spend time

Zheng Chen was so angry that his handsome face turned black. Arguing in public was not only unworthy of a Zhongshu Sheren, but also unmanly. Not to mention, Jiang Shaohua and Chen Jinyu were in cahoots with each other, so even if he wanted to argue, he couldn't win.

Zheng Chen shut his mouth in annoyance, and the annoying buzzing sound in his ears finally stopped.

Jiang Shaohua continued to watch attentively.

After three days, the craftsmen successfully made a plan for building the river embankment, made a sand table model, and submitted it one level at a time, waiting for their superiors to review and decide.

"According to the previous procedures, how long will this process take?" Jiang Shaohua asked Zhao Dahong.

The princess came for several days, watching them do their work every day, and never got angry with anyone. Under the premise that their lives were not in danger, Zhao Dahong was much less afraid of the princess. He thought for a while and replied: "It will take five or six days at the shortest, and it's hard to say if it will take longer, maybe half a month."

Not only the Ministry of Works, but all the other six ministries in Daliang performed similar tasks, with lengthy procedures and shockingly low efficiency.

Jiang Shaohua pulled the corners of his mouth, but there was no smile in his eyes: "The craftsman's room is very good, and he works hard without procrastination. This princess has seen it all. You continue to be busy and prepare for the on-site inspection."

Zhao Dahong and Fang Yu looked at each other and mustered up the courage to ask, "The superiors haven't held a meeting to discuss and decide yet."

Jiang Shaohua said calmly: "Don't worry! It will be very fast!"

Then he got up and left.

Minister Zhou had been on tenterhooks for a few days, but seeing that the Ministry of Works was calm, his vigilance was mostly gone. As usual, he called a meeting of all the officials in the Ministry of Works.

The embankment construction plan made by the craftsman's room has a total of more than 40 pages. It is necessary to build an 80-li embankment, with each 10-li section as a section. The topography of each section of the river bank is clearly marked, and the method of building the embankment is also written on it. There is also a sand table model, which is even clearer at a glance.

Officials sat around a long table according to their ranks. Shangshu Zhou first looked through the plan, and the officials waited anxiously. Shangshu Zhou was old and had blurred vision, and it seemed quite difficult for him to read it. He read it for a long time before passing it to the assistant minister.

At this rate, it would take half a day to circulate it once. And to discuss and decide on each item one by one would take countless words and time. No wonder the work was so slow!
Jiang Shaohua suddenly said, "Minister Zhou, building the river embankment is the priority of the Ministry of Works, and it is also a major event for the country, which concerns the safety of thousands of people. Now that we have a plan, we should decide it as soon as possible and don't waste time."

Minister Zhou was unhappy, but his tone was still polite: "My Lord, you are concerned about the government affairs of the country and the safety of the people. I admire you. However, building a river embankment is a big deal and we must be very careful. Otherwise, if the river embankment is not up to standard, it will be flooded and destroyed, and the county towns and villages on both sides of the river will be destroyed. This is a serious matter and must be carefully discussed and considered."

"My princess has never been to the Ministry of Industry before, and is not familiar with our procedures. Please be patient and wait for a while."

The last sentence did reveal a hint of dissatisfaction.

You are a teenage girl and you know nothing, so don't meddle and give orders.

The officials of the Ministry of Works nodded in agreement, with serious expressions on their faces.

Jiang Shaohua pulled the corners of her mouth, but there was no smile in her eyes. She glanced at the faces of the officials and said lightly: "I really don't know how the Ministry of Works does things. When I was in Nanyang County, once I gave a task, Shen Gongzheng, who was in charge of the workshop, would complete it in the shortest time. For example, the new plow was made after two nights of hard work."

"I have watched the craftsmen work these days, and no one has been lazy or slack. It is indeed not a small matter to discuss and decide, but there is no need to spend too much time. I will give you two days to discuss the results, and I will report back to the emperor."

Two days?

how can that be!

Minister Zhou was the first to speak out in rebuttal, and the other officials also spoke up. For a moment, there was a sense of excitement. Zheng Chen watched coldly, thinking, I want to see how you end up.

Jiang Shaohua did not stand up, nor did he try to appease anyone. His attitude was very tough: "Everyone from the Ministry of Works is here. If you have any opinions or ideas, just bring them up for discussion. If you don't have enough time, don't go back. Stay in the government office for food and lodging."

"I will not leave either. I will stay here with you all. I will also take a good look at how the Ministry of Works is doing its job. It all depends on how Minister Zhou and the two assistant ministers will be graded on their performance evaluation forms this month."

Minister Zhou: “…”

The two assistant ministers of the Ministry of Works: “…”

Minister Zhou was struggling between swallowing his anger and exploding.

Jiang Shaohua ignored the twitching face of Minister Zhou and turned to instruct Chen Jinyu: "Mr. Chen, go get the plan and read it out to the sand table. Be articulate and finish it in half an hour."

He also instructed Zheng Chen: "This meeting is very important. Please ask Zheng Sheren to take the trouble to write some work and present it to the emperor after returning to the palace."

Chen Jinyu immediately agreed and stepped forward to take the plan from the Left Assistant Minister.

Zheng Chen couldn't and couldn't expose Jiang Shaohua in front of everyone, so he asked for pen and ink with an expressionless face and started writing.

Chen Jinyu had been training with Jiang Shaohua for several years. Apart from other things, his articulation was first-rate. His voice was clear, pleasant and organized. He understood the ready-made sand table model even more clearly.

Minister Zhou had a sour face and said nothing, but the two assistant ministers had already pricked up their ears to listen. As for the other officials, even their immediate superiors were silent, so what else could they say? Just cut out the nonsense and get straight to the point and discuss!

After half an hour, Chen Jinyu had finished reading.

With such a long buffer period, Minister Zhou had enough time to calm down. He began to preside over the meeting and let the officials express their opinions.

The young master of the Anguo Mansion, the nephew of the Empress Dowager Zheng, was writing down everything that was said and presenting it to the emperor. You can drink as much tea as you want, but you can't say anything.

Adhering to the principle of "speak more, make more mistakes, speak less, make fewer mistakes", officials spoke briefly and to the point, with almost no nonsense. The progress was several times faster than usual.

The princess showed off her power at the beginning, but then she didn't say anything, and she really didn't interfere in the affairs of the Ministry of Works. But with someone like this sitting next to her, watching her with a fierce look, who would dare to slack off?
As the sky gradually darkened, the sound of night watchmen outside could be heard.

According to the usual routine, it is time for everyone to leave the government office and go out for a drink to have fun.

The princess had no intention of getting up and leaving, and instead ordered someone to light candles and lights, and also asked the Ministry of Works kitchen to prepare a simple dinner.

Well, keep busy!
In the past, the yamen food and lodging were just a few words, with at most a few people on duty in the yamen. Tonight, they were really busy until the hour of Hai.

Minister Zhou finally couldn't bear it anymore and yawned twice in succession.

Jiang Shaohua then stood up and said with a smile: "Thank you all for your hard work. I will come again tomorrow." (End of this chapter)