Chapter 286: Relocating The Capital
Three days later, the site for the New Capital City was selected. Next, the Ministry of Works would provide drawings for the Emperor to choose from. After the Emperor made his selection, Zhou Wangshu would lead the Ministry of Works ministers to rush ahead to the New Capital City to build the new Imperial Palace.
Su Yaoguang led the people from Peach Blossom Workshop to follow Zhou Wangshu’s team in migrating. However, the Peach Blossom Workshop here continued operating as usual; it just needed to be handed over to a trustworthy manager. In the future, they would come over every six months or year to settle accounts, which would also count as a considerable income.
Su Yaoguang and Zhou Wangshu rode the same horse together.
Zhang Zhaodi and the others sat in the horse-drawn carriage, lifting the curtain to look outside, their eyes full of reluctance.
“Will your family’s Boss Song migrating with you affect his business?” Zhang Yingdi asked.
“We can open a new Peach Blossom Workshop in the New Capital City, and he can open a new shop in the New Capital City. What’s there to affect?”
Seeing that Zhang Pandi no longer had the worried and bitter expression from before, and now looked so bright and cheerful, Zhang Yingdi knew that Zhang Pandi had finally married the right person this time.
The clothes on Jia Chunni were also much nicer than before. It wasn’t that she had lived poorly at Peach Blossom Workshop previously, but rather that Jia Chunni was always busy running around with Jiang Jing and had no time to take care of herself. She was clearly a young lady, yet she looked like a tomboy. Now, seeing her adorned with all that tinkling jewelry, she finally looked a bit like a young lady.
“Look over there…” Jia Chunni pointed outside.
Everyone looked in the direction she pointed. They saw a madwoman by the street, clutching a swaddling cloth tightly, while several officers struggled with her to grab it away. They finally managed to snatch the swaddling cloth from her.
“My child… my child…”
“What a lunatic. Her child has long since stunk.”
“How pitiful.”
“She’s not pitiful at all. This woman is extremely vicious!”
Zhang Zhaodi and the others exchanged glances.
Although Jiang Yihuan was now disheveled and filthy, emaciated as if she had become a different person, they still recognized her at a glance.
Su Yaoguang saw her too. She was riding on horseback, looking at Jiang Yihuan’s figure.
Jiang Yihuan sensed something and looked up toward Su Yaoguang on horseback. In that moment, her chaotic eyes suddenly cleared up. She grabbed a kitchen knife from the nearby stall and lunged toward Su Yaoguang.
“I want to kill you!”
Zhou Wangshu pulled Su Yaoguang into his arms, covering her eyes.
Pfft! The sound of the knife stabbing into a body rang out.
Su Yaoguang pulled down Zhou Wangshu’s hand and looked toward the opposite side, only to see Jiang Yihuan pierced through by soldiers.
She spat blood, looking toward Su Yaoguang with eyes full of unwillingness.
Zhou Wangshu nudged the horse’s belly and took Su Yaoguang away from there.
“Xiao Yanci is in the border prison. Before I left, I instructed them not to let him die too quickly. I don’t know how long he can hold out.”
“A person like him must not die too quickly; if he dies too fast, it would be no fun.”
The New Capital City selected by the Emperor was close to the border but still within their national borders. After all, the enemy country had just been conquered, and there were still many rebels who refused to submit that needed a lot of time to subdue.
Two months later, they arrived at the New Capital City.
The New Capital City could not be called a prosperous city.
Of course, that was two months ago.
Now that it had been decided this was the New Capital City, a large number of merchants had appeared throughout the city, and housing prices here had risen to ten times what they were before.
The first thing Zhou Wangshu did upon arriving at the New Capital City was to take over the local government office.
The entire city needed to be rezoned. First, the site for the Imperial Palace was extremely important and had to have good Feng Shui. Therefore, just selecting the Imperial Palace site took three days, as they inspected all the Feng Shui treasures here and finally chose a place with an excellent dragon vein.
Second, with the Imperial Palace being built here, after leaving the Imperial Palace, the nearest few areas had to be reserved for building official residences.
Civil and Military Officials as well as the various noble families with hereditary titles all needed new residences here.
There were also the official residences for the various departments’ yamens.
Zhou Wangshu summoned artisans from the surrounding several cities.
Ministry of Works officials were in charge of supervision, and artisans from various places followed the government office’s orders. The three-year construction project began.
Su Yaoguang was not idle, busy building new shops.
One busy building the city, the other busy opening stores; husband and wife often failed to meet each other.
“Owner, look outside…” The new shop assistant pointed at the doorway and said, “That person is so good-looking!”
Su Yaoguang turned around, and upon seeing Zhou Wangshu, put down the new product in her hand and walked over.
“Little pretty boy, want to come in for some tea?” Su Yaoguang pinched Zhou Wangshu’s chin.
Zhou Wangshu was wearing casual clothes today, not his official uniform. When he wasn’t wearing his official uniform, he looked like a just-adult youth.
He hugged Su Yaoguang, pulling her into his arms, and coquettishly said, “Just tea? I’m starving. Can you reward me with some food?”
New shop assistant: “…”
The owner is so mighty.
“That’s not right. Doesn’t the owner have a husband?” The new shop assistant muttered to himself, “Flirting so openly with a young man like this isn’t good, is it?”
Jiang Jing walked out from behind and said, “Is it possible that this is the owner’s husband?”
“Ah?” The new shop assistant’s eyes widened. “The owner’s husband is so handsome! Why have we never seen him before?”
So handsome, yet not letting them see him—could he be kept hidden at home?
“Lord Prime Minister…” A Ministry of Works official chased to the doorway of Peach Blossom Workshop and shouted loudly, “Lord, I heard you told the artisans from the Prime Minister’s Mansion to stop work. Is it because they did something wrong?”
The new shop assistant’s mouth gaped open wide.
“Prime… Prime Minister…” The new shop assistant pointed in Zhou Wangshu’s direction. “He’s the Prime Minister, so our boss is the Prime Minister’s Wife?”
“What else?” Jiang Jing patted the new shop assistant’s shoulder. “Now do you have great confidence in our shop?”
The other shop assistants crowded over, their eyes burning as they looked at Zhou Wangshu.
Zhou Wangshu left with the Ministry of Works officials.
When Su Yaoguang returned, the shop assistants surrounded her.
“Boss, you’re actually the Prime Minister’s Wife? You’re too low-key. We only just learned this news.”
“Mainly, the Prime Minister has been too busy. Ever since stepping into our place, he’s been occupied with building the Imperial Palace.”
“Right, right. Boss, you’re the Prime Minister’s Wife now—why are you still out doing business?”
Su Yaoguang said, “Even if I were the king of heaven, I still have to do business when it’s time. My mother was a general’s wife and still waited tables before giving birth. Alright, enough curiosity—go busy yourselves.”
Zhou Wangshu suddenly appeared outside Peach Blossom Workshop, and quite a few people saw this scene. Everyone then realized that Peach Blossom Workshop’s backer was such a big shot, and the owner of Peach Blossom Workshop was the Prime Minister’s Wife, so many people came to fawn over her.
Su Yaoguang would not refuse their fawning. They could flatter her all they wanted, but getting her to do anything illegal was impossible.
