lcionline Chapter 62 Noble Lady Fucha, Fucha Honghan 62
Chapter 62 Noble Lady Fucha, Fucha Honghan 62
On the night Lady Fucha entered the palace, Da Pang Ju (Big Fatty Orange) dined with Lady Fucha Peiyun and her daughter at Yanxi Palace.
Fucha Peiyun knew that this was the big fat orange cat, and it was giving her, the Consort Shu, a face treatment.
Naturally, she wore a slight smile, which made the chubby orange cat very happy.
Big Fat Orange was in a good mood when he went to court in the morning.
When he saw Fucha Honghan's memorial at court, he was even more delighted.
Fucha Honghan was Fucha Peiyun's father. This time, he discovered a formula for cement.
This cement formula has many ingenious uses.
Water conservancy projects include building dams and reservoirs, as well as road construction and bridge building.
After the court session, the chubby man deliberately kept Fucha Honghan behind to discuss the cement matter in detail.
Several high-ranking officials also remained.
Fucha Honghan had brought cement samples with him to court.
This is a good opportunity to demonstrate the wonderful uses of cement to everyone.
After the court session, the chubby man kept Fucha Honghan behind, wanting to learn more about the cement.
At the same time, several high-ranking officials were also left behind along with the emperor.
After all, something so crucial should be fully utilized.
This naturally requires brainstorming, in-depth discussion, and careful deliberation before a decision can be made.
In fact, Fucha Honghan had already made ample preparations before going to court today.
The carriage he rode in had samples of cement on it.
At this moment, seeing everyone curiously gathering around,
Fucha Honghan, on the other hand, appeared calm and unhurried.
He began to methodically demonstrate the wonders of cement to the ministers.
A large pile of grayish-brown cement was placed in a huge basin.
It rests quietly on the floor inside the palace.
From the outside, this pile of cement is really unremarkable, even inconspicuous.
Everyone present looked him over, but they simply couldn't fathom what extraordinary talent he possessed.
At this moment, Fucha Honghan raised his hand, signaling everyone to turn their attention to the other side.
Looking in the direction he was pointing, everyone was surprised to find that there was a rather large block-shaped object there.
Fucha Honghan smiled and said:
"My lords, please look, this cement may seem unremarkable at first glance, but after it solidifies with water..."
Then it will become incredibly strong; look, this is what cement looks like after it has solidified.
He picked up the hammer and pounded on the hardened cement with all his might.
The cement remained completely still after it solidified, a testament to its incredible strength.
He then soaked a piece of hardened cement in water for a while before taking it out to observe it.
The results showed that the cement showed no signs of water seepage, demonstrating excellent waterproofing performance.
At this moment, the chubby orange asked the assembled ministers, "My esteemed ministers, now that we have such a wonderful thing as cement..."
Where should we use this cement first?
Fucha Honghan Dao
"Your Majesty, in my opinion, we can first apply this cement to the construction of roads!"
The chubby orange cat narrowed its eyes slightly, a hint of doubt in its expression, and asked:
"Oh? What makes you say that, my dear minister? Why do you insist on going first?"
Fucha Honghan cupped his hands and said:
"Your Majesty, this humble servant is foolish and can only think of the following points for now."
These few points alone are enough to prove the importance of building roads first.
First, this road is a crucial link connecting various regions of the country!
This road, like the blood vessels in the human body, runs through the north, south, east, and west.
This enabled the exchange of goods and resources between different regions, allowing for the smooth flow of supplies.
Second, this path is the foundation for developing the national economy.
Once roads are built wide and flat, the costs associated with transporting goods can be significantly reduced.
It can significantly improve the efficiency and speed of transportation.
In this way, the efficiency of merchants' transactions, ordinary people's labor, and travel was greatly improved.
This can promote business prosperity and drive vigorous economic development.
Thirdly, the construction process itself will create a large number of job opportunities for people in the areas along the route.
Those who might otherwise have been idle or relied solely on meager agricultural income for a living,
Nowadays, everyone can have a stable job and source of income.
This is undoubtedly of vital importance to improving people's living standards.
The lackey concluded that to get rich, one must first build roads; only when the people are prosperous can the nation's strength increase.
Big Fat Orange laughed, "Good, good, good, Shouqing is right, this road really needs to be repaired."
Upon hearing this, Minister of Revenue Jiang Tingxi realized that this matter would require spending money again, and his expression immediately turned serious.
He quickly cupped his hands and said:
"Your Majesty, road construction is indeed a good thing, but..."
The amount of silver required to repair this road was enormous.
With the national treasury in deficit, where will the money come from?
As he spoke, he frowned with worry.
At this moment, everyone's gaze fell upon the large, fat orange cat sitting on the dragon throne.
The chubby orange cat narrowed its eyes slightly, gazing thoughtfully at Fucha Honghan.
He always felt that Fucha Honghan must have had his own reasons for bringing this up.
The adults followed the chubby orange cat's gaze and looked at Fucha Honghan.
Fucha Honghan remained unconcerned about the stares of the crowd.
He took a deep breath and continued calmly:
"Your Majesty and Your Excellencies, I have two ways to solve the funding problem."
Firstly, the method of providing work relief can be adopted.
They recruited impoverished people to participate in the road construction project, allowing them to earn wages through their labor.
This can both reduce some of the labor costs and help people improve their lives;
Secondly, we can also encourage wealthy businessmen to donate funds for road construction.
At this moment, an adult said, "Merchants are driven by profit. Not many people would do something that doesn't offer any benefit, would they?"
Fucha Honghan said, "The world is bustling with people coming and going for profit."
People in this world can't live without fame and fortune. Initially, the benefits aren't apparent, but what if we erected monuments in their honor?
If a wealthy businessman donates money to repair a road and then erects a monument with inscriptions by the roadside, it will be a legacy that will be remembered for generations.
Ladies and gentlemen, are you tempted? I certainly am!
All the ministers present nodded in agreement. To achieve lasting fame for a mere penny—who wouldn't be tempted?
Zhang Tingyu said, "In this way, not only can we raise enough funds for road repair,
It can also stimulate public enthusiasm, achieving two goals at once!
Fucha Honghan: "These two methods can also be used to build bridges and dams."
If a bridge were named after someone, many wealthy businessmen would likely be willing to do so.
"Those wealthy businessmen will surely witness the ingenious uses of cement during road construction."
He paused, then continued:
"At this point, the imperial court could take advantage of the situation and allow them to purchase a small amount of cement."
For use in building one's own house or shop.
However, the price could be set a little higher.
In this way, the needs of wealthy merchants could be met, while also generating substantial fiscal revenue for the imperial court.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Tingxi, the Minister of Revenue, could imagine that a large sum of silver would be deposited into the Ministry of Revenue's accounts.
Overjoyed, he quickly praised her:
"Lord Fucha's plan is brilliant! It truly demonstrates foresight and profound wisdom!"
Mr. Jiang was truly impressed!
Upon hearing this, the chubby orange cat's eyes also revealed a look of admiration.
The other ministers also praised Fucha Honghan.
The chubby orange-haired man said sternly, "Since all of you ministers think this plan is excellent..."
So I issued an edict ordering Fucha Honghan to immediately begin work on road construction, bridge construction, and dike repair.
This project is of great importance to people's livelihood and must not be taken lightly!
As for the officials needed, you can choose them as you see fit, but you must select the virtuous and capable to ensure the successful completion of this task.
Upon hearing this, Fucha Honghan, who was kneeling below, quickly kowtowed to express his gratitude and loudly replied:
"Your Majesty, I will do my utmost to live up to your great favor and trust!"
Immediately afterwards, the emperor waved his hand, and the eunuch beside him immediately understood and brought out a plate of glittering gold.
The chubby emperor announced loudly, "I hereby bestow upon Fucha Honghan one hundred taels of gold as a reward."
Furthermore, I hereby appoint you as Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, specifically responsible for managing the production and promotion of such matters.
I hope you will live up to my expectations and handle this matter properly.
Upon hearing this, Fucha Honghan was deeply moved and kowtowed again to express his gratitude.
I've made up my mind to get this done.
The chubby orange also hinted that if Fucha Honghan handled this matter well, he would be promoted to Minister of Works.
This greatly excited Fucha Honghan, who thought to himself that his daughter was truly capable.
With such a powerful remedy, their family will be rich and powerful once their son is born.
The main branch should also support them.
The chubby orange cat was also very satisfied.
He really didn't expect that Fucha Honghan would bring him such a big surprise today!
It's astonishing that a member of a collateral branch possesses such talent.
The Fucha family truly lives up to its reputation for producing outstanding talents!
At the same time, he couldn't help but think of Consort Shu, Fucha Peiyun.
When she first entered the palace, although she was somewhat spoiled and willful,
Fortunately, he quickly understood the situation and became well-behaved and sensible.
Big Fat Orange was increasingly satisfied with the father and daughter.
In fact, the fact that Fucha Honghan was only granted the position of Vice Minister of Works for his meritorious service was a real waste of his talents.
However, if he were directly promoted to Minister of Works, it would likely cause much controversy in the court.
Therefore, the chubby orange had no choice but to put aside this idea for the time being.
I was thinking of bestowing this title upon Consort Shu and elevating her to the rank of Imperial Concubine.
But then Big Fat Orange suddenly remembered that Consort Shu's due date was approaching.
At that time, certain rewards will naturally be indispensable.
It wouldn't be good to make her a concubine now, and then a high-ranking imperial concubine after she gives birth.
This would inevitably lead to unrest in the harem, and she wouldn't be able to get past the Empress Dowager's approval.
After much deliberation, the chubby orange cat finally gave up the idea of immediately bestowing the title of imperial concubine.
They decided to wait until she successfully gave birth to the dragon's offspring before making any further plans.
However, even if the matter of bestowing the title of imperial concubine is not considered for the time being, rewards are absolutely essential.
Not only should a reward be given to Consort Shu herself, but Lady Fucha should also receive a token of appreciation.
Thinking of this, Big Fat Orange immediately summoned Su Peisheng and instructed him:
"Su Peisheng, you should go quickly and select some rare and valuable items."
Send this to Consort Shu and Lady Fucha!