Chapter 780: Go Ask the Heavenly Lord
Zhu Cunji, the Prince of Qin’s heir, stood by the river, a scowl marring his face. “My magnificent money-making project is blocked by this damn Wei River! It’s infuriating! Someone, fill this river for me!”
Wu Shen stood beside him, wearing a peculiar expression. “Your Highness, mind your words. The Wei River is the mother river of the Shaanxi people. Adding ‘damn’ before its name could easily stir public outrage. The common people of the entire Qin region would rise against you. As for filling up the river—don’t even think about it.”
Hearing that the common people of Shaanxi would rise against him startled Zhu Cunji. He no longer dared to utter phrases like “damn Wei River.” “Before the people get enraged, I’m already infuriated myself! The railway is blocked by this river. What should we do? What should we do?!”
Wu Shen retorted, a touch of impatience in his voice, “Haven’t you noticed that the people from Gao Family Village are currently researching how to build a bridge?”
Zhu Cunji lowered his voice. “Minister Wu, these steam-powered vehicles weigh hundreds of tons, and they’ll carry a thousand people. With such massive vehicles and so many passengers, who knows how heavy it will be? Can any bridge truly support it?”
Shi Kefa peered out from beside them. “Of course, a bridge can support it. A divine bridge, for instance...”
Zhu Cunji huffed. “Divine bridge! You’re going to talk about the Longmen Yellow River Bridge again, aren’t you? Hmph, I don’t believe it. How could a bridge possibly be built over the Yellow River?”
Shi Kefa stated, “I witnessed it myself, Your Highness. If you don’t believe it, a trip to Longmen will confirm it.”
“I’ll see a ghost!” Zhu Cunji exclaimed, enraged. “Are you trying to get me killed? If I step outside this small area around Xi’an, I’ll be violating ancestral laws, which carries a death sentence!”
The Jinyiwei were, of course, well aware that princes of the blood were forbidden from leaving their fiefdoms, and they were also responsible for keeping an eye on them. If Zhu Cunji truly went to Longmen to see the grand bridge, Shi Kefa would be the first to arrest him.
The three chatted at the back, while at the front, a large group of scientists, senior technical engineers, graduate students, Blue Hats, and Yellow Hats from Gao Family Village gathered by the Wei River, studying its currents.
Young Master Bai squatted on a rock by the bank, gesturing at the river channel. “A river over a hundred meters wide, plus needing to be raised higher on both banks, means this bridge will need to be at least two hundred meters long. No stone or wooden bridge could possibly support a train across such a span.”
A graduate student secretly glanced at Li Daoxuan, who was standing amidst the crowd, and whispered, “Would the Heavenly Lord perhaps bestow a divine bridge?”
Song Yingxing shook his head. “We shouldn’t bother the Heavenly Lord with this matter. A divine bridge for the Yellow River is no problem, but using it for the Wei River would be like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Such a small river should be overcome by us mortals.”
Young Master Bai chuckled. “I think so too. This time, we’ll build the bridge ourselves.”
The graduate students were startled. “Can we really build a bridge that can bear the weight of a train?”
Wang Zheng peered out. “Use steel and cement!”
As he spoke, Song Yingxing and Young Master Bai almost simultaneously exclaimed, “Use steel and cement!”
After speaking, they realized they’d said the exact same thing and burst into laughter. “Hahaha, great minds think alike!”
Li Daoxuan walked over at that moment, smiling. “What are you all discussing?”
“Greetings, Heavenly Lord!” several scientists said in unison. “We are discussing that this time, the Heavenly Lord needn’t intervene. We few will research and build a grand bridge of steel and cement.”
Li Daoxuan smiled. “Commendable courage, but it won’t be easy. It’s impossible without several years.”
The scientists said in unison, “A few years it is.”
They had just finished speaking when Zhu Cunji popped his head out from the side. “Several years won’t do! I’m counting on this railway to make money. My funds are already invested, the laborers are hired, and construction is happening everywhere. How can it be shut down for years?”
“Hahaha!” Li Daoxuan laughed. “The Heir Apparent is quite anxious.”
Zhu Cunji insisted, “Indeed, indeed, very anxious. Mr. Li, you and I have partnered in business for a long time, and our cooperation over the past two years has been very pleasant. Now that my business is about to fail, please help me out.”
While their business partnership was true, Zhu Cunji’s forty percent share of profits had been squandered back into Li Daoxuan’s ventures, leading to Li Daoxuan receiving one hundred percent of the dividends.
Li Daoxuan feigned humility. “What can I do? I’m just a weak, helpless, and pitiable merchant.”
Zhu Cunji pressed him. “These fellows are all your subordinates. Help me urge them on!”
Li Daoxuan thought to himself: A few years does seem a bit long. I’m already planning in Yan’an; in the future, a faster route between Yan’an and Xi’an will definitely be needed to facilitate material transport, cultural exchange, and so on.
The scientists’ vision of self-reliance in building the bridge was admirable, but their research required time. It would be better to help build a bridge that could be used immediately, first opening up transportation between Xi’an and Yan’an, and then letting the scientists slowly research and build another bridge.
Li Daoxuan smiled. “All right, Heir Apparent, I’ll point you to a good solution.”
Zhu Cunji was overjoyed. “What good solution?”
Li Daoxuan suggested, “The Heavenly Lord Daoist Sect is trending in Xi’an lately. Go offer incense to Dao Xuan Tian Zun, ask for his assistance, and he might just bestow a divine bridge upon you.”
Zhu Cunji shot him a sidelong glance. “Are you messing with me?”
Li Daoxuan replied innocently, “No messing around. Didn’t you hear Minister Shi Kefa say? The Heavenly Lord will bestow a divine bridge.”
Zhu Cunji stubbornly stated, “I don’t believe it. I absolutely don’t believe it.”
Li Daoxuan smiled without a word.
Li Daoxuan’s smile made Zhu Cunji feel a tremor of unease. He thought carefully: If the bridge isn’t built, I won’t earn any ticket money. This concerns my grand money-making scheme!
When people cannot achieve something with their own power, they turn to the gods.
Even royalty was no exception.
Zhu Cunji turned to his personal guards and asked, “Do you know of a deity named Dao Xuan Tian Zun?”
The guards respectfully replied, “Yes, we do! Lately, Xi’an city is abuzz with tales of him. Even the Heir Apparent’s consort... *ahem*... she also went to Dao Xuan Tian Zun’s temple to offer incense.”
Zhu Cunji demanded, “Why am I the only one who doesn’t know?”
The guards thought to themselves: You’re too caught up in carousing and women; how would you care about deities or anything of the sort?
Zhu Cunji sighed. “Anyway, I want to supplicate this deity and ask him to bestow a divine bridge. How should I go about it?”
The guards didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. They thought to themselves: Your Highness, with such insincerity and not even being a follower, how could you possibly receive the Heavenly Lord’s assistance? Impossible, absolutely impossible.
Zhu Cunji narrowed his eyes. “By your expressions, are you looking down on me?”
The guards immediately denied, “We wouldn’t dare!”
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