Da Ming: The system granted me immortality; I clock in every day.

Stepping out of the courtyard, a wave of heat hits you in the face.

With a slight thought, Gu Yannian shut himself off from the summer heat.

He walked steadily through the bustling streets toward the Old Palace.

The sweltering heat of Shuntian Prefecture was accompanied by the dryness characteristic of the northern regions.

The blazing sun hung high in the sky, baking the ground until it looked as if it were about to emit blue smoke.

The massive construction project of the Forbidden City is in full swing.

Inside and outside the Shenmu Factory in the south of the city, huge piles of timber exuded a rich aroma of pine resin and nanmu wood.

Most of these timbers were felled from the deep forests of Sichuan and Hubei provinces.

After overcoming numerous difficulties and dangers, it was transported to the capital by waterway.

Behind every giant tree lies the blood and sweat of countless lumberjacks and lumberjacks.

Gu Yannian was not on duty at the Wenhua Hall today, but was instead sent to this Shenmu Factory by his superior.

Check the accounts for the newly arrived batch of Phoebe zhennan wood.

He was wearing a breathable linen crew neck shirt and a sun hat.

Holding a thick ledger, he wandered through the maze-like piles of timber.

He didn't break a sweat in the sweltering heat, and his breathing was as steady as if he were taking a walk in a courtyard in late autumn.

[Ding! Today's attendance complete. Attribute point gained +1.]

He silently recited the command and added the attribute points to "Spirit".

A cool sensation swept through my mind.

The numerous and complex numbers, dimensions, and origins of the timber in front of me can be firmly imprinted in my memory with just a glance.

Then, it was compared with the ledger one by one, without any discrepancy.

"Number 63 Phoebe nanmu, 42 feet long and 5 feet in circumference, is classified as Jia-character wood."

Gu Yannian calmly announced a number, and the clerk from the Ministry of Works beside him quickly made a mark on the register.

As they were taking inventory, a stern reprimand came from an open space ahead.

"You young man, you're simply being ridiculous! How can you presume to alter the mortise and tenon joints of the Hall of Supreme Harmony's main beam? If it collapses, both of us will be executed along with our entire families!"

A clerk with a large belly, dressed in the robes of a sixth-rank official from the Ministry of Works, was pointing at a young carpenter in his early twenties and cursing him.

The young carpenter was dressed in a coarse cloth short coat, his whole body soaked with sweat, and he held a polished carpenter's square in his hand.

He was scolded until his face turned red, but he still stubbornly pointed to the complicated pattern drawn on the ground with a slate pencil to defend himself.

"My lord, while the old-style bracket system is sturdy, the Hall of Supreme Harmony spans nine bays. With such a wide span, the old mortise and tenon joints are extremely prone to cracking under stress in the event of an earthquake. The set of slanted hidden mortise and tenon joints I designed can distribute the weight to the surrounding pillars, making it a hundred times more stable!"

"Bullshit! What do you know, you brat? How could the rules passed down from our ancestors be wrong? Get back to work and plan the wood according to the blueprints. If you dare to utter another word, watch your head!"

The person in charge flung his sleeves and turned away angrily.

The young carpenter squatted dejectedly on the ground, looking at the drawings he had spent half the night working on, his eyes filled with resentment and helplessness.

Gu Yannian walked slowly forward, his gaze falling on the pattern on the ground.

He could tell at a glance that the young carpenter's idea was ingenious.

This aligns with the ingenious principle of distributed pressure in mechanics.

If this set of mortise and tenon joints were used, the earthquake resistance of the Hall of Supreme Harmony could indeed be greatly improved.

"This drawing is quite interesting."

Gu Yannian stopped and spoke as if it were unintentional.

The young carpenter looked up and saw a civil official in a blue robe. He quickly stood up and bowed.

"Greetings, sir. This was just a casual doodle; I hope you will forgive my poor work."

"What's your name?" Gu Yannian asked.

"My surname is Kuai, my given name is Xiang, and I come from the Xiangshan Gang of Wu County."

The young carpenter answered honestly.

Kuai Xiang.

Gu Yannian's heart stirred slightly.

This name is renowned in the history of Ming Dynasty architecture; he was the future Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works.

The main designer and builder of the Forbidden City, he is hailed as the founder of the "Xiangshan Gang".

Unexpectedly, this master craftsman who would later become a great master craftsman was at that moment just a greenhorn who was constantly running into obstacles at the Shenmu Factory.

Gu Yannian closed the ledger and pointed to the diagram on the ground.

"Your idea of ​​a mortise and tenon joint is excellent. However, you added an extra groove here, which seems to be for stability but is actually superfluous. Wood is not cast iron; it will expand and contract when exposed to moisture and heat. If you lock it too tightly here, once the wood warps, this mortise and tenon will become a wedge that splits the main beam."

Upon hearing this, Kuai Xiang felt as if he had been struck by lightning, and he froze on the spot.

He stared intently at the pattern on the ground, frantically calculating in his mind the changes that would occur when the wood expanded and contracted due to heat.

A moment later, he slapped his thigh hard, his eyes bursting with wild joy.

"Indeed! How could I not have thought of that! Leaving room for maneuver ensures immortality for thousands of years! Your words have awakened me from my dream, please accept my deepest bow!"

Kuai Xiang was so excited that he knelt down and kowtowed deeply.

By the time he looked up, the official in the blue robe who had offered guidance had already walked away.

Only a leisurely figure wearing a sun hat remained, gradually disappearing into the mountain of camphor trees.

Gu Yannian continued to count the timber.

He was just giving a casual suggestion; as for what kind of magnificent Forbidden City Kuai Xiang would build in the future...

That was Kuai Xiang's own destiny.

He seeks neither fame nor fortune, and naturally does not need this future architectural master to be grateful to him.

After leaving the government office, Gu Yannian went to the market and bought a freshly roasted duck.

Back in the courtyard of Xuanwu Lane, Shen Wan had already cooked a pot of smooth mung bean and lily porridge.

Gu Yannian placed the sliced ​​roast duck on the stone table, its skin, as thin as a cicada's wing, glistening with an enticing sheen.

Served with shredded scallions and sweet bean sauce, rolled in a lotus leaf pancake, one bite fills your mouth with fragrance.

"This duck is roasted perfectly today, you should eat more."

Gu Yannian placed a rolled-up roast duck on the plate in front of Shen Wan.

Shen Wan thanked him softly, still maintaining her quiet and docile demeanor.

The jujube trees in the courtyard cast large patches of shade, isolating the area from the sweltering heat and noise outside.

This is probably what it means to live a peaceful and tranquil life.

Autumn of the twelfth year of the Yongle reign.

A refreshing autumn breeze carries the aroma of roasted chestnuts through the streets and alleys of Shuntian Prefecture.

After months of arduous fighting, Emperor Yongle (Zhu Di) finally defeated the Oirat Mongols at Hulanhushiwen and led his victorious army back to the capital.

Although the Ming cavalry suffered heavy casualties, it was ultimately a great victory that secured the northern border.

The atmosphere in Shuntian Prefecture should have been festive when the emperor returned to the capital.

But what hung over the capital was a suffocating sense of oppression.

All of this is because of one person.

Ji Gang, Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

As Zhu Di waged war year after year, Ji Gang practically became an invisible "underground emperor" in the capital.

He ruthlessly eliminated dissidents and engaged in corruption and bribery.

Even high-ranking officials of the imperial court, holding the rank of third grade, would tremble with fear and take a detour when they saw him.