Chapter 940: Chapter 938: Secretly Writing
Han Yanhui observed the Emperor’s surprised expression and explained, "Your Majesty, I have seen those houses. They use ready-made wooden boards of various sizes for assembly, making it very convenient to construct residences. Guangsha Construction also has some tents, which can be transported simultaneously."
The Emperor’s expression turned peculiar, "That girl from the Ye Family, she’s planning to..."
Han Yanhui felt helpless too. It wasn’t his fault; Grandma Jiang had her inside channels and knew the court’s movements. Under the protection of His Highness Prince Yu and possessing the most efficient workforce in the industry, no one could stop them.
Drought in Yuanzhou and other places has led to the emergence of a new religious sect, accompanied by money-gathering activities.
Although the main villains have been suppressed, to prevent future issues and control the growth of cults, as well as to give the citizens psychological solace after the disaster, the Emperor plans for the court to fund the construction of some temples.
Buddhism is widely spread in the Great Xia Dynasty, and its teachings are gentle, aligning well with the court’s educational goals for its people.
This time, a group of well-reputed monks and medical monks from the temples around the capital were recruited first to go to the drought-stricken areas to offer treatment and comfort to the local populace.
This opportunity was captured by Ye Xinyan.
Han Yanhui said, "I think Guangsha Construction wants to win the contract for the temple construction projects in Yuanzhou and similar places."
The Emperor chuckled and shook his head, "No wonder she’s Ye Tang’s granddaughter; this sharpness and intelligence are not inferior to her grandfather. Well, she’s a good child with the courage to change the nation’s handicraft landscape and intends to accomplish something for her family. Let’s give her this convenience."
Even Han Yanhui envied Duke An’s luck. Previously, the descendants at Duke An’s Mansion were no match one for another, seemingly leading to a bleak future.
Who could have imagined that the originally struggling granddaughter Ye Xinyan would undergo a transformation and rise with such formidable momentum?
It’s already rare for Ye Xinyan to win the favor of Emperor Qianqing. If nothing goes wrong, she can continue to receive care under the next Emperor Jinrong, ensuring Duke An’s Mansion flourishes for two generations.
However, Han Yanhui also had some concerns. He said, "I heard Grandma Jiang aims to create the leading construction industry in the nation and improve the treatment of craftsmen, allowing skilled craftsmen to receive the respect they deserve. Such ambition is indeed rare. Just that,"
Han Yanhui paused and continued, "it’s just that her ambition seems a bit too large. If Guangsha Construction manages to spread nationwide and amass too much wealth, the court might find it difficult to control."
The Emperor laughed, waving his hand, "What is this talk of being difficult to control? It’s just business people. If they ever come up against the court or a mass of soldiers, they are still no match."
This was reassuring.
Han Yanhui felt at ease. He didn’t want to suppress Ye Xinyan and the Qi family but reminded the Emperor early on. As the Emperor was clear-headed, he was reassured.
It’s not the people who amass great wealth that are frightening, but rather when those in power become blinded by such people, get exploited, or even get controlled—that’s what’s truly terrifying.
......
Ye Xinyan has been incredibly busy these days. Since she learned that the court was planning to build temples around Yuanzhou, she started considering this field.
Building temples, especially constructing multiple temples in various places, is a massive project and can earn a lot of silver. More importantly than the large project is that this project can more easily make Guangsha Construction famous.
There are many people coming to temples to burn incense and worship Buddha, among them many gentry, wealthy individuals, and officials’ family members. As long as the project is done well and impressively, the temple becomes a natural advertisement without extra promotion.
When everyone becomes familiar with the temple’s architectural layout, quality, and construction speed, losing interest in exploring, Guangsha Construction will have established itself with sufficient reputation.
Therefore, upon learning of this matter, she immediately tallied the tents and movable cabins Guangsha Construction could deploy. These cabins were used for worker rest and residence during projects.
This year, after returning from the refurbished wooden railway site, some cabins are now idle.
These cabins are perfect for donating to the first batch of monks, while Guangsha Construction also sends a group of construction craftsmen to Yuanzhou to assist the monks in setting up cabins and open a path for taking on the temple building projects.
Ye Xinyan is married now and can’t easily leave her husband to work outside. So Qi Younian will lead the team, taking capable assistants like Li Jingnian and Yang Jin to Yuanzhou.
Additionally, some minor officials from Prince Yu’s Mansion like Zhang Chang and Zhao Qiusheng have now fully joined Guangsha Construction, becoming its backbone. These people will accompany Qi Younian and others to Yuanzhou, establishing their domain in the construction industry.
Accompanying them will also be the construction crew under Cheung Wusi’s command. Before the monks departed the capital, a fast horse sent by Qi Younian had already rushed to Yuyuan Prefecture with a message for Cheung Wusi to spare some manpower to meet in Yuanzhou.
Yuyuan Prefecture is much closer to Yuanzhou than the capital. According to the journey, when Qi Younian and others arrive, Cheung Wusi should have arrived as well.
Although Qi Younian is physically robust, he is still old. Fortunately, medical monks accompany them, which provides some reassurance to Ye Xinyan.
This time, the plan to open a branch in Yuanzhou involves Qi Younian handling local affairs properly and then passing the responsibilities to Li Jingnian, Zhang Chang, and Cheung Wusi among others, before returning to the capital to manage the capital’s business.
Once Qi Younian and others were sent off, Ye Xinyan returned to her desk to continue recalling and writing the outline of "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer," meant both to create a unique military book for Duke An at the Grand Tutor’s Mansion and to vent her own frustrations.
By the time the entire story outline was completed, more than ten days had passed since her conversation with Duke An. She had nearly exhausted herself writing nearly thirty thousand words just for the simple plot of "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer!"
In the evening, she carefully organized this outline and all the necessary documents, preparing to find Lian Gui the next day. To avoid Zheng Pengfei, this task had to be handled by Lian Gui.
Jiang Yifan had been very concerned about Ye Xinyan’s progress these past few days. He read almost everything Ye Xinyan wrote, eager and impatient.
Ye Xinyan just searched her memory for the plot and wrote it down simply. As for details and dialogue, she could only provide notes and let the ghostwriter handle it. Judging by the strength of the original, even if the ghostwriter couldn’t match the imagination of the ancestor a thousand years later, it shouldn’t be too far off.
"Ah Yan, if this gets written out, will it be good?" Jiang Yifan asked, full of hope as he weighed the pages Ye Xinyan had organized.
Ye Xinyan was very proud, "Indeed, works written by a martial arts master are gripping even if not executed perfectly, the concept alone is enough to captivate."
Jiang Yifan, who traveled with his master since young, wasn’t as rigid as many true scholars; he genuinely enjoyed these plots.
"You’ve been secretly writing these days and wouldn’t let me or anyone else know. What are you planning?" He had been curious for days, but his Ah Yan was so engrossed that she had no time for him.