Chapter 1522: Still need to find him

"How many?" He Lingchuan tapped the mirror surface. "Of the dozens of buyers at Tranquil Lake Villa, fifteen are on the official list for the East Lake expansion."

"Huh? No, no! I checked."

"You also need to cross-reference the officials' relatives. For instance, the Gu family purchased a refined residence in the second row of Tranquil Lake's first phase, and Huang Shilu, an official on the Tianshui expansion list, is the Gu family's son-in-law. The Lao Mansion also acquired a Tranquil Lake residence, and Qi Shuhuan, Qi Shu'an's brother, is on the Tianshui City expansion list. Although his official rank isn't high, it's a good sign that he made it onto the list."

The mirror suddenly understood: "The loyal officials and nobles who bought Tranquil Lake Villa have finally received their reward!"

"Now you see why these people were so desperate to snap up Tranquil Lake Villa, don't you?" He Lingchuan chuckled. "This way, more than half of the royal court's officials will firmly stand behind King Yao. As of now, Qingyang has suffered a terrible defeat in this round."

"Won't King Yao's actions have negative consequences?"

"How could they not? The repercussions are immense," He Lingchuan said. "Leaving aside other matters, do you think these individuals, who spent a fortune to get onto both lists and join the expansion team, will act honestly and frugally afterward?"

The mirror understood and burst into laughter: "No, absolutely not. If I were them, I'd definitely earn back double the money I contributed!"

"Therefore, this was destined to be a corrupt project from the start. It's unclear what the final outcome of the project will be, but the loopholes eaten through it will surely be shocking," He Lingchuan chuckled. "King Yao himself might not be unaware, but with the surface situation looking so good, he no longer has the inclination to think deeply about it."

Countless people began calculating their own gains, and two days quickly passed.

Within those forty-eight hours, He Lingchuan was summoned to meet the King five times.

Even King Yao was a little embarrassed; He Lingchuan wasn't even in charge of the project, yet the King summoned him more often than any of the officials actually involved!

There was no other way; King Yao and You Rongzhi simply had too many questions for him. Although the Tianshui East Expansion plan was devised quickly, its implementation proved to be fraught with difficulties!

The essence of He Lingchuan's advice was "speed."

To get the common people to invest, this large-scale project absolutely could not proceed slowly. The slower the officials moved, the less urgent the populace would feel, assuming the authorities had reverted to their old habits.

If they weren't in a hurry, King Yao and the royal treasury wouldn't receive the funds.

However, initiating such a significant project was like moving the Yao Kingdom's giant rhino chariots; the first few steps required exceptionally strong force.

At this critical juncture, the over fifty-year-old Wang Dongxing suddenly fell ill with an acute condition.

His illness was debilitating, leaving You Rongzhi in charge of this massive project alone, a task too heavy for one person.

The East Expansion plan encountered difficulties as soon as it took its first step, from project approval to site entry.

Within forty-eight hours, even the substantive first step was dragging, contrary to the initial intention. You Rongzhi had no choice but to go to the palace to see King Yao.

King Yao's expression was grim: "Are the more than a hundred officials under you all freeloaders? Can't they even get a project like this off the ground?"

He originally didn't want He Lingchuan involved.

"It's not that we can't start, but the speed is far below expectations," You Rongzhi said, forcing a smile. "This plan was initially contributed by He Lingchuan. Since you frequently summon He Lingchuan to the palace for advice, why not..."

The ideas were all his, and the King kept seeking his counsel anyway.

The Soul-Sucking Mirror scoffed immediately: "Just a nominal title?"

This was clearly a position created for the person, without granting He Lingchuan any real power. The so-called "Senior Advisor" meant that King Yao and You Rongzhi would consult He Lingchuan whenever they had an issue.

In other words, he was an appointed advisor, expected to offer suggestions and strategies, and had to attend whenever summoned by the King.

However, he had neither decision-making authority nor command power; he could only offer "suggestions."

"That old coot is guarding against you while still trying to drain you dry!" the Soul-Sucking Mirror couldn't help but curse King Yao for being ruthless, expecting work without compensation.

He Lingchuan, however, wasn't angry at all: "He'll have to be able to guard against me first."

Drain me dry? Let's wait and see who drains whom in the end.

Early the next morning, He Lingchuan didn't wait for a summons. He simply went to find You Rongzhi directly and openly discussed the East Expansion project.

"Although this is a vast and complex project with countless details, roughly speaking, Lord You, as long as you manage the four aspects of funding, materials, labor, and progress well, the project can proceed quickly."

You Rongzhi nodded: "The project has just begun. 'Progress,' as you say, depends on the coordination of the first three elements."

Only when the first three were ready could progress accelerate.

However, "materials" and "labor" largely depended on "funding." The royal treasury was still in a tight spot and couldn't allocate such a large budget to the East Expansion project.

Just a few days prior, a large sum of money had been allocated to support Bixia.

The Yao Kingdom had undertaken many large projects in the past, but they were notoriously inefficient. For example, building a canal of just over twenty miles could take five years, and the temple of Myriad Serenity had been under construction for two and a half years without completion.

Tianshui City's expansion had been planned for years but delayed for so long precisely because King Yao worried about this inefficiency.

Now he began to complain that the grand vision He Lingchuan had presented him earlier was beautiful and complete, but in practice, it reverted to the usual inefficiency, with even the first step proving difficult.

This made him very frustrated.

So, he simply pulled He Lingchuan into the project, wanting to see if this fellow was merely good at talking or genuinely capable of getting things done.

"Building roads and bridges is relatively easier; you can just conscript labor. But for the subsequent construction of buildings, walls, and towers, which requires fine craftsmanship, you need experienced artisans, and the more the better. There are also various materials; to get them quickly, you have to spend money."

He Lingchuan chuckled: "The Great Yao Kingdom has a highly developed trade, especially in Tianshui City. Experienced artisans have formed teams and rarely work alone. For example, Master Guan, the foreman who built Tranquil Lake Villa, can easily lead a team of four to five hundred people and also coordinate materials independently. The new city is quite large. I see that Lord You's plan has already divided the new city into several zones, with each zone assigned to a specific team. Isn't this very... very reasonable? What's the problem?"

The Yao Kingdom had a long history and ample experience with large-scale projects. In the past, when building dams, roads, and temples, they often used complete teams and divided construction into zones.

These were mature construction methods, far ahead of other places in Shanjin. In He Lingchuan's view, these teams were the contractors, the so-called "Party B."

Master Guan also revealed that behind these large and small teams were nobles and wealthy merchants. For instance, he himself was backed by the Gu family.

Tianshui City had a long history, and the powerful and noble always had a hand in every profitable business.

"It's the same old problem: money," You Rongzhi said. "Materials cost money, construction costs money, and the first step requires payment. The King asked them to front the costs, promising to repay them with a 10% premium within three months, but they're still dragging their feet."

Clearly, King Yao also knew that the forces behind these contractors had plenty of money. If everyone advanced a little capital, the project could immediately get underway.

But enthusiasm couldn't be forced, not even by King Yao.

"Everyone in the world scurries for profit. The King's idea is excellent, but the incentive needs to be stronger," He Lingchuan said, rubbing his thumb and first two fingers together to gesture for money. "Double the repayment within three months!"

You Rongzhi was startled: "Double?"

You Rongzhi then went to the palace to discuss it with King Yao.

Finally, King Yao decided: All contractors who advanced materials and labor would be repaid by the royal treasury with a 50% premium within four months!

King Yao was still reluctant to part with money, not as aggressive as He Lingchuan, so he chose a compromise.

He Lingchuan just smiled when he heard this, as expected.

This move indeed worked. With King Yao's decree, teams, materials, and labor immediately arrived. After the kickoff meeting, the project commenced without delay.

The Yao court issued a "redemption note" to the contractors, which bore the amount and date, and was stamped with the Azure Goose Imperial Seal. Anyone holding it could redeem the stated amount from the officials after four months.

Most conveniently, it was transferable.

The issues of funding, materials, and labor were temporarily resolved, and progress indeed shot up instantly.

The Soul-Sucking Mirror was indignant: "That old coot King Yao is making you work for free, and you're actually doing it?"

"Why not?" He Lingchuan chuckled. "He thinks that by not giving me an official position, I won't have real power. Let him think that."

The mirror was puzzled: "But in reality?"

"The difficulty of Tianshui's East Expansion isn't about getting it started at all," He Lingchuan said slowly. "Its most perilous aspect will only reveal itself after it begins! For the Yao Kingdom to dare undertake this project now, that's called overestimating their own capabilities!"

His expression was tense, always ready to strike.

He Lingchuan was also a little surprised, but chuckled: "It's fine, I'll be alright."

He stepped out of Yongquan Villa to see who had arrived, and it was none other than Zhao Song, with nearly a thousand people dressed as guards behind him.

He Lingchuan, who frequently entered and exited the royal palace now, recognized at a glance that these seemed to be all imperial palace guards.

"Brother Zhao, what is this?"

Zhao Song produced a royal decree and said formally, "Island Lord He has been working diligently, and His Majesty has specially commanded me to lead nine hundred guards to ensure Island Lord He's safety!"

He Lingchuan suddenly understood and repeatedly expressed his thanks.

King Yao had actually sent him a nine-hundred-strong guard!

The Soul-Sucking Mirror let out a small "Oh!" from his embrace: "So thoughtful? Hey, King Yao is afraid you'll abscond with the funds, isn't he?"

He Lingchuan was carrying several million in project funds, with the final payment due to King Yao in over three months. It would be strange if King Yao felt at ease with such a large sum in He Lingchuan's hands!

So, this nine-hundred-strong guard team, ostensibly for protection, was actually for surveillance, ensuring He Lingchuan couldn't secretly escape from under King Yao's nose.