This son-in-law is wicked in a good way!

The Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Princess Yongyang's eyes widened with excitement when she saw Chu Lingyu and Mo Yu dressed as men.

"Oh, so, Your Highness, are you planning to go to a brothel?"

The Empress had no idea how to keep up with her younger sister's train of thought.

"Don't talk nonsense, how could I possibly go to a place like that!"

"The person I'm taking you to see today doesn't know my identity, so you'll have to be careful with your words and actions later, and don't reveal it."

Princess Yongyang's eyes lit up immediately, and she nodded her little head like a chicken pecking at rice.

After a while, Princess Yongyang, who was also dressed as a man, was overjoyed to see her new outfit.

"You really know how to have fun, my elder sister!"

"It's just that the tightness in my chest area is a bit uncomfortable!"

Princess Yongyang reached out her hand to ask for help, looking aggrieved.

The empress silently turned her head away, pretending not to see.

"When you meet the person later, remember what I told you: you absolutely must not reveal your identity."

The Empress gave another instruction.

"Oh, I know, let's go!" Princess Yongyang urged.

……

Zuixianlou (Drunken Immortal Pavilion)

A private room.

Zhang Qi and Zhang Wu were repeatedly toasting a middle-aged man in his thirties with a thick beard.

"Lord Ye, come, let me toast you!" Zhang Qi stood up, picked up the wine glass, and drank it all in one gulp.

"Oh, Mr. Zhang, you're too kind." Ye Shou quickly stood up and downed a cup.

Zhang Wu laughed and said, "Lord Ye, as long as you stop that construction site in the south of the city, I will reward you handsomely after the matter is settled."

After saying that, Zhang Wu handed over a large silver note with a grin.

Ye Shou's eyes lit up. He took it and put it in his sleeve, but smiled modestly and said, "Oh, it's nothing. Just give the order, Young Master Zhang. No need to be so polite."

"Thank you for your help, Lord Ye! I will truthfully inform my father of Lord Ye's favor." Zhang Qi invoked Zhang Xuanling's name.

Ye Shou was even happier: "Then thank you very much, Young Master Zhang. Please give my regards to Lord Zhang."

"Definitely, definitely!"

Ye Shou stood up: "There's no time to lose, I'll go and stop that construction site right away."

"Take care, Lord Ye!" The two brothers stood up to see him off.

"Wait, wait!"

The two men escorted him to the door, and after watching Ye Shou leave, the two brothers returned to their room.

"Third brother, what if Father finds out we've been secretly making things difficult for Zhang Ping'an? Will we be punished according to family rules?"

Zhang Qi asked with some concern.

Zhang Wu poured himself a glass of wine, downed it in one gulp, and looked venomous.

"Hmph, can you just stand by and watch that good-for-nothing Zhang Ping'an thrive?"

"What gives him the right?!"

Jealousy had distorted Zhang Wu's appearance.

"Besides, what does it have to do with us brothers if the Ministry of Works official ordered that good-for-nothing to stop work?"

Zhang Qi countered, "What if Ye Shou reveals our identities later?"

"Hmph, empty words are no proof. We'll deny everything to the death. What can anyone do to us?"

"That's true." Zhang Qi nodded.

"However, I heard from the young master of Lord Kong's family last time that even if Zhang Ping'an builds those houses, he won't be able to sell them at all."

"Do we really need to trip him up?"

Zhang Wu, however, gritted his teeth and said, "Hmph, I want to see him suffer, otherwise I won't be able to get over it!"

Zhang Qi sighed silently, understanding his third brother's behavior.

Today, Zhang Ping'an and his colleagues switched to the southern part of the city for patrol duty, which was a good opportunity to check on the progress of the project.

Upon arriving at the construction site, they found that construction had stopped and an official, accompanied by several constables, was posting seals everywhere.

Ning Chen, the person in charge whom he had selected from among the disaster victims, was earnestly explaining something to the official.

The official rudely interrupted him.

"What's going on?" Zhang Ping'an immediately walked over with a dark face.

Upon seeing Zhang Ping'an, Ning Chen immediately felt reassured.

"Master, this official from the Ministry of Works says that our construction site does not have a permit approved by the Ministry of Works, and that it is illegal construction. He is going to seal off our construction site."

Ning Chen looked anxious. Because he was educated and quick-witted, he was chosen by Zhang Ping'an to oversee the entire construction site, and his wages were the highest among all the workers.

He didn't want to lose this respectable and high-paying job.

Zhang Ping'an stepped forward, his hand on the hilt of his sword. After observing the official for a moment, he smiled and asked, "May I ask how this gentleman is addressed?"

"Ye Shou, Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Works!" Ye Shou said arrogantly.

He had heard the Zhang brothers talk about Zhang Ping'an beforehand, and knew that he was a discarded son of the Zhang family. Seeing that he was just a lowly Night Watchman Iron Guard, he looked down on him.

Zhang Ping'an wasn't angry and still smiled, saying, "So it's Lord Ye."

"I've already obtained the construction permit from the Ministry of Public Works. What other approvals are needed?"

A flicker of panic crossed Ye Shou's eyes.

The so-called approval document he referred to was merely an instruction from a junior official in charge of his assigned region. The Ministry of Works' approval documents, naturally, had higher priority than his instructions.

To put it bluntly, it means that those little devils from later generations deliberately make things difficult for you, waiting for you to offer tribute.

However, Ye Shou was not offering tribute to Zhang Ping'an; rather, the Zhang brothers were using this opportunity to suppress Zhang Ping'an.

"Although you have the Ministry of Works' approval document, you do not have the approval document from the official in charge of the Ministry of Works, so this official has sealed off your construction site."

Ye Shou was incredibly stupid, blindly believing everything he heard. He didn't realize that Zhang Ping'an must have had some kind of background to get the Ministry of Works' approval.

"Oh, I wonder which official we should ask for the approval document that Lord Ye mentioned?"

Zhang Ping'an roughly understood the other party's intention: they were there to cause trouble.

Ye Shou raised his head and said, "Naturally, it is the approval document from Lord Wang Yuan, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works."

Zhang Ping'an said, "How about I go with you, sir, to find Lord Wang and get the approval document?"

"Yes, but construction is not allowed until the permit is obtained."

Ye Shou sneered inwardly, thinking that getting approval from Lord Wang was not going to be that easy.

Zhang Ping'an said to Ning Chen, "Let everyone rest for a bit, and wait for me to come back."

"Yes, Master." Ning Chen voluntarily acknowledged Zhang Ping'an as his master, but despite Zhang Ping'an's strong opposition, he continued to do as he pleased, which was truly hateful.

"Lord Ye, please return first. I will arrive shortly after."

Zhang Ping'an decided to go back and retrieve the imperial edict first.

"Very well, I will be waiting for you at the Ministry of Works."

Ye Shou then instructed his men: "Leave two men here to keep watch. No work may begin without approval. The rest of you, come back with me."

"Yes, sir!"

Ministry of Works.

Zhang Ping'an rushed over immediately after receiving the imperial edict.

The Ministry of Works was actually more like an office in modern times, with several departments divided into a courtyard house.

Zhang Ping'an went directly to the office of Wang Yuan, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works.

Ye Shou was already waiting here, and had obviously already told Lord Wang about the matter.

Upon seeing Zhang Ping'an enter, Lord Wang, who was in his early fifties, with a round build and of medium height, frowned slightly.

"Well done, Night's Watchman! Who gave you the audacity to begin work without my permission? Do you know your crime?"

Upon entering, they immediately gave Zhang Ping'an a hard time.