My father is Jiajing

Chapter 224 I only look at the results

Ouyang Bijin was actually quite aggrieved. It was true that he was the Minister of Works, but that did not mean that he had experience and insights into engineering construction.

But now that Emperor Jiajing had come to such an extreme level of accusation, Ouyang Bijin was deeply upset and could only kowtow again to plead guilty.

Emperor Jiajing was also very angry at Ouyang Bijin's attitude. He said, "Weren't you quite capable when you were the governor? I heard that you also improved the manual tillage machine in your spare time. Now I want you to study the issue of the expansion of the capital. Why are you still fooling me with these old-fashioned things?"

When Ouyang Bijin heard what Emperor Jiajing said, he felt even more miserable. These were two completely different things.

The improvements to manual tillage machines are all minor ones, and are all modifications based on the inventions of predecessors, so they are naturally much simpler and easier.

However, the expansion of the capital city was not something that could be accomplished by a small amount of human labor, and Emperor Jiajing's requirements were even higher than before, which made Ouyang Bijin feel a little overwhelmed.

After all, he was only a Jinshi, not a civil engineer.

If he were to be in charge of overall management, he would be a good hand, but now he is asked to make construction plans, isn't this a dilemma?

Moreover, this construction plan, together with the previous version, has been given two versions.

However, Emperor Jiajing was not satisfied with either version, so Ouyang Bijin was also confused.

Ouyang Bijin could only lie on the ground and bowed helplessly, "I am stupid, please enlighten me, Your Majesty."

When Emperor Jiajing heard what Ouyang Bijin said, he almost rolled his eyes in anger. Is this still the Minister of Industry? How can he not even do his job well?

Emperor Jiajing snorted, "Okay, let's stop here for now. Think about it carefully and submit a plan to me."

After hearing what Emperor Jiajing said, Ouyang Bijin felt as if he had escaped a disaster and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Ouyang Bijin bowed gratefully and said, "I obey your order."

Then Emperor Jiajing set his sights on Yan Shifan, "Yan Maoqing has done a good job, and this time you have made a contribution by recommending him."

When Yan Shifan heard Emperor Jiajing praising him for his recommendation, he immediately bowed and said, "Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty. It is my duty to recommend talents to Your Majesty."

Emperor Jiajing chuckled and said, "You are much better than father in this respect. Your father is cautious in employing people, not as decisive as you."

Yan Shifan was even more excited after hearing this. He bowed again and said, "Yan Maoqing has such ability because of his own ability."

Emperor Jiajing looked at the delighted Yan Shifan, paused for a moment, and continued to say seriously: "The expansion of the capital is a big deal, and the money needed is not a small amount. You should urge him to collect all the salt taxes this year within three months. Otherwise, the expansion of the capital cannot start in the fall of this year, and then it will be a loss of face for me."

Yan Shifan immediately bowed and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured. I will do my best to share your worries and strive to raise the first sum of money for the expansion of the capital by autumn."

Emperor Jiajing hummed, "I am still relieved by your promise. You are now also the Minister of the Ministry of Works. You should also pay more attention to the affairs of the Ministry of Works and don't let people down again."

When Emperor Jiajing mentioned his disappointment, he even glanced at Ouyang Bijin.

Ouyang Bijin felt bitter in his heart when he was given this special look by Emperor Jiajing.

If I had known that the job in the Ministry of Industry was so difficult, I would have stayed in Nanjing and enjoyed a peaceful life. Unfortunately, people always think that the grass is greener on the other side.

When he was in Nanjing, he kept looking at Beijing.

So when he was recommended by Yan Song to Beijing to serve as the Minister of Works, he couldn't help but rush from Nanjing to Beijing with joy, looking forward to making another career in Beijing.

But the water in the capital was too deep, and he, the newly appointed Minister of Works, almost drowned before he had time to do anything.

But even so, Ouyang Bijin was still relatively calm.

Because he is also from Ji'an, he is a fellow villager of the current Prime Minister Yan Song, and the two seem to be relatives.

Therefore, in this age of relationships, no matter how capable Ouyang Bijin is or how he behaves in daily life, he will be branded as a member of the Yan Party.

Therefore, as long as Yan Song does not fall and he does not make any major mistakes, his position will be secure.

At worst, the expansion of the capital can be postponed. Anyway, the Ministry of Works has a lot of complicated things to do, including a lot of palaces to be rebuilt and a lot of mausoleums to be built.

Therefore, Ouyang Bijin was not at all worried that Emperor Jiajing would blame him for the plan for expanding the capital.

After all, there is no precedent for such a crime, and I have never heard of anyone being convicted for a proposal that was not favored.

Therefore, Ouyang Bijin decided to just lie down this time.

Since Emperor Jiajing was dissatisfied with the proposal he submitted, it also indirectly shows that Emperor Jiajing must have a proposal he liked.

As for what exactly this favored plan was about, Ouyang Bijin didn't want to spend time guessing.

He now wanted to do his current job conscientiously, and then find a suitable opportunity to apologize to Emperor Jiajing, admitting that he was incompetent and unable to present a better plan for the expansion of the capital.

Moreover, in Ouyang Bijin's view, the expansion of the capital city seemed unreliable no matter how he looked at it.

Although Ouyang Bijin was not the Minister of Revenue, he had some idea about the financial situation of the court.

Just like the expansion of the capital that Emperor Jiajing is currently concentrating on, the initial estimate is that it would cost 20 million taels of silver. If we rely on the 1 million taels of silver that Yan Maoqing, recommended by Yan Shifan, can get from the salt administration every year, that would be a drop in the bucket.

So instead of being involved in this huge project that is destined to fail, it is better to just lie down and admit that you don't have the ability, and let Yan Shifan, who is so smart, do it.

After all, speaking from his position, Yan Shifan, as the Minister of Works, had the responsibility and ability to directly participate in the expansion of the capital.

Ouyang Bijin bowed to Emperor Jiajing again and said, "I will help Minister Yan."

When Emperor Jiajing heard what Ouyang Bijin said, he couldn't help but snort in his heart. This Ouyang Bijin was really open-minded. A dignified and upright minister actually said such words. It was really amazing!

Emperor Jiajing looked at Ouyang Bijin and Yan Shifan and said, "Okay, both of you can go down. You two just need to discuss how to deal with the Ministry of Works. I only look at the results here, not how you divide the work. But there is one thing I want to remind you, you are officials of the court, and you should be expected to do your best. If you really can't do a good job in the plan for the expansion of the capital, I will still punish you."

(End of this chapter)