Chapter 1113: Chapter 927.1: Taking Precaution - Part 1

While there was still time to spare, Chen Chao strolled over to the Ministry of Works’ office. This Lord Warden Commander, dressed in black, stopped in front of the gate, stepped up the stairs, and unsurprisingly was stopped at the entrance by two constables.

“This is the Ministry of Works’ office. Who are you looking for?”

The constables were fairly polite. Toward this unfamiliar man who was not wearing official robes, they did not say anything excessive. After all, the Divine Capital was famously full of nobles; if they were careless and provoked some ill-tempered important figure, they would be the ones who would suffer.

Before Chen Chao could speak, however, a dark-skinned, gaunt official walked out from inside the yamen, carrying a large stack of dossiers in his arms. He glanced toward the entrance, and once he clearly saw Chen Chao’s face, he exclaimed in delight, “Lord Warden Commander?”

Chen Chao narrowed his eyes slightly. “Assistant Minister Wang. Long time no see.”

Assistant Minister Wang burst out laughing. “It’s no small thing that Lord Warden Commander still remembers this lowly official. When did Lord Warden Commander return to the capital? Why didn’t I see Lord Warden Commander at yesterday’s court session? And now you’ve come to the Ministry of Works instead.”

This second-in-command of the Ministry of Personnel chattered on incessantly, completely failing to spare a thought for the two constables behind him, who were already at a loss for what to do.

“This official came to see Minister Du about a minor matter.”

Chen Chao glanced at the dossiers in Assistant Minister Wang’s arms and asked, “Where is Assistant Minister headed?”

“To White Deer Prefecture. Several waterways there need to be opened and repaired. The Ministry of Works thought it over and in the end assigned this lowly official to make the trip. Speaking of it, this lowly official really does have the fate of a workhorse. This lowly official only just returned from Cang Prefecture, barely had a few hot meals at home, and now I have to rush off to White Deer Prefecture again. Damn it, we’re all top scholars, if this lowly official had known earlier, this lowly official wouldn’t have chosen the Ministry of Works. Going to the Imperial College would’ve been fine, the Hanlin Academy would’ve been fine too. Wouldn’t it have been better to be an idle official?”

Assistant Minister Wang asked curiously, “What important business has Lord Warden Commander brought to the Ministry of Works this time?”

Among the six ministries of Great Liang, the one Chen Chao had the best relationship with was probably the Ministry of Works. Perhaps it was because the officials here actually did real work and were not those rigid scholars who only read the sages’ texts, or perhaps it was because Chen Chao had indeed brought many benefits to the Ministry of Works.

Chen Chao had not yet had time to answer when Assistant Minister Wang suddenly remembered that he was about to leave the city. After offering a quick apology, he raised his voice and shouted, “Li Er, hurry up and take Lord Warden Commander inside. Go find Minister Du!”

After saying this, Assistant Minister Wang hurriedly squeezed onto a nearby carriage and called for the driver to set off.

Chen Chao stood where he was, smiling without speaking.

The constable called Li Er hesitated as he glanced at Chen Chao, then said softly, “Lord Warden Commander, please.”

Chen Chao nodded and said with a smile, “You didn’t do anything wrong, what are you afraid of?”

Just after entering the Ministry of Works’ office, a thin old man with graying hair but vigorous spirit came forward to greet him. Judging from the official robe he wore, this was the head of the Ministry of Works’ office, Minister Du.

Minister Du grabbed Chen Chao’s hand at once and said with a beaming smile, “Lord Warden Commander honoring us with your presence truly brings glory to this humble place!”

Chen Chao said helplessly, “Lord Du, flattering words won’t do any good. This time I’ve come empty-handed. In fact, I’m here just to poke at Lord Du a bit.”

Minister Du was momentarily taken aback, then immediately understood and asked curiously, “Lord Warden Commander, are you here to inquire about those swordsmiths from Sword Qi Mountain? Besides that, do you also want to know how many craftsmen the Ministry of Works has trained on its own so far?”

Chen Chao nodded.

The situation in the north was not optimistic. These Ministry of Works craftsmen were to serve as a later backup for the frontier army; how well-equipped they were now needed to be known.

“A few days ago, the Ministry of Works sent the first batch of military equipment to the frontier army. How many have been produced in this second batch, and has there been any improvement? That’s also a question.”

Chen Chao looked at Minister Du and said with a smile, “If it’s unsatisfactory, I’ll have to scold you a bit, Minister Du.”

Minister Du looked troubled. “Lord Warden Commander, you know that aside from military equipment, the Ministry of Works is responsible for countless matters across Great Liang. Palaces need repairs, local waterways need surveying, maintenance, and excavation. The Ministry has so few people; do you think it’s easy? Not to mention, take that time Lord Warden Commander fought in the imperial city. Every time something was damaged, didn’t the Ministry have to send people to repair it?”

Chen Chao was speechless. “Minister Du still remembers that incident?”

Minister Du laughed angrily. “The imperial city, built in the early years of Great Liang, hasn’t had many problems over the years. But you, Lord Warden Commander, didn’t just destroy it once.”

Chen Chao waved his hand to soothe him. “Alright, alright. Why does Minister Du act like a woman, holding grudges like this?”

Minister Du glanced at Chen Chao, the meaning clear without words: once Lord Warden Commander speaks, he knows trouble is coming. That won’t do.

Chen Chao sighed. “Minister Du really knows how to do business. I had planned to tell you later, but there’s no way. I’ll say it now: regarding Sword Qi Mountain, I’ve struck another deal with them. Around this month, about a hundred more people will be heading to the Divine Capital.”

Minister Du’s eyes lit up. “Good, good! Lord Warden Commander truly lives up to being a pillar of the nation!”

Previously, Sword Qi Mountain dared not openly show goodwill to Great Liang because they were situated in the foreign lands. Many of their actions couldn’t be made too obvious. But now, Great Liang has already subtly gained a suppressive position over the outsiders, so Sword Qi Mountain needn’t worry as much.

“Since Lord Warden Commander has revealed this news, this lowly official reveal something as well. The second batch of military equipment: the Ministry of Works has already produced 100,000 new sabers. As for improvements over the first batch, there are definitely some. When forging, we added some extra features; anyway, they’ll be more comfortable to use and definitely more lethal to the demon race. As for the Ministry’s continued recruitment of craftsmen, thanks to the Crown Prince’s full support, the Ministry of Revenue let go and provided a lot of silver. By spring, we had added two thousand more people, of which a thousand are nearly fully trained.”

Minister Du wore a smug expression.

Chen Chao did not know whether to laugh or cry. “Minister Du, you came prepared long ago. Was this all just to corner me?”

Minister Du narrowed his eyes and smiled. “Serving the court, one must of course give it one’s all. His Majesty cares about the frontier army, the Crown Prince also cares, and Lord Warden Commander also cares. There must be a reason for that. Since this subordinate sits in the position of Minister of the Ministry of Works, this lowly official naturally have to keep these matters in mind. I cannot wait until a war truly breaks out, only for Lord Warden Commander to come urging for military equipment, and for this subordinate to have nothing to hand over, can I?” “To put it bluntly, if it really came to that, and one day Great Liang were to fall, would this lowly official not become a bona fide sinner responsible for the fall of the state?”

Chen Chao nodded and said with a smile, “Minister Du truly has a clear head.”

Minister Du glanced at Chen Chao, thought for a moment, and said, “Taking ten thousand steps back, with better military equipment, no matter what, fewer people in the north will die, won’t they?” “Everyone had parents. One fewer death means one fewer person losing a husband, one fewer person losing a father. This kind of matter, this subordinate can clearly weigh. And why do they go to the north? On the smaller scale, it is for their parents, wives, and children. On the larger scale, it is for our Great Liang. Sitting in this position, this lowly official may want to turn a blind eye, but my conscience simply will not allow it.”

Chen Chao gave a thumbs-up and said directly that Minister Du was remarkable.

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