Chapter 10: The Imperial City Bureau

The plan began to advance step by step, with money flowing out like a river, impossible to contain.

They bought a piece of wasteland seven and a half li east of the city gate, paying eight thousand guan. The area was large—twenty hectares in total.

To prepare this barren land, they built a two-li-long road, costing one thousand five hundred guan.

To transport timber and stone, they constructed an engineering transport channel connecting to the Wuzhang River, investing another thousand guan.

For rapid construction, they erected temporary worker shelters, dug two wells, and built a canteen, spending another thousand guan.

One person in the preparation team had to do the work of two; Li Chang’an deeply missed Old Long Face.

If he were here, at least there would be someone to chat and pass the time with.

Fortunately, the money spent yielded remarkable results.

Bianjing was a city famed for its efficiency; all materials and workmanship, once the price was paid, arrived instantly—no waiting even for an hour.

His temporary command post was set between the Bian Canal and the Wuzhang River, facilitating the coordination of all supplies.

Every day from dawn to dusk, the street outside thrived with vendors and suppliers.

Though the project was budgeted at fifty thousand guan, Li Chang’an boasted externally that it cost two hundred thousand guan, inflating the entire Bianjing construction market.

When the news reached the palace, Emperor Zhao Xu paused his tense work on the national debt to hear Cao Rui’s report.

Building a genuine school to train service-oriented talents aligned perfectly with Minister Wang’s vision.

Wang Anshi had already proposed reforming the existing imperial examination system to establish official academies, cultivating technical bureaucrats and improving government efficiency.

Zhao Xu had approved the plan, pending imperial council consensus, after which site selection and enrollment would commence immediately.

He hadn’t expected this merchant’s son, two years his senior, to be so bold—throwing borrowed money around without hesitation. If they failed to recruit students, it would ruin them for life.

After all, this was the first large-scale benevolent government project under his reign, so support and encouragement were necessary.

“Minister Cao, send someone to inquire: what is the school’s name?”

Cao Rui thought he was about to be investigated and had already instructed his subordinates to prioritize controlling timber and stone—his family’s garden was only half finished.

But the emperor merely wanted to know the school’s name. Cao sighed helplessly; this young man was clearly riding a wave of luck, not easy to tackle right now.

He recalled how, when seeking advice from the God of Wealth, Li Chang’an had sent him away with three questions, breeding resentment.

Several times Cao had tried to sabotage the young man, but the emperor refused to listen—truly strange.

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Under the experienced supervision of the master craftsman, construction proceeded in an orderly, clear manner.

Every drainage ditch was dug to the exact inch; every footpath reserved was scrupulously maintained without the slightest encroachment.

Cao Rui visited the site and even suspected the workers were elite troops from the imperial guards.

They obeyed orders flawlessly; the transport routes for materials and labor never clashed, and all supplies were neatly arranged.

He made a mental note to trip Li Chang’an up someday.

After searching for a long time, he couldn’t find Li Chang’an.

When notified, no one responded. This infuriated Supervisor Cao.

How dare a decadent son of a fallen family flaunt his authority before the imperial city’s officers? If he didn’t handle this, how could he lead his three thousand men?

Angrily, Cao stormed to Li Chang’an’s command post.

There, in front of a building, two neat lines stretched out, with vendors selling umbrellas and water alongside.

Though Cao had poor official manners, his superiors had instructed him merely to inquire, so he refrained from wearing his official robe and carrying his sword while riding a horse.

Under the blazing sun, he had no patience to queue.

He squeezed forward through the gap and slapped a hand on the table.

“Kaifeng Prefecture business! Who authorized you to gather the people here without reporting? Do you understand the rules?”

Li Chang’an looked up, unfamiliar with this troublemaker.

He casually pointed behind him to a folding screen, now a display wall plastered with official Kaifeng Prefecture permits and notices.

With such a large project led by the master craftsman from the construction bureau, mistakes were impossible.

Cao Rui was momentarily speechless but composed himself. He had encountered all manner of situations before; business didn’t get done without bribes.

“If there are bribes, that’s unacceptable. Have you checked everyone’s identities? Any enemy spies? Any thieves fencing stolen goods?”

“Speak your business. If you have none, stand aside! Don’t you see I’m busy?”

Li Chang’an thought this uncle must be crazy. He had already dealt with all the local ruffians—how dare they come to stir trouble?

Impressive. If you want to fight Head Constable Xing, that would at least show some courage.

Seeing trouble brewing, Guanghe quickly slipped inside. Soon a cold-faced man in his thirties was brought out—Kaifeng Prefecture’s appointed peacekeeper.

Old Xing sized up Cao Rui, noting his well-dressed appearance, pale complexion, and neat beard—no street thug.

He bowed slightly and raised his chin.

“May I ask your name? You have left the city walls. Do you think Kaifeng Prefecture’s laws don’t apply here?”

Cao Rui, a second-rank military officer, should have been resting at the office today. He had come personally to find fault and shut down Li Chang’an’s project.

Normally, a low-ranking officer like Constable Xing wouldn’t even be qualified to speak to him.

And yet this man dared to look at him like that—quite audacious.

“Enough nonsense. The imperial city’s security division suspects spies here and will seal the street for a search!” Eventually, Old Cao revealed his badge.

Constable Xing was stunned; this was beyond his authority.

He quickly stepped back, opening a path to reveal Li Chang’an.

“Fine, hurry it up. My throat’s about to give out. Also suspecting spies here just wants to wear me down.”

He was a student of social economic history, never having managed such a complex project.

The key was, there was no one else to delegate to. With so much money at stake, any leakage would mean no tuition or loan repayment.

Cao Rui narrowed his eyes and ground his teeth.

Today, if he didn’t use some tactics, Li Dongjia would never see his triple-eyed horse lord.

“Begin! Seal the street!” he shouted to the plainclothes guards behind him.

These men wore civilian clothes, lacking much presence, and dared not use force against a wealthy merchant.

After much effort, they only managed to close off two entrances at the crossroads.

Li Chang’an gave up and leaned back, closing his eyes to rest.

Every contact he dealt with was a servant or steward of a high-ranking noble family in Song, none daring to slight him. They had tormented him for three whole days.

Now, with someone else taking the heat, he could finally catch a breath.

Cao Rui, seeing Li avoid confrontation, flared his nostrils and clenched his jaw as if a mouse was gnawing inside.

“Everyone, come forward to register and verify!” he commanded.

Before the order finished, a young man in his twenties pushed through the crowd.

Meeting Cao Rui’s eyes, the youth pulled him aside and whispered.

“Second Master, you better not make a scene here. See that? That’s the Prince of Pu’s mansion, that’s Han Qi’s, and that’s the Zhe family’s. Offending them for no reason gains us nothing. Besides, my master sent me to smooth things over—we also need business at the Duke’s mansion.”

The young man was the steward managing the Cao family’s rope business, here running errands. They had met a few times.

Cao Rui, unfamiliar with the youth, recognized him as a family servant upon closer inspection.

“That won’t do. I can’t lose face today. If word gets out, how will I survive in Bianjing?”

The young man inwardly cursed, no wonder the Duke’s mansion was failing—what fools they employed.