Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 126 This is not the human world, this is clearly a fairyland! (Part )
There were more than a dozen carriages in the convoy, and none of them were royal carriages. They were all newly built here. The specifications and systems were the same as those of the palace, but the riding experience was completely different.

The first thing is shock absorption. The carriages in the palace had almost no shock absorption. The technology was just like that. Don’t expect the carriages to have suspension in a place where horse steps were only invented two or three hundred years ago.

The experience of riding in this carriage is completely different when it comes to having suspension and when it comes to not having suspension. The roads in Fuliang County are all cement roads flattened from gravel. The wheels of the carriage are wrapped with coconut palm and have a steel plate suspension. It is quiet and smooth to sit in, and the slight swaying of the carriage even shook Emperor Hongbao to sleep.

When he suddenly woke up, he realized that it seemed to be the first time for him to ride in such a carriage, so he hurriedly asked the old eunuch next to him: "Tian En, do you feel something different?"

"Your Majesty, I don't understand what you mean."

“It’s this car. It doesn’t shake.”

Tian En also reacted after hearing this: "Yeah! It's true! If your Majesty hadn't told me, I wouldn't have noticed it. Your Majesty is really observant."

He hadn't felt it yet, but he had felt it a long time ago. But what could he do? He shook the snoring emperor next to him awake, and then asked, "Hey, old Tuoba, why is this car not so bumpy?"

There are many ways to seek death, but it is probably unnecessary to do so in this way...

"You were careless when you were young." Hong Baodi squatted in the carriage while speaking. He put one hand on the chassis of the carriage and felt it quietly: "Interesting, let's find a chance to see what the mystery is later."

There were a lot of people who had the same feeling as him, especially those ministers who were often on business trips. Many of them were even more ignorant than Emperor Hongbao. Some people from the Ministry of Works even put their ears to the floor of the carriage to figure out why the carriage did not seem bumpy.

But in the end they still didn't understand why, but they had arrived at their accommodation.

The carriage slowly entered the courtyard. All the staff of Fuliang High-level Post Station, headed by Xia Lin, were already there to greet them. As soon as Emperor Hongbao lifted the curtain, the people below started shouting "Long live the emperor".

"No need for courtesy..."

Emperor Hongbao was still smiling and saying "no need to be polite", but when he looked up, he was shocked, because in front of him appeared a three-story building. It can be said to be three stories high, but each floor is estimated to be three zhang high, and three floors are nine zhang. What's more important is that it is wide. When the two ends are connected, it is roughly more than twenty zhang, which makes the house look particularly huge.

Moreover, the decoration above is very different from other places. The surface looks like it is made of stone bricks. Emperor Hongbao looked at it for a while, frowned, and walked inside with his hands behind his back: "Let Xia Daosheng come in and talk!"

The sudden change of expression made everyone a little confused. Xia Lin was also stunned for a moment. He looked for help at Prince Teng and Lao Guo who were following His Majesty. They both shook their heads silently, but Lao Guo still gave him a look, asking him to catch up quickly and not let His Majesty wait too long.

Speaking of Emperor Hongbao, he was already astonished when he saw it outside, and he was even more surprised when he came in. The magnificence here was no less than that of the imperial palace. The floor was polished marble, and the walls were made of a fluorescent and shiny jade-like material. Even he, an emperor, didn't know what material it was, but he just thought this place was too luxurious.

He spent 5.5 million taels to build a palace for the Empress Dowager in Jiangxia, but in the end it was nowhere near as large or luxurious as this place. It was a shame to spend so much money!

At this moment, all the officials following behind were silent as a mouse, because even they rarely saw Emperor Hongbao lose his temper like this, he always appeared as a good guy.

But it's no wonder. The first time they saw the palace in this state, they felt their whole bodies numb. The huge seamless stone bricks and the windows decorated with crystals on every side, just thinking about the amount of money must be astronomical.

Xia Lin followed the prince and Lao Guo all the way to the super large box that had been prepared long ago.

He didn't think it was a big deal, but everyone including Prince Teng Lao Guo shouted "Wow" the moment they entered, and even Emperor Hong Bao paused for a moment.

The luxury of this place... How can I describe it? The floor is covered with pure wool carpets with exquisite patterns, the curtains are made of silk, and the windows are made of whole pieces of pure crystal. And the crystal chandelier above the head, wow... It hangs like a palace in fairyland, illuminating the room with colorful lights, and there is a whole wall of murals on the wall. If you look closely, you will find that it is made of expensive ceramics, and the murals depict the night view of Jinling.

The chairs and the table were all made of mahogany, and were two meters square, able to seat dozens of people. There was also a mahogany turntable on the table to ensure that everyone could have their meals.

There is also a leather soft chair at one end of the room. When you press it with your hand, it feels as fresh and pleasant as cotton. You can't help but imagine how comfortable it would be to sleep on it.

What’s even more exaggerated is that this room is not only spacious but also airy. You can tell at a glance that the lights there are not candles, as candles are not this bright.

The furnishings around it are so extravagant that they make people shudder with fear.

"Fuliang County Magistrate Xia Lin, come here!"

Hong Baodi walked to the sofa and sat down with a plop. Although he spoke sternly, he could feel a soft and comfortable feeling behind him. He couldn't help but sigh in his heart: "It's so comfortable..."

At this moment, Xia Lin walked forward with a confused look on his face. Emperor Hongbao looked him over and asked, "Are you Xia Daosheng?"

"Your Majesty, it's me."

"Your Majesty!"

Of course Xia Lin refused, and instead stood there and argued: "Your Majesty, if you want to beat, punish, kill, or cut me, you have to be clear about the right and wrong. I really don't know what I did to make Your Majesty unhappy. I wonder if Your Majesty can tell me the reason."

Emperor Hongbao sneered and nodded: "Okay, okay, you said so, then today I will let you die knowingly. Tell me the truth, how much money did you spend on this place! How much of the people's blood and sweat did you extort!"

"This?" Xia Lin's eyes flickered with confusion: "Are you talking about this place?"

"Exactly!" "Hey..."

Xia Lin heaved a sigh of relief, thinking that something had happened. He heaved a sigh of relief: "Your Majesty, my words are not enough, so I might as well hand you the account book directly. With so many adults here today, you will know whether the account book is true or false at a glance. Ma Zhou, go and get the account book for Your Majesty to review."

In fact, Lao Guo and the prince were a little worried, because the last time they came here, it was not so luxurious. But who knew that it would become like this in such a short time. This was even more shocking than the imperial palace...

But they both actually knew Xia Lin's methods, so they were not too worried. They just wanted to see how he would respond.

After a while, Ma Zhou brought out the accounts. The officials from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Personnel next to him were about to step forward to check the accounts, but Emperor Hongbao raised his hand and said, "I'll do it. When I was regent, I worked in the Ministry of Revenue for five years."

He actually had other intentions when he said this. If the account was too exaggerated and other officials knew about it, he would not be able to protect himself...

After opening the account, he sat on the sofa and carefully calculated it. After looking at it for a few times, he hummed and said, "For such a large palace, you only spent 1.2 million taels?"

As soon as this sentence came out, some of the others shuddered in their hearts while others laughed secretly. If you spend too much money, you will only be punished, and at most be exiled. But if you deceive the emperor... Hehe, let alone Guo Da, even the king of heaven can't save him.

"Yes, half of it is artificial."

"Okay!" Emperor Hongbao sneered, "Then I will interrogate you in detail."

Xia Lin stood there, and the civil and military officials stood behind him, some worried and some waiting for the excitement. At this time, Emperor Hongbao pointed at something on the account: "What is glass? Where did this 55,000 taels come from?"

"Glass is crystal, but this is crystal made by Fuliang County. The 55,000 taels are because we rushed to work these days and burned a kiln. The actual glass is only 5,000 taels. If Your Majesty doesn't believe me, I will take Your Majesty to visit the glass workshop in a few days. This thing is not a rare thing."

Hong Baodi nodded, and then continued: "Seventy thousand taels of cement? You also calculated the money for water and mud? You are so bold!"

Xia Lin pursed his lips and forced himself not to laugh. Then he squatted on the ground and lifted a corner of the carpet to reveal the gray ground underneath. "Your Majesty, this is cement. It is not water and mud but a kind of...soil used for building houses and roads. The road that Your Majesty has walked all the way here is paved with cement. Please have a look."

Emperor Hongbao squatted down, and the officials around him all squatted down and began to pretend to investigate. Sure enough, what they thought was marble at first turned out not to be marble but something very similar to marble, except that it was coated with a layer of varnish to make it look bright and smooth.

After that, Emperor Hongbao continued to ask unwillingly: "What about the tiles? I remember that porcelain is expensive, why are they so cheap?"

"Your Majesty, tiles are different from porcelain. Tiles only cost nine hundred to one thousand taels to burn, while porcelain needs one thousand three hundred taels. The cost difference is not a little bit. The pattern on it was also drawn by a painter in advance. As long as there is a plate, it can be used all the time. To be honest, that painter is really shady. He charged me five hundred taels for drawing such a picture."

"What about these leather and wool?"

Emperor Hongbao's question really made Xia Lin laugh this time. "I went to the grassland to do business before. They were poor and could only exchange oil and fur for our goods. This carpet was made of wool from there, and was woven in a textile workshop in Fuliang County. The sofa your majesty is sitting on is also made of leather tanned from the grassland, and it is also filled with wool, which is very cheap... They don't have the ability to weave, and one catty of wool costs ten coins. One tael of silver can buy ten catties of wool. The sheepskin sofa your majesty is sitting on is about eight taels of silver if calculated according to the cost price, but the account is not calculated in this way. The human labor is also included."

"I know." Emperor Hongbao's expression had eased a lot at this moment, and he continued to look through the accounts until he let out a long sigh: "I will definitely go and consider it in person in a few days. Do you know the crime of deceiving the emperor?"

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. I am a person who is very afraid of death." Xia Lin bowed his hands and bowed: "I would never dare to do anything that would deceive the king."

After hearing this explanation, all the officials understood that these things were produced by others. The main cost was on labor, and the materials were not worth much.

"One million and two hundred thousand is not a small amount. Don't be so extravagant in the future." After closing the account book, Emperor Hong Bao's expression returned to normal: "You, Xia Lin, have a great reputation. Don't ruin your future because of this."

"Your Majesty, I have always been careful and prudent. The money was donated by merchants from all over Jiangnan Road, and was eventually used to nourish the people. I think Your Majesty should have discovered along the way that the people in this area are much richer than those in other places. Your Majesty, wherever you look in Fuliang, all the luxury is produced locally, and there is absolutely no arrogance or debauchery."

Emperor Hongbao nodded and glanced at his ministers: "You all should take your seats. I am hungry too. Xia Lin, go serve the food."

"I'll go now." Xia Lin bowed and turned to leave.

Emperor Hongbao suddenly burst into laughter while sitting there, and then patted the table in front of all the civil and military officials: "This boy's mind is unfathomable. If he is trained, he can be a pillar of the country. Even in front of me, he can answer questions so fluently. It's interesting! Old Nine, you have a good son-in-law."

"Ah? What? Son-in-law?"

The Ninth Prince, or Prince Teng, was stunned for a moment. Old Guo stepped on his toes, and then he reacted immediately. He laughed and said loudly, "Your Majesty, I am ashamed to say this. My daughter is really ignorant. The two of them... were secretly engaged, and it doesn't count."

"It's good enough for a couple to be in love with each other. Don't talk about whether it's a private engagement or not. I think this is the best. A talented man and a beautiful woman are a good match."

Emperor Hongbao's voice was very loud, and Prince Teng was also laughing. Only Old Guo kept looking at Gao Shilian with the sidelong glance. It could be clearly seen that Gao Shilian's face was extremely ugly at the moment, with his eyelids drooping and not moving.

At this moment, Gao Shilian wished he could stab Xia Lin directly. He had carefully planned to alienate the Emperor and the Ninth Prince. He had planned to settle the matter of Princess Changchun after his southern tour. It so happened that the new envoy from the grassland also arrived. He was carefully planning how to discuss the matter, but he was suddenly hit hard and dizzy.

When did Prince Teng have a son-in-law? Or did His Majesty say so himself? Isn't it obvious that this is just a trick to undermine his own plan?

Damn it!
But at this moment, Xia Lin had already started serving the dishes. He smiled and said, "Your Majesty, Prince, and all the gentlemen, today's banquet is called the Kiln Workers Banquet. Most of the dishes are adapted from the meals of the local kiln workers, fishermen, and miners in Fuliang. I hope Your Majesty will like it."

(End of this chapter)