Jinyi Town Mountains and Rivers

Chapter 204
On the winter solstice of the 41st year of Jiajing, Chaotian Temple completed its annual repair.

At noon on the winter solstice, people in the capital want to eat dumplings and fried liver.

He Liu brought back Bai Xiaoyan and Xiangxiang from Prince Yu's Mansion.Concubine Li also granted Feng Bao half a day off, and asked him to return to congratulate the reunion of the six families.The family is happily making dumplings and cutting pork liver in the kitchen.

Xiangxiang looked at the dumpling stuffing, and pouted unhappily: "Mother, didn't you mean to eat dumplings filled with pure meat? Why is it mixed with cabbage and meat stuffing?"

Bai Xiaoyan stretched out her hand, and deliberately wiped a large piece of white flour on Xiangxiang's little nose: "You eat meat every day and don't eat vegetables, be careful to grow up and become a big fat pig."

Xiangxiang's big eyes flashed suddenly: "Hmph, being a big fat pig is better than being a little skinny monkey."

Xiangxiang turned her head, and hugged Feng Bao's thigh who was cutting pork liver again: "Little uncle, you are so delicious?"

Feng Bao said with a smile: "Pork liver fried pork. Don't worry, it will be ready in a while."

Xiangxiang wiped the white flour on her nose: "Why is pork liver fried with pork, not pork liver fried with pork?"

He Liu said from the side: "Go, go out and play. Don't ask around here, get in the way."

Xiangxiang raised her head: "If you play rough, play hard!" After she finished speaking, she walked away bouncing on her two short legs.

Bai Xiaoyan is five months pregnant, and her belly has already appeared.She said: "By the way, the concubine is about to give birth in the next few days. If the child is the emperor's grandson, then it will be the emperor's eldest grandson. After many years, he will inherit the throne."

Feng Baodao: "Doctor Lin from the Imperial Hospital just said that, listening to the pulse, it looks like the grandson of the emperor!"

He Liu couldn't help but laugh: "In this day and age, flatterers dare to say anything. I've never heard of it. A doctor can tell a pregnant woman is a boy or a girl just by listening to her pulse."

However, Bai Xiaoyan winked at He Liu, and then pointed at Feng Bao who had his back to them.

He Liu quickly shut up.He was stunned: Yes, Feng Bao is now Concubine Li's man.This foster brother of mine is naturally more towards Concubine Li than towards his godfather and righteous brother.From now on, in front of Feng Bao, you really have to be careful about what you say.

After Lao Hu boiled the water, the dumplings were put into the pot.Feng Bao also made fried liver.The family ate and drank happily.

After the meal, everyone was clearing up the dishes, and Zhu Xixiao from Youchunfang walked into the courtyard.

He Liu cupped his hands: "What is Zhu Fengguo doing in the humble house?"

Zhu Xi said filially: "Sixth Master. Concubine Li said that we are at the critical point of life and death with Yan Dang. I am afraid that Yan Dang will be detrimental to Madam and Miss. Our Prince Yu's Mansion is still safe. She ordered me to send someone to pick up Madam and Miss. go back."

He Liu was dumbfounded: Concubine Li really took Xiaoyan and Xiangxiang as hostages.Even in the few days before delivery, she did not forget to "take" Xiaoyan and Xiangxiang back to the palace.

Zhu Xixiao said again: "In addition, my subordinates got the news. The Ministry of Industry's Construction Department has finished repairing Chaotian Temple!"

He Liu hurriedly said: "Afternoon, let's go to Chaotian Temple for a walk."

After seeing off Bai Xiaoyan's mother and daughter and Feng Bao, He Liu, Lao Hu, and Zhu Xixiao came to Chaotian Temple.

Lan Daoxing of Chaotianguan is now King Yu's man.The blue fairy led the crowd to see the various places repaired by the Ministry of Industry and Construction.

Lan Daoxing handed over an account book to He Liu: "This is the repair account book given to us by the Ministry of Industry."

He Liu nodded. He looked at the account book, and then pointed to the two mahogany pillars in the main hall: "These two pillars cost 4 taels of silver? Accounted for one-fifth of the total renovation cost?"

Lan Daoxing nodded: "The people from the Ministry of Industry said that the mahogany pillars are high-quality raw materials collected from Yunnan. The two pillars themselves are only worth 1 taels, but the manpower required to transport them from Yunnan to the capital is more than 3." It took [-] taels of silver."

He Liu said to Lao Hu: "Don't you know an old carpenter who has worked in the palace for more than 30 years? You go and pick him up to Chaotianguan."

Two hours later, Lao Hu led an old man in his seventies into the main hall of Chaotian Temple.This old man is a leader in the carpenter's trade in the capital, so he was nicknamed "Wang Qiaoshou".He has worked as a carpenter in the palace for more than 30 years and has seen all kinds of good wood.

He Liudao: "Master Wang, let me see if these two pieces of wood are worth forty thousand silver?"

Wang Qiao took a small knife in his hand, cut a few strands of sawdust on the base of the wooden pillar, looked at it in his hand, and said: "This is chicken wing wood from Yulong Snow Mountain in Yunnan. This large piece of wood is worth about 1 yuan locally." Ten thousand taels of silver. It will take hundreds of labors to transport it to the capital, and the freight along the way will cost 3 taels."

He Liudao: "This is consistent with what the Ministry of Industry said."

Wang Qiao turned around the two pillars again: "It's weird, it's weird."

He Liu hurriedly asked, "What's wrong?"

Wang Qiao said: "My lord, I seem to have seen the thickness of these two mahogany pieces and the style of carving on the top."

He Liu asked: "Master Wang, think about it carefully, where did you meet him?"

Wang Qiao slapped his head: "Aren't these the two pillars of the funeral hall in the auspicious land of the emperor's ten thousand years?"

Everyone present was shocked when they heard this!

The emperors of the Ming Dynasty all built their tombs during their lifetimes.Emperor Jiajing's Wannian auspicious soil has been cultivated for more than ten years.

Wang Qiaoshou said: "My younger brother came to see me last year. He told me that the two pillars and pillars of Ji Rang's Funeral Hall were finished, and I was asked to have a look. I went to see it, and the carvings were good. I never thought that the carvings in the palace Eunuch Lu thought the two pillars were not thick enough, so he reprimanded the officials of the Ministry of Industry. The Ministry of Industry sent someone to remove the pillar. According to the rules, the things replaced by the emperor's auspicious soil should be set on fire. But these two Pillar, why did it appear here?"

He Liu secretly said: Yan Shifan, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, is really a good way to scoop up money!He did not burn the two pillars that had been replaced in the auspicious soil of Wannian.Instead, it was used in the repair project of Chaotian Temple!One is 2 taels, and two of them are 4 taels at once!Yan Shifan is truly a bait and switch!I made a net profit of [-] silver in one fell swoop! "

Wang Qiaoshou walked around the main hall of Chaotian Temple again: "The dozens of newly built wooden eaves seem to be my junior brother's handicraft. They should also be replaced from the auspicious soil of ten thousand years!"

He Liu checked the ledger, and found that the cost of these dozens of wooden eaves was reported by the Ministry of Industry to be [-] silver.Adding up, Yan Shifan was able to stuff [-] silver into his purse without any effort!

He Liu called Lao Hu and Zhu Xixiao while discussing: "It seems that we have already obtained the evidence that Yan Shifan embezzled the restoration money of Chaotian Temple. This Wang Qiaoshou, and his junior who worked in Wannian Jiyang, we want Protect them. They are witnesses! There are these two pillars and dozens of wooden eaves as witnesses——Yan Shifan’s embezzlement of Chaotian Temple’s repair funds are all human and material evidences!”

Zhu Xi said filially: "Sixth Master is really good at tricks. In just a few hours, he finished the errand that the prince asked. I will go back to the palace immediately and tell the prince the news."

(End of this chapter)