Dressed as a young lady, she became rich by relying on Pinxixi

Xu Siyu's heart skipped a beat. Does she have to build this road to other places?

She built the road to improve her own life experience, and she is not really being taken advantage of.

"Second Madam's petition was approved by the imperial court, and the court then extended it to other places, hoping that they would follow suit."

The imperial court is the most astute institution in the world, so naturally it will take advantage of others.

If local officials are asked to follow suit, it means that private wealth must be "voluntarily" supported in road construction.

On this ancient road map modified from a map, Xu Siyu saw a wider and more dangerous Dali Road facing southwest, and even saw the four words "Leading to the Capital" in the northeast corner of the map.

Guangjian Pass is just a small fortress symbol on this map, but Guangjian Pass is called a pass, so it must be a place with natural dangers. Xu Siyu did not dare to promise blindly.

"This is Yanglu Mountain, and this is Niutou Mountain... It is these continuous mountaintops that block the passage between Yuanzhou and the capital."

"In fact, Yuanzhou is vast and flat. It is an excellent habitat in the southwest. As long as the circulation between the north and the south is restored and the trade between the three provinces is resumed, I can allow your Xu family to have a place in Yuanzhou." County Magistrate He was lobbying.

"Sir, have you ever considered mobilizing the local gentry in Yuanzhou?"

Magistrate He sat upright in his seat and slowly answered, "The merchants from Yuanzhou who moved with the capital will prioritize resettlement in Zhong'an Prefecture. Those who oppose the move have been apprehended by the transport envoy."

Xu Siyu frowned. This was said lightly, meaning that they had already shaved it once.

He described the exploitation in such detail that Xu Siyu felt a little nauseous, but she still held on.

As for where the money was spent, it might have been used to add icing on the cake for Zhong'an Prefecture City, but at least it was not spent on road construction.

"Of course, I can seek support from other gentry, but I believe someone like Second Lady Lin has a long-term vision and understands the significance of road construction better, so there will be less unnecessary explanation."

Of course she understood the significance of building roads, but Xu Siyu had to calculate the money for building roads that had nothing to do with her.

He Zhongteng insisted on bringing Xu Siyu in because Xu Siyu's name was already registered in the court.

He Zhongteng needed a facade, that is, as long as he was the local official, the merchants would be willing to build roads, and even build roads to where he was as he was promoted.

"I'm not going to play tricks on you. Transport Commissioner Feng has already recommended me for the position of Governor of Yuanzhou, on the condition that I repair the post road to Guangjian Pass. I see Yuanzhou, this dilapidated city, as a springboard for me. Sooner or later, I will make my move."

"This time, if I have my wish granted, I will definitely include Brother Hong's name in my performance review. Our dynasty highly values recommendations from above, and with my assurance of Brother Hong's character and ability, he is the perfect candidate for the position of Magistrate of Changjia County. I believe Brother Hong is a man who will repay a favor. Second Madam Lin will surely thrive in Changjia County..."

The deal was to exchange the road to Yuanzhou for the promotion of Hong County Magistrate.

County Magistrate He has already stated his report, and what follows is the matter between County Magistrate Hong and Xu Siyu.

At this time, County Magistrate Hong also gave him a promise: "If you are given the position of magistrate and have the power to recruit, I can promise to provide three months of corvée labor for road construction."

What this means is that Xu Siyu does not need to work for the two sections from Changjia County to Yunyang Town and from Changjia County to Sanxi Township, and just needs to worry about the food.

This promise was poor, but it was the best that County Magistrate Hong could do at this time.

Seeing this, County Magistrate He also made an equal promise.

But this is far from enough. Xu Siyu calculated that the repair of the three post roads she proposed would cost about four or five hundred taels of silver, excluding labor costs.

She had never been to the official road from Zhong'an Prefecture through Guangjian Pass to Yuanzhou, but she could imagine that it was very difficult and probably much more expensive than building three smooth roads between cities.

Xu Siyu knew that since she had been called in for a discussion, there was no way to say "no." She had been singled out for this relationship, so she had no choice but to go along with it.

But she still had to figure out how she was going to recoup the money she had donated.

"Master He, Master Hong, this matter is of great importance. I do want to help, but I don't know if I can do enough. Let me discuss with my family for a few days, come up with a feasible plan, and then report to you two masters." Xu Siyu agreed, but not completely.

"A matter of this magnitude naturally requires careful consideration. I will grant you three days, hoping for a satisfactory answer. However, I am reminding you that this is merely a discussion with Mr. Lin. Remember to keep this to yourself and refrain from discussing it with others."

The fact that officials from the southwest followed the path of the northwest shows that they chose a different support.

This can easily lead to disputes between official groups.

……

The upper reaches of the Jiahe River is the Lingjiang River. The Lingjiang River flows northward and then splits into east and west. The West Lingjiang River passes outside Yuanzhou City and then flows further north.

If there is no problem with the drawing, once the road between Zhong'an Prefecture and Yuanzhou is connected, Changjia County can be connected by water.

Although Xu Siyu was forced to build such an external road, Xu Siyu had already seen the possibility of bargaining to add another trade route for the Xu family caravan.

Personal considerations aside, from a strategic perspective, this road truly deserves restoration, worthy of its former importance as a military thoroughfare. Xu Siyu even favored a different route, which took her from the Dongling River through Enyang County to Zhong'an Prefecture.

Judging from the map, it is about 200 miles closer than going through Yuanzhou, but County Magistrate He did not mention repairing this road. It must be that it has nothing to do with his political achievements, or the repair is more difficult.

Forget it, Xu Siyu couldn’t think of so much for the time being.

If there is time, someone should be sent to conduct an on-site survey and calculate the cost.

But the three-day deadline given by County Magistrate He meant that they had not even reached halfway to Yuanzhou, so it was definitely too late.

……

Without waiting for three days, on the afternoon of the second day, Xu Siyu sent a letter to visit County Magistrate He alone.

"Raising funds to build roads?"

In the study, County Magistrate He took Xu Siyu's financing plan and slowly analyzed it.

“Didn’t the Lord say that road construction requires the cooperation of the people? That should be shown.

According to the map you gave me, the road from Yuanzhou to Zhong'an Prefecture is 400 li. I calculated the cost tenfold, using the rate of one tael of silver per li in Changjia County. For 400 li, the minimum cost would be 4,000 taels. I can contribute 1,000 taels, and ask Mr. He and the transport envoy above to each contribute 1,000 taels. In theory, the public will raise another 2,000 taels."

"Wait, you said that I and the transport agent paid for it? Also, you asked for four thousand taels and divided it into five thousand taels. With your arithmetic, haven't you ever calculated the Xu family's accounts?"

"Sir, we have to make some allowance for road construction expenses and favors." Xu Siyu first explained what the extra one thousand taels would be used for.

"As for asking you and the Transport Commissioner to contribute, it's because building the road is crucial to your future and the Transport Commissioner's achievements. By uniting the government and the people, building the road together will surely leave your good name in the Yuanzhou Chronicles and even in the monument to your achievements. Furthermore, if you don't contribute, I'm a little worried."