When Li Xiang came to Chengdu City, he naturally had to live in the Palace of the King of Shu. Although Li Shimin had already appointed the King of Shu, that was Li Ke's younger brother Li Yin, but this guy had never been here. Relying on the plea of Concubine Yang, he had been staying in Chang'an City. Who would be willing to come to this remote place?
But even though His Royal Highness the King of Shu did not come, the palace had to be built. When Li Xiang arrived at the gate of the palace with a large group of people, it was hard to imagine that this was a palace.
"Master Zhang, what place did you just say this is?"
When Li Xiang said this, he was already extremely angry. You know, the money for building the palace was not paid by local officials, but all given directly by the court. Li Shimin did not want to add too much pressure to the local government, so part of the money was allocated from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. After all, it was a palace built for his son, so he should pay some money.
But can this place really be called a royal palace nowadays? From the outside, it is at most a small courtyard with three entrances. Inside, let alone pavilions and towers, most of the things are kept as simple as possible.
"I beg your Highness to forgive me. I was in charge of the construction of the palace during the first year of the reign of the King. However, Yizhou was hit by a severe drought, and the victims had already flocked to Chengdu. If I didn't provide them with disaster relief, it would likely cause chaos. Therefore, I dared to use the money for the construction of the palace..."
As he spoke, this guy even had someone bring over the transcripts from the time, which showed he'd done a lot of research. This was also a good idea. If Li Xiang said no, then spreading the word would be bad for his reputation. Don't you always say you care about the people? Using the money for building the palace to give to disaster victims is a stroke of luck.
But if they say yes, then this matter cannot be pursued. Li Xiang would never believe that these fat guys would use the money to buy food for the victims. If you really did that, would there still be so many bones on the roadside that were not even buried?
Xiao Yu shook his head helplessly. It’s okay for you guys to be greedy for money, but you also have to be clear about what kind of money you should be greedy for and what kind of money you shouldn’t be greedy for. You even dare to be greedy for the money for building the palace. Are you crazy?
Even if you want to be greedy, you guys shouldn't be so excessive. How can this be a royal palace? I'm afraid ordinary wealthy people wouldn't live in a house like this. Apart from the three big characters "Shu Wangfu" hanging on the gate, how can it be considered a royal palace?
"Master Wang is right. I wonder what Master Wang's current position is?"
Li Xiang suddenly became interested at this time. It is impossible that you are greedy for the money, but you are the one who handled it, so you must have a share of it.
"I, your humble servant, am the Governor of the Eastern Route of Jiannan Road..."
As soon as he heard about this official position, Li Xiang knew that this guy had risen rapidly in recent years. He was originally just an official in the Ministry of Works, but now he has become a provincial official. If he doesn't spend money, it means that there is someone behind him, but Li Xiang has checked the information and there is no child of aristocratic family here.
Of course, this is normal. If you have a huge family behind you, how could you possibly come to this place to be an official? This place is almost forgotten by even the emperor. If you leave your family members here, it is clearly disregarding their future.
"This place doesn't look good to me. It might be offensive to me. How about we go to Lord Wang's house for a cup of tea? As for where I will be accommodated, we can discuss it slowly. Who else is there in Lord Wang's house? I can also prepare some gifts for him."
Li Xiang said this with a forced smile. When Li Xiang said this, Long San next to him had already taken a piece of paper with all of Wang Yuannian's information on it. When Li Xiang took it, he deliberately shook it so that Wang Yuannian could see it clearly.
These people are like cunning rabbits with three burrows. Their family lives in a big house and there is a small house outside. If Li Xiang does not take out this piece of paper, Lord Wang will definitely drag Li Xiang to the small house, which is also a small house with two entrances.
In desperation, Lord Wang could only report all the people in his family, including his mother and wife. If he wanted to go to the small house with the second courtyard, he would have to let his mother and wife go there. Now he was being watched by Li Xiang. Even if he asked his men to pass on the message, it was too late now. What's more, Li Xiang recorded it so clearly. Even if he got all the family members there, he would still have to go to his big house.
In less than an incense stick of time, Li Xiang and these people arrived at the door of Wang Yuannian's house again. This house is one of the best in the whole Chengdu. Except for Zhang Jiuli's big house, this house is the best. Although there is still a gap compared with the palace, after all, it still needs to be taken into consideration, but the two houses have been connected, and the actual area is larger than the palace.
"Oh my, Lord Wang's house is truly magnificent. Not to mention in Chengdu, even in Chang'an, I don't think anyone could be more polite than you. I've seen the world, but after seeing Lord Wang's house, I was truly delighted. I wonder if I could borrow Lord Wang's house for a while. Of course, I wouldn't borrow the Prince of Shu's Mansion in exchange for you in vain."
Li Xiang stood in front of the door and turned around twice. Lord Wang was soaked with sweat all over. This kind of thing was originally something worth showing off. Many people praised Lord Wang's house when they came to visit. This guy was also very proud of it. But he didn't expect that when Li Xiang said something similar today, he felt cold all over.
"I don't think Lord Wang needs to go to the Shu Palace anymore. It would be better for him to go to the prison and await interrogation."
Xiao Yu had to speak at this time. He had already dealt with an official. If he did not cooperate with Li Xiang now, then what he had just done would be of no use. Since he was already in the car, he should do what he should do in the car.
"Didn't you hear what Master Xiao said?"
At Li Xiang's command, hundreds of guards kicked down the door and stormed in. Hundreds more surrounded the entire mansion. As for Lord Wang, he was pinned to the ground by two guards. He was so frightened he couldn't speak, staring blankly into the distance. He didn't know what to say. He should have known this would be the outcome when he arrived at the Shu Palace...