Chapter 43

“It really is both large and sturdy, just like my own house!”

“Moreover, to build such a large house in just 3 to 5 days, what a rapid pace!”

“Yes, like my house, it took a whole month to build! But it still doesn’t seem to compare to this one!”

“This cement is truly a miracle for construction! Such a great thing!”

Everyone exclaimed in amazement.

“Not only that!”

Heshen exclaimed, “This cement works wonders in construction. By extension, it can also be used in building dams, city walls, roads, and so on, with even better results!”

“Yes, that’s true, how come I never thought of that!”

“What the official says is very true!”

“Building houses is so fast. The speed of repairing the city walls must be incredibly quick too!”

“What a marvelous thing indeed!”

“The most crucial point is that this cement was actually invented by His Majesty!”

Heshen looked at Lin Beifan with frenzied and admiring eyes, “This proves that His Majesty is the true Son of Destiny, a sage king for all ages. Thus, he received divine guidance to invent the nation-stabilizing divine artifact, cement! With such a sage king, our Xia Kingdom will surely soar rapidly, rise to prominence, awe all directions, endure through the ages, and continue unbroken for eternity!”

The others shouted in unison: “With such a sage king, our Xia Kingdom will surely soar rapidly, rise to prominence, awe all directions, endure through the ages, and continue unbroken for eternity!”

Heshen then exclaimed: “Long live His Majesty!”

Others followed with high praises: “Long live the Emperor!”

Even Yaoyao couldn’t help but say: “Little foolish emperor, you are really impressive. I underestimated you before!”

Amidst the sycophantic cheers of the crowd, Lin Beifan floated on cloud nine, laughing triumphantly: “Haha! My dear Ministers, you flatter me, but I understand your sentiments. Before you all return, there will be generous rewards!”

“Thank you, Your Majesty!” The crowd chorused again.

“Alright, let’s get back to serious matters!”

Lin Beifan coughed and, pointing to the concrete house beside him, said: “My Ministers, what do you think would be a fair price to sell such a house?”

“Reporting to Your Majesty, such a large and sturdy house should fetch at least fifty or sixty taels!”

“Yes, even a humble servant like myself thinks that fifty or sixty taels would be appropriate!”

“Like the house I bought before, which was about the same size, it cost me 60 taels!”

Lin Beifan shook his head indifferently: “That’s too high! I plan to sell these houses to the common folk, and for them, fifty or sixty taels is already an astronomical price, they simply can’t afford it!”

Heshen held up three fingers: “Then let’s make it 40 taels of silver…”

Lin Beifan still shook his head: “That’s still too high!”

“How about 30 taels of silver…”

Lin Beifan still shook his head: “That’s still too high! The average commoner earns 200 wen a month, which amounts to 2.4 taels of silver a year! Without eating or drinking, it would take them 12 years to save enough to buy a house!”

“If they live frugally, it would take them over 20 years. How many 20-year periods does one have in a lifetime? Moreover, excessively high housing prices aren’t good; they suppress the economy. Therefore, I believe…”

Lin Beifan raised two fingers: “20 taels of silver should be enough!”

The crowd was shocked once again.

“Your Majesty, isn’t 20 taels too cheap for such a good house?”

“Wouldn’t we be at a loss?”

“Shouldn’t we raise the price a bit more?”

Lin Beifan shook his head: “Actually, there’s hardly any cost involved! This land is mine, so it doesn’t cost a penny! The cement for building the houses and the raw materials are dug right out from the mountain next door, so that doesn’t cost much either! As for labor, these workers were pulled from the miners, whose wages had already been paid! So all in all, building a house like this is very cheap!”

Everyone nodded in agreement, indeed it didn’t cost much.

“Selling it a bit cheaper can also be considered a benefit I give to the people!”

Heshen slapped on a flattering compliment with ease: “Your Majesty is truly a sage of the ages, unparalleled in benevolence!”

The crowd voiced in unison: “His Majesty truly deserves to be called a sage of the ages, unparalleled in benevolence!”

Lin Beifan once again laughed proudly: “Haha…”

After laughing, Lin Beifan spread out a map and said, “The Capital City is too small to accommodate so many people! Therefore, I plan to develop a new city next to the Capital City, using cement to build houses and roads, allowing the people to live and work in peace and contentment! This is the planning map I’ve been working on all night. Take a look and see what you think?”

Everyone looked over and collectively gasped in astonishment.

The map showed houses neatly lined up, wide and tidy streets, and towering, majestic city walls…

This was not just the development of a new city!

It was clearly the construction of an imperial city!

“Your Majesty, can this really be done?”

“Why not? Success depends on our efforts! As long as we give it our all, we will succeed one day!” Lin Beifan said with a laugh, his heart brimming with confidence.

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