Female-to-male: I live on farming

Chapter 134 Road Construction Plan Shelved

“What is the price of this cement?”

Hearing Lu Youqing's question, Qin Ke's smile froze on his face and he scratched his head in embarrassment.

Because this cement has many advantages except for one drawback, which is that its cost cannot be reduced in the short term.

Therefore, Qin Ke's voice sounded a little weak when he answered.

Lu Youqing was silent after hearing this, while Xiao Anyi frowned in confusion and asked, "Is there something rare in the raw materials used to make cement? Why is the price so high?"

"In fact, the current cost is just our estimate. Other raw materials are easy to deal with, except for the water-quenched slag, which is a bit difficult to deal with." Qin Ke spread his hands and explained.

Xiao Anyi's eyes flashed, a barely perceptible dark light passed through them, and he lowered his eyes without saying a word.

The changes in her facial muscles were extremely subtle, hardly noticeable to people around her, but could not escape Lu Youqing's keen observation. She narrowed her eyes and her mind was racing.

"But cement has many advantages. If the entire Cangwu City is paved with this kind of smooth and hard cement road, there will be no need to worry about mud on rainy and snowy days, and no matter how fast the carriage runs, there will be no need to worry about rollovers. Moreover, in this situation, the driving speed will be much faster." Qin Ke tried his best to promote it. He had long disliked the rugged roads in ancient times.

Especially when it rains or snows, the roads become muddy and difficult to walk on. Whether riding in a carriage or on horseback, it is very unfriendly to the buttocks.

"Indeed, if the road is like this, it will be extremely convenient to transport supplies or dispatch troops during wartime." Xiao Anyi folded his arms across his chest and expressed his opinion.

You know, for war, rapid reaction forces and food supply are extremely important keys.

Qin Ke clapped his hands and became more and more excited as he spoke: "In addition to building roads, this cement can also be used to build houses, just like that piece of cement floor, it can replace blue bricks to pave the ground and courtyard."

"In this case, it can also be counted as an income from cement." Lu Youqing nodded slightly.

Because the previous use of cement, whether it was for road construction or building city walls, was a court project and the cost had to be borne by the government. This was the only thing that could provide income.

"I will write a memorial to explain the situation and ask Your Highness to make the decision."

Finally, Lu Youqing made the final decision.

After returning home, she locked herself in the study, sorted out her thoughts about the day, and wrote them all down in a memorial. When she finished writing the last word, the moon was already high in the sky.

As Jinyang's direct confidant, Lu Youqing's memorial was reported directly to the emperor. The next morning, Lu Youqing got up early, washed up, and went out with the memorial.

The guards at the Princess's Mansion naturally recognized her and did not dare to neglect her, and immediately welcomed her in.

Lu Youqing's memorial was concise and well-organized, and Jinyang could understand it at a glance. However, she still read it for a long time before putting it down. She sighed and said, "You should have sorted out the affairs of the state. Although the harvest is good this year and the grain depots in various places are abundant, Liangzhou's foundation is still weak and cannot support such a large financial expenditure."

She also sees the many benefits that cement can bring, but unfortunately she is currently unable to do so.

"I know, Your Highness, but it is feasible to sell cement at the moment. What do you think?" Lu Youqing was not surprised by His Highness's answer. For the moment, accumulating capital is the most important thing.

Things like building roads can only be done after the treasury is full and has surplus money.

"It's feasible. You can arrange it yourself."

After Jinyang finished speaking, he lowered his eyes again, his gaze fell on the lines of words on the memorial, and his fingers tapped the table unconsciously.

Lu Youqing looked up, then lowered her brows secretly. She knew that was Jinyang's usual posture when thinking.

After a few breaths, Jinyang called the secretary over.

"Your Highness." The secretary bowed.

"Send someone to invite Qin Sinong over."

After receiving the order, the secretary walked out of the meeting room backwards.

When the visitor arrived at the mansion, Qin Ke was playing leisurely with the dogs. He threw the rattan ball in his hand with force, and they rushed after him with a "whoosh".

He had just successfully developed cement, so he gave himself two days off to have a good rest.

"My lord, someone from the Princess's Mansion asked you to come over." Han Qi suddenly came over, bent down and whispered in his ear.

"Hmm?" Qin Ke raised his eyebrows in confusion. He knew that his wife had gone to the Princess's Mansion to discuss matters early this morning, but he didn't expect that His Highness would actually come to call him.

Qin Ke clapped his hands and stood up. Chuyi had already grabbed the rattan ball and was running towards him with it in his mouth. Liuyue and Shiwu were chasing after it. They touched Chuyi's hair and said, "Play with them."

However, just as Qin Ke took a step, he felt a tug on the hem of his clothes. It turned out that those little guys were stopping him and didn't want him to leave.

"Okay, I'll be back soon, you guys play by yourselves first." Qin Ke rubbed their fluffy ears.

"My dear, leave it to me." Han Qi picked up Fifteen who was biting Qin Ke's clothes.

Qin Ke nodded. His Highness was looking for him, so he couldn't waste time. However, there was a lot of dog hair on his clothes, so he had to change into clean clothes first.

The house where Qin Ke and his family lived was not far from the Princess's Mansion, and they could arrive there in a short ride on horseback. When he stepped into the conference room, His Highness was discussing tax matters with his wife.

"Your Highness, Qin Sinong has arrived."

"Please sit down." After saying that, Jinyang raised his eyes and glanced at Shishu.

The secretary understood what they meant and closed the door of the meeting room for them.

Qin Ke sat next to Lu Youqing and winked at her secretly when she saw this.

Lu Youqing gave him a light glance, signaling him to be more obedient.

Jinyang saw his little movement and coughed lightly.

Qin Ke hurriedly sat up straight, put his hands on his knees, and looked straight ahead. Seeing this, Lu Youqing's eyes were filled with a smile.

Jinyang repeated what he had just said to Lu Youqing.

Qin Ke suddenly felt that these words were like a bolt from the blue, and he couldn't even straighten his back.

Oh my god, when will his road construction plan be realized?

However, he could also understand His Highness's concerns. After all, it was because Liangzhou was poor. It seemed that he had to figure out a way to make money, preferably a way that could make a lot of money. In short, Qin Ke was determined to build roads.

"However," Jin Yang's low and cold voice sounded again, his dark and deep eyes fixed on the two of them, with a hint of mystery that made people unpredictable, "I want to know, if there is enough water-quenched slag, can the price of cement be reduced?"

Lu Youqing's eyelashes trembled slightly and her eyes moved.

So this is the reason why His Highness summoned my husband. Then Xiao Anyi's reaction yesterday makes sense.

Although His Highness' words were euphemistic, they indirectly told the two of them that His Highness had an iron mine.