Duke of Zhenguan

"Minister Lin, isn't it inappropriate to involve merchants in the repair of the Lizheng Hall?"

After leaving the East Market, Xu Chun asked Lin Chuan with concern.

"Don't worry, it's nothing!" Lin Chuan shook his head.

Back in the capital, Lin Chuan took Xu Chun to the Imperial Workshop.

Although Dai Zongming was willing to give it away for free, Lin Chuan was not prepared to actually take it for free. There was no spare timber in the warehouse of the Imperial Workshop. No matter what the reason, it was the dereliction of duty of the officials of the Imperial Workshop.

Emperor Daizong offered timely help, so the Directorate of Works should reciprocate by allocating a portion of future procurement quotas to him. Is that too much to ask?

Lin Chuan originally thought this matter was reasonable, but to his surprise, when he mentioned it to Chen Wang, the Assistant Director of the Imperial Workshops, Chen Wang rejected it outright:

"Using their timber is fine as long as it meets the regulations, but the procurement is not an option. The procurement by the Imperial Workshop is all pre-arranged; how can we arbitrarily change it!"

"Supervisor Chen, is there really no room for compromise?" Lin Chuan asked, frowning.

"Master Lin, the procurement was decided by Supervisor Yan, and I have no right to change it!" Chen Wang said in a deep voice.

"Fine, I'll ask Yan Shaojian when he returns!" Lin Chuan said with a wry smile.

Chen Wang's words were barbed; if he, as the Vice Director of the Imperial Workshops, had no right to make changes, then Lin Chuan, a member of the Ministry of Works, naturally had even less right.

Asking Yan Lide was just a casual remark; Yan Lide was the Junior Supervisor of Works, so there was no reason for him to help someone like the Assistant Minister of Works.

Fortunately, I didn't mention this to Emperor Daizong beforehand, so it didn't have much of an impact.

But I still felt a little uncomfortable.

Around noon, the officials of the Imperial Works Bureau delivered the survey results to the Ministry of Works, along with a note on the estimated quantities of timber, bricks, stones, lacquer, and other materials to be used.

Xu Chun worked in the Ministry of Works for many years, and almost all documents passed through his hands.

Now everyone in the Ministry of Works knows that Xu Chun has joined Lin Chuan's team, so Lin Chuan confidently entrusts him with the planning work.

The next morning, not long after Lin Chuan arrived at the Ministry of Works, an official from the Directorate of Works came to see him.

Lin Chuan called Xu Chun and followed the clerk to the Imperial Workshop. He was taken aback by the lively scene at the entrance of the Imperial Workshop.

Seeing the carriages loaded with building materials such as timber, paint, and pigments, Lin Chuan followed the official to the front yard and found Chen Wang, asking in confusion:

"Supervisor Chen, what's all the commotion about so early in the morning?"

"Master Lin, I have a question for you!" Chen Wang replied coldly.

Just as Lin Chuan was feeling confused, Dai Zongming followed the clerk in and bowed to Lin Chuan.

"Master Lin!"

"Master Dai, what's going on?" Lin Chuan asked.

"Master Lin, didn't you say yesterday that you were still short of materials for the palace repairs? I was thinking of asking my colleagues if they would be willing to send some materials in as well!"

I didn't expect that everyone would agree when I just asked casually, so I thought I'd have them send it over together!

"Don't worry, I've already told them that I won't accept a single penny for the materials they send!" Dai Zongming said with a smile.

"..."

Looking at Dai Zongming, who was waiting for his response, Lin Chuan said with a wry smile:

"Dai Dong, I am merely an Assistant Director of the Ministry of Works; I have no authority over matters concerning the Directorate of Works..."

After speaking, he pointed to Chen Wang beside him and introduced him to Dai Zongming:

"This is Chen, the Assistant Director of the Imperial Workshops!"

"Greetings, Supervisor Chen!"

Chen Wang hastily returned the greeting with a cupped hand and said to Dai Zongming:

"Please, on behalf of the master, summon all the managers over here!"

"I'll go right away!"

After Dai Zongming's figure disappeared through the doorway, Chen Wangcai asked Lin Chuan with a gloomy expression:

"Master Lin, what do you think should be done about this?"

"Supervisor Chen, this matter is easy to handle. Since these merchants have such sincere intentions, Supervisor Chen, please have these materials stored in the warehouse!"

"Since this matter started because of me, I'll clean it up. I'll trouble Supervisor Chen to have someone take Xu Chun to take inventory and compile it into a book, which I'll then take to the Ministry of Works for filing!" Lin Chuan said with a smile.

"good!"

Chen Wang was eager to shift the blame, so naturally he had no reason to refuse.

After a while, Dai Zongming arrived at the front yard with about ten shopkeepers.

After the introductions, Lin Chuan bowed to the group of shopkeepers and said in a deep voice:

"I will accept the gifts you have sent with such sincerity. As I told the steward yesterday, the gifts are for the repair of the palace. You may speak of this, but you must not make up any stories!"

You must not use this pretext to pass off inferior goods as superior ones. If your words and actions damage the court's reputation, you should know the consequences!

A group of shopkeepers laughed and said they dared not.

Lin Chuan also believed they wouldn't dare. The Tang Dynasty's emphasis on agriculture and suppression of commerce was not just talk; it was something that almost all those in power would subconsciously do.

Merchants have a very low social status. Of the dozen or so shopkeepers who came today, not one dared to wear silk or satin. They were all dressed in linen or coarse cloth, and even the colors were dark.

Otherwise, Lin Chuan, a transmigrator, would have given up his perfectly good noodle shop and instead, after obtaining the official position of Assistant Minister of Works, would have happily gone to work at five or six o'clock every day.

With the timber issue resolved, Lin Chuan took Xu Chun back to the Ministry of Works and prepared the construction order for the Lizheng Hall according to the previous construction order format, then had Xu Chun deliver it to Li Shan.

Li Shan dared not tamper with the documents. After receiving them, he handed them over to his superior, Pei Qing, who then forwarded them to the three provinces for review.

This is where the advantage of working together in the capital city became apparent. In just two days, the construction order bearing the seals of the three provinces was returned to Lin Chuan's hands.

Once the construction order was sent to the Imperial Workshop, the matter was no longer of much concern to Lin Chuan; he only needed to occasionally act as a supervisor and keep an eye on things.

After completing this task, Lin Chuan gained initial prestige within the Ministry of Works; at least privately, no one dared to say that he had never even read a book.

However, Lin Chuan still couldn't get involved in the affairs of the Ministry of Works. His superiors, Li Shan and Zhao Xun, were able to bypass him completely. Among the many clerks and secretaries, only Xu Chun clearly submitted to him.

Lin Chuan was happy to have some free time and wasn't angry at all about being sidelined, but Xu Chun was having a hard time.

Because he was too idle, Zhao Xun, the person in charge, never asked him to do any work again after he joined Lin Chuan.

The leisurely days passed by one by one. Apart from occasionally going to the Yan family for a meal, Lin Chuan's life was very regular.

The peaceful days were not broken until the second day of the third lunar month.

Today is the court assembly held every five days. As is the case on previous days, since the Minister, Vice Minister, and Director are not on duty, the atmosphere in the Ministry of Works' office at noon is relaxed. Some are chatting, some are brewing tea, and some are drowsy from the spring sunshine.

A Jinwu Guard soldier, clad in armor and with a sword at his waist, strode to the outside of the Ministry of Works' duty room and shouted loudly:

"His Majesty's oral decree: Summon Lin Chuan, Assistant Director of the Ministry of Works!"

In an instant, more than a dozen pairs of eyes in the Ministry of Works' duty room fell on Lin Chuan.

Lower-ranking officials are generally not summoned to court assemblies unless the official has been impeached or there is something that requires the official to explain.

But it's definitely not a good thing!