Once I enter the pass, great Confucian scholars will surely debate the classics for me.

People who have never worked on a construction site have no idea how complicated things are.

It's not as simple as just delivering materials to the construction site, taking the money, and leaving.

Many horse-drawn wagons carrying materials were lined up and parked, with thousands of tons of materials piled on them, waiting for government officials to inspect and sign them off. Hundreds of porters were simply not enough, so there was definitely a first-come, first-served order, and those who hadn't been called yet had to wait in line.

The waiting time can range from a few hours to several days, making people anxious and frustrated. However, they cannot leave the vehicle and must stay by it to keep an eye on it, lest the building materials being transported mysteriously disappear and leave them with no way to explain themselves.

As the saying goes, it's easier to deal with the King of Hell than his underlings. These underlings who handle things below already earn little and work hard and tiring jobs. If they have a little power, they want to hold others hostage and use their positions to seek personal gain. If they're sensible, they'll cut in line; if they're not, they'll just have to wait in line normally.

Cats have their ways, mice have theirs; everyone has their own ways of making money. People with a quick mind won't just live off wages.

These days, most legal jobs pay little, are demanding, and are far from home. They're dirty, tough, and tiring, and you often end up feeling humiliated. You work like a slave just to earn a pittance, which isn't enough to live on. If you want a better life, who wouldn't do some part-time work on the side to earn some extra money?

The three wagons that Li Xiangsi brought were parked in the material storage area and lined up normally. They had been queuing from morning till night, and the porters had already started to change shifts. It was still not Li Xiangsi's turn to unload the goods. Was it because Li Xiangsi was ignorant? No, it was just because he was not a businessman who came to do business. He had other purposes in coming to the construction site of the Thousand-Year Dragon Banquet, so he was not in a hurry to deliver the goods, collect the money, and leave.

Because the material transport wagons were lined up, Li Xiangsi and his accomplices were able to move around the construction site openly without arousing suspicion, and they also had plenty of time. If they could wait in line for a day or two, it would be exactly what they wanted.

As for the building materials loaded on the three carriages, they were completely unimportant; they were just a facade.

In reality, they came to steal something of utmost importance.

After more than ten days of reconnaissance, the three foreign thieves, led by Li Xiangsi, were basically familiar with the situation of the 'Denglong Tower' construction site. Taking advantage of the darkness of night, they seized the opportunity to sneak into the Crafts Bureau and the map library to find what they needed.

The Works Department is the office responsible for the management and supervision of specific engineering projects.

The image library is where design drawings, engineering planning diagrams, and other documents are stored.

The craftsmanship department and the drawing library are usually not far apart, mostly located within the construction site. This ensures that management personnel are always on-site to supervise and manage the work, and that they can retrieve the relevant drawings from the drawing library for verification whenever needed.

Finding nothing in the gallery, the three then searched the workshops.

Big Beard: "Boss, we couldn't find it in the image library. Are you sure that thing is stored here?"

Li Xiangsi lowered her voice and said, "Stop talking nonsense and search carefully. If we can't find this thing, all our preparations will be in vain."

"Boss, I think I found it! See if this is it!" Little Stick pulled out a drawing from the pile of drawings on the desk and happily unfolded it for Li Xiangsi to see. To make sure Li Xiangsi could see it clearly, Little Stick even summoned a wisp of flame from his fingertip to illuminate it.

Li Xiangsi took the drawing and looked down to examine it. There was a line of text written in the upper left corner of the drawing.

[Map showing the distribution of underground drainage pipes and underground civilian shelters in Da Biao Fang, west of Sword Tower City.]

"That's it!" Li Xiangsi's spirits lifted, her eyes gleaming. She quickly rolled up the blueprint and put it into her storage ring, intending to leave through the main gate with her two subordinates. But at that moment, she heard light footsteps coming from the direction of the gate.

Li Xiangsi reacted quickly, immediately reaching out to extinguish the flame at the tip of the little stick. He gestured to the bearded man and the little stick to conceal their auras and not make a sound or any fluctuation of magic power, so as not to attract the attention of others. He quietly led his two subordinates back a few steps, then walked to the west window, silently climbed out of the window, secretly closed the window, and quickly left the Craftsmen's Office.

After leaving the workshop, the three of them walked leisurely toward the material storage area, without any sense of guilt.

When dawn broke, Li Xiangsi pretended to be impatient and went to find the official in charge of material inspection. She presented him with some local specialties that everyone loved. The official in charge of inspection saw that she knew how to get things done, so he did not hesitate and immediately called dozens of porters to unload the goods.

The three cartloads of goods were unloaded in an hour, which was very fast. After the inspecting officials counted the weight of the cedar resin, saltpeter, and clay, they signed their names on the receipts, made two copies and stamped them. Li Xiangsi could use the receipts to find another official to settle the payment. As for whether she would get the payment, when it would be settled, whether it would be settled in installments or all at once, it was hard to say. Generally, they would delay as long as possible, and even if they were sensible, they would not settle the payment all at once.

In short, the officials in Jianta have always been exploitative, using their little power to make things difficult for others. They get a cut for every person they pass through, and if they don't get a cut, they make excuses and refuse to let people pass. In particular, the officials in charge of the Ever-Normal Granary are all seasoned veterans who are very good at dealing with merchants. On the surface, they are all honest and upright, but in secret, they are all experts at extorting money and demanding bribes.

The building materials that Li Xiangsi delivered in batches had not been paid for. She hadn't been in a hurry before, so she hadn't paid much attention. But now that she had obtained the key stolen items, she should at least settle the payment. After all, it was 22 million yuan, which was no small sum.

Even if it's just to complete the task, we can't just throw money away and let these corrupt officials benefit.

The building materials Li Xiangsi sold weren't her own; she bought them from other building material merchants at the original price, exactly the same as the price offered by the government. However, Li Xiangsi delivered the goods on the spot, one-on-one, with cash on delivery. This straightforward approach made other building material merchants reluctant to deal with the government. Even though the government was involved in huge projects worth hundreds of millions or even billions of yuan, getting paid was extremely difficult for them.

In a VIP box at Huaichun Tower, Li Xiangsi specially paid an intermediary to invite Cai Nianxiong, the "clerk in charge of the Ever-Normal Granary," to a banquet costing tens of thousands of coins and to have a beautiful courtesan accompany her. All she wanted was to settle the 22 million yuan payment with Cai Nianxiong.

The so-called "official business" was nothing more than a low-ranking official in the Ever-Normal Granary, whose specific duties included paperwork and material allocation. When it came to construction projects, they were specifically responsible for the allocation of funds and the supply of materials.

Li Xiangsi bowed low and held up her wine cup, saying, "Lord Cai, I would like to offer you a toast. Thank you for gracing us with your presence at the banquet."

P.S.: Happy New Year to everyone! I'd like to extend my New Year's greetings to all my fans.