After ten years of accompanying me in my studies, the entire court begged me to shut up.

The crowd quickly pulled Wang Ao out of the cesspool.

Poor Wang Ao's old wounds had not yet healed when he suffered new ones, and his bones were almost falling apart.

A guard carried him on his back, while others protected him, and they rushed to the Imperial Hospital.

Wang Shouren secretly breathed a sigh of relief, took advantage of the chaos to retreat, and turned to head straight for the East Palace.

Because he had more important things to do, he couldn't take care of Wang Ao for the time being.

Upon arriving at Zuochunfang, they encountered Yang Shen and Zhu Houzhao walking out.

Wang Shouren quickly bowed and greeted His Highness the Crown Prince: "Wang Shouren, a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) sent by the Hanlin Academy to observe governance in the Ministry of Works, pays his respects!"

Zhu Houzhao asked, "Are you the scholar in charge of repairing the latrines? I personally revised the blueprints; why are you obstructing me?"

Wang Shouren lowered his head and said, "Your Highness's idea is too advanced, and I need to verify it, which has delayed me for some time."

Zhu Houzhao's face lit up with delight, and he said, "You also think my ideas are ahead of their time, right?"

Wang Shouren nodded and said, "I went to the Institute of Literature and History yesterday and reviewed historical materials. There are indeed relevant records from our predecessors, and..."

He glanced back instinctively and continued, "I have personally verified that the biogas digester design is entirely feasible. I specifically requested my superior to revise the blueprints and allocate additional funds, but this was refused. I am but a humble official and cannot share Your Highness's burdens; please forgive me!"

Zhu Houzhao's face immediately darkened again, and he said, "Which bastard dares to oppose me? Liu Jin, go..."

"Your Highness, wait!"

Yang Shen quickly stopped him, saying, "The Ministry of Works is very busy. If we have to go through the process again, it will definitely take a long time."

Zhu Houzhao said unhappily, "What's wrong with going through the motions? If it really doesn't work, I'll go talk to Father Emperor myself!"

"That would be even more inappropriate. His Majesty is extremely busy with state affairs. If he has to personally oversee even something as simple as repairing a latrine, wouldn't that be absurd?"

"So what do you suggest we do? Aren't we going to build the biogas digester?"

"We definitely need to repair it. Besides, building a biogas digester doesn't cost much. Since Wang Guanzheng has already approved it, let's start building it according to His Highness's blueprints."

Wang Shouren said with difficulty, "We don't have enough materials!"

Yang Shen asked, "Has Wang Guanzheng calculated how much additional money is needed?"

Wang Shouren thought for a moment and said, "It will probably take another two hundred taels."

Zhu Houzhao hurriedly said, "I thought it was a lot of money! It's just two hundred taels! Liu Jin, take two hundred taels of silver from the Eastern Palace!"

Liu Jin looked troubled and said, "Your Highness, every expenditure of the Eastern Palace is regulated, and there is no item for repairing latrines..."

Yang Shen smiled and said, "What Eunuch Liu said is very true. If the expenses are not in line with the budget, it will be difficult to explain during the year-end audit."

Liu Jin nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, that's exactly right!"

Yang Shen said, "Eunuch Liu must have some savings. Why don't you help His Highness cover the cost first?"

Liu Jin's face turned green instantly, and he opened his mouth but couldn't say a word.

Yang Shen then said, "If Eunuch Liu is short of funds, then I will cover it for him."

Zhu Houzhao glared at Liu Jin and said, "You still want Yang, the study companion, to spend money?"

Liu Jin said with a bitter face, "My monthly salary is only five taels of silver, I really can't afford that much money..."

Zhu Houzhao said angrily, "You can't even get two hundred taels of silver, what use are you?"

Liu Jin dared not refuse any longer and quickly bowed his head, saying, "Your Highness, please calm down. This servant will go and think of a solution immediately."

Zhu Houzhao nodded in satisfaction: "Wang Guanzheng, the biogas digester is now in your hands!"

Wang Shouren clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes!"

Zhu Houzhao seemed to remember something else and asked, "What was that commotion outside just now?"

Wang Shouren hesitated for a moment before saying, "The Ministry of Works' latrine has exploded."

"what?"

Zhu Houzhao's eyes widened, and he asked again, "How was it blown up?"

"This, this..."

Wang Shouren knelt on one knee and said, "To be honest, Your Highness, I set fire to the latrine in order to verify the existence of marsh gas."

The crowd looked at each other in bewilderment, and the air suddenly went still.

After a long silence, Zhu Houzhao finally spoke: "How dare you!"

Wang Shouren knew he had caused trouble and said, "Your Majesty, I am guilty. After the biogas digester is repaired, I will personally go to confess my guilt and accept punishment!"

"Why...why didn't you inform me beforehand?"

"Ah, this..."

"I'll let it go this time, but next time you light a latrine, remember to call me along."

Zhu Houzhao looked regretful, having missed a good show.

Wang Shouren said with a strange expression, "I did not check beforehand and did not know that Vice Minister Wang was in the toilet. Fortunately, his life is not in danger. He has now been sent to the Imperial Hospital for treatment."

Zhu Houzhao glanced at Yang Shen beside him, then at Liu Jin, seemingly lost in thought.

Yang Shen was also full of doubt. Had Old Wang been punished by heaven?

He happened to be in the middle of both cesspool explosions.

He stepped forward and helped Wang Shouren up, saying, "Let's get on with the work first; Your Highness has your own plans."

Wang Shouren nodded, bowed to Zhu Houzhao again, and turned to leave.

Zhu Houzhao, still seemingly unsatisfied, said, "Liu Jin, go find another latrine; this time, I'll personally set it!"

Yang Shen quickly said, "Your Highness, please don't be impulsive. We are researching biogas digesters, not bombs. If you are interested, I will explain the gunpowder improvement process to you in a few days."

Zhu Houzhao then gave up, saying, "Then let's build the biogas digester first. I'm worried, so let's go to the site and supervise!"

Building a biogas digester isn't difficult; it's simply a matter of enlarging the latrine and lining it with blue bricks.

The key was sealing and pipe laying. Since there was no cement, they used a mixture of glutinous rice paste, quicklime, and fine sand to seal the gaps. This added another fifty taels to the budget.

During a break, Liu Jin quietly pulled Yang Shen aside.

"Yang, we can't afford to add any more; we've already used up all our savings!"

Yang Shen looked at Liu Jin with a helpless expression, sighed, and said, "Eunuch Liu, you're actually a very nice person."

Liu Jin said with a wry smile, "His Highness is being unreasonable, so I'll just play along, but I'm short of money."

Yang Shen then cut to the chase and asked, "How much profit is there in purchasing raw materials?"

Liu Jin thought for a moment and said, "I'm not entirely sure, maybe two or three out of ten!"

"If you buy it yourself, wouldn't you save money?"

"yes!"

Liu Jin's eyes lit up, and he felt as if he had suddenly realized something.

The Ministry of Revenue allocated the funds, and the Ministry of Works was responsible for the construction. The main expenses were recruiting craftsmen and purchasing materials.

Materials are the biggest expense, and I've heard that the officials in charge of procurement have very lucrative positions.

Why not let them make that money themselves instead?

Thinking of this, Liu Jin hurriedly said, "Thank you for your guidance, I'll go right away!"

As Yang Shen watched Liu Jin's retreating figure, he couldn't help but sigh. The Liu Jin described in history books as utterly wicked seemed quite naive!

Despite managing all affairs of the Eastern Palace and its daily expenses, he couldn't even come up with a few hundred taels of silver.

These days, to save some money, you have to go and negotiate in person...

Oh dear! Did I just say something wrong?

I hope offering a few casual suggestions won't cause any trouble...