the saying goes, "The pavilion closest to the water gets the moonlight first." Every position was worth fighting for—no, worth striving for!

He Lingchuan smiled after seeing this, because both he and King Yao knew very well that the real money wasn't in those positions at all. He Lingchuan stretched and yawned, "With Qingyang watching intently from the sidelines, King Yao will certainly appoint his most trusted ministers."

That afternoon, King Yao issued a decree. As if to confirm He Lingchuan's words, news came that very afternoon that You Rongzhi would be responsible for the eastward expansion project of Tianshui City, with Wang Dongxing from the Ministry of Works assisting. Having been in Yao for so long, He Lingchuan also understood the official circles of the Yao court. He heard that Wang Dongxing had previously built projects like dams and temples and was likely a candidate for prime minister, having reached the appropriate age and qualifications. It seemed that if he successfully completed this major project of expanding the capital eastward, his career would surely prosper.

As for He Lingchuan, who proposed the three-step eastward expansion plan, he received no appointment. He Lingchuan was not surprised by his "non-selection." He said, "I'm an outsider. King Yao simply doesn't want to entrust such a massive project to me to manage. Besides, in his eyes, he has already let me earn enough from Youhu Villa, so it's only natural for him to ask me to contribute some ideas."

"This is a good thing," He Lingchuan said, revealing his own thoughts. "My suggestions are all practical. If the Yao court seriously and efficiently executes them to the end, the new city will surely be well-built, and the national treasury will be full. The problem is, there's no 'if'!" What is one man's meat is another man's poison. The remedies he proposed were inherently sound. However, he knew very well how this major project would ultimately turn out in the Yao Nation. This country, you see, is prone to detrimental practices.

"There are reasons why the Yao court's efficiency is low and why the Yao Nation's treasury is empty. As long as those reasons persist, even good plans and good intentions can lead to bad outcomes," He Lingchuan chuckled. "Not to mention there are people here plotting mischief, who will deliberately cause trouble for it."

The Mirror, hearing this, became somewhat uncertain. "Is that person you?"

"For all those years, without me, didn't the Yao Nation still end up in this state?" he said. Then, he went to look through the list of officials participating in the city expansion plan.

Wow, it was very long.

He Lingchuan patiently flipped to the very end. The Mirror, puzzled, asked, "What's so interesting about this list? A waste of eyesight."

He Lingchuan then took out another list—the past purchase records for Youhu Villa.

"With both lists side by side, can you see anything?"

The Mirror scanned them carefully several times but still couldn't see the catch. "It seems a few names overlap?"