Chapter 345 The Situation is Weird

At this time, in the Weisi Yamen, Yang Zhengshan and Xie Yuan were discussing the expansion of the Weicheng.

The expansion of the Acropolis is imminent. If it is not expanded, the city will be overcrowded with people.

The engineering department has already made the plan. Yang Zhengshan took a look at it and did not raise any objections.

Today, the engineering department of the Weisi Yamen has become very professional, and the clerks in the department have good attainments in road construction, bridge building, and urban construction.

Every profession has its specialties. Although these clerks were just scholars before, they learned a lot of professional knowledge about engineering over the years.

Especially the planning drawings and architectural drawings, which are drawn very realistically.

Of course, all this is thanks to Yang Zhengshan. Yang Zhengshan's major in his previous life was project cost estimation, and he had some knowledge of planning and construction.

"Let's build it according to this plan. What's the budget?" Yang Zhengshan asked.

"It will probably cost 50,000 taels of silver! Mainly because the cost of stone is a bit high!" Xie Yuan said.

Yang Zhengshan nodded slightly. There were few forests in Tenglongwei, so if they wanted to mine stones, they could only mine from the small hills in the south.

Those small hills are located at the southernmost tip of Tenglongwei, on the border with Liaoan Prefecture, about thirty miles away from the Acropolis.

Stone mining and transportation require a lot of manpower, so the cost will be very high.

"What about the construction period?"

"If it's just the city wall, it will take about six months and should be completed before the end of the year. If it includes the construction within the city, it should be completed next year!" Xie Yuan said.

Yang Zhengshan pondered for a moment and said, "Let's recruit another group of workers. Hmm, temporary workers, not regular workers, but their monthly salary will be the same as regular workers!"

The current engineering team already has 2,000 people. These 2,000 people are not just construction workers. Yang Zhengshan is training them as engineering corps.

The two thousand engineers can not only build roads and bridges, but also make large-scale war equipment, such as crossbows, ladders, and rampages, etc.

Two thousand engineers are already a lot, and there won’t be that many construction projects in Tenglongwei in the future, so there is no need to continue expanding.

"Okay!" Xie Yuan responded.

Just then, Wu Zhan hurried to the study.

"master!"

Yang Zhengshan looked at him in surprise and asked, "What's wrong?"

Wu Zhan glanced at Xie Yuan, and Yang Zhengshan shook his head slightly, "Master Xie is not an outsider, just speak directly if you have something to say."

Wu Zhan is the bodyguard of the Yang family. Ever since Ding Qiu went to Qinghua Mansion, Wu Zheng has been staying in Kyoto, and Wu Zhan is the leader of the Yang family's bodyguards.

People from the Yang family seldom come to the yamen. Yang Zhengshan has his own personal entourage, so there is no need for Yang family guards to follow him at all times.

Now that Wu Zhan is here, something must have happened.

However, Yang Zhengshan did not think that the Yang family had anything to hide from outsiders. Besides, Xie Yuan was not an outsider. Xie Yuan, Wu Chongzhe, Zhou Ren and others were all his most loyal subordinates, and Yang Zhengshan still trusted them very much.

Wu Zhan said in a deep voice: "Master, a message has been sent from Kyoto that His Majesty is seriously ill and has fallen into a coma. The Crown Prince is currently supervising the court, while Prince Cheng and Prince Gong are in charge of the government."

Upon hearing this, Yang Zhengshan narrowed his eyes and his expression suddenly became solemn.

Xie Yuan also had a serious expression on his face.

"Where is the person who delivered the letter?" Yang Zhengshan asked.

"I have asked them to rest. This is all they know for now. There is no further news!" said Wu Zhan.

Yang Zhengshan nodded slightly, and then fell into deep thought.

Will it have any impact on him if the emperor dies?
You don’t have to think about this question to know that there must be one.

Now everything he has in Tenglongwei comes from the support of the old emperor.

If the old emperor passed away, could he still stay in Tenglongwei with peace of mind?

He has no connection with the prince, but rather a small grudge between them.

Originally the Crown Prince intended to arrange a marriage between the Qing'an Marquis' Mansion and the Changping Marquis' Mansion, but Yang Zhengshan ended up entering into a marriage with the Changping Marquis' Mansion.

There is also Marquis Jingyuan. Marquis Jingyuan has always been the prince's man. Although Marquis Jingyuan lost his post as the commander-in-chief of the Fenwu Camp, Marquis Jingyuan has been working for the prince over the years.

The feud between the Yang family and the Jingyuan Marquis' Mansion was deep-rooted. Yang Zhengshan killed Su Shanyu, the second son of Jingyuan Marquis Su Gan, and four years ago Su Gan also sent people to kill Yang Mingcheng in Xinping Town.

Each generation of emperor has his own ministers.

If the prince ascends the throne, the power of Marquis Jingyuan will surely rise, and he will inevitably cause trouble for the Yang family.

Also, after the prince ascends the throne, will he still support Yang Zhengshan like the old emperor did?

Thinking of this, Yang Zhengshan felt a little headache.

He seemed to be somewhat reluctant about the crown prince ascending the throne, but the crown prince was the heir apparent and would ascend the throne sooner or later, and he could not stop the crown prince at all.

As for whether he can gain the prince's favor and support?

Yang Zhengshan was unsure.

He had some understanding of the prince. The prince's temperament was very different from that of the old emperor. Perhaps it was because he had sat in the East Palace for too long, the prince's temperament was a bit impatient and violent.

The court has not been peaceful in recent years. The fight between the Crown Prince, Prince Cheng and Prince Gong has never stopped. In fact, as the old emperor's health is getting worse, their fight has become more intense.

The Prince's Party, Prince Cheng's Party and Prince Gong's Party all appeared in the court, and the struggle was almost openly exposed.

Yang Zhengshan felt overwhelmed when he thought about the situation in the court after the emperor passed away.

But suddenly he thought of something, and suddenly raised his head to look at Wu Zhan, "You just said that Prince Cheng and Prince Gong were attending the court to observe government affairs?"

"Yes! His Majesty has ordered the Crown Prince to be regent, and the two princes to attend court and observe government affairs." Wu Zhan said.

Yang Zhengshan showed a look of astonishment.

Just now he was only concerned about the fact that the old emperor was seriously ill and might die at any time, so he ignored this information.

Why were Prince Cheng and Prince Gong allowed to attend court and observe government affairs?

If it was just the Crown Prince who was acting as regent, there would be no problem at all. Since the Emperor is seriously ill, it would be natural for the Crown Prince to be in charge of state affairs. But allowing Prince Cheng and Prince Gong to attend court and observe government affairs, isn't this equivalent to giving Prince Cheng and Prince Gong an opportunity?
The old emperor is not a foolish man. He has been preparing for the succession of the throne. Logically, he should firmly support the prince at this time to ensure that after his death, the imperial power can be smoothly transferred to the new emperor.

The correct approach would be to let Prince Cheng and Prince Gong become fiefs, so why are they allowed to observe government affairs?

Isn't this forcing the prince to kill them? Isn't this forcing them to fight for power with the prince?

Yang Zhengshan felt something was wrong. Could it be that the old emperor was becoming confused?

This is also possible.

"What do you think?" Yang Zhengshan looked at Xie Yuan.

Xie Yuan shook his head, "I have no opinion!" He really had no opinion. Although he also felt that the death of the old emperor might be detrimental to the Tenglong Guard, he felt in his heart that the affairs of the court were very far away from him.

He seldom paid attention to the affairs of the court, and he did not arrange people to stay in Kyoto to collect information from the court like Yang Zhengshan did.

Yang Zhengshan also knew that Xie Yuan didn't know what was going on in the court, so he didn't ask any more questions. He just instructed Wu Zhan, "You arrange for another group of people to go to Kyoto and ask Wu Zheng to collect more information about the court. If there are any other changes, send the news back as soon as possible!"

"By the way, take your people to find Xue Ping later and ask him to arrange a boat to send the people to Jinhai Town. If you want to send letters again in the future, you can take a boat back through Jinhai Town!"

Xue Ping is the son of Haichangbo, and Haichangbo is the commander of Jinhaiwei. In recent years, Haichangbo's mansion has also used Xue Ping's relationship to join Tenglongwei's maritime trade.

However, the Haichang Marquis' Mansion did not form a fleet to trade with the Lisheng Dynasty and the Desheng Dynasty, but instead purchased goods from Tenglongwei and transported them to Kyoto for sale.

Although the profit from doing this is very thin, it is stable.

……

Just when Yang Zhengshan received the news from Kyoto, Prince Qing in Prince Qing's mansion in Qinghua City also received the news from Kyoto.

In the study of the palace, he stood in front of the window, looking at the green grass and trees outside, his eyes full of complex emotions.

Emperor Chengping was seriously ill, so this was definitely good news for him.

He has been waiting for this news for a long time.

He has been waiting since Emperor Chengping ascended the throne when he was seven years old.

Waiting for Emperor Chengping to grow old, waiting for Emperor Chengping to pass away, waiting for herself to no longer live under the shadow of Emperor Chengping.

Now it seems that he has finally waited for it, but his heart is filled with complex emotions, including surprise, excitement, relief, as well as some fear and uneasiness.

"Thirty-four years!"

"Haha, I've been like a prisoner here for thirty-four years!"

He still remembered the day when he arrived in Qinghua City. The heavy snow covered the sky and buried everything on the ground, as if it was going to bury half of him.

That was the first time he saw heavy snow in Liaodong. It was just a heavy snow, but it made him feel scared.

"My Lord, what should we do next?"

In addition to Prince Qing, there were three other people in the study. The one who spoke was Xu Maocai, a man who was probably in his fifties, with a thin face and a frail body. He was Prince Qing's most trusted adviser and also Prince Qing's teacher.

The other was an old man with gray hair but ruddy complexion, and not a single stubble on his chubby face. He was Zhang Yu, the old eunuch beside Prince Qing and also the person closest to Prince Qing.

It can be said that Prince Qing grew up under the care of Zhang Yu.

The last strong man is named Duan Heng, who is King Qing’s capable general and the commander of King Qing’s guards.

"Teacher, what do you think?" Prince Qing turned around and asked.

Xu Maocai's eyes sparkled as he stared straight at Prince Qing and said, "When the time comes, Your Majesty should strike decisively!"

Prince Qing closed his eyes slightly and took a deep breath.

His heart was filled with fear, because he knew that once he made the decision, there would be no turning back!

But he has been waiting for thirty-four years!

His heart was already restless at this moment.

"Then let's proceed according to the plan!"

He suppressed the fear in his heart and released the ambition that had been suppressed for thirty years.

"Your Highness is wise!" Xu Maocai praised in a clear voice.

He was even more excited than Prince Qing because he had also been waiting for this day.

Ever since he came to Prince Qing's Palace to serve as Ji Shan, he had always fantasized that one day he would be able to hold a high position in the government.

Xu Maocai was a talented man, but his luck was not very good. He entered the officialdom with the title of Juren, and his first official appointment was Jishan in the Palace of Prince Qing.

Ji Shan was an official in the royal palace, in charge of teaching, and was of the eighth rank.

Officials in the royal palace are also appointed by the imperial court, but unlike them, officials in the royal palace have basically no future.

Once you enter the palace, you can only work there for the rest of your life, and the highest position you can hold is just the chief historian of the palace.

Xu Maocai was conceited and naturally unwilling to be just an official in the royal palace. Unfortunately, he only had the title of a juren, and the fact that he could get an official position in the royal palace was already the result of spending all his family wealth.

No matter how unwilling he was, he could not change the status quo, and finally he accepted reality.

However, accepting the reality does not mean that he is willing to remain silent. After learning about Prince Qing's identity, he has always had an ambition buried deep in his heart.

He helped Prince Qing ascend to the throne, and by virtue of his merits as a follower of the emperor, he became the highest official in the country.

This is the only future he can see, and it is also the opportunity he has spent his entire life waiting for.

And Prince Qing did not disappoint him. In his heart, Prince Qing was a wise leader. That was why he was even more eager for the opportunity to come.

Now that he has finally waited for the opportunity, how can he not be excited?
"Your Majesty, should we be more cautious?"

At this time Zhang Yu spoke.

He is ten years older than Xu Maocai, but with his ruddy face and plump figure, he looks like he is ten years younger than Xu Maocai.

"What is Eunuch Zhang worried about?" Xu Maocai said dissatisfiedly.

"I just think we should confirm the authenticity of the news!" Zhang Yu said with a smile.

"Wasn't the news sent back by your people? Could it be false?" Xu Maocai looked straight at him.

Zhang Yu smiled, said nothing, and looked at Prince Qing.

Prince Qing was also looking at him and said slowly, "My uncle has fallen into a coma!"

"Yes!" Zhang Yu replied.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, many doctors from the Imperial Medical Service have already checked him out! His health is indeed at the end of its rope." Zhang Yu said.

Prince Qing nodded slightly, "Then there is nothing to hesitate about, just act according to the plan!"

The old emperor is seriously ill and the new emperor has not yet been appointed. Now is the best time.

If they wait until Emperor Chengping dies and the new emperor ascends the throne, it will be even more disadvantageous to them.

Seeing that Prince Qing was determined, Zhang Yu stopped trying to persuade him. He was just being cautious, not afraid.

Perhaps among the people here, he is the least fearful one.

(End of this chapter)