“Naturally, insignificant people like us will rise with you… To say nothing of other things, when you were in Yunzhou, His Majesty had already sent people to ask me if I was willing to serve in the Ministry of Works, not just some honorary title in the Baigong Si, but a real Yuanwailang. First, I'd familiarize myself with government affairs, and then my promotion would depend on my own abilities. For me, this was something I wouldn't have dared to imagine ten years ago.”

Suo Yong said, "The aristocratic families respect you, partly because of Princess Dianxia's sake, but also because your character and talents are indeed admirable. No matter where, by your side, as long as they do their jobs well, you don't care what faction they're from, where they come from, or even if they're men or women… Those who are diligent and conscientious can always find a suitable place under your wings, and those who are talented but lazy are willing to stay by your side because you won't force them to do things they don't want to do… But no one knows what you really want to do.” Suo Yong emphasized this again: “Little Shidi, everyone is coming for you, not for your career. You also said that if everyone can have the same goals, it's much better than everyone having their own plans. The Blood Kirin Army is strong because everyone wants to keep it the strongest army in the world, so even though every soldier is paid like a young master, the training is truly harsh. What about your Yunzhou? Little Shidi, to be honest, I've never understood what you really want to do?”

"Second Shixiong, why are you interested in these things?" Ye Tao said with a smile. Among the shixiongs, only Suo Yong would say these words to him; only he could say them.

“Shifu is getting old after all, and you've been so successful these past few years that Shifu thinks everything you do is right. Da Zhu doesn't care about anything except doing his job well, so he's relaxed. Shunzi is actually the most clever among us, but he's in charge of so many things now. Not to mention the Yunzhou branch of the workshop, even just your research institute is enough to keep him busy. You have so many other things to do in Yunzhou, and anything related to technology is thrown his way. As for me, the Danyang workshop has been running smoothly for so many years, and people who can take over are gradually emerging. I'm the most relaxed of all the shixiongs now. His Majesty asked me if I was willing to become an official. I'm really tempted. You know my family background; I never dared to imagine this before. If I miss this opportunity, I'm afraid I'll regret it when I'm old. But before that, I have to do everything I want to do here. Little Shidi, you're our hope; we all hope you can lead us somewhere. But you have to let us know where we're going, right?” Suo Yong said seriously.

"Shixiong…" Ye Tao was a little moved.

“Hehe, Little Shidi,” Suo Yong waved his hand, not letting Ye Tao finish. They were shixiongs after all, and their relationship from so many years of interacting and helping each other was even closer than blood relatives. And the children of Guan Haishan, Suo Yong, and Zhao Da Zhu had been playing together since they were young; the fathers all hoped that these children would also be close brothers, sisters, or even couples in the future… Although they had similar thoughts about Ye Tao, this incredibly talented little shidi, they were thinking of waiting a few more years. One reason was that Ye Tao didn't have any children yet, and the other was that considering the origins of Ye Tao's wives were too prominent, many aristocratic families were eyeing him covetously, and many had even said they wanted to 'reserve' him… They thought it would be a little difficult to get even closer to Little Shidi. But what they thought of, anything that could help Ye Tao, whether it was praise or criticism, whether it was pleasant or unpleasant to hear, they wouldn't keep it in their hearts. “I've thought about it carefully; I've reached the peak of my craft. In a while, I'll prepare to take on the job of Yuanwailang. But before that, I want to ask you for a job?”

Ye Tao was a little surprised and asked, "Ask me for a job? Shixiong, are you also planning to come to Yunzhou?"

"No." Suo Yong shook his head and said, "I want to go to Xiling." He then explained, "You also said that it would be troublesome to retrieve those treasures or documents. I think it might require someone familiar with various mechanisms. If no one is willing to go, I think you would risk your own life, right? But you're the Yunzhou Jinglüe Shi after all; you have too many things to do. Seeing the things that have piled up after you've been gone for a few months is chilling, let alone this slightly risky operation. It's better to let me go. I like mechanisms, I understand mechanisms, and I'm free."

Ye Tao tilted his head, looked at Suo Yong, and asked seriously, "Shixiong, do you really want to go?"

Suo Yong nodded. Speaking of this topic, he was actually a little excited: "I think it's very interesting. This time, fiddling with the Canglong Xia, studying various ancient books and secret files, while discussing the possibilities of the Canglong Xia, it's both solid technology and relying on my own brain to imagine, guess, and even fantasize. I think solving various mechanisms is much more interesting than staying in the workshop and managing this and that. Besides, whether I'm at the workshop or not doesn't really matter anymore. Hehe, Little Shidi, that production planning department you created is really useful. Now, I can finally free up my hands to do some fun things."

Ye Tao thought for a while and said, "Second Shixiong, I can promise you this: if His Majesty decides to send someone to retrieve those documents and treasures, I'll definitely find a way to get His Majesty to agree to let you participate. Given the current situation, whether to go, whether to retrieve both documents and treasures at the same time, is still uncertain. Obtaining those documents is just adding a little bargaining chip, perhaps to be more comfortable and have more means when dealing with Xiling, or when dealing with others, especially the Dao Ming Sect. As for getting those treasures… at most, we'll just be able to spend money more freely for a while. Even the biggest treasure can't withstand a country's spending, so that's not urgent. But I think we do need someone like you, Shixiong, who knows how to break mechanisms, and perhaps some other personnel. But if His Majesty isn't in a hurry to send someone, I can't help you."

Suo Yong said cheerfully, "Your words are enough."

The two shixiongs chatted until very late. About two hours later, Liu Yong returned from the palace, conveying His Majesty's intention to summon Ye Tao tomorrow, and also that representatives from several merchants and business associations had come to Zheng Yuan to inquire about the construction of Yunzhou's new city. After the location of Yunzhou's new city was finalized, there had been endless opinions. Some saw Dongping's ambition to control the north from the new city, some saw the huge expense of the new city, and some saw unlimited business opportunities… And all kinds of people would have new experiences as the new city project gradually unfolded.

And the new city was also the last thing Ye Tao needed to finalize before leaving Danyang this time.

The draft design of the new city was basically completed. With the help of the unique geological features and Ye Tao's spirit of "reshaping" the world he was familiar with, the new city would present a completely different appearance from any previous city. After the location of the new city was finalized, Yunzhou actually immediately began to organize manpower for project preparation. Materials, workers, tools, equipment, and even training for craftsmen had already begun, and even detailed land surveys and leveling had begun at the site of the new city, and the water conservancy projects supporting the construction of the new city had been fully launched. The water conservancy projects of the new city mainly focused on two aspects: water supply and sewage discharge.

In terms of water supply, the new city replicated the excellent parts of the water conservancy projects of ancient Rome in Ye Tao's memory and would use various means to ensure the water supply to the entire city. On the one hand, it was the dredging and diversion project of the Di River and some small and medium-sized rivers in the surrounding area, and on the other hand, it was the layout of the water supply pipes inside the city. Sewage discharge was also considered quite forward-looking. In order to fully achieve the effect, the sewer system that only began to exist in the industrial age would be fully rolled out in the new city. Of course, some people were worried that the complex and huge sewer system would become another way to attack the new city in the future, but because of the obvious benefits of the water supply and drainage system and the sewer system, no one objected. Instead, they made up for the deficiencies in the defense of the sewer, so when the construction of the new city was completed, the new city would also have a tunnel warfare system.

Unlike ancient Rome, Ye Tao now also had abundant power means at his disposal. In and around the new city, a number of windmills would be erected to provide pressure for various pipes. The Dutch had continuously improved the efficiency of windmills to a point where it was difficult to make further breakthroughs, and Ye Tao's windmills were the highest version from the start. Before other power means appeared, these windmills could be used for a very long time. During the construction of the new city, these windmills would begin to play a role, taking on the functions of serving the new city construction site, supplying water and drainage, milling flour, and so on.

The benefits of the new city's sewer system even moved Tan Xiao Pei. After consulting Ye Tao and learning that Danyang still had the potential to add sewers, but that the various aspects involved were too many and the cost was extremely high, he gave up. After all, sewers had to be dug from the ground to be built, and no matter how magical Ye Tao was, he couldn't create a tunnel boring machine. However, the future capital of Dongping designed by Ye Tao could also build such a system from the beginning, and the new capital project had also entered the demonstration phase.