Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Just as the uncle and nephew of the Qian family were talking about Fangshen Temple, Yu Huang, who was also the mayor of Dongcheng District, was also discussing Fangshen Temple with some officials.

Looking at the golden platform being built in front of the temple, Yu Huang sighed:
"Your Majesty is truly respectful to the wise and humble."

"We must build the Golden Terrace to attract wise men to come here."

The officials nearby echoed the sentiment, and Yu Huang instructed the priest of the Fangshen Temple:
"There should be seats set up on and beside the golden platform, allowing people to speak and debate."

"Those who can continue to take seats on the stage without being refuted should be recorded."

"Perhaps in the future someone will be enshrined in the temple and become a great sage like Yue Yi and Zou Yan."

The priest in Tai Chi robes responded, and an accompanying official said:
"Preaching and debating are all about talking, and this dynasty has never attached importance to this."

"Why did Your Majesty build the Golden Platform specifically for people to tell stories and debate?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Huang looked over and recognized it as Zhang Wenyu, the Minister of Works.

This person also worked for the eunuch party and is one of the remnants of the eunuch party preserved by the current emperor.

Because of similar experiences, and knowing that the emperor attached great importance to officials like Zhang Wenyu who could organize engineering projects, Yu Huang smiled and said:

"Minister Zhang, you don't know this. Nowadays, every government office in the imperial court has appointed a spokesperson."

"These people have to convey the court's news to the public and answer questions from reporters. Don't they need to be good at talking?"

"So the emperor built the Golden Terrace specifically to recruit such talents and employ them according to their abilities."

"This way, court officials don't need to focus on talking, but can just focus on their job."

"Otherwise, Minister Zhang, think about how you should respond to the reporters?"

Zhang Wenyu felt a headache just thinking about it. Those young scholars who served as reporters would not care about the face of court officials when asking questions.

The term "folk censor" is becoming more and more true to its name. Many journalists and writers also regard themselves as censors and specialize in asking officials questions that stump them.

Zhang Wenyu had attended several press conferences and felt bad about them. So after hearing Yu Huang's explanation, he immediately smiled and said:
"This is a good idea!"

“To deal with those reporters, you need people who can debate.”

"It's better to be educated. You can't be ignorant of allusions and terminology."

"Anyone who can survive being defeated and lose his seat on the Golden Stage is indeed qualified to be a spokesperson."

He appreciated this matter very much and planned to come up with several debate topics after the completion of the Golden Terrace and recruit spokespersons for the Ministry of Works, Shaofu Temple, Wensiyuan and other institutions.

As he was already a high-ranking official at the level of Vice Minister, he certainly understood that the emperor's use of such people as spokespersons actually reduced the burden on officials and saved them from having to focus on talking.

The Ming officialdom still needs officials who can do practical things, not those who boast and become famous in newspapers. Press spokespersons may seem glorious, but in fact they are just a bunch of people who are not Jinshi graduates.

A few people walked leisurely and came to the building block model of the Fangshen Temple. Zhang Wenyu looked at the main hall built according to the prince's specifications and said:
"Your Majesty has made King Zhao of Yan the god of Jintaifang, which really boosted the morale of all the gods in the world."

"From now on, no one can look down upon the gods of the shrines."

He pointed to a side hall next to it and said:

"I heard that there is a special Shixian Hall in the side hall of the Jintaifang Temple, which is dedicated to worshipping people who have made contributions in time."

“It is possible that all the portraits hung on the bell tower are enshrined inside?”

Yu Huang smiled and nodded:
"It is precisely because of this that the specifications of the Jintaifang Temple are so high."

"Zhang Heng, Su Song, Guo Shoujing and other sages who have made contributions to timekeeping instruments have been confirmed to enter the Hall of Time Sages."

"If Minister Zhang can complete a reward when he builds the bell tower, he may be able to enter it a hundred years in the future."

Zhang Wenyu did have this thought, but in front of outsiders, he waved his hand and said:
"Zhang is good at construction, but not at timekeeping instruments."

"If you want to fulfill His Majesty's reward, you need to be extremely proficient in clocks."

"It has not yet been decided who will be in charge of the construction of the clock tower!"

Yu Huang knew something about the clock tower proposal solicitation, so he asked:

"This is something that Minister Zhang is good at, why hasn't it been decided yet?"

"Did they encounter some difficulties, or did they fail to allocate money and grain?"

Zhang Wenyu sighed and said:

"Your Majesty has prepared the money and food, so there won't be any problems in the early stages."

"It's just that there are too many design options for the clock tower, and we haven't decided on one yet."

"Brick towers, wooden towers, square towers, octagonal towers, and Western clock towers..."

"There are so many plans that the Ministry of Industry has not yet decided on any one of them."

As he spoke, he took the building blocks next to the model, casually placed a square tower, pointed at it and said:

"This is a square tower designed after the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, with bricks imitating wooden structure."

"It is said that the Big Wild Goose Pagoda originally had ten floors, but now only has seven floors left, and is more than 60 meters high. According to its design, if it is increased to ten floors, it should be about 100 meters high."

"Its appearance is simple and elegant, but the usable space inside is small and the wooden pillars required are also troublesome."

The exterior of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda is made of bricks and stones, but there are dozens of wooden pillars inside the tower. This was not a difficult task for the Tang Dynasty, but it was very troublesome for the Ming Dynasty, which lacked large trees.

Zhang Wenyu believed that even if the tower was modeled after the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, the wooden pillars should be replaced with reinforced concrete pillars. However, cement and concrete were new things, and Daming had never cast such high pillars, which was a big difficulty.

Then there is the appearance of the tower. Some people think that the octagonal shape like the Da Baoen Temple's glazed pagoda is better looking, and covered with glazed tiles on the outside, it is even more dazzling.

Some people also think that Tiger Hill Pagoda and Baochu Pagoda are also good and their designs can be imitated.

Some people even suggested adding four more clocks to the planned four-sided clock to make it an eight-sided clock, so that people from all directions can more easily see the giant clock on the clock tower.

Some Western missionaries, after learning about the construction of the bell tower, proposed a Western quadrangular bell tower design and joined the competition for the bell tower.

In addition, because the bell tower is too high, its military use needs to be considered.

Zhang Wenyu has been having a headache about this recently and doesn't know which plan to submit to the emperor.

Yu Huang listened to his complaints and knew that he was seeking the opinion of a close minister of the emperor. Moreover, the bell tower was built in Jintaifang, which also required the cooperation of a local official of Dongcheng District.

Thinking about how he had advised the emperor not to build a large-scale wonder, but now he had to participate in the construction of the bell tower, Yu Huang chuckled and said:

"I think all these plans are good."

"Why don't you submit them all and let His Majesty decide."

Zhang Wenyu also wanted to do this, but when he thought of Wang Chengen's instructions, he shook his head and said:
"The final decision will definitely be left to His Majesty."

"But the Ministry of Industry also needs to make it clear which plan it prefers the most."

"Minister Yu used to be by His Majesty's side, so he must know that His Majesty doesn't like officials who don't take responsibility."

"Things that can be made clear should not be ambiguous."

This is actually Zhu Youjian's lazy politics, he was lazy in various ways. He would be very concerned about things related to the Ming Dynasty or things that he was interested in.

But in ordinary matters, he would be lazy if possible. When officials were asked to submit memorials, he would give suggestions for solutions.

The Prime Minister is required to draft or agree to a bill, and when he does not want to deal with it, he will approve it according to the Prime Minister's opinion.

Many civil officials thought that the emperor respected the Prime Minister, but Yu Huang knew that the emperor was just being lazy.

Otherwise, the emperor would have to review memorials all day long and would have no time to practice martial arts or play.

Now he said to Zhang Wenyu:
"Your Majesty does like clear opinions. Your Ministry of Works' proposals should be arranged in order."

"If Minister Zhang is really undecided, I do have a solution, but I don't know if you are willing to listen."

Of course Zhang Wenyu was willing to listen, and took Yu Huang's hand and said:
"Brother, please tell me quickly!"

"If you can solve this problem, I will definitely thank you very much!"

The officials nearby also listened attentively, hoping to learn about the emperor's preferences from Yu Huang.

Yu Huang knew what these people were up to and said with a smile:
"I am by His Majesty's side, and I see that what He worries about most is money and food."

"So Minister Zhang must come up with a plan for this clock tower that costs the least."

“As long as it meets the requirements, put it first.”

"The same goes for the other plans. They are arranged from least to most according to the amount of money and grain spent."

"Your Majesty built the bell tower for practical purposes, not to build a spectacular sight. The more money you save, the better. You won't spend extra money just to make it look good."

This was not something he figured out, but something he saw with his own eyes.

Whenever the emperor wanted to renovate a building, the first thing he would ask about was the budget.

This is also true even if we are building a large-scale project; we will not spend extra money just for the sake of aesthetics.

After hearing this, Zhang Wenyu suddenly realized what was going on and thought of the townhouse that the emperor had asked him to design.

It was to save as much money as possible while meeting the needs of living. The emperor required that unnecessary places such as eaves and brackets be removed. Even the walls had to be shared to build townhouses.

So he clapped his hands and said:

"It's like an epiphany, it's really an epiphany!"

"Brother Yu is indeed worthy of being the emperor's close associate. I understand it immediately."

Pointing to the square tower designed after the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, he said:

"This kind of ancient square tower is the most economical."

"If reinforced concrete columns were used instead, it would probably be even more economical."

"I just don't know what His Majesty thinks of this new technology and whether he is willing to take the risk."

Yu Huang was not sure either, and said:

"I don't need to explain the importance of the clock tower. Minister Zhang should understand it."

"If it collapses after it's built, it will be troublesome."

"In my opinion, Minister Zhang had better verify it in other places before deciding whether to use it on the clock tower."

"This is a century- or even a thousand-year-long project, and it may last as long as the Big Wild Goose Pagoda."

Zhang Wenyu nodded, thinking that it should be done with caution.

At this time, Guo Xingzhi, the Minister of the Imperial Household Department in the North and also a remnant of the eunuch party, said:
"I have a good idea to verify reinforced concrete technology."

"The Shichahai Bridge is soliciting proposals, and the Ministry of Works can send people to participate."

"After the bridge is completed, there will be a lot of traffic, and there will be a lot of vehicles and pedestrians coming and going, which can verify whether the reinforced concrete technology is reliable."

"Guo returned to Beijing this time just for this matter."

"Chen Siqing was so anxious to build this bridge that he asked the Taifusi in various places to gather craftsmen who were good at bridge construction."

Yu Huang also heard about this matter and said:
"Shichahai Bridge is an important bridge connecting Gulou Street and Shichahai Street."

"After the completion of this bridge, the North First Ring Street will be connected, and communication between Dongcheng District and Xicheng District will be more convenient."

"If it can't be built, we'll have to go around the Deshengmen Gate via the diagonal street."

"That would be a much longer journey!"

In the reconstruction of the capital's streets, the streets and alleys of each district were assigned to garrison posts. At the same time, under the command of the Ministry of Works, fortifications were built to block roads in wartime, as well as underground pipelines and fortifications.

The streets connecting the entire city were under the jurisdiction of Taibusi, which was responsible for roads. The first requirement was that the roads were normal.

The same is true for the First Ring Road, which is the most important road in Taipusi.

The first tram route they planned to open in the city was a circular loop.

It can be said that after the emperor proposed the concept of a ring road, Taipu Temple was the most active in this regard.

They believe that several ring roads and the roads in between are most suitable for building public transportation.

Guo Xingzhi, the Northern Imperial Household Department Minister, was therefore called back to the capital to be in charge of the capital's roads and postal services.

With a rank as high as the third grade, half a grade higher than the Shaoqing of the Imperial Household Department, he can coordinate with various government offices more conveniently, and what he says will be more effective.

After traveling around northern Zhili and Shanxi for more than two years, Guo Xingzhi finally got a good opportunity to demonstrate his abilities in the capital city through the road reconstruction.

This time he attended the gathering of Yu Huang, Zhang Wenyu and others in order to gain support and better cooperate with each other to achieve achievements.

The reason why Yu Huang gathered with these people was because after Huang Daozhou's incident, he realized that he would never be accepted by the Donglin Party no matter what.

He could only mingle with these remnants of the eunuch party so that they could be of help when faced with court orders in the future.

However, knowing the emperor's preferences, he did not contact everyone. Those who could attend the party were capable officials such as Zhang Wenyu and Guo Xingzhi. That was why the emperor kept them.

As for why these assistant ministers and ministers of the temple gave face to Yu Huang, it was naturally because of his status as a close minister of the emperor.

As one of the emperor's earliest ministers, and one who had been trained by his side for more than two years, anyone with a discerning eye could see that Yu Huang would definitely be put to great use. Maybe in a dozen years, he could become a cabinet minister.

This was because the emperor implemented the Mokan Law, and Yu Huang had to be promoted step by step. Otherwise, he might have been promoted faster, and he would have become a cabinet minister in just a few years.

Yu Huang now needs to be promoted step by step and make contributions over the years to reduce the number of probationary periods.

Therefore, he was very concerned about things that could bring meritorious service, such as the renovation of streets and alleys and the construction of clock towers.

The Shichahai Bridge connecting Dongcheng District and Xicheng District also attracted his attention.

After Guo Xingzhi mentioned this, he immediately expressed his full support.

Shichahai Bridge connects to Gulou Street. He will send people to complete the demolition as soon as possible. (End of this chapter)