Daqin: A buff of incredible comprehension

Su Yaoxuan's forehead veins throbbed. Fortunately, no one heard this nonsense.

"Don't talk nonsense. I can't bear to see the imperial court's money and grain wasted on a loser like you."

She dragged him into the meeting room and told Abba to bring the food.

"Zhang Mansion Order."

Lu Ming stood respectfully, holding a wooden box in both hands. "Good morning."

"Good morning to you too." Li Zhe sat down lazily.

"Have you been waiting for a long time?"

"No, I just arrived." Lu Ming put the wooden box on the table with an apologetic smile.

"What is this? Trying to bribe me? That's not right."

"Excuse me, sir," Lu Ming explained awkwardly, "This box contains a sample of the soap I developed. You previously ordered us to develop a way to reduce costs, and I suddenly had an idea yesterday."

Li Zhe leaned over to take a look.

"Not bad. Did you use fresh flower petals instead of the original spices?"

"Does it smell a bit strange?"

"That's because of the dragon oil used, it has a fishy smell." Lu Ming explained.

Li Zhe nodded: "Well, dragon oil is a good raw material. It's cheap and can solve the problem. It seems your idea is feasible."

"Yes, and it is said that the oil from killing giant dragons can greatly reduce costs. His Majesty once ordered warriors to capture dragons in the East China Sea."

"So you're planning to set up a workshop along the coast to produce soap. That's a smart idea."

Li Zhe nodded appreciatively.

Lu Ming breathed a sigh of relief: "Indeed. But I heard that the giant dragon is a general under the Dragon King. If it is killed indiscriminately, it may bring disaster." He said with some concern.

Li Zhe chuckled. "Don't worry, the Dragon King won't come to fight me."

"Sir, please be careful with your words." Lu Ming nervously stopped him from looking around.

"Oh, you don't have to worry so much. The Dragon King is far away in the East China Sea and won't care about this."

"By the way, to make amends, when Xianyang City repairs a waterwheel, we release a lot of fish every day to accumulate merit." Li Zhe said jokingly, "This should be fine, and we can accumulate more merit."

Lu Ming was stunned after hearing this.

Li Zhe smiled and waved, and the two began to eat.

This logic seemed bizarre, yet it also made sense. Reba brought in breakfast, laying it out neatly. Luming, already growling with hunger, began to devour it.

Lin Xianweng hesitated for a moment, then thanked him profusely before picking up the bowl and digging in. He swallowed a peeled egg in a few bites, nearly choking himself. He quickly swallowed two mouthfuls of porridge.

Lord Li couldn't help but laugh. "You killed so many dragons, weren't you afraid of the Dragon King's reprimand? But after eating this egg, aren't you afraid of the hen coming after you? It seems karma really does favor the weak over the strong."

Lord Li said seriously, "Heaven's way is impartial and always favors the virtuous. We in the Imperial Household Department are all kind-hearted people who have accumulated virtue and done good deeds. Even if there really are gods, they will understand our difficulties."

Lin Xianweng was stunned for a moment and stopped eating.

"Papermaking promoted culture. Yang Bao's contribution was immense, wasn't it? Iron smelting technology developed production. Tian Zhou also made a significant contribution, wasn't he? And me..." Lord Li raised his head proudly. "I taught the people to be kind. Tens of thousands of nomadic peoples gave up their weapons and took up farming. Isn't that a great merit? Amei, don't you think?"

He patted Amei's knee, signaling her to speak. "You are the most virtuous person, my Lord," Amei replied obediently.

"You still understand me." Lord Li glanced at Amei's beautiful butt and did not dare to take any further action.

"Lao Lin, whatever evil you have done, I will bear the responsibility alone. But if you continue to dwell on these superstitious things... I don't know about other things, but there will be trouble between you and me," he said sternly.

Lin Xianweng said respectfully, "Don't blame me, sir. I will definitely remember your teachings."

"Just remember it. Go back. Try different dragon oil recipes to get rid of the fishy smell. You don't have to use flower petals as the ingredients; you can try fragrant herbs and woods."

Ah Mei was clearing the dishes from the table. As soon as she left, Lord Li immediately pulled her back.

"Come, sit closer." Amei looked nervously at the door and struggled. "Sir, don't do this. What if the mistress sees it?"

"Let her do whatever she wants. I have my own affairs in mind." His big hand had already reached into her collar.

At this moment, hurried footsteps suddenly sounded outside. Amei opened her eyes wide and struggled to escape.

"Stop!" Lord Li chased after her for a few steps and whispered in her ear, "Why aren't you behaving well today?"

"Someone is coming." Amei replied anxiously.

A tall figure appeared at the door—Master Xiangli. "Is Commander Chen at home?"

Master Xiangli looked at his daughter. "Dad, it's not like that..."

Xiang Lixi sighed. "Alas... I've come here today on official business. The Western Expeditionary Army passed through Xianyang a few days ago, damaging a lot of the road. The Internal Affairs Office is urging the Ministry of Works to repair it every day."

Lord Li straightened his clothes and greeted him. "Old Taishan, you are here."

"I need to report this to the palace." Xiang Lixi gave him a meaningful look. "You should come with me, and we'll talk on the way."

Half an hour later, in the carriage, Lord Li said sternly, "If the Ministry of Civil Affairs disagrees with building a cement road, why didn't they make it clear upfront?" He was furious. "The Ministry of Internal Affairs keeps urging us to do it, why didn't they come and discuss it?"

"The Ministry of Civil Affairs only allocated a small portion of the materials. Zheng Huai said with certainty: It's impossible to spend so much money to build such a cement road."

"So this matter has dragged on and caused a lot of confusion."

Xiang Lixi sighed, "There's nothing I can do."

Lord Li said firmly, "Old Taishan, you've suffered enough! This time, I'll teach them a lesson. This is not bullying an honest man! Just wait and see how I handle it."

They arrived at the Xianyang Palace.

When he entered the side hall, he found that many people were already waiting: including Fusu who seemed a little annoyed, Zheng Huai, the Minister of Revenue, and Ning Teng, the Internal History, who looked serious.

His real name is unknown, but Li Wei is undoubtedly a familiar name. He was once the governor of Shangdang County in the State of Wei. When the six states united to resist the Qin Dynasty, he secretly established friendly relations with Qin envoys. When the Qin army attacked, he quickly surrendered the city.

The following year, Li Wei led his army directly into Wei territory, seizing Didi Dang as a base and sweeping across the state. His actions were even more vicious than those of some traitors, such as Zhang Zhong, and he single-handedly contributed to the downfall of his own nation. The First Emperor trusted him greatly and appointed him the highest official in the capital region. Perhaps out of guilt or fear of criticism from former subordinates, Li Wei maintained a low profile at court, and little is known about him in historical records.

"General Lin, you are here."

"To see the Minister of Chancellery."

Ying Zheng nodded and said, "Please take a seat."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Lin Feng sat down directly next to Fusu, and Xiang Li Zhao sat opposite him at his suggestion.

"The former mentioned the construction of a stone road in Xianyang, which would be indestructible and difficult to be damaged by swords and knives."

“Even if we hold grand events in the future, we don’t have to worry about the road being damaged.”

"I think this is a good idea."

Ying Zheng paused, then continued, "However, it is early spring now, and the Ministry of Civil Affairs does not have sufficient food. Waiting until autumn to act would be too much of a delay."

"Xianyang is the heart of the empire. Such a long section of potholes not only affects the appearance, but also hinders commerce and travel."

"Why don't we adopt your proposal and repair the upper part?"

Lin Feng knew in his heart that the two of them had already discussed a compromise solution before.

How could this be!

This is a perfect system he designed carefully, how can he give up easily?

"I did not consider it carefully. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."

Lin Feng bowed calmly to express his apology.

Ying Zheng smiled and nodded: "It's okay if you have no choice. This matter is not under your jurisdiction. Mistakes in calculations are normal."

Zheng Ren and Li Wei both felt fortunate.

I didn't expect Lin Feng to be so sensible.

Lin Feng suddenly changed the subject: "But..."

"I, your humble servant, make a bold suggestion."

His eyes fell on the densely packed data book on the desk: "This method of building roads is the most economical and cost-effective."

"Abandoning the sewer system may seem cost-effective, but future losses will be even greater."

Zheng Ren jumped up anxiously. "Mr. Li, I've been in charge of finances and grain for many years. I'm familiar with all the costs."

"The cost of building each foot of road is enormous, far exceeding that of ordinary roads."

Li Wei echoed this sentiment: "For streetlights alone, we need over a thousand, one for every ten steps. This wastes a huge amount of fuel. Reducing this to around 300 is sufficient."

The two people listed data and expressed their opinions.

Ying Zheng nodded thoughtfully.

It's indeed too extravagant.

Lin Feng said calmly: "Then, according to you two, only surface reinforcement is needed?"

"Add a finger-thick slate and it will be enough to suit the occasion."

Lin Feng almost couldn't help laughing out loud, "Why is Chen Fuling laughing?"

"I sigh that this young man is not worthy of being my advisor!"

Lin Feng stopped pretending: "Do you think it's right to disregard my advice?"

Zheng Ren and Li Wei were furious.

"How dare you slander us!" they demanded angrily.

"You're insulting people in front of His Majesty?"

"National development requires a long-term vision. The two have overestimated their own capabilities and failed to even make a good ten-year plan."

"It's just a futile conversation! It's a waste of my efforts."

Lin Feng said angrily.

Li Wei retorted that he discovered that these projects had actually been built right to Lin Feng's doorstep.

"Deceiving the emperor? You are clearly abusing your power for personal gain!" he said angrily.

Qin Shi Huang controlled the situation: "Lin Feng, please explain the rationale behind your 'long-term plan'."

Seeing this, Fusu did not express his opinion for the time being and observed his father's reaction.

Lin Feng responded: "I dare not talk about the century-long event, just talking about the next ten years will not be wrong."

“After every period of turmoil, there is always a period of prosperity.”

"Now that the country is unified, Your Majesty has reduced corvée labor and dismantled military equipment. This will allow the people to rest and recuperate, and the population will inevitably grow."

"Within ten years, it is expected to increase to twice its current level or even more."

"As the number of people increases, resource consumption increases dramatically, and the frequency of vehicle traffic increases."

"If we only perfunctorily construct one layer according to your suggestion, I'm afraid it will break frequently."

“The cost of repairs will be a bottomless pit.”

"On the contrary, it helps villains make money."

"Your Majesty clearly shows you!"

"Mr. Lin, you are the worst of the **!" Li Wei argued again.

Ying Zheng pondered, "Using a single layer of stone slabs is clearly too crude. In the long run, you two are making a mistake."

Li Wei lowered his head helplessly, but the anger in his heart was hard to calm down.

The negotiations were originally completed, and Lin Feng made all the arrangements in just a few words.

How can the country make major decisions?