On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

Deep inside the county government office, in a warehouse that was temporarily converted from an originally sturdy granary and was tightly guarded by three layers of Jinwu Guards, a silent but shocking flood of wealth was taking place!

The warehouse door was wide open, and the heavy iron-clad wooden door was completely removed.

Outside the door, dozens of heavy silver carriages wrapped in thick iron sheets, pulled by strong mules and horses, formed a long winding dragon!

The car was loaded with heavy wooden boxes of various sizes and sealed with seals!

Beside each silver carriage, there were several Jinwu Guard soldiers holding powerful crossbows, scanning the surroundings with eyes as vigilant as hawks, and the air was filled with a murderous atmosphere.

The lights in the warehouse are bright!

Dozens of huge tallow candles illuminated the room in every detail.

The ground is paved with new, thick bluestone slabs.

At this moment, in the center of the warehouse, like a small hill, there were dozens of mountains of wealth made of silver ingots, gold bricks, boxes of jewelry and jade, and even bundles of salt permits and food coupons!

The silver ingots reflected a cold and dazzling white light under the candlelight, the gold bricks exuded an alluring dark golden luster, and the jewelry and jadeware sparkled with a colorful glare in the firelight!

The air was filled with a strong metallic smell and a suffocating sense of oppression called "wealth"!

Zhang Li wore a neat black suit with a plain half-sleeve on the outside. Her long black hair was simply tied into a bun and fixed with a jade hairpin.

She stood on a temporary platform in the middle of the warehouse, her posture as straight as a pine tree, her eyes as sharp as a hawk, and she exuded the shrewdness and ability that are unique to a business queen, as well as a powerful aura of control over the overall situation!

In her hand was a thick account book with a gold cover, and beside her stood more than a dozen trusted clerks who were carefully trained by the palace and were proficient in mathematics and finance.

Everyone looked focused and moved skillfully.

"Yangzhou Zhaoji Salt Shop! The final payment is 1.8 million taels of silver! 50,000 taels of gold! Checked and found to be correct! Deposited into the warehouse--!" A clerk shouted, his voice echoing in the huge warehouse.

"Yes!"

Below, dozens of shirtless, muscular men (personal guards of the palace acting as temporary porters) responded in unison!

They worked in groups of two, using thick wooden bars to lift extremely heavy iron-clad wooden boxes, shouting in unison, and carrying the boxes with steady steps to the designated area, where special "box opening and silver inspection officers" pried off the seals and opened the box lids!

"Crash!" White silver ingots poured out like a waterfall!

Build a new silver mountain on the bluestone slabs!

The dazzling silver light instantly illuminated the faces of the people around!

"It's of top quality! Exact weight! No mistake!" the silver inspector confirmed loudly.

"Keep accounts!" Zhang Li's voice was clear and decisive. She quickly drew a check mark on the account book with the red pen in her hand and marked the exact number.

"Suzhou-Hangzhou Sun Silk Company Consortium! Final payment of 2.2 million taels of silver! Ten hu of oriental pearls! Two South China Sea coral trees (five feet tall)! Verification confirmed! Depositing into storage—!"

"Jinling Zhouji Tongbao Money House! Final payment of 1.5 million taels of silver! Three ancient paintings from the previous dynasty (authenticated)! A Tianhuang stone seal! Deposited into the warehouse—!"

"Li Mubai, the Imperial Merchant under the Prince Qing's Mansion in the capital! The final payment is one hundred thousand taels of gold! Three pieces of top-grade jadeite rough stone! Deposited into the warehouse—!"

The sounds of greetings came one after another, and the silver carts drove in like a stream. The heavy wooden boxes were constantly lifted in, unpacked, inspected, and stacked!

Silver, gold, jewelry, antiques, bills...all kinds of wealth, like rivers flowing into the sea, continuously flow into this temporary treasury!

The silver mountain is growing!

Kingsoft is stacking!

The glittering jewels are almost blinding!

The entire warehouse seemed to have transformed into a legendary treasure cave! The strong metallic smell in the air almost solidified into a substance, making it hard to breathe!

Zhang Li stood on the podium, calmly directing everything.

Her eyes swept across the ever-growing mountain of wealth. There was not a trace of the intoxication or greed that an ordinary woman would have when faced with huge wealth. Instead, there was only a calmness and control like a skilled chess player examining the chessboard.

The red pen in her hand was like a baton, accurately recording every inflow of wealth, categorizing it into different "accounts" - "Deepwater Port Construction Fund", "Road and Bridge Fund", "Immigrant Resettlement Fund", "Industrial Start-up Fund"...

In her eyes, every penny is not cold metal, but fuel that will be transformed into steel, cement, food, and manpower to drive the huge machine of Hu County to start!

"Madam!" A lieutenant from the Jinwu Guard, responsible for outer security, trotted in and knelt on one knee. "The special envoy sent by Minister of Revenue, Lord Liu Yong, has arrived! He carries Lord Liu's warrant, demanding an inspection of the auction proceeds and the withdrawal of a portion of the annual tribute!"

Zhang Li paused slightly with the red pen in her hand, without even looking up. Her voice was calm, yet it carried an undeniable chill:

"Tell him that His Royal Highness has issued an order! Special Zone funds must be used for a specific purpose! Without His Royal Highness's personal written order, no one is allowed to touch a single cent! Let him go back to where he came from."

"Yes!" The lieutenant took the order, turned around and strode away.

Zhang Li's gaze returned to the account book, and the red pen continued to record quickly.

The firelight illuminated her calm and beautiful face, which was filled with absolute loyalty to her husband's (Lin Zhen) orders and absolute control over the huge wealth.

She knew this was just the beginning.

This enormous wealth, which is the result of countless greed and ambition, will be forged into a key to unlock the future of Hu County and even the entire Daqian in her hands.

......

The darkest hour before dawn.

The wind is strong and the waves are rough at the mouth of the Yangtze River.

Under the pitch-black night, the vast East China Sea roared like a dormant giant beast.

The crescent-shaped outline of Chongming Sandbar is faintly visible in the dim light, like a lone boat floating in the sea of ​​ink.

However, at this moment, in the northwest corner of the sandbar, the area marked as "natural deep-water anchorage" broke the silence of the night!

Dozens of huge, deep-draft canal boats and reinforced cargo ships, like silent giant whales, were quietly anchored in the deep water hundreds of feet away from the sandbar.

There were no lights on the boat, only shadowy figures busying around silently.

Thick cables hung from the side of the ship, reaching deep into the dark water.

At the edge of the sandbar, a simple temporary wooden pier is like an arm reaching out to the sea.

At the end of the pier, there is a bright fire!

Hundreds of blazing torches were inserted into the temporarily compacted mudflats, illuminating the sea area of ​​dozens of feet in radius as bright as day!

The flickering flames illuminated the turbid sea water, rough sand and a group of dark and determined faces!

Mao Mengji was wearing a dark fish-scale armor and a waterproof oil coat, and stood at the front end of the pier holding a sword.

He was skinny, and the hideous scar on his face looked like a wriggling centipede in the firelight, but his eyes were as sharp as an eagle, scanning the sea and the mudflats.

Behind him were five hundred elite Jinwu Guards, dressed in the same attire and standing like javelins!

They carry the "Hun-Chasing" crossbow on their backs, narrow-bladed swords on their waists, and hold the "Cun Mang" round steel shields in their hands. They have cold eyes and restrained murderous aura, like a group of silent reefs, standing firm in the wind and waves!

In the shallow waters on both sides of the pier, thousands of young and strong laborers urgently recruited from Hu County and surrounding counties were shouting neat and low slogans and working hard!

Most of them were shirtless, wearing only shorts. Their bronze skin was covered with mud and sweat, glistening in the firelight. The seawater covered their calves and even waists, and the freezing cold could not stop their enthusiasm!

"Hey yo! Hey yo!!"

The sound of the horn was low and powerful, like thunder rolling over the sea!

The civilians are divided into arrays:

One group was responsible for cleaning the mudflats! Wielding huge iron rakes and wooden shovels, they diligently cleared the dense reeds, silt, and debris on the mudflats, creating a smooth working surface! Sweat mixed with mud rolled down their faces.

One group was responsible for piling! Two people worked in pairs. One person held a sturdy wooden stake (taken from a nearby forest), as thick as a bowl and several feet long. The other swung a heavy hammer, yelling, and hammered the stake deep into the mudflat. The dull "thump thump" sound was endless!

One group was responsible for carrying the stones! Using pulleys and thick ropes, they slowly hoisted massive, roughly polished slabs weighing hundreds, even thousands, of pounds from large ships anchored in the deep waters, carefully transporting them to the designated location at the end of the pier. Each boulder's fall emitted a dull thud and a massive splash!

There is also a group of fishermen's children who are very good at swimming. Like agile fish, they dive into the cold sea water and drive positioning stakes at the predetermined locations, laying the foundation for the subsequent deep-water wharf construction!

Chu Xiling was wearing an indigo blue work suit that was easy to move in. Her long hair was simply tied behind her head. There were a few spots of dirt on her face, but it could not hide her focused and intelligent look at all.

She stood on a slightly higher mound beside the pier, holding the huge sheepskin map and an exquisite compass in her hands.

The sea breeze blew her clothes, and the firelight illuminated her beautiful and resolute profile. She sometimes lowered her head to check the marks on the map, and sometimes raised her arms, commanding in a clear and calm voice:

"Three points to the left! Another half foot! Right! Fall!"

"Water depth survey team! Report the water depth at stake number three!"

"Stone Team! Prepare the next boulder! Aim for the B position!"

Her voice was not loud, but it clearly penetrated the sound of the waves and the shouts, like precise coordinates, guiding this huge and complex foundation project to proceed in an orderly manner.

Her eyes were as sharp as an eagle, not missing any deviation in the details.

Beside her, several young students brought from the Royal Academy were nervously recording data or calculating something quickly.

"General Mao!" Chu Xiling looked at Mao Mengji at the end of the pier. "The stonework for Pier No. 1's foundation is complete! We can start pouring the 'cement' foundation!"

Mao Mengji's gaunt face was expressionless, he just nodded slightly. He suddenly waved his hand!

"Cement team! Go!"

Dozens of civilians who had been waiting behind the pier immediately took action!

They pushed a specially made, iron-clad wheelbarrow loaded with a gray, powdery substance covered with thick oilcloth - it was the first batch of "cement" transported day and night from Shandong!

The laborers carefully poured the cement into the huge wooden trough, and another group of people quickly poured in the clean river sand and gravel that had been prepared long ago and transported from the upper reaches of the Yangtze River in proportion!

Finally, add appropriate amount of river water!

"Stir! Quick! Stir evenly!" the foreman shouted loudly!

A dozen strong men immediately jumped into the wooden trough, wielding specially made long-handled iron shovels and stirring vigorously! Gray-black mud quickly formed, emitting a strange, slightly pungent smell!

"Pour!" Chu Xiling gave the order!

The mixed cement mortar was quickly put into wooden barrels, passed on by laborers, and transported to the newly built huge stone base at the end of the pier!

"Crack-!"

Gray-black, sticky cement mortar was poured into the cracks of the boulders and the surface of the base!

The laborers immediately used wooden scrapers to flatten and compact it! The unique, slightly pungent smell of cement filled the air!

This is a historic moment!

On this desolate sandbar, in the darkest hour before dawn, in the symphony of torches and waves, the first handful of "concrete" in the modern sense was poured on the land of the Daqian Dynasty!

It will become the first cornerstone of the future deep-water port that connects the four seas and the world!

Mao Mengji held the hilt of the knife and stood at the end of the pier, the cold sea breeze mixed with water vapor and cement dust blowing in his face.

He looked at the bustling yet orderly construction scene before him, at the rough base gradually taking shape in the firelight, at Chu Xiling's figure standing tall in the cold wind. Deep in his eyes, which were like ten-thousand-year-old ice, there seemed to be a very faint ray of light called "hope".

He knew that this was not just about building a pier, but also about building a brand new future full of infinite possibilities!

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's grand ambitions are taking their first solid step on this desolate mudflat!

In the eastern sky, a faint fish belly white quietly emerged, tearing through the heavy night.

Where the sea and the sky meet, a faint golden red hue appears.

Dawn is coming.