He walked very slowly, leaning on a bamboo cane, taking three steps and then stopping, as if he had trouble walking.
But each time he stopped, his gaze fell precisely on a certain spot.
First stop, hidden ditch at the base of the wall.
The bricklayer had dug half of it, and the direction, depth, and slope of the ditch were all exposed.
Fang Bi's gaze swept from one end of the ditch to the other, his lips twitching slightly as he silently counted the dimensions.
The second stop is at the warehouse entrance.
The wooden frame has been erected, raised two inches, with a gap underneath for ventilation.
The boxes of medicinal herbs were placed on the shelf, now a bit taller than before.
Fang Bi looked for three breaths, then his gaze fell on the ventilation seam at the bottom of the shelf.
The third stop: the stables.
Murong Xue was squatting inside, directing a laborer to saw planks.
One of the two windows, one high and one low, was already open, and sunlight streamed in through the high window. The hay rack had been lifted off the ground, and the area underneath was spotless.
Fang Bi finished looking at the third place and then looked away.
With a forced smile plastered on his wrinkled face, he exchanged a few pleasantries with Uncle Fu before hurriedly taking his leave.
"The Prince's residence is beautifully renovated. Since Your Highness has no further instructions, this old man will take his leave now."
As he left, he tapped his bamboo cane lightly on the threshold of the courtyard.
Uncle Fu saw him to the door, and when he returned, he gave Gu Moran a wink.
Gu Moran, a candied fruit still in his mouth.
I understand, but I pretend I don't.
Old fox.
Less than half an hour later, the second person arrived.
This one wasn't so subtle.
A burly man in old armor, his face covered in black soot, strode in through the main gate carrying two cedar rafters, his voice so loud it could lift roof tiles.
" Commandant Zhen has sent two good logs! He says the Prince's residence is short of materials, so we'll use them for now!"
Uncle Fu went to greet him.
"Thank you, Commandant Zhen. May I ask your name, sir?"
" Lin Xin! A subordinate of Commandant Zhen!"
Lin Xin leaned the cedar rafter against the wall, and then he saw the stable.
To be precise, he saw the newly opened high window in the stable and the hay rack lifted off the ground.
He stopped in his tracks.
He was frozen in place.
"Who... who did this?"
Murong Xue poked her head out of the stable. "What's wrong?"
Lin Xin squatted down, touched the ventilation gap at the bottom of the hay rack, then looked up at the high window, her mouth widening in disbelief.
"Wonderful!"
He stood up and walked around the stable twice, gesturing with his hands to indicate the direction of the ventilation shaft.
"High windows let in the heat, low windows let in the cool air, and the hay doesn't get damp if it's not touching the ground... Isn't this the method I've been telling you for three years and nobody's listened?!"
Murong Xue watched him hopping around in the stable.
You've been saying that for three years?
"That's right!" Lin Xin slapped her thigh. "I mentioned it to the captain three times. The first time he said he had no money, the second time he said he didn't have time, and the third time he said, 'What do you know?' Now it's all right! Someone has done it!"
He rushed out of the stable, his face flushed, and grabbed Uncle Fu's hand, shaking it vigorously.
"Sir! Who designed this? I want to ask them for their expertise!"
Uncle Fu was so dizzy from being shaken that he coughed dryly.
"It was just a casual sketch by the prince."
Lin Xin stopped moving.
"Your Highness...?"
He glanced back towards the main hall.
Inside the main hall, Gu Moran was being chased by Shen Ling'er as she forced him to drink his second bowl of medicine. He hid behind a chair, looking utterly hopeless.
Lin Xin's mouth gaped open again.
"Um... can Your Highness's body still hold up?"
Uncle Fu coughed softly.
"Your Highness is not in good health, but your mind is sharp."
Lin Xin scratched the back of her head, unable to come to her senses for a long time.
He looked at the stables again, memorizing every detail, and then ran outside.
When he reached the courtyard gate, he turned around and shouted.
"Could you send me three pictures later? The stables in my barracks are even more dilapidated!"
Before Uncle Fu could answer, he had already disappeared.
The back hall of the government office.
Fang Bi stood before Si Renyou's desk, without paper or pen, relying entirely on his memory.
"The hidden ditch is three zhang and four chi long, with a slope of about one and a half cun. It cuts diagonally from the southwest corner of the wall to the outside of the courtyard, avoiding the seams of the stone path."
"Raise the wooden frame in the warehouse, leaving a ventilation gap at the bottom, about two fingers wide."
The stables had windows of varying heights, the hay racks were three inches off the ground, and there were hidden drains at the base of the walls.
After Fang Bi finished speaking, he put his hands behind his back and stood quietly.
Si Renyou put down his teacup.
That's all?
"There's one more thing," Fang Bi said calmly. "When I arrived, the Prince was being forced to drink his medicine by his wife. He finished the whole bowl before eating a piece of candied fruit. His complexion was indeed bad; it didn't seem like he was faking it."
Si Renyou remained silent for a while.
"Was someone helping him while he was drawing?"
"No. Uncle Fu said that the prince drew it casually when he got up in the morning. The bricklayer copied it without changing a single stroke."
Si Renyou tapped his fingers lightly twice on the table.
"Draw the course of that ditch for me."
Fang Bi squatted down, dipped his finger in tea, and drew a line on the floor tile.
Si Renyou stared at the wet line on the ground without saying a word.
After a while, he picked up his teacup and took a sip.
"Go back. We'll deliver the things again tomorrow."
What would you like to see, sir?
Let's see what else he can draw.
Military training ground.
Lin Xin ran back in one breath and shouted at Zhen Daijin's tent as soon as she entered the camp.
"Captain! Captain, come quickly!"
Zhen Daijin was wiping his knife when he was startled and almost spilled the oil from the knife onto his own pants.
"Damn it, are you trying to call back my soul?!"
"Captain! I see it! The Prince's stables have been altered! Double windows at different heights! Hay racks off the ground! Hidden drainage ditches!"
Zhen Daijin.
"What??"
"It's what I mentioned before, but the Prince did an even better job; he even drew the diagram himself!"
Zhen Daijin put the knife down.
"That one who even has trouble standing?"
"Yes! That's him!" Lin Xin's eyes lit up. "Captain, I've been telling you that method for three years and you wouldn't listen, but he came up with it in one drawing! It's even more detailed than I thought! The position of the high window is perfect, allowing the wind to flow through!"
Zhen Daijin remained silent.
He stood up, walked to the tent entrance, lifted the curtain, and looked at the row of dilapidated stables in the military camp.
The musty smell could be detected across half of the drill ground.
"Are you sure it was him who drew it? And not one of his women?"
"His steward said it himself! The prince just drew it casually!"
"Are you sure this is useful?"
"Captain, trust me, is there anyone in this city who knows more about this than I do?"
Zhen Daijin pursed his lips.
"Stop yelling, shut your mouth." He pulled the curtain down.
"Tear down an old shed and modify it using his method. Let's try it first."
"Really change?!"
"Try it! Try it first, then we'll talk! If you ruin it, I'll deduct three months' salary."
Lin Xin patted her chest.
"It won't fail! I've read it three times and memorized it!"
He turned to run, Zhen Daijin added a sentence from behind.
Lin Xin.
"Exist!"
"Don't tell anyone about this."
Lin Xin scratched her head.
"Oh."
The curtain fell.
Zhen Daijin stood inside the tent, his palm resting on the old, chipped knife.
"Just a quick sketch."
He muttered something.
Then he put his fist in his mouth, trying to suppress his excitement.
Waaah, Lord Liu.
Our Third Prince is truly not a good-for-nothing!
༼;´༎ຶ ༎ຶ༽
[Thank you to the flowers of longing, the flowers of July, the urging tokens of Chen Qing, the flowers of Xigou, and all the babies who contributed their love~~]