NCCnovel Chapter 426 Treasures of Yan!
Chapter 426 Treasures of Yan!
A poor and remote place is naturally not very wealthy, so not many eyes will be watching it. Moreover, no matter how talented or capable he is, it will take five or six years to see any results in governing a place.
And these five or six years are still considered a short time! If we slack off even a little, it might take eight or ten years.
The residence that Duanmu Chuze arranged for Liu Yi was a three-courtyard house, which was relatively close to the Changping Prince's Mansion, only a quarter of an hour's walk away. At the same time, upon learning that Liu Yi had come alone, he immediately ordered guards to be sent to Jiangnan to bring his family over as well.
For the next few days, Liu Yi stayed at the Prince of Changping's residence until very late each day before Duanmu Chuze ordered him to be sent back. This shows that the two had a very pleasant conversation.
After these few days of contact, Duanmu Chuze has come to truly understand this renowned master!
This Mr. Liu is truly talented in governing the country and ensuring the well-being of the people. Now, he has finally been tricked into leaving the mountain by his own scheme.
With Mr. Liu by his side, Duanmu Chuze's life became less hectic.
After several in-depth conversations with him in the first few days, Xu Hai simply handed over some administrative matters to him. Xu Hai was clearly a little uneasy, so he kept an eye on things from the shadows. After seeing how well Liu Yi handled the situation and the results, he also developed great respect for Liu Yi.
As a result, Liu Yi, Xu Hai and others became increasingly busy, and Lu Shaofeng also left early and returned late every day. Only Duanmu Chuze, the main person in charge, became more relaxed.
"Your Highness, isn't what you're doing a bit unfair?" Xu Hai said with a long face.
"What do you mean by not being kind? I'm giving you a chance to learn! Not only are you ungrateful, but you also dare to slander me?" Duanmu Chuze raised an eyebrow, and Mu Xinnuan, who was standing next to him, laughed. Once Duanmu Chuze became shameless, no one could stop him.
"Your Highness, look at this! This is no master of Yan! He's clearly a hands-off manager!" Xu Hai's face grew even more bitter. Since he couldn't confront the prince, he could only complain to the princess.
"Alright. I know you've all been working hard lately. I haven't been idle these past few days either. All those soups and dishes you have for lunch every day are specially prepared by me. I made mutton for lunch today. The weather is a bit chilly and gloomy, so eating some mutton will help you warm up."
"Thank you, Your Highness. You are so kind-hearted."
Duanmu Chuze glared at him. "Is there anything else that's important? If not, you can get lost!"
Xu Hai realized that he had gotten in the way of his master, and his mind reacted quickly. He immediately bowed and took his leave.
Duanmu Chuze rarely took the time to accompany Mu Xinnuan for a walk in the front yard. Although Mu Xinnuan had come out before, she felt somewhat guilty as a woman, so she naturally didn't dare to appreciate the scenery of the front yard properly. Now that he was with her, she could enjoy it to her heart's content.
"There are quite a few stone carvings here. Aze, the mountains in Yan are continuous, and I've heard that many of them are rocky mountains. Did you think of using the method of building terraced fields before?"
"Yes. It's no exaggeration to say that Yan is a land of barren mountains and treacherous waters! In these mountains, less than one percent of the land is actually usable! It's truly pitiful, and it's no wonder that the people here live in poverty."
Duanmu Chuze's brow furrowed again. The thought of so many of the people under his rule who were homeless, hungry, and cold made him feel uneasy.
"Don't rush, everything takes time, one step at a time."
As Mu Xin Nuan spoke, she looked at a stone carving. A huge rock about the height of a person was carved into the shape of a fairy offering a gift. Overall, the shape was lifelike, the technique was smooth and delicate, and the patterns were smooth and unrestrained.
After staring blankly for a while, Mu Xin Nuan finally asked, "Was this made by the local people?"
"Hmm! Not bad. It was carved by a local craftsman."
Duanmu Chuze seemed to have thought of something, and Mu Xinnuan murmured, "As the saying goes, those who live near mountains live off the mountains, and those who live near water live off the water. Since we can't farm, why can't we think of some ways to make use of these rocks?"
Duanmu Chuze's eyes lit up, and something seemed to flash in them, instantly making him more alert.
"That makes sense! How come I didn't think of that before?"
Duanmu Chuze slapped his forehead and immediately ordered, "Someone, go and summon all those people from Qinghui Pavilion. I'll wait for them here."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Duanmu Chuze was very excited and started circling the stone sculpture. "The types of stone sculptures are very rich. They mainly include garden sculptures, architectural sculptures, statues, and stone handicrafts. What kind of stones are there in Yan? What do you usually carve? Haha! Anuan, you are really my lucky star! You reminded me."
Seeing that he was happy, Mu Xin Nuan probably knew what he was going to do.
Sure enough, they were all summoned shortly afterward. Duanmu Chuze explained his plan and then ordered a search for skilled craftsmen. He specifically instructed that anyone skilled in this trade among the refugees be recruited.
Seeing him discussing animatedly with the others, Mu Xin Nuan smiled and said, "A Ze, could we recruit some of these refugees who have some skills in poetry and painting?"
Mr. Liu was taken aback upon hearing this, and couldn't help but glance at the princess a few more times before nodding and saying, "Your Highness is right. Your Highness can recruit more painters, and of course, those who write well will also come in handy in the future."
Mu Xin Nuan also came over and said with a smile, "The stone used for stone carving must be solid and resistant to weathering so that it can be preserved for a long time and the patterns will not be affected by sun and rain. Since Yan is a mountainous region, stone carving can naturally become a relatively long-lasting industry. However, it still needs the intervention of the government to plan it properly."
Lu Shaofeng pondered for a moment, “The application of stone is actually quite extensive. In addition to stone pagodas, stone bridges, stone pavilions, stone tombs, etc., it can be used more extensively in building components and decorations.”
Perhaps inspired by Lu Shaofeng, Xu Hai's thinking also opened up!
"Excellent! First, they can be used as architectural components such as door frames, balustrades, stone drum bases, steps, column bases, and beams; second, they can be used as architectural accessories such as stone tablets and stone lions; and third, they can be used as furnishings inside and outside the courtyard, such as stone incense burners and stone altars."
Mu Xin Nuan chuckled as she watched them chatting animatedly, "These stones, which have been regarded as barren mountains for many years, have now become treasures of our Yan land!"
Duanmu Chuze beamed with joy, "It seems that I can think of a way to industrialize this stone carving industry."
None of those present understood what he was saying.