Dad, don't be greedy! My brother climbed into the emperor's bed, and I became famous overn

That afternoon, Lu Qinghe and Pei Yu began disassembling the shipbuilding parts.

The two studied at their desks until the wee hours of the morning.

Minister Pei personally came to visit his grandson.

Seeing my grandson burning the midnight oil, his earnestness and dedication filled me with overwhelming emotion.

It's as if I'm seeing myself in my youth, full of vigor and ambition.

My grandson has finally started doing something serious, which is a good thing for the country and the people!

The Pei family must help!

So Pei Chongyue instructed his servant to add two more lamps to the work shed for his grandson and Master Lu.

Another team of accountants was sent to help.

The following afternoon, Lu Qinghe, Pei Yu, and more than a dozen Pei family accountants finally came up with a complete project contracting plan.

There are 26 modules, and each module specifies the drawing standards, dimensions, delivery deadlines, and acceptance conditions.

A brief quality statement is attached.

After review, several details were modified.

He then had it delivered to the Prince of Qi's residence.

Early the next morning.

The guards of the Prince of Qi's residence then took these documents and rode off at full speed to their respective locations.

At the same time, notices for the Qi Prince's Mansion to award contracts for construction projects were posted on six bulletin boards throughout Kyoto.

The following is a detailed list of twenty-six project items.

Each item was marked with a brightly displayed amount of silver.

The amount of silver was personally determined by Gu Mingyue, and it was 20% higher than the market price.

She wanted speed, not saving money.

Passersby stopped to watch.

"What's this for?"

"The Prince of Qi's residence needs to purchase a batch of construction materials. Look, they need 3,600 wooden tenons alone!"

"My goodness, how much timber will this take? Is the Prince of Qi building a palace?"

"Who cares what they build? Look at the numbers: three thousand six hundred wooden tenons, eighty taels for labor. Eighty taels, brother!"

"really?"

"How could the seal of the Prince Qi's residence, with its inscription in black and white, be fake?"

A lean old man squeezed into the crowd, squinting as he read the notice twice from beginning to end.

Suddenly, he excitedly slapped his thigh.

"Hey! My shop can do this job! Third brother, hurry up and sign up to take the job!"

The news spread like wildfire overnight throughout workshops and artisan circles in and around Kyoto.

Some people worked through the night to produce samples.

Some people gathered in the teahouse, calculating which module would yield the highest profit.

Some people have already started looking for partners in the industry to take on large orders.

It only took five days.

Gu Mingyue sat in the work shed, looking at the registration book that Lu Qinghe handed over.

It was a thick stack of books, more than thirty pages long.

The workshops that signed up to contract came from all over Kyoto, as well as neighboring Jiangzhou, Huaizhou, and Taizhou.

From small workshops with three people to large shops with a hundred or so people, there are a total of 417 such businesses.

Lu Qinghe couldn't suppress the urge to smile.

"Boss, at this rate, if all 26 modules are dispatched, the project will be completed about half a month faster than if we had hired people ourselves."

Pei Yu was also extremely busy.

While munching on a sesame seed cake, he and Master Lu categorized the contracted workshops.

Suddenly, a waiter rushed in from outside the door, his steps hurried.

"Boss! Another group of people has arrived. The convoy is lined up all the way to the alley entrance. That's quite a sight!"

"Who is it?" Pei Yu asked curiously, raising her eyes.

The waiter shook his head, looking somewhat nervous.

"They weren't like ordinary vendors. Those people driving the carts... they all looked like they were not to be trifled with."

Gu Mingyue put down the booklet and walked out the door.

Pei Yu and Lu Qinghe followed behind.

More than a dozen large, green-covered trucks were parked on the dirt road outside the construction site gate.

The vehicle was covered with a thick tarpaulin, bulging with something heavy on its back.

The men driving the carts were all burly and thick-waisted, with calluses on their hands and feet, yet they stood with the discipline of soldiers, without a trace of laxity.

Pei Yu subconsciously stepped half a step in front of Gu Mingyue to block her.

The leader was a lean man in his early forties.

He was of medium build and wore a gray-blue, narrow-sleeved short jacket with the cuffs rolled up to his elbows.

Two strong forearms were exposed.

His gaze was sharp and deep, yet it carried a hint of respect when he swept over Gu Mingyue.

"Excuse me, are you Mr. Gu, young lady?"

Gu Mingyue nodded, "Exactly."

The middle-aged man stepped forward, clasped his hands, and performed a traditional martial arts salute.

"I am Ji San, the deputy leader of the Thousand Machines Hall of the Cold Abyss Alliance, here to receive the contracted project."

Lu Qinghe gasped.

"The Cold Abyss Alliance?"

Pei Yu stared in shock, her eyes wide, and moved closer to Gu Mingyue.

"The Cold Abyss Alliance is the largest alliance in the martial arts world, with a wealth of talented individuals, skilled craftsmen, and masters among its members."

"It is said that 30% of the most ingenious mechanisms and hidden weapons in the world are made by the Thousand Machine Hall under the Cold Abyss Alliance."

Gu Mingyue's eyes lit up, and she raised her hand to lead the way into the house.

"Welcome, Master Ji. Let's discuss this further inside."

He turned to Pei Yu and instructed, "Serve tea."

"receive!"

Pei Yu hurriedly poured tea and served it to the servants.

Gu Mingyue took a seat while tentatively probing.

"How did Master Ji find out we were recruiting?"

Ji San laughed heartily, "The news that Pujitang benefits the people has spread far and wide."

"I heard that the project is being hampered by powerful clans, and they can't find any craftsmen. Our leader has given the word that we'll take over the Puji Hall's work."

Gu Mingyue raised an eyebrow.

These people in the martial arts world really don't shy away from anything.

Therefore, it seems that the Cold Abyss Alliance is at least not aligned with the Cui family.

Gu Mingyue asked, "How big of a project can you take on?"

Ji San readily replied, "As long as you provide the blueprints, Qianji Hall can make anything."

"If we have the blueprints, is it possible to assemble the ship's hull?"

"Of course we can." Ji San said confidently. "Our Qianji Hall also has a shipbuilding workshop, and our craftsmen are very skilled."

Gu Mingyue then asked, "Does Hall Master Ji have any requests?"

"We at Qianjitang only cooperate with others."

"We decide on our own labor needs, and the employer can make shipbuilding requirements."

"We will not leak the shipbuilding blueprints that Pujitang gave us. If they are leaked, the alliance will have its own people to deal with us."

This is the absolute rule of the martial arts world.

"Can!"

Gu Mingyue nodded.

"The shipbuilding cost is 20% higher than the market price, and the blueprints were provided by Pujitang."

Master Ji laughed heartily, "The master is very generous. I've brought three hundred craftsmen with me; does the master have space to house them?"

Gu Mingyue looked at Lu Qinghe.

"Master Lu, allocate 30,000 taels of silver to Master Ji to build dormitories and settle the craftsmen. Order ten canal transport ships."

that's nice!

Once the shipyard is operational, the money will be spent quickly.

Gu Mingyue opened the system and took a look.

[Task Balance: 17 taels]

[Remaining period: 40 days]

Lu Qinghe cupped his hands in greeting.

"Yes, sir!"

After saying this, he respectfully raised his hand and led Ji San to visit the shipyard construction site.

As soon as the two left the work shed, Ji San turned around and gave instructions to his subordinates.

"Go and inform the leader that we have secured the shipbuilding project for Pujitang."

His subordinates gave the order, and he mounted his horse and left.

……

Meanwhile, inside the Imperial Study.

Gu Mingli led more than thirty blacksmiths to conduct secret smelting within the palace for ten days.

This will finally produce the first batch of steel bars.

"Is this what high-quality steel is?"

"Okay," Gu Mingli handed over the steel bar, "Please try the weight."

Xiao Ye took the steel bar and ran his fingers over its surface.

It feels cold and rough to the touch, but it is much heavier than other ironware of the same size.

"How do I try?"

Gu Mingli stood up and dusted off his hands.

"I have arranged for someone to wait in the side hall."

The door to the side hall was open.

Several shadow guards stood in the center of the hall, including Yi Shi.

The only difference was that the other shadow guards carried official swords, while Yi Shi held a piece of steel bar wrapped in cloth.

The guards bowed as the emperor entered.

Gu Mingli gave Yi Shi a wink.

"Let's begin."