freenovelworld Chapter 133: Several parties gather in Qingshan Village
Chapter 133: Several parties gather in Qingshan Village
At the gate of the Shen family, Bai Jin's carriage arrived again.
When he learned that Shen Li had gone to the mountain, Shen Shaodong was busy building a clan temple in the east of the village, directing the workers to work in an orderly manner, while Zhang and Shen Xuan went to the old house together.
Recently, Shen Xuan frequently went to the old house to discuss academic matters in depth with his third uncle Shen Shaoxi. As a result, Shen Li could only meet him at dinner time.
Bai Jin stood in front of the Shen family's gate, looking a little dazed. After a moment, he handed the gift he had brought to Shen Yu and said, "It just so happens that I also plan to go to the mountain to take a look."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yu's lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to say something. Finally, he said, "Sir, there may be large wild animals lurking in the mountains. You must be extremely careful!"
Bai Jin nodded slightly with a faint smile on his face: "Don't worry, if we are lucky enough to encounter a wild boar, we can hunt it and add another dish for everyone."
Shen Yu hurriedly said, "Then I will go with you!" As he spoke, he handed the item in his hand to Zhao Yue who happened to be walking out, and said, "This is a gift from Lord Bai. Put it away carefully and wait for the master and mistress to return."
Zhao Yue took the thing with both hands, bowed to Bai Jin very respectfully and greeted: "How are you, Lord Bai!" Then he turned around and went back to the house.
At the same time, the six-member shadow team sent by the emperor to protect and investigate Shen Li successfully arrived at Qingshan Village.
After careful inquiries in advance, they learned that the Shen family was preparing to build an ancestral hall and a school, and they also went to Lin County to invite two royal craftsmen who had already retired.
These two craftsmen were famous throughout the world. Many royal buildings and gardens were created by them, and their skills were superb and unparalleled.
The shadows went to invite them sincerely many times, but the two craftsmen were adamant and refused to come out no matter what.
In desperation, the shadows had to find another way. They secretly broke into Shen Li's room and stole the little girl's discarded design drawings. They put a lot of effort and racked their brains to do this.
Two royal craftsmen, Li Gong and Zhang Gong, were originally enjoying a leisurely life in a quiet courtyard, immersed in the leisure away from the hustle and bustle of the world.
The shadows' repeated visits were all rejected by them with a resolute attitude. In their hearts, there was no event in the world worth coming out again.
However, when the design drawings stolen from Shen Li's room slowly unfolded before their eyes, it was like a bolt of thunder suddenly breaking the calm surface of a lake, and a sense of shock surged over them.
Mr. Li's eyes widened instantly, full of disbelief. His originally relaxed face tensed up with shock. His mouth opened slightly, as if words were stuck in his throat, and he couldn't utter a word for a long time.
The same was true for Engineer Zhang. The object he was playing with fell to the ground with a clang, but he was completely unaware of it. He seemed to be under a spell, staring at the design drawing intently. The shock in his eyes seemed to indicate that all this had overturned his decades of understanding of architectural skills.
After a brief moment of astonishment, there was endless praise.
Engineer Li was the first to recover. He excitedly extended a slightly trembling finger and pointed at an ingenious arrangement on the blueprint. His voice rose slightly with excitement. "This layout is truly ingenious! It may seem like a few random strokes, but in reality, it embodies a profound understanding of spatial utilization and aesthetics. I've never seen such ingenuity before!"
Engineer Zhang nodded repeatedly, the veins on his forehead throbbing with emotion. He interrupted, "It's more than that! Look at the joints in this structure. The transitions are natural and smooth, without any sense of awkwardness, as if they were made by nature. This perfect fusion of mechanics and architectural art is beyond the reach of ordinary craftsmen, and even those of us who have been immersed in this field for years cannot compare!"
After that, the two of them gathered in front of the design, sometimes leaning over to stare, sometimes standing up and smiling at each other. Their smiles were full of amazement and admiration for the design, and even more so, infinite admiration and praise for the creator Shen Li. They had completely forgotten their previous resistance to leaving the mountains, and only wanted to rush to Qingshan Village as soon as possible to meet the extraordinary person behind the design.
In the court, the various forces that had been arguing fiercely a few days ago now all had their own ulterior motives and sent their trusted men to Qingshan County.
The man sent by Prime Minister He Changting was a talented young man in his twenties.
As soon as he arrived in Qingshan County yesterday, he immediately began to inquire around about the miraculous incident of the fairy boy praying for rain and the fairy pets rumored in the market.
He acted extremely cautiously and boldly, and even went out of his way to find the home of Mr. Zhang, who was said to have recovered his mother's health after eating the magic pet.
Under the cover of night, he quietly approached the courtyard wall, then climbed up nimbly, hiding in the shadows on the top of the wall and peeking inside.
The old lady was indeed as the rumors said, in good health. She was taking a leisurely stroll in the garden, looking very energetic, with no trace of her previous illness and weakness.
The answers received by the other forces were exactly the same, all of them were affirmative responses.
In Qingshan County, the faces of all the villagers were filled with joy. Whenever they met passers-by, they would enthusiastically tell them about the miraculous deeds of the fairy child who brought rain, and the great kindness of Fuxi Township Lord who bestowed high-yield grain seeds.
Behind all this, Bai Jin was actually carefully planning and strategizing behind the scenes, doing his best to protect Shen Li.
Bai Jin is well aware of Shen Li's difficult situation in this complicated court situation.
Ever since Shen Li's clever plan had earned him the title of Xiangjun by the emperor for his merit in praying for rain, he had foreseen that there would be waves in the court.
He understood that while Shen Li's prayer for rain was indeed miraculous, in the eyes of those shrewd court officials, Shen Li's position was not secure simply because she had prayed for rain and the crops had not yet been planted and harvested. So, Bai Jin began his plan.
He first secretly sent his trusted subordinates to every corner of Qingshan County to patiently talk with the villagers, and let the hardships and sincerity of Shen Li in praying for rain, as well as the great hope contained in the high-yield grain seeds, seep into the hearts of the villagers like a trickle of water.
He carefully instructed the villagers on how to tell these stories so that Shen Li's achievements could be fully displayed without appearing to be deliberately exaggerated.
He also personally wrote some manuscripts about Shen Li's deeds, skillfully incorporating elements such as loyalty to the court, care for the people, and a bright future. Then, through some reliable channels, these manuscripts were quietly circulated in Qingshan County and surrounding areas, attracting many literati and gentry to discuss them, and gradually forming a wave of public opinion favorable to Shen Li.
Furthermore, Bai Jin met privately with local officials in Qingshan County. Using his prestige and wisdom, he persuaded them with both emotion and reason, making them understand the importance of Shen Li to the development of Qingshan County and the entire region, thereby gaining the overt and covert support and cooperation of local officials.
When handling government affairs and communicating with the people, they would also mention Shen Li's achievements in a timely manner, further consolidating Shen Li's prestige among the people.
Through this series of closely linked and meticulous planning and operations, Bai Jin quietly built a solid protection network for Shen Li behind the scenes, allowing Shen Li to establish a very high prestige among the people despite the prying eyes and potential threats from various forces, and also laid a solid foundation for her to cope with the changing situation in the court in the future.