Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 305 Wang Er's Heroism

Wang Nanyang and Li Yisen were naturally very happy to learn that Yang Yuan could solve the two major problems that prevented the implementation of this plan.

Wang Nanyang hurriedly explained to Yang Yuan the reasons for doing so.

It turns out that the Duzuoyuan in various parts of the Song Dynasty was directly under the Military Equipment Bureau, and the Military Equipment Bureau was directly under the Ministry of Works. It seems to be well organized and the responsibilities are clear, right?

However, don't forget the magical institutional structure of the Song Dynasty.

In fact, the Military Equipment Supervision Bureau of the Ministry of Industry had institutes in various places and was only responsible for the formulation of unified standards for military equipment drawings, and the inspection and supervision of quality and specifications.

The direct leader of the Duzuoyuan was a person sent by the Ti Dian Xingyu Si.

The reason was for the safety of military weapons production and to take costs into consideration, so the Duzuoyuan in various places were basically set up in local prisons.

This not only allows the prison's security measures to prevent leaks, but also allows prisoners to work as odd jobs and assist craftsmen, saving labor costs.

The craftsmen were civilians who were managed by the Ministry of Revenue and other local officials such as the Tongpanguan and Sihu Canjun who were in charge of household registration and taxation.

Who was responsible for the materials and funds needed for the local military production? Of course, it was the Transportation Department, which was in charge of money and materials.

Therefore, above the Duzuoyuan, the Transportation Department was responsible for material and financial management, the Criminal Department was responsible for the management of small workers (prisoners) and sites, the local government was responsible for the management of craftsmen and civilians, and the Ministry of Industry was responsible for the standards and quality management of military equipment...

With so many government offices under cross-management, it is difficult to clearly understand their powers and responsibilities, although judging from the clear system above, it seems that each government office has its own duties and responsibilities, which is very clear.

For example, the Transportation Department is responsible for the management of materials and funds. Does that mean it is only responsible for materials and funds? It is the government office that manages money, so it cannot manage your people?
For example, the local government is responsible for managing the money, grain and taxes of the craftsmen. Do you think they can manage the craftsmen in your academy?
As a result, management chaos and drawbacks naturally arise.

Every craftsman in the Duzuoyuan is very skilled. For those who can make military weapons, shouldn't it be easy for them to make other things?
It's like you assign an engineering company to repair your house and see if they can do a good job. They will definitely be more efficient and of higher quality than a construction team.

The Song Dynasty did not prohibit officials from engaging in business, so...

The craftsmen in the Duzuoyuan, including prisoners who worked as laborers, were often transferred to other jobs, including serving as construction teams.

Among them, the craftsmen are paid, but the prisoners do not, so the cost is low and the competitiveness is very high.

They have good skills, so any project with some background or connections likes to use them, and everyone who uses them will speak well of them.

When Yang Yuan heard this, he understood.

"You two are saying that I want to buy a piece of land here and build a mansion. I want to use the connections of the Transportation Department, the Criminal Department and other government offices, and recruit craftsmen from the Capital Works Office?"

Li Yisen smiled and said, "That's right. If Yang can transfer the people from the Duzuoyuan to build the house for him, and then use the excuse of rushing the construction deadline to let them live and eat on the construction site, then they will be under his control before the house is built."

Wang Nanyang said: “During this period, one or two craftsmen disappeared. Who knows where they went?
The people on the construction site would think that they had been transferred back to the government office, and the people in the government office would think that they were still on the construction site.

By the time they found something wrong, the things the headmaster wanted to investigate had already been thoroughly investigated."

Yang Yuan made a decisive decision: "Let's do it. I'll go buy the land right away!"

It had to be Yang, a wealthy nouveau riche. Ordinary people would have to think twice before buying a slightly expensive item. But he wanted to buy a piece of land without blinking an eye.

Yang Yuan first introduced Wen Tian to the two captains of the "Yu Zi Fang", and from then on Yang Yuan would not come here so often.

If there is anything, he will tell Wen Tian, ​​and Wen Tian will contact them. Yang Yuan is too big a target, so it is safer for him not to show up in person.

Then, Yang Yuan took Wen Tian to Lu Mansion.

On the way, Yang Yuan said to Wen Tian who was accompanying him in the carriage: "Shanyin is rich, its culture is elegant, and its scenery is beautiful. I love it very much.

In addition, our family's business will require us to keep people stationed in Shanyin, so I decided to build a house here."

"I will go find Brother Lu and ask him to help me find a good Feng Shui site. From now on, you will be fully responsible for supervising the construction of the house. Can you do it?"

Wen Tian was immediately overjoyed. Wasn’t this the opportunity to make money?

Miss Belle is indeed a grateful person. I'm afraid she whispered a lot to Headmaster Yang last night.

Wen Tian said happily: "Second Young Master, rest assured. I will do my best to build your manor into a beautiful and elegant one, so that the wealthy families in Shanyin will not look down on our family."

After Lu You returned from the meeting at Shenyuan, he politely declined all drinking parties.

One was to cut off his relationship with Tang Wan and go back to his own homes.

Although this was exactly what he was looking for, he could not avoid feeling melancholy and was in no mood for a feast or a party.

On the other hand, he was also preparing to go to Fuzhou to take up his post.

When a young man from a wealthy family takes office, he doesn't just pack his bags and take a few followers with him.

They usually have a team with them.

Shanyin, also known as Shaoxing, has always been known as the hometown of legal advisors, and that heritage had already become a reality by then.

The Lu family does not need to recruit from outside. It is enough for them to draw some smart and capable talents from their various industries.

However, the Lu family would naturally not be satisfied with just one chief clerk. If they wanted Lu You to achieve political achievements as quickly as possible and get promoted smoothly, they still had to have a few capable people with them.

These days, Lu You, under the guidance of his family elders, has been inspecting a group of preliminary candidates, intending to select the best ones and bring a few of his favorites to Fuzhou.

When Lu You saw Yang Yuan, he smiled and said, "I will be leaving for Fuzhou to take up my post tomorrow. I was just about to let someone know when you came."

Yang Yuan was surprised and asked, "So soon? I will see you off tomorrow." Lu You asked, "Are you here for something today?"

Yang Yuan explained his purpose, and Lu You said straightforwardly: "You want to build a house?

That's easy. My family has a piece of land next to Jinghu Lake, which has been left uncultivated. How many acres do you want? I will give it to you at the asking price."

This was family property, not Lu You's personal property. It was a great honor for him to sell it to Yang Yuan at the original price, so he naturally couldn't just give it away.

Yang Yuan couldn't help but admire after hearing this. This was a true wealthy family. They didn't show off much, but in fact their resources and connections had already reached a level that ordinary people could never achieve in their lifetime.

What others may have to go through a lot of trouble to do, for others, it is just a matter of a nod or a word.

Yang Yuan said: "Brother Wuguan, I don't often come to Shanyin to live. It's just a separate courtyard. I come here to play occasionally. It doesn't really need to be too big..."

Lu You said, "That's right. For a villa that you use occasionally, you don't need to be too extravagant. Fifteen acres of land is enough."

Yang Yuan was stunned. Fifteen acres of land... and a house. No need to be extravagant. It would be barely enough...

Just wait, I, a nouveau riche, will become a wealthy family sooner or later!
Yang Yuan originally wanted to build a large mansion on one or two acres of land. Now it was difficult to "bargain", so he agreed.

Lu You immediately called the housekeeper and asked him to prepare the land deed for delivery.

After the butler left, Lu You said with a smile: "This butler is very steady, you can hand over the rest of the matters to him.

My elders at home will take me to do something later, so I can’t accompany you.”

Yang Yuan said hurriedly, "That's fine, but I heard that many wealthy families in the area like to hire people from the Duzuoyuan when they have major construction projects. I wonder if you, Brother Wuguan, have any connections in this area?"

Lu You frowned and said, "It would be better for Erlang to hire someone from outside. The craftsmen in the Duzuoyuan are responsible for the manufacture of military equipment.

I cannot control others who use public tools for personal gain, but I don’t want you, Erlang, to take advantage of the court and waste the craftsmanship of the craftsmen…”

Yang Yuan was in awe of Lu You and laughed, "Okay, I wanted to say a few words on behalf of Brother Wu Guan and his group in Fuzhou.

With your words, I know you will never become a corrupt official this time."

Lu You was startled and asked, "Why do you say that, Erlang?"

Yang Yuan said: "I will definitely hire the craftsmen of the courtyard. Do you think I just want to build a house?

Have you forgotten why I came here and why I pretended to be the second young master of the Longshan Wang family?"

Lu You suddenly realized and said in surprise: "Is there really a problem with Shanyin Duzuoyuan?"

Yang Yuan shook his head and said, "The situation is complicated. Brother is not responsible for this matter, so it's better not to ask any more questions."

Lu You nodded. He was just curious. After all, he was also from Shanyin. He didn't really want to know so much.

Lu You thought for a moment and said, "My family has never hired workers from the Duzuyuan, so I don't know much about the ins and outs of it.

Once when I was having a dinner with friends, I heard him mention it, and it seems that he used the connections of the Transportation Bureau. "

Yang Yuan asked, "Does your brother know anyone in the Transportation Department?"

Lu You smiled and said, "The only prominent figure in the Transportation Bureau is the Deputy Transport Envoy Qiao Zhen. I do recognize him, but..."

Lu You hesitated for a moment, shook his head and said: "This person... is not very responsible.

However, precisely because this person does not take on responsibilities and does not do things that others do, it is unlikely that he will act independently.

Erlang, wait a moment, I will write you a letter, you can go on your own."

Lu You picked up his pen and hurriedly wrote a letter of recommendation for Yang Yuan.

This type of recommendation letter was later called an "eight-line letter" because letters at that time generally had eight lines on a page.

The content of the recommendation letter does not need to be too long, one page is enough, so it is more elegant and is called "eight-line script".

Lu You wrote very quickly and finished the letter of recommendation, which he handed to Yang Yuan.

At this time, the housekeeper also asked the parents and took out the land deed.

Lu You was going to leave tomorrow and had a lot of things to do. Yang Yuan didn't want to disturb him any longer, so he thanked Lu You and went to the government with the Lu family's manager to complete the transfer.

Afterwards, Yang Yuan, the manager, and the local official in charge of inspecting and measuring the land went to Jinghu Lake.

The Lu family's piece of idle land beside Jinghu Lake is more than 15 acres. Yang Yuan has to come and see it in person. After choosing a place, the land inspector will measure out the 15 acres of land and mark it.

As soon as Yang Yuan arrived at Jinghu Lake, he couldn't help laughing. His car drove all the way and as soon as he arrived at the edge of Jinghu Lake, he saw the "Miaoxiu Temple".

Yang Yuan knew that Dan Niang was living here now, but she had never had the time to come and visit her. This time he could kill two birds with one stone.

The steward of the Lu Mansion was just about to introduce this piece of land to Yang Yuan so that he could make a choice.

Yang Yuan waved his hand, pointed at the Lu family boundary stone opposite Miaoxiu Temple, and said straightforwardly: "Let's start measuring from here!"

(End of this chapter)