Fang Er stated a number that directly stunned Li Shimin.
"Your Majesty, the rails beneath our feet are each three zhang long and weigh two hundred and seventy jin.
Laying one li requires a hundred rails, which amounts to twenty-seven thousand jin of steel.
The cost alone is nearly three thousand guan. If we add sleepers, stones, and labor.
One li will cost around thirty-five hundred guan."
Not just Li Shimin, even the roughnecks Cheng Yaojin and Chai Shao gasped.
Was this laying road?
It was practically throwing money away!
When Fang Xuanling heard the figure, his eyes turned green!
"Your Majesty! We cannot afford to build this road!
Let alone anything else, just to build it from here to the secondary capital Luoyang, nearly four hundred li, excluding bridges and earthworks, it would cost 1.4 million guan!
How much is the Great Tang's annual income?
Thirty million guan!
And that's not all in copper coins; most of it is in physical goods like silk.
Even if it were all converted to copper coins, we couldn't even build a thousand li of road!"
Li Shimin suddenly looked at Fang Er.
"I heard from Shenyang that you found a mine, why is the cost still so high?"
Fang Er looked wronged.
"Your Majesty, the artisans require monthly wages, slaves need to eat, mining requires tools, and steel refining needs coal. Even with a mine, this steel isn't free!
This is hundred-refined steel! Not a pig iron ingot that shatters at a touch!
Or, ask the Ministry of Works and see how much silver they estimate for one li of road with their capabilities."
Li Shimin looked among the officials and happened to see Du Yiyang.
"Duke Fang, go and call Du Yiyang."
Fang Xuanling turned to relay the message.
Not long after, Du Yiyang arrived, stooping over.
He couldn't help it; seeing Fang Er made him unable to stand up straight!
It was a technological suppression!
Being slapped in the face in one's own field of expertise, anyone would find it hard to hold their head up.
Li Shimin looked at him and asked.
"Minister Du, the Marquis of Liaodong says that each three-zhang-long rail requires two hundred and seventy jin of hundred-refined steel.
Calculate it for me. With the capabilities of the Ministry of Works, what would be the cost to lay rails for one li of road?"
Du Yiyang counted on his fingers, mumbling.
Then he gave a number.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, it would be about five thousand guan!"
Li Shimin's expression went dark!
Fang Er paid the farmers for their work.
The Ministry of Works assigned corvee laborers, who were only provided with food.
Even so, it was still half again as much as Fang Er's quoted price!
"Why is the cost so high? The Marquis of Liaodong's reported cost was only thirty-five hundred guan!"
Du Yiyang looked aggrieved.
"Your Majesty, you know the situation of the Ministry of Works. Such straight rails are all hammered by artisans. This price is already very low!
As for the Marquis of Liaodong, how can the Ministry of Works compare?
Not to mention anything else, if this train alone were to be built by the Ministry of Works, even if the Marquis of Liaodong personally guided the process.
Your subject estimates it would take at least half a year to complete!"
Li Shimin truly didn't understand technology. He turned his head to look at Fang Er.
"How long did it take you to build this train?"
Fang Er looked conflicted.
How should he say it? Would it be too much of a blow to Du Yiyang?
After thinking about how long he had been back, he said.
"Half a month?"
Li Shimin clearly heard the lack of confidence in Fang Er's tone.
This fellow was trying to save face for Du Yiyang.
But damn it, half a month versus half a year, where was the face being saved?
However, thinking about it, this fellow had been back for less than a month, and half a month was already the limit.
It seemed the Ministry of Works was out of the question. The other officials who had come along were even less capable of contributing in such matters.
He then said to Du Yiyang.
"All of you may leave. I have some matters to attend to here."
Du Yiyang left, like a jilted bride.
His looking back at every three steps made Fang Er feel a pang of sympathy.
But there was nothing he could do.
The situation with the Ministry of Works did not allow him to hand over the technology.
He wondered what was going on, why the Five Great Clans had been so quiet recently.
It would be better if they made a fuss, giving him an excuse to eliminate them!
As Du Yiyang conveyed Li Shimin's wishes, the officials who had come to watch the train one by one departed.
Only Li Shimin, Cheng Yaojin, Chai Shao, Li Jing, Fang Xuanling, and Zhang Gongjin remained.
Of course, Chai Yue had not left either.
Fang Er glanced at the sky; it was almost noon.
"Your Majesty, why don't we head to the manor? I'll have my household prepare some food, and we can talk while we eat?"
Li Shimin nodded.
Fang Er asked Guan Chang, who was nearby, to bring the car over.
When the car arrived, Guan Chang got out.
Fang Er took over driving, with Li Shimin in the passenger seat.
Chai Yue, being Fang Er's betrothed, sat in the back seat with Chai Shao.
As for Cheng Yaojin and the others, they directly sat in the back of the truck bed.
They sped all the way to Fang Residence.
Xiao Qing heard the car and came out from the inner courtyard. Upon seeing Li Shimin, she immediately bowed.
Li Shimin waved her off and went inside.
Fang Er did not follow immediately but made introductions for Xiao Qing and Chai Yue.
"Xiao Qing, this is Yue'er.
Yue'er, this is Xiao Qing; she is family."
Fang Er's introduction stirred something in Xiao Qing's heart.
She quickly stepped forward to greet them, bowing deeply, more formally than she had bowed to Li Shimin earlier.
"Qing'er greets the young madam."
Chai Yue was very clever. When Fang Er introduced Xiao Qing as family and not a maid, she understood.
A concubine maid, it was just not appropriate to say it directly in front of outsiders.
However, she understood.
This was a common occurrence in this era.
Which young master or young lord of a prominent family didn't have a few concubine maids?
Even Chai Zhewei had two!
She stepped forward and helped Xiao Qing up.
"Qing'er, no need for such formality. Let's call each other sisters from now on. Come, show me around."
After saying that, she took Xiao Qing's hand and left.
Leaving Fang Er stranded at the doorway.
Cheng Yaojin roared with laughter and slapped Fang Er on the shoulder.
"Hahahaha, come, come, quickly have someone prepare food and drinks."
Chai Shao looked at Fang Er.
"Is there any of that wine from yesterday?"
Fang Er nodded.
"Don't worry, there's plenty, enough for you all to drink."
As the group entered the courtyard, Fang Er asked Xiao Huan to inform Hua Niang to prepare the meal.
He himself went into the room.
When he came out, he was carrying two three-jin jugs of "Mendunli" (a type of liquor).
He placed the wine jugs on the table.
"Your Majesty, Brother Cheng, try this wine today."
Fang Er then plopped down to the left of Li Er.
Fang Xuanling was dumbfounded.
Damn it, does this kid understand the rules?
Where are you sitting?
So, he gave Fang Er a lesson in etiquette.
Fang Xuanling first looked at Li Shimin and said.
"Marquis of Liaodong, the position where His Majesty sits is called the main seat. It is usually at the rear, facing the courtyard gate or the hall entrance, with a backrest.
The left is honored, the right is secondary.
Beyond that, it's based on seniority and age.
Look at this table, where do you think you should sit?"
Fang Er was utterly confused.
Damn, eating a meal has so many rules?
But I can't wrong myself by not sitting where I should.
So, he said with a forced smile.
"The guest is honored, His Majesty is the greatest; he is in the main seat, which is fine.
But although I am young and my title is not as high as yours, this is Fang Residence. When we eat later, as the host, shouldn't I accompany the guests properly?
If you make me sit opposite His Majesty, wouldn't that be inconvenient?"
Now it was Fang Xuanling's turn to be speechless.
Did Fang Er's words have any fault?
No fault!
Absolutely no fault!