Chapter 468 - 404: Selling the Field

Chapter 468: Chapter 404: Selling the Field

The Duke of England and Governor Xu Yuanzhi stayed in Liyang for only a single day.

The next morning, accompanied by Governor Gao Changhe and a crowd of officials, they took a boat for a brief inspection tour along the Lishui River.

That evening, after dinner, they went straight to the Official Ship they had arrived on, gave the order to set sail, and departed from Liyang.

Before leaving, Xu Yuanzhi instructed Gao Changhe, who saw them off at the docks, "The matter of rebuilding the river embankment has been decided. The Commandery Magistrate’s Office will cooperate fully. Once this year’s rainy season is over, urge the Chen Family to begin work as soon as possible. There must be no delays."

Gao Changhe bowed and accepted the order. "This subordinate understands. I will ensure there are no delays."

The Duke of England just nodded, his gaze sweeping over the crowd seeing them off, before he turned and boarded the ship without another word.

"They’re leaving already?"

As the news spread, the officials and Scholars and Gentry of Liyang City, great and small, looked at one another in stunned dismay.

For them to arrive with such fanfare only to leave so abruptly was truly baffling.

The news soon reached the Chen Mansion.

Chen Li was in his study, browsing through miscellaneous books on hydraulic engineering, his brow furrowed.

He wasn’t particularly surprised by their departure.

The emergence of the Kao Mountain Cliff Little World and the rumors about the Bi Shuiyu were enough to completely capture their attention.

The more hastily they departed, the more it proved that this matter weighed far more on their minds than the turmoil in Liyang.

’Their attention has been diverted...’

Chen Li muttered to himself, a faint smile gracing his lips.

’The plan worked.’

’I successfully muddied the waters and directed potential scrutiny toward Nanjiang.’

’The Court’s gaze—or rather, that of the Duke of England and even Governor Xu—has temporarily shifted away from the Chen Family.’

’This is undoubtedly good news.’

’For a short time, at least, I won’t have to be on guard day and night against endless investigations and probing from the authorities.’

’Our family has finally been pulled from the eye of the storm, giving us a chance to catch our breath and solidify our foundation.’

However, Chen Li didn’t feel much relief.

Rebuilding the Lishui River Embankment was also a thorny problem that made him feel deeply uneasy, like a spike in his back.

This matter was by no means as simple as it appeared on the surface.

’Could Xu Yuanzhi and the Duke of England have come all this way together just to shove a lucrative, three-million-tael project into our hands?’

’There’s no such thing as a free lunch, and there’s certainly no such thing as being entrusted with great responsibility for no reason.’

Chen Li rubbed the bridge of his nose.

Even setting aside the possible hidden motives of the two that he had yet to uncover, the task of rebuilding the embankment itself was enough of a headache.

A project worth three million taels, involving river surveys, embankment planning, material procurement, labor recruitment, construction scheduling...

It was a project of immense complexity, where a single misstep could have cascading consequences.

Not to mention the potential conflicts of local interest involved.

The Chen Family had risen too quickly, and when it came to construction projects, they were completely in the dark.

Accepting this task was like a child trying to lift a giant cauldron; one careless mistake, and they would be crushed to pieces.

What’s more, he couldn’t see through those two at all, couldn’t fathom their true intentions.

’Was it a test? A trap? Or some deeper scheme?’

The unknown is often more terrifying than a known danger.

Just as he was lost in thought, a servant announced that Governor Gao Changhe had come to visit.

Chen Li composed his expression and went to meet him in the main hall.

"Patriarch Chen, I hope I’m not intruding."

Gao Changhe cupped his hands, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then got straight to the point. "Although the Duke and the Governor have departed, the matter of rebuilding the embankment cannot be delayed. Lord Governor specifically instructed before he left that work must begin once this autumn’s rainy season is over. Patriarch Chen, I hope you will begin preparations as soon as possible."

Chen Li was unconcerned by Gao Changhe’s urging, but he still offered an explanation. "Governor Gao, my Chen Family, from top to bottom, is completely ignorant about such construction projects. To take this on so suddenly... we truly have no confidence. Please grant us some time to prepare slowly. Or perhaps... could you dispatch experienced officials and craftsmen to guide us?"

Hearing this, a sharp glint flashed in Gao Changhe’s eyes. He lowered his voice and said, "I understand Patriarch Chen’s concerns. However, I have an idea that might solve the Chen Family’s troubles."

"I would be glad to hear the details."

Gao Changhe smiled. "When I was an official in Kyoto in my younger years, I met a certain senior. This man once served as a Water Control Doctor in the Ministry of Works and is a true master of hydraulic engineering. Moreover, his family has been in this business for generations, undertaking many projects to repair canals and reinforce embankments. They are experienced and well-staffed."

At this point, the smile on his face deepened. "If Patriarch Chen is interested, you could hire this senior and his family to handle the entire embankment project as your proxy. The Chen Family would only need to hold the title of general contractor; they would handle all the specific affairs. As for the silver coins..."

"Following industry practice, the Chen Family, as the general contractor, would take a ten percent cut, and the remaining ninety percent would be left for them to manage. This way, Patriarch Chen, you wouldn’t have to worry about the trivial details of the project and could simply enjoy the profits. Isn’t that the best of both worlds? If you agree, Patriarch Chen, I am willing to act as the middleman and make the connection."

Chen Li listened quietly, his face impassive, but inwardly, he understood everything.

’How could I fail to understand this Lord Governor’s scheme?’

’This so-called "senior" and his "family" are almost certainly inextricably linked to Gao Changhe himself or his relatives.’

’This is clearly an attempt to get a piece of the pie.’

’I’m to act as the general contractor, subcontract the project, and simply collect a management fee.’

Although Chen Li hadn’t personally experienced such an operation in his past life, he had seen and heard of it plenty of times.

Ordinarily, faced with such a troublesome task being forced upon him, Chen Li might have just gone with the flow and agreed.

He didn’t want to get involved in the first place and had no expectation of earning many silver taels from it. If he could get rid of this hot potato, he would be willing even if he didn’t make a profit.

But right now, at this critical moment when the motives of the Duke of England and Xu Yuanzhi were unclear and the situation was delicate, Chen Li absolutely did not dare to so carelessly give away the initiative.