Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 645: Poor Liu He
Liu He took the booklet and just opened it when Xun Yu spoke first.

"Yunhai Governor Xun Chen reported that he had dug deep into the foundation of Dinghe City in the past few days and found that there were many places where the sand layer was thicker than originally expected. The thickest place was nearly six feet. And a few days ago, he discussed with Tong Jian that Dinghe City was only thirty-two miles away from the bank of the Yellow River. Not only could the ground not be lowered, but it had to be raised by at least two feet more than before, so that the city was located on a high ground. This was the only way to ensure long-term security. If the construction was carried out in this way, the money required would be two hundred million more than previously estimated, and the construction period would have to be further delayed..."

When Liu He heard about this, he was immediately overwhelmed again.

The delay in the construction period is not a big deal. With four cities, at least the families of the former Baibo Army bandits can be resettled first. However, money is what he lacks the most now. Money is needed everywhere, and it is not enough everywhere. Liu He is now almost unable to move forward because of the issue of money and food. It is really a headache.

Xun Yu continued, "The new craftsman He Chang once proposed an idea, but..."

Liu He's eyes lit up, and he asked hurriedly, "What's the idea?"

Xun Yu said hesitantly: "This is just his conjecture. Although it makes sense, it is difficult to implement."

Liu He didn't care about that: "Just tell me first. I think He Chang has some skills. He is better than those helpless craftsmen before. Maybe there is a way that can work."

Xun Yu said: "He suggested that if we dig several feet below the ground where the entire city is located and fill it back with soil, the project would be too large. We can first follow the method of King Yu in the past, burn huge rocks with fire, then use cold water to break them into pieces, and then use the slag to fill in the ground..."

Before he finished speaking, Liu He clapped his hands and cheered: "Great, this guy is really talented."

Xun Yu shook his head, "But there is a difficulty with this method. The foundation is still not solid enough with just gravel filling, and it still needs to be filled with soil and compacted. However, in this way, the amount of compaction work is only slightly reduced. If you add the work of breaking up the boulders, it is not much different from using soil directly. It's a pity that there is no material that can automatically fill and harden after being poured in, so this method is just a fantasy and difficult to implement."

Liu He was dumbfounded. The thing He Chang mentioned was not nothing. Wasn't it just the common concrete in his previous life? When he built a house in his hometown, he laid the foundation in the same way. He first built the foundation frame with stones, then poured concrete, and then laid bricks on top. Once the concrete was poured, he only needed to smooth the surface. Why did he need to deliberately tamp it over and over again?
It's a pity that in this day and age, where can we find such a thing as concrete?
Liu He sighed deeply: "There is no solution for this matter at the moment, let's leave it here and let me think about it carefully before making any decision."

Xun Yu and the other three looked at each other, and knowing Liu He's difficulties, they didn't say much.

There were so many government affairs to deal with that the four of them were busy until late at night before they left the study and went back to rest.

Liu He stretched and walked towards the backyard while yawning.

Before I knew it, I arrived at the east courtyard where Zhang Yu lived.

Zhang Yu was coaxing her daughter to sleep, and was a little surprised to see Liu He come in.

"Why didn't my husband go to Sister Diao Chan's room tonight?"

Liu He was also stunned: "Huh? Diao Chan?"

He quickly reacted: "Oh, I missed Yu'er, so I came here."

Zhang Yu laughed softly and cursed: "I'm afraid you've gotten used to it after so many years, so you didn't think too much about it and just followed the path?"

Liu He grinned: "How could that be? Yu'er is my good wife."

Zhang Yu didn't bother with him. Liu He walked over. Qian'er couldn't speak yet. When she saw him coming, she just stretched out her pink and chubby little hands and kept greeting him, shouting "Yeah" in her mouth. This gesture melted Liu He's heart.

"Oh, my dear daughter, my dear baby, Daddy loves you the most."

Liu He was about to hug her, but was slapped away by Zhang Yu.

"Go away, Qian'er, it's time to go to bed. Come back tomorrow if you want to hold me."

Liu He was frustrated and sniffed: "Well, alas, I am a great general, but I can't even hold my own daughter. In the end, the general's wife is the most important."

Zhang Yu glared at him in feigned anger and said, "Go, sit on your bed. I'll go get some water."

"Hey, that's good."

When Liu He heard this, he ran to the main room and sat down beside the bed. As soon as he took off his boots, Zhang Yu came over with hot water.

As soon as I put my feet inside, a warm current suddenly flowed through my body.

"Tsk tsk tsk... so comfortable... is there any enjoyment in the world that is more beautiful than this? I don't think there is, hehe."

Zhang Yu rubbed his feet and scolded him with a smile: "If others heard what you said, who would believe it? The great general of the Han Dynasty can be so satisfied just for a foot bath."

Liu He replied casually: "That's enough. Those rich people can enjoy it, but I don't have that luck."

Zhang Yu frowned slightly, as if she had heard something, but it was only fleeting. She did not ask and continued to scrub him. After a while, after washing, she wiped Liu He clean and went out with hot water.

Liu He took off his clothes and lay down on the bed, and Zhang Yu also came back.

"Come on, go to sleep."

He lifted the quilt and let Zhang Yu lie down in it. Then he fell asleep, but Zhang Yu stopped him.

"My dear, I have something to discuss with you."

Liu He was a little surprised: "Oh? Yu'er rarely takes the initiative to discuss things with me. Haha, come on, let me see what can stump my good wife."

"You're so frivolous." Zhang Yu slapped him.

"Now the expenses of the mansion are increasing day by day. Sister Diao Chan is here. She is so young, it may be inconvenient for her to take care of herself. We must send more maids to serve her. And my sister will have to give birth to children for her husband, so we need more manpower. I think that the mansion has always relied on the court for support, which is bound to be a great burden to the court. Although my father and mother have been growing vegetables and raising chickens in the backyard, it is not a big deal. So I think it would be better for me to take the servants to do some work in the mansion and ask the people from the merchant company to collect the money according to the market price, so as to reduce the burden on the court."

Liu He was deeply moved when he heard this.

They have been married for so many years, how could he not know what Zhang Yu meant by this?
Now that his ascension to the throne had been finalized, it was unquestionable that she, as the principal wife, would be promoted to queen. However, she was not happy about it at all. Instead, she began to worry about her husband's affairs early on.

It was no secret that he was short of money and food. It was fine that Zhang Yu was frugal in her daily life, but now she was the wife of a great general and the future empress, and she would have to work in the palace in the future. Although she could not be of much use, how could one not be moved by the couple's love for each other in times of trouble?

Liu He gently held her hand and said with some concern: "Yu'er, what are you talking about? Your husband can support so many court officials and the army, but can't he support his own family? You used to spin yarn with mother. Every year, except for court robes and armor, more than half of the clothes we wear are woven and sewn by you. It is already precious and very hard. You don't have to bear the burden of running the family business, Yu'er."

Zhang Yu disagreed: "We women and servants in the mansion have been idle most of the time, so doing some work is good for entertainment. If we sell them, we can first buy some utensils for the mansion, secondly increase the wages for the servants, and thirdly, let us, who never go out of the house, see more of the world. It's a three-pronged approach, why not do it?"

Liu He couldn't convince her, so he could only agree: "Okay, mother has already said that everything in the backyard is up to you, but don't work too hard."

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "My husband, what do you think we should do? Since we want to make money, we should do something that is more profitable."

"This..." Liu He was also in trouble for a moment.

"The most expensive things on the market are porcelain, gold, silver, jade, silk, antiques, calligraphy and paintings, etc. But these things, antiques, calligraphy and paintings are needless to say, the rest of the things also require extremely high skills, and cannot be learned in a short period of time. As for the others, I am not too sure."

Zhang Yu pursed her lips and said, "Hmm... it would be nice if there was a more complete and detailed booklet. If that doesn't work, my husband can ask someone from a business in the city to come to the mansion, and I'll ask him for advice before making a decision."

When she said this, Liu He suddenly had an idea in his mind.

"Yes, the booklet! How could I forget such an important thing!"

He kissed Zhang Yu fiercely: "Haha, my dear Yu'er, don't worry, I will have something good for you tomorrow. Come, go to bed first."

Although Zhang Yu was a little puzzled, seeing that her husband was so happy, she did not ask any more questions, and the two of them fell asleep in each other's arms.

(End of this chapter)