This son-in-law is wicked in a good way!

Morning next day.

After dealing with the memorials, the Empress stood up from her throne and surveyed her ministers.

"My dear ministers, please wait a moment. I would like to invite you to visit a road."

"Mo Yu." The Empress turned to look at Miss Mo.

Mo Yu bowed respectfully: "Your Majesty, the carriage is ready. Please, Your Majesty and the esteemed officials, proceed!"

"it is good."

Amidst the puzzled gazes of her ministers, the Empress donned a white veil, revealing only her exquisite phoenix eyes.

Mo Yu followed suit, putting on a black veil that revealed her slightly small eyes.

The Left Chancellor and several ministers exchanged glances and frowned slightly.

Why did the Empress suddenly take them to visit a road?

"Lord Lu, you from the Ministry of Works should know what's going on with that road, right?" The Minister of Personnel looked at Lu Zhanshan and asked in a low voice.

"It's a road that Young Master Zhang built, which cost a lot of money. It must be a good deed for the people!" The Minister of Works didn't understand why Zhang Ping'an would spend money to build such a road.

"No, that bastard would never be so kind! I suspect there's a huge scam hidden here!" Zuo Xiang, who had suffered a great loss before, immediately warned with a serious expression.

A murmur of laughter rippled through the crowd.

The Minister of War scoffed: "Prime Minister Lu, it's just one road. What kind of conspiracy could there be? I think you've been bitten by a snake once and are now afraid of a rope for ten years."

"That's right, it's just a road, how can you lie to me?" The Minister of Rites didn't believe it either.

"There's no use in guessing here. We'll find out when we get there," the Minister of Works said, turning to follow the Empress.

The Left Prime Minister and others followed.

Vermilion Bird Gate.

Zhang Ping'an had been waiting for a long time.

"I've never seen what the Empress looks like before, but I think I'll get to see her this time, right?"

Zhang Ping'an was very much looking forward to it.

After all, it was widely rumored that the Empress was a beauty that could topple kingdoms and was the most beautiful woman in the Great Wu Dynasty.

Soon, a row of carriages slowly came to a stop by the roadside.

Two women stepped down from the first carriage with a gilded canopy.

A woman was dressed in a dragon robe and wore a crown. The wide dragon robe could not hide her stunning figure, especially her long, straight legs, which were probably very fair even through the clothes.

Zhang Ping'an's eyes immediately lit up with fervor.

But when he looked up, it was as if he had been doused with a bucket of cold water.

The empress was wearing a veil.

"Isn't it normal for a good person to wear a veil when going out?" Zhang Ping'an was extremely frustrated.

The woman in the black dress behind them was petite and delicate, and judging from her appearance, she must also be a great beauty.

Uh... she was also wearing a veil.

Zhang Ping'an was utterly speechless.

"Your humble servant Zhang Ping'an greets Your Majesty!"

When the Empress approached, Zhang Ping'an knelt down and paid his respects.

"Rise!" The Empress's voice was cold and clear.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Zhang Ping'an stood up quickly.

"Zhang Ping'an, I have brought all my beloved ministers here. Tell me, what is the purpose of your construction of this road?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, and esteemed officials, please!"

After Zhang Ping'an finished speaking, he turned around and led the way.

With the Empress's personal guards clearing a path on both sides, they protected the group as they moved forward.

As soon as everyone stepped out of the Vermilion Bird Gate, they were immediately stunned by the stone-paved road in front of them.

Imagine the awe-inspiring sight of a 50-meter-wide cement road appearing in ancient times.

The stone-paved road repaired by Zhang Ping'an is even more impressive than the cement road because it is entirely made of stone slabs, creating a more stunning visual impact.

"Your Majesty, this road is truly magnificent!"

One minister offered heartfelt praise.

"Yes, it is indeed spectacular."

Many people nodded in agreement.

"Hmph, what's the use of being spectacular? These stone slabs must have been transported from Youzhou. With the materials, transportation, and labor costs, this isn't a stone slab road, it's a road paved with silver."

Guan Tianyou, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, was sarcastic and had been harboring resentment towards Zhang Ping'an ever since Zhang had humiliated him.

Moreover, he was grateful to Sun Guihua for taking all the blame; otherwise, he too would have been dismissed from his post.

"Yes, paving such a stone-paved road must have cost an astronomical sum of money!"

"Isn't the original official road perfectly fine? Spending so much money to repair this new road seems a bit redundant, doesn't it?"

The officials were in an uproar.

Among the crowd, the Left Chancellor, Zhang Xuanling, was also quietly observing Zhang Ping'an.

Zhang Xuanling frowned and pondered deeply, trying to figure out what was going on, but no matter how hard he racked his brains, he couldn't figure out what he was trying to do.

The same applies to the Left Prime Minister.

Zhang Ping'an heard all the ministers' voices.

Once the murmurs subsided, he turned to the assembled court officials and asked loudly, "My lords, what do you think of this road?"

Everyone fell silent, not understanding why Zhang Ping'an was asking a question he already knew the answer to.

Seeing that no one was cheering, the Empress chimed in, "Of course it's excellent. It's just that a lot of money was spent."

Zhang Ping'an smiled and said, "Your Majesty, what if I set up a tollbooth at the beginning and end of this road?"

"Anyone who wants to use this road will be charged one coin per trip, and each carriage will be charged ten coins. Do you think anyone will be willing to use this road?"

The Empress was slightly taken aback, as if she had discovered the door to a new world.

One person, one coin; ten people, ten coins. How many people walk this road throughout the year?

There are probably countless.

Of course, Zhang Ping'an would never accept only one coin; the one coin he mentioned was just an example.

The court officials, like the Empress, fell into deep thought.

If there's a fee, would they be willing to take this route?

Zhang Ping'an continued loudly, "I've observed that a great many people from the capital travel to Baiyun Mountain. If they take the road I built, not only will they avoid the bumpy ride, but the travel time will also be halved."

"If it rains or snows, the official road becomes muddy and carriages cannot pass at all. But I can still travel on this road, all year round, without fear of ice, frost, rain or snow."

"Do you think anyone would be willing to take this route if I charged a fee?"

By this point, if the Empress still didn't understand Zhang Ping'an's plans, she would have already been overthrown.

"Of course I'm willing. Putting aside the fact that it saves a lot of travel time, just the fact that it cuts the time in half is enough for me to spend the money."

The Empress gave an affirmative answer.

The ministers all nodded in agreement.

"We're willing to take this road as long as the toll isn't too high."

Zhang Ping'an asked, "Does His Majesty and the other officials still think that building this road is a waste of money?"

The scene was completely silent.

No one spoke.

The cost may not be recovered in a short time, but this path is there, and it can still generate income a hundred or even two hundred years from now.

The value generated is immeasurable.

Compared to this, the current expenses are insignificant compared to the value created by this road.

This is a project that will last a century!

It can even benefit future generations!

Suddenly, the Minister of War stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, I believe this road should be under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War. In the event of a crisis, the Ministry of War can dispatch troops as quickly as possible through this road."

"This road was practically tailor-made for our Ministry of War!"

"Young Master Zhang, thank you in advance!"

The Minister of War bowed to Zhang Ping'an.

The Minister of War's actions drew countless disdainful looks.

"Bah, Xing Quan, are you trying to send troops out as quickly as possible? You're clearly after control of this road!"

Whoever controls the management of this road will be able to continuously reap the benefits.