Chapter 279: Bureau of Works, Zhang Shouzhi! (1/2)
Chapter 279: Bureau of Works, Zhang Shouzhi!
After traversing numerous alleys, at a location more than a dozen streets away from the Ten Sun Tavern, Wang Gen's carriage came to an abrupt halt.
Wang Chong leapt out from the carriage, and after bidding Wang Gen farewell, he sent the carriage away with his eyes.
”Gongzi, where do we go now?” asked Old Eagle, Solitary Wolf, and Steel Arms followed Wang Chong down the carriage and stood on the street.
”We'll be looking for someone.” Smiling, Wang Chong glanced at the gold token from Zhangchou Jianqiong in his palm and tucked it away.
After meeting Xianyu Zhongtong, receiving Zhangchou Jianqiong's token, and uncovering the fact that Zhang Wentuo was in the capital as well, it was time for him to look for that man.
Walking along a dark and damp alley, they soon left the prosperous region of the capital, and short, dilapidated houses slowly came into sight.
This was the poor district.
Where there is the wealthy, there is also the poor. The capital was no different.
As they proceeded further down the alley, the houses grew more and more run down.
”What does gongzi intend to do here?”
Old Eagle, Solitary Wolf, and Steel Arms were growing more and more curious by the moment. Even with their deep understanding of the capital, they had never been here before.
They couldn't imagine what it was that would compel the offspring of Duke Jiu, the scion of a clan of ministers and generals, to come to such a dilapidated region.
”This should be it,” Wang Chong muttered, looking at the residence before him.
Going by the standards of the poor district, this residence could be considered as grand and majestic. However, the rotting old wooden doors, the algae-filled steps, and the vine crawling up the walls showed that this wasn't the home of some prestigious clan.
Peng peng!
Stepping forward, Wang Chong knocked on the door ring on the large doors. A moment later, the doors opened, and a head peeked out.
”Who are you looking for?”
The man had sleepy eyes. He seemed to be a servant of the residence.
”We're here to look for Master Zhang,” Wang Chong asked politely with a smile.
The servant was immediately jolted awake. Seeing the resplendent clothes that Wang Chong and the others were wearing, he quickly opened the doors.
The room inside was gloomy and dark, illuminated only by a simple and dim oil lamp.
In the room, a decadent, wrinkled elder seemingly in his fifties was lying on a bamboo chair as he smoked on a pipe, exhaling bluish-purple smoke across the room.
”Most people won't come here. Who are you all?” Even though the elder was speaking to them, his eyes were devoid of focus. He continued puffing on his pipe leisurely.
”Old mister, we're here to request your help for a construction,” Wang Chong replied.
”Hmph!”
Hearing Wang Chong's words, the elder was taken aback for a moment, and a grave demeanor finally appeared on his face. But soon, he sneered while knocking the ashes from the pipe and rejected coldly, ”I don't from whom you heard about me, but I advise you to give up the idea. Ever since leaving the Bureau of Works, I've never built a residence for anyone.”
This man was actually from the Bureau of Works!
The trio behind Wang Chong, Old Eagle, Steel Arms, and Solitary Wolf, were shocked. The stipends for the officials of the Bureau of Works were high. Even the most ordinary of officials in it would be able to live luxuriously.
No one would expect an official of the Bureau of Works to be living in such a dilapidated residence in the poor district.
It seems like gongzi is here for that matter, the trio thought.
They were present at the banquet as well, albeit not given a seat. They knew that Wang Chong intended to purchase the Lion Rock Hill to construct a base.
It seems like gongzi intends to engage his help to construct the base.
But how would gongzi know that there's an official from the Bureau of Works here?
The trio was perplexed.
”Hehe. Elder Zhang, what I want to build is not a residence. What I want is a fortress,” Wang Chong gazed at the elder before him with a smile on his lips.
The reason why Wang Chong knew why this elder was living here was simple—he had met the latter on a watchtower while he was loitering around the town as a profligate scion.
The most basic skill for a qualified profligate scion was to possess keen eyes to determine the social standing and position of those standing before him.
”Fortress?”
While the elder was uninterested in the quartet before him, he couldn't help but widen his eyes upon hearing Wang Chong's words. But soon, his face darkened, and rage filled his features.
”Gongzi, are you taking me for a fool? I don't care which clan you are from, but you better scram from my residence this very instant.” The elder pointed to the door with his smoke as he roared angrily.
In his lifetime, he had met many different people with all kinds of requests, but he had never met one so ridiculous as to claim that he wanted to build a fortress.
Did the other party think that they were playing house?
Was a fortress something that he, as an individual, could build?
Did the other party understand how much money, resources, and manpower had to be devoted to the operation?
Even the most prestigious of clans in the capital dared not make such a bold statement! Was this lad insane? To actually come all the way here just to pull a prank on him!
”Elder Zhang, I mean what I say. Why would I come all the way here just to pull a prank on you?” Wang Chong replied seriously.
This elder was an obstinate old man so convincing him was bound to be no easy task. However, he did require the capability of this architect from the Bureau of Works for his future plans.
In Wang Chong's plans, Elder Zhang played a very crucial role, perhaps even on par with Zhang Munian.