Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 1719 The prodigal loses out of a new realm

Beside the wharf, there is a forest of masts and oars, and boats like clouds.

Han merchants and Hu merchants are mixed together. Countless merchant ships are slowly approaching their respective ports under the guidance of petite and flexible ships with red flags. Iron and wooden booms unload the goods on board to the docks. On the road, the goods are transported to the designated warehouse by an unusually wide flat-bed cart, or vice versa, the goods are transported out of the warehouse and loaded onto the ship one by one...

Countless merchants, sailors, crew members, porters, and wrestlers were all busy, rendering the wharf bustling and bustling.

Even though I have seen the memorials of Huating Town many times in the documents, even though I have seen more prosperity in Guanzhong, but at this moment, even Fang Xuanling, who once ruled the empire as the prime minister, and Li Jing, who commanded thousands of troops, I also have to be shocked by the prosperity in front of me!

In a corner of the south of the Yangtze River, the once saline-alkali barren beach has become the bustling appearance it is today...

On the pier, Wang Xuance, dressed in official uniform, was waiting here with several officials. When he saw Fang Xuanling's boat, he quickly ordered people to come forward to guide him to the shore, and quickly set up the gangway. He was about to board the boat and see Fang Xuanling. , only to find that Fang Xuanling had walked ashore one after the other with an old man with white beard and hair but a tall and straight figure.

Wang Xuance took two steps forward, bowed to the ground, saluted and said: "I have seen Fang Xiang and Wei Gong."

Fang Xuanling looked Wang Xuance up and down, and smiled gently, "Are you Wang Xuance?"

Fang Xuanling had seen this strange man under his son who jumped from the gate guard several times in Chang'an, but he didn't know when he actually arrived in Huating Town.

Seeing that Fang Xuanling recognized him, Wang Xuance immediately felt extremely honored, and said respectfully, "It's a humble job."

Fang Xuanling nodded in relief, and encouraged: "Heroes don't care about their backgrounds. Besides, even though you are a distant branch of the Wang family in Taiyuan, you are still much better than those scholars from poor families. Family background is very important, but your own talent and hard work are even more important." , Right now, the Tang Dynasty is changing with each passing day, and the imperial court urgently needs more capable young officials to make contributions. Your Majesty has clear rewards and punishments. As long as you make achievements, you will have a bright future. If you work hard, you won’t suffer.”

"Here!"

Wang Xuance said respectfully: "Thank you, Mr. Fang, for your teaching. I will remember my humble position for life."

Fang Xuanling had a good opinion of this young man, nodded his head and said: "It's just that the old man is getting older and chatters a little more. He can listen to what he likes, and he can listen to it if he doesn't. Young people nowadays have many ideas. It's on...why didn't that kid from the Pei family come?"

Pei Xingjian's father and brother all served under Wagang Li Mi, Fang Xuanling was not familiar with him, but it did not hinder Fang Xuanling's appreciation of Pei Xingjian.Compared with Erlang, who was misbehaving in his own family, he obviously prefers Pei Xingjian, a son of aristocratic family, who has outstanding temperament, talent, learning and good moral character.

It stands to reason that when I arrived in Huating Town, Pei Xingjian, the leader of Huating Town, must come to respond. Could it be that something urgent happened...

Sure enough, Wang Xuance respectfully said: "If you go back to the house minister, because of the collapse of the lighthouse on Sheshan Island, more than a dozen civilians were killed and dozens of people were injured, so Pei Changshi had to rush to deal with it, and ordered the humble officer to meet Fang Xiang and Wei again. Lord, if you are rude, look at Fang Xiang and Wei Gong Haihan."

"Snake Mountain Island? Lighthouse?",

Fang Xuanling looked puzzled, and wondered: "What's going on?"

Even if he is in charge of the entire Great Tang Empire as a prime minister, it is impossible for him to remember the names of all parts of the world, at least he has never heard of the name "Snake Mountain Island".

And... lighthouse, what is that?
Fang Xuanling's first reaction was that his bastard son was whimsical and came up with something interesting... A lighthouse, as the name suggests, is a beautiful tower with a light on it. This thing is not only beautiful and fun, but also functional what?

In 270 BC, a group of Greek architects built the world's first recorded lighthouse on Pharos Island to guide ships entering Alexandria. Later, this lighthouse became one of the seven wonders of the ancient world .

In the following hundreds of years, the ancient Romans imitated the Alexandria Lighthouse and built many lighthouses, standing in various ports.

However, on the land of China, which has never paid much attention to the ocean, it was not until the 20th year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty that the first lighthouse in China, the Chongwu Lighthouse, was built by private funds in Huian County, Fujian Province... In the [-]th year of Yongle, the government was located in the southeast of Liuhe Estuary at the mouth of the Yangtze River. On the beach, a "earth mound with a square meter of [-] feet and a height of more than [-] feet is built, on which smoke is raised during the day and a fire is lit at night" to guide ships in and out of the Yangtze River estuary.

So even Fang Xuanling, who is as knowledgeable as he is, doesn't know what this "lighthouse" is...

Wang Xuance explained: "It is to build an eighty-foot-high tower on Snake Mountain Island, and every night there will be flames on it..."

Fang Xuanling was dumbfounded: "Eighty feet tall?"

Although he doesn't know how to build earth and stone, but he knows how to count. An eighty-foot-high tower... Damn, is Erlang a bastard trying to poke a hole in the sky?
Wang Xuance said proudly: "That's right, eighty feet high! Because when he decided to build this lighthouse, Erlang once said that the world's first lighthouse in Alexandria, far in the west, would be seventy feet high. He is tall, so he must be eighty feet!"

They built a seventy-foot lighthouse, so you have to build an eighty-foot lighthouse?
Fang Xuanling felt that his brain was hurting. This statement is very boring, but it is indeed the style of his bastard son...

The most important thing is that this bastard did not mention this matter in Chang'an, this is simply unforgivable!
Fang Xuanling held back his anger. After all, he wanted to save some face for his son in front of outsiders. After taking a breath, Li Jing who was beside him suddenly asked, "How much does this lighthouse cost?"

Fang Xuanling was stunned for a moment, his heart twitched, and he looked nervously at Wang Xuance.

He understood why Li Jing asked this question. Such a huge lighthouse must be expensive to build. Although Huating Town has the highest taxation in the world, it is money from the imperial court after all. It is used to build such a flashy plaything. If officials catch him, a wave of impeachment is almost inevitable.

This bastard...

Wang Xuance couldn't understand the two people's worries for a while, and said casually: "This lighthouse was designed by Yuming and Erlang together. It will take two years to build, and the total cost will reach 60 yuan..."

"..."

Fang Xuanling only felt that there was something blocking his heart, and he almost couldn't catch his breath.

60...

Prodigal son!

Even if you earned our family's money, even if our family can afford 60 yuan, it will cost a year's tax of a medium-sized state capital to build such a thing... Are you fucking going to die?

Even Wen Runping and Fang Xuanling couldn't suppress his anger this time, his beard trembled with anger, and he blurted out: "Nonsense, it's nonsense! This kid is lawless and reckless, do you think that no one cares about this world anymore?" Got him? This is not a son of man!"

Li Jing also shook his head and sighed, not knowing what to say: "This Erlang... really has courage!"

60 million guan!

Good guy, Li Jing thinks that he is big enough, but compared with Fang Erlang, he is simply not in the same breath.

For this amount, I am afraid that he will be impeached a hundred times by the censors, and he will never die.

If it was a tyrannical emperor like Emperor Sui Yang, it might not be impossible to just pull it out and chop it up...

Just at this moment, a group of merchants passed by and heard Fang Xuanling and Li Jing's words. One of them stood still, stared at Fang Xuanling and said, "This old man is so confused. Fang Erlang built the lighthouse to benefit the common people. After the lighthouse was built, I don’t know how many fishermen and merchant ships have been blessed! Such a kind deed, how did it become a reckless nonsense in your mouth? Besides, whether it is 60 guan or 600 million guan, it is also Fang Erlang’s own money. Flowers or not, what does it matter to you?"

The person next to him glanced at Wang Xuance, who was dressed in an official robe, and saw that his official position was not high, so he didn't care much, and said in agreement: "Fang Erlang has a kind heart, and I can't bear to see countless fishing boats and merchant ships that get lost every year when they enter the mouth of the Yangtze River. The waterway caused the rocks to capsize, so they paid for the construction of this lighthouse, and even rejected our suggestion of donating money in order to prevent possible troubles. Such good deeds are enough to make countless fishermen and sea merchants set up shrines and offer incense for them. How can we get it? Your comment of 'not being a son of man'?"

Wang Xuance on the side pretended to be stupid and kept silent, letting the two merchants be angry at Fang Xuanling, and had no intention of intervening to stop them. Obviously, he didn't take Fang Xuanling's words of reprimanding Fang Jun seriously.

Fang Xuanling couldn't laugh or cry.

Unexpectedly, because I scolded my son a few words, I was taught a lesson by passers-by who "see the injustice on the road"...

But who is he?The prime minister can hold a boat in his belly, so he won't be angry about it. He will compare with these merchants to see if I, an old man, can scold my son for "not being a son of man".

What he cared more about was... the 60 yuan was actually paid for by that bastard himself?
Seeing the injustice, those merchants gave Fang Xuanling and Li Jing a lesson, probably because they had important matters to attend to, they left in a hurry, leaving Fang Xuanling and Li Jing looking at each other with wry smiles, shaking their heads endlessly.

However, both of them had the same doubt in their hearts: What is this lighthouse worth 60 guan?
(End of this chapter)