roccoschili Chapter 41 The Change in Attitudes of the Former Court and the Harem
Chapter 41 The Change in Attitudes of the Former Court and the Harem
These past few days, Ying Wuyou has been busy with road repairs, neglecting even his classes at the palace school and having to ask his teacher for leave. With winter approaching and the weather getting colder, the project will be unable to continue, so Ying Wuyou has no choice but to speed up the road repairs.
Now that the issues of manpower and funding have been properly resolved, the recruited villagers have enthusiastically joined the work of widening the road. Ying Wuyou, however, needs to develop a detailed plan and timetable.
Ying Wuyou racked her brains and put in a lot of effort when it came to planning the road reconstruction. She carefully studied the routes of each road, especially those that required detours. After much deliberation, she resolutely decided to minimize the impact of these detours on residents' daily lives. To this end, she spared no effort in adjusting the routes, just to ensure that residents could travel conveniently.
During the planning process, Ying Wuyou also fully considered factors such as terrain and climate. She understood that different terrains would have varying degrees of impact on roads, so she specifically chose materials suitable for the local environment to construct the roads. At the same time, she also developed corresponding maintenance plans based on the local climate characteristics to ensure the quality and durability of the roads.
In addition, Ying Wuyou paid special attention to drainage. Knowing that a good drainage system was crucial for roads, she redesigned the drainage pipes to ensure rainwater could be drained promptly, preventing road flooding and waterlogging. This not only protected the roads from damage but also improved the overall image of Xianyang City.
When encountering families whose homes needed to be demolished, Ying Wuyou would personally visit them to negotiate compensation matters. He would not only provide compensation money but also dispatch skilled craftsmen to help build brand-new houses.
She also personally inspected every construction site and humbly sought advice and learned from officials and craftsmen with rich experience in road construction.
In addition, regarding cement production, Ying Wuyou handed over the cement production formula to Prime Minister Wang Wan without reservation. Prime Minister Wang Wan was overjoyed upon receiving the formula, fully aware of its importance and value. He immediately assembled a group of highly skilled and experienced craftsmen to begin large-scale cement production. These craftsmen worked day and night, meticulously adjusting the raw materials according to the formula's requirements. After numerous trials and improvements, they finally succeeded in producing high-quality cement. Soon after, large quantities of cement were continuously transported to various construction sites, providing a solid guarantee for the construction projects.
Seeing the project progressing so smoothly, Ying Wuyou felt an indescribable joy welling up inside him. Gazing at the road gradually taking shape before him, he seemed to already see a prosperous future ahead.
In stark contrast to Ying Wuyou's smooth-sailing road-building project, Ying Gaoya had been imprisoned for several days and was still unable to regain his freedom. His hatred for Ying Wuyou grew stronger, believing that all his current misfortunes were her fault. If it weren't for Ying Wuyou's appearance, he would still be the popular and fawned young master Gaoya; if it weren't for Ying Wuyou's existence, he wouldn't be imprisoned by his mother. Ying Gaoya even suspected that his mother had been bought off by Ying Wuyou and no longer loved him.
As soon as Madam Zhao arrived, she heard Ying Gaoya cursing: "Ying Wuyou, you bitch, don't let me out, or I'll make sure you suffer a terrible death." Immediately afterward, there was a series of crashing and smashing sounds.
Madam Zhao strode forward and ordered someone to open the door. When she saw the house, which had been smashed into ruins, and her son sitting slumped on the ground with his hair disheveled, Madam Zhao's anger instantly turned into heartache.
Lady Zhao only had one son, Ying Gaoya, whom she doted on since childhood, granting him every wish. She never imagined he would turn out like this. Lady Zhao went over and hugged Ying Gaoya tightly, saying, "Ya'er, don't compete with Jiayang anymore. She's now deeply favored by your father, what do you have to offer to compete with her?"
Held in his mother's arms, Ying Gaoya had just suppressed the anger that was about to erupt, but upon hearing his mother's words, he exploded like a powder keg, roaring angrily, "No, I'm not reconciled! Why is Father so biased towards that slut?" Ying Gaoya's roar seemed to pierce the sky.
Madam Zhao sighed helplessly and said, "Ya'er, this is fate. No matter how much you struggle, it's all in vain. Listen to your mother, stop making a fuss, living well is the most important thing." Ying Gaoya struggled to break free from Madam Zhao's embrace, his eyes filled with despair and resentment. He roared, "No, I don't believe in fate! I am a dignified seven-foot man, while Ying Wuyou is just a delicate princess. Would Father really pass the throne to a woman like her?"
Having said that, he turned and rushed out like an arrow. Madam Zhao hurriedly called for the eunuchs at the door to stop Ying Gaoya. Ying Gaoya struggled desperately, but being pampered and sheltered like a flower in a greenhouse, how could he be a match for the eunuchs? In a short while, he was subdued.
Lady Zhao wiped away her tears and sternly said to Ying Gaoya, "Who your father passes the throne to is not for you to decide!" With that, she slapped Ying Gaoya hard across the face and roared, "I've spoiled you rotten all these years! You have seven older brothers; how dare you covet the throne? You're courting death!" Then, Lady Zhao ordered the eunuchs, "Keep him locked up. If he doesn't want to eat, let him starve. If he dies of starvation, pretend I never gave birth to him."
Upon hearing Madam Zhao's words, Ying Gaoya panicked completely. He shouted hoarsely, "Mother, Mother, I was wrong, I said the wrong thing. I will be good from now on. Please don't lock me up anymore!" However, in the face of Ying Gaoya's cries, Madam Zhao resolutely turned and left without the slightest hesitation.
Ying Wuyou knew nothing about any of this. Even if he did, he would still have to give Madam Zhao a thumbs up and say, "Well done!"
In stark contrast to the commotion in the inner palace, the ministers of the court were now deeply troubled. These officials, who had vehemently opposed Ying Wuyou's road-building project, were now filled with worry. They couldn't comprehend how an eight-year-old girl could so resolutely push forward the project, and how everything seemed to be progressing smoothly. This situation left them feeling deeply embarrassed and helpless, for they had previously vehemently opposed the initiative, only to find themselves contradicting themselves.
Some officials even went to the construction site every day in an attempt to find loopholes, but when they saw Ying Wuyou's petite figure working alongside the road-building people and eating communal meals with them, even the most demanding ministers were speechless. In the end, they could only mutter helplessly, "It's a pity she's not a man."