Chapter 823 – Jianzhou Prefecture, Establishing Shangjing (12)
“Once power inflates in one’s hands, so too do personal desires. Can the royal family truly ensure fairness and justice, with each emperor acting for the nation and the people?”
“Who can guarantee that such actions will prevent land annexation?”
For one’s selfishness, the mind can become remarkably clever, clever enough to impress even the Federation’s Heavenly Brain.
The landlord class will always return under another identity; what to do then?
Jiang Pengji sighed deeply, realizing there were many things to consider.
Wei Ci, however, was relaxed. He tossed this massive dilemma at her and was unwilling to stay for further discussion… even sharing a meal would be good!
Meanwhile, Wei Ci, filled with thoughts, headed home and just happened to bump into Zhang Ping looking for him.
“Xi Heng has really put Ci in a difficult spot this time…”
Wei Ci chuckled bitterly; Zhang Ping was the ultimate useless buddy—he really got him into trouble this time.
But whatever, getting in trouble meant at least being temporarily away from the Wanzhou power center.
Just thinking about Jiang Pengji’s earlier actions left Wei Ci feeling more and more uneasy… he simply didn’t understand what she was planning.
Though he was confused, Wei Ci felt it was best for the two to keep their distance for a while.
“Never again!” Zhang Ping laughed awkwardly, relieved that Wei Ci was just mildly complaining rather than angry; after all, they were longtime dear friends. One or two troubles like this could just be seen as strengthening their bond, “Zixiao, I promise not to drag you down next time.”
Zhang Ping was here to pick up some designs; with these illustrations as samples, he could delve deeper into understanding.
Wei Ci rolled his eyes secretly; he didn’t believe in Zhang Ping’s clumsy buddy act one bit.
Earlier, Zhang Ping had said Wei Ci was knowledgeable and skilled, not only dabbling in the five elements and Eight Diagrams, but also fiddling with architectural design, equally versed in calligraphy and painting… the character he built up was a bit too suave, but Zhang Ping wasn’t exaggerating; Wei Ci really could do these things and had decent skill levels.
If it weren’t for that, Mr. Yuanjing wouldn’t have clung to him for so many years.
Wei Ci retrieved several rolls of drawing papers from the study, all crafted from the finest bamboo paper.
Bamboo paper…
“Zixiao, did you draw this?”
Zhang Ping noticed the huge silk cloth with patterns in Wei Ci’s hands, along with exquisitely mounted paintings.
“The original pattern was on silk, but the previous owner didn’t store it well, and it got infested with ants, almost losing its original looks…” Wei Ci had obtained these designs from the ancestral home of the Wang family in Langya. Even though the Wang family had fallen on hard times, they were once illustrious, so they naturally had good things, “Take a look, no matter how well it’s maintained, it can’t be restored as it was, so I simply copied the original; you can use this replica as a reference.”
Zhang Ping exclaimed, unfurling a carefully stored stack of paintings.
The paper used for these drawings had obviously been carefully cut, with varying widths and lengths, some a few inches, others more than ten.
The city plans depicted were mostly constructed during the height of the Daxia Dynasty, revealing grandeur in design and structure.
Most of these buildings followed a single-axis symmetrical model, perfectly satisfying those with obsessive-compulsive tendencies, but such cities could also easily lead to getting lost.
The more complex ones, like the capital city government, mostly employed a multi-axial symmetry, increasing the potential for confusion even further.
Aside from these mainstream designs, there were quite a few irregular ones, mostly evolved from small villages over time.
With materials in hand, Zhang Ping felt a bit more confident.
At this moment, Wei Ci, however, cut through his inspiration with his words.
“The capital suffered an earthquake, and the terrain has changed drastically. If we simply copy and paste, we might not get good results.” Jiang Pengji said plainly, “This is the original plan of Shangjing; the architectural layout is indeed grand and beautiful. But you must consider what kind of temperament our Lord has—she won’t lavish too much money to build a state capital as extravagant as this…”
Zhang Ping respected Wei Ci’s opinion and asked, “What do you suggest, Zixiao?”
Wei Ci thought for a moment and replied, “Keep it as simple as possible, do whatever can be done swiftly. No need to deliberately seek symmetrical beauty; it just has to align with the terrain and minimize manpower. Of course, saying it’s simple does not mean materials should be chosen carelessly. The earthquake in the capital was just a few years ago, and the common people still feel uneasy. The houses should be a bit simpler, but must be solid.”
Zhang Ping pondered for a moment and felt this made sense.
Having followed Jiang Pengji for some time now, he realized she truly disliked extravagance, preferring a clean and simple style.
If they constructed it according to the city plan depicted, he didn’t even want to think about how many people and how much time it would consume.
To avoid going too far, just look at the previous capital city; it took sixteen thousand common people a full eight years to complete.
Grand and beautiful, but expensive in terms of resources, labor, and time.
If Zhang Ping dared to submit such a proposal to Jiang Pengji, he would surely be met with a severe reprimand.
“First, build earthen houses, and plan out the streets of the city. We aren’t after aesthetics; they should just provide shelter from sun and rain.”
Zhang Ping: “…”
He was wrong; he thought his lord’s “copy-paste” approach was far-fetched, but it turned out that the one being truly ridiculous was Wei Ci.
“Those kinds of houses would simply undermine the lord’s status!”
If there were a table, Zhang Ping would have slammed it soundly.
Wei Ci laughed, “Superficial fame is merely an external concern; being unpretentious also carries charm. The lord won’t care about such matters…”
Zhang Ping couldn’t help but secretly complain—who do you think you are, you can’t possibly know what the lord has in mind!
For many people, houses and clothing are about face; too shabby, and where’s the face to put it?
Of course, Zhang Ping wouldn’t dare voice these thoughts.
If he accidentally annoyed his buddy and Wei Ci walked away, leaving such a huge project on his shoulders, Zhang Ping would be crying his eyes out.
In ancient times, most houses were made of wood, and building a residence consumed an enormous amount of timber.
If there were plenty of trees around, that would be fine, but if not, he’d have to trek far to purchase them, which would be time-consuming and labor-intensive.
Fortunately, with blue bricks and blue tiles, the amount of wood required for construction could be greatly reduced, yet even so, the total number was still astronomical.
Zhang Ping hoped to source locally, which would save a lot on transportation costs. However, Jiang Pengji calculated the rough figures and her brows furrowed, “In that area of Shangjing, there are indeed many forests, but the trees have been excessively cut down, leading to the risk of landslides.”
Hearing this, Zhang Ping was startled.
Is it really that scary?
He had heard that the wrath of mountain gods could lead to landslides during storms, but was there a connection?
“How about this; we should source thirty percent of the wood locally, and for every tree cut down, we must plant three saplings in return. The remaining seventy percent will be procured from the nearby Shangyang County. The gentry there also trades in timber; they’d love to take on such a large order. We can assign Xiaoyu to discuss this… As for the blue bricks and tiles, I’ll draft an order for you to hire a few skilled brick makers.”
The demand for constructing the state capital was immense; if they recklessly sourced materials locally, they’d likely strip the nearby mountains bare.
