A Good Job Is No Easy Job

As long as the new emperor benefits, getting promoted and making a fortune is not difficult.

Zhang Xuezhou presented the Taijie Six Talismans, which enabled him to obtain the high-ranking official positions of "Attendant-in-Ordinary" and "Grand Master of the Palace. "Zhufu Yan also presented his skills and was able to truly enter the court.

In the Great Han Dynasty, the process of being directly appointed an official position by the emperor was simple. The difficulty lay in providing the emperor with what he needed, and even meeting the emperor was a difficult matter.

Zhufu Yan sought an official position for over a decade, but ultimately, his talent enabled him to escape his original social class.

"We're the type to pluck feathers from a passing goose, but this guy's the kind who'd grab any bird that flies overhead and devour it all. It's better that he ignores us; it'll save us from getting involved with him later!"

Zhang Xuezhou was pleased to learn that Zhufu Yan had become an official, but he also avoided people like Zhufu Yan, as it was best to have no connection or entanglement with him.

It's difficult for officials in the imperial court to avoid each other, but the work Zhang Xuezhou did meant he was unlikely to have any involvement in court affairs.

He had no ulterior motives regarding amassing wealth and would not drastically divert funds to build his mausoleum, thereby causing financial problems for the imperial court.

If he has more money, he'll repair more; if he has less money, he'll repair less.

At his level, ordinary external things can no longer cloud his mind or have any effect on him.

Zhang Xuezhou is a self-reliant person. Even if it involves many fellow villagers, he can support himself through crooked means and will not be greedy for personal enjoyment.

If one is not constrained by personal greed and is not influenced by family, everything will be very free and autonomous.

If Donghua hadn't been aware of Zhang Xuezhou's many affairs, big and small, and hadn't taken targeted actions against him, Zhang Xuezhou could be considered to be living a life of unbridled freedom.

"Look at the Wei River here, and the Jing River over there, and the Shanglin Garden area over there!"

After visiting his parents in Yanglingyi and arranging for the charlatans to go to Maoling for further studies, Zhang Xuezhou also began to explore the terrain of Maoling.

Maoling was designated several years ago and underwent some construction. The area was dug up with pits and craters, and some areas had deep trenches dug out to drain water.

When an emperor ascends to the throne, he needs to start building his mausoleum. At the beginning of his reign, the emperor's position is unstable and there is a possibility of death. Obviously, he cannot choose a suitable area to build his mausoleum, lest the completed mausoleum be too big for him to fit in.

Now that the new emperor's position is almost completely secure, the construction of the imperial mausoleum can proceed seriously, except that the burial site chosen after the sacrifices to the ancestors cannot be changed.

"His Majesty said this is a good job; it's like he's sent me to solve a difficult problem!"

Zhang Xuezhou kept pointing, then pointing to the scattered craftsmen working in the distance.

Behind him now were no longer just Rong Tianding, but also a group of poor, struggling officials in charge of the construction.

"Lord Dongfang, the Jing and Wei rivers flow through this area, ensuring a continuous underground water source. Only by digging deep ten miles ahead, inserting massive stones, and then securing them with a mixture of soil and earth, can we prevent the river water from seeping in and thus allow for proper construction!"

"With rivers surrounding it, the dikes would have to extend for at least a hundred miles to encircle Maoling, requiring at least 100,000 people for such a project!"

"In the past, prisoners were used for heavy construction projects, but now that the country is peaceful and prosperous, how can we possibly gather so many people in a short time!"

"There's a reason why our construction is progressing slowly!"

Zhang Xuezhou was in charge of the construction of Maoling, which meant that the original officials were transferred and their responsibilities were revoked.

Upon hearing that Prime Minister Tian Fen had interfered in the matter and was subsequently relieved of his duties in building Maoling, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but complain.

"His Majesty doesn't seem to have given you any easy tasks," Rong Tianding, shaking his head.

"It's easy when you get the job done, but it's just a waste of time if you don't," Zhang Xuezhou nodded.

If the original plan of the officials is adopted, the construction of Maoling will inevitably be a waste of manpower and resources. It would be one thing if the underground dike of a hundred miles was completed, but if it leaks somewhere and causes problems for the subsequent construction of Maoling, the consequences would be very serious. The court would receive at least eighty or a hundred memorials from officials impeaching the emperor.

When things blow up, someone has to take the blame, and the officials in charge are very likely to be sacrificed as a scapegoat.

Holding great power may feel comfortable and allow one to line one's own pocket, but the consequences are often unbearable for ordinary people.

The most important thing is to find the right direction for doing things.

Rong Tianding greatly admired Zhang Xuezhou's foresight; before even setting foot in Maoling, Zhang Xuezhou had already set the tone for their actions.

Compared to building a hundred-mile-long dike for waterproofing and constantly digging deeper underground, constructing a site on the ground and then filling it with mountains is much easier and can avoid the problem of water seepage.

Although this construction method has its drawbacks, compared to the reduced difficulty of construction, the disadvantages such as the tomb layout being easily seen through and the tomb being easily stolen are negligible.

In particular, Zhang Xuezhou also planned to create a protective formation, which would not only minimize the drawbacks and silence any criticisms, but also allow him to obtain what he needed.

"We'll just have to put in more effort in the early stages," Rong Tianding nodded.

"Cousin, could you keep an eye on things for me then, just in case anyone tries anything?" Zhang Xuezhou said.

"This is easy to handle!"

Rong Tianding nodded, indicating that he had no problem assisting.

Being able to become an assistant means that Rong Tianding will benefit from Zhang Xuezhou's official position and will have the legitimate right to travel to Yangling in the future.

Maoling and Yangling are not far apart. He will need to go to Yangling to collect evil Sha Qi to cultivate vengeful ghosts in the future, so he will need to stay in the vicinity for a relatively long time.

"Let's take a look first..."

Just as Zhang Xuezhou was about to lead the seven officials, including the Shiku, Dongyuan, Zhuzhang, and the Left, Right, Front, and Rear Lieutenant Colonels, to set the tone for the construction of Maoling, he saw officials galloping towards him on horseback from afar.

"Whoa!"

The opponent's horsemanship wasn't very good; the horse kept bouncing up and down.

At this galloping pace, if a horse were to travel a thousand miles, its rear end would have long since split into four pieces.

However, it must be said that the other party was riding very fast, almost letting the mount run wildly.

The official only reined in his horse when it was almost about to crash into Zhang Xuezhou and his men. The horse's hooves kicked up a large amount of mud, causing the crowd to curse inwardly.

"Oh, isn't this Zhufu Yan, the Master Father?"

Zhang Xuezhou looked closely and finally recognized Zhufu Yan, who had changed his clothes and hairstyle.

It must be said that Zhufu Yan was one way before he became an official, and another way after he Zhufu Yan an official.

At this moment, Zhufu Yan's face no longer showed any sign of dejection; it was as if the word "official" was written all over his face.

This prompted Zhang Xuezhou to make a sarcastic remark.

"Lord Dongfang, I heard that someone stole a sword from your residence in broad daylight yesterday. His Majesty heard about this and has ordered me to summon you back to Chang'an City immediately!"

"What?"

Zhufu Yan didn't mind Zhang Xuezhou's complaints and quickly issued a loud order, which made Zhang Xuezhou exclaim in surprise.

He felt that the palace was a leaky sieve; he had just left Chang'an City when someone took his sword.

The only group who had ever seen Zhang Xuezhou holding the sword were the palace guards. These guards were loyal, but they had families and could easily have inadvertently revealed the news to others. After all, this was not a secret that Weiyang Palace and Changxin Palace had repeatedly ordered to be kept confidential, so it was not surprising that the news was being boasted about to others.

However, the speed at which the news was leaked and people were sent to steal the Red Empyrean Sword was indeed rare, and it's no wonder Zhang Xuezhou complained.