GBP Chapter 586 Lord Qiu's troops are ready
Chapter 586 Lord Qiu's troops are ready
Neither the Fifth Prince nor the Second Prince ate lunch.
A table full of exquisite food ended up in the stomachs of Jiang Xiaoqi and Chen Lin.
There was nothing I could do; the Second Prince had soaked the snacks in his tea, and they had become soggy in my stomach that I felt very bloated.
"Your Highness, why eat all the snacks at once? You won't be able to eat any more lunch."
"I don't want to either. Rather than cooperating with Lao Wu in acting, I'd rather be a simple fool eating snacks. It doesn't test my acting skills as much."
"Your Highness's acting skills have long been tested, why would you be afraid of the Fifth Prince? You just want to slack off, we get it, we all get it~"
Now that Jiang Xiaoqi had eaten and drunk her fill, and since it wasn't class time and there was no one else around, she started talking freely.
If it were before, Chen Lin would have thought such words were too rude, but now he only felt that Lord Jiang was genuine and frank, unlike others who were hypocritical.
This is because, as they gradually got to know each other, the filter they applied to Jiang Xiaoqi became bigger and bigger.
Chen Lin cleared away the leftovers and served some light tea to aid digestion.
The second prince had no desire to drink any more and handed his cup directly to Chen Lin.
"You two drink, I don't have that much room in my stomach."
"Your Highness, please refrain from using puns at this time. We understand Your Highness's magnanimity and tolerance, so please do not be modest."
The Second Prince burst into laughter at Jiang Xiaoqi's words, "Sir, sir, you are now behaving like someone your age should be."
Jiang Xiaoqi was taken aback. What should he look like at his age?
What does it look like?
I'm over fifty years old now, spanning two lifetimes. Shouldn't I look kind and gentle at that age?
Haha, I can't think about it, it's kind of funny.
"Ahem, alright, let's hurry up and take a nap. We have important business to attend to this afternoon, so we can't let people think I'm just a slacker."
"After seeing the scene in Your Highness's study today, I wonder what the Fifth Prince is saying about me in his heart, that I'm just a freeloader~"
"Haha, that's perfect, that way he won't always be thinking about competing with me for Mr. Right."
"Sir, please bear with the reputation of being a freeloader."
Jiang Xiaoqi pouted, "I'm not wronged, Your Highness. I've eaten quite a bit of rice here, so I'm not wronged."
He had almost completely eaten the pigeon dish in feather robes, but Chen Lin, seeing that he liked it, didn't touch it at all.
Eunuch Chen, my dining companion, is incredibly nice.
"Please eat as much as you like, sir. It's just a few meals; it won't bankrupt the palace."
The Second Prince's food expenses were naturally covered by the palace, and would not go into the Empress's or the Second Prince's private coffers.
This was permitted by the Emperor. They were willing to raise their eldest son, so who dared to say anything?
Jiang Xiaoqi didn't think that it was a waste not to eat it, or that eating it would be a waste of money.
Does he think that it's the company's duty to provide meals for employees?
Back when we were working like slaves, the company cafeteria even provided late-night snacks!
This familiarity made the Second Prince feel happy and relaxed, after all, he had been eating alone for so many years, and it really wasn't very appetizing.
Now that the master is willing to stay for dinner, even Chen Lin, who is usually rigid and rule-abiding, has relaxed and can now sit down and eat properly. This is all thanks to the changes brought about by the master.
Without further ado, after a short rest, Jiang Xiaoqi unfolded the ship blueprints he had brought one by one in the afternoon.
"This is?"
"Choose a style."
Lord Qiu has already prepared the shipbuilding team, and the first batch of timber has arrived.
The blueprints haven't been delivered to Lord Qiu yet; we're waiting for the Second Prince to choose a design for the seagoing vessel.
Jiang Xiaoqi wasn't stingy, since she could return the items she didn't like to the system store.
Having more choices also allows the Second Prince to gain a better understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of different types of ships.
Some of these are sturdy and durable but lack comfort, while others have large cabins but are slow.
Of course, there are also those that are both comfortable and fast, with strong storage capacity and load-bearing capacity, but their construction costs are correspondingly quite high.
"After looking around, it seems there is no perfect ocean-going vessel. The ones that seem decent are actually over budget."
Jiang Xiaoqi chuckled, "Your Highness, there's no such thing as exceeding the budget. I didn't set a specific budget for the shipbuilding either."
"Didn't Qiu Cheng say that he would control the cost to 120,000 taels, no, try to keep it within 100,000 taels? That's what he said in his report."
"Your Majesty, I have never set a budget for you. I only told you to take charge of the shipbuilding so that Your Highness can set sail as soon as possible."
"Then this..."
Jiang Xiaoqi could guess Lord Qiu's thoughts even with just a hair's breadth.
It's simply because they feel His Highness doesn't have much money, so he should save wherever he can.
It is estimated that they conducted some research and investigation upon arriving at Tongzhou Wharf before setting the budget at around 100,000 taels.
The labor costs in Tongzhou Prefecture were indeed not high. After all, there were many people and little work, so people weren't too picky about the wages, especially since meals were provided.
"Lord Qiu is thrifty and hardworking. He wants to save His Highness money, which is perfectly understandable."
However, we can't let them tighten their belts too much; we still need to leave enough room in their budget.
"If we're going to build ships, we should build good ships and big ships; there's no point in being stingy."
The Second Prince understood, "So the Master didn't tell Lord Qiu that it was your Liuxiang Pavilion that provided the money. No wonder, no wonder."
Jiang Xiaoqi certainly couldn't say that they were all working for the Second Prince and he couldn't be at the forefront.
It sounds prestigious to have someone else do the work and you pay for it, but in the workplace, you can't just have your own prestige.
Sometimes, ignoring face is what truly matters. Giving others face is giving yourself face; this is called "social etiquette."
The officialdom isn't just about intrigue and deceit; it's about navigating interpersonal relationships and social dynamics.
"Your Highness, please give the word. Your word carries weight."
“What you say is absolutely right. Then we will not set a budget and will only choose the best.”
The Second Prince spoke decisively. Jiang Xiaoqi nodded with a smile, "That's very good. Your Highness, please choose a ship type you like first, and then I will have Lord Qiu build it accordingly."
The second prince carefully examined the blueprints, his gaze settling on a magnificent and well-designed seagoing vessel. "This is it. This ship looks both sturdy and spacious, just what I want."
Jiang Xiaoqi followed his gaze and said, "Your Highness has excellent taste. This ship sails smoothly, has a large cargo capacity, and boasts the highest safety rating among all ships. It is indeed an excellent choice for going to sea."
Chen Lin noted down the selected ship type and the advantages mentioned by the two men. "Your Highness, Lord Jiang, I will have the blueprints sent to Lord Qiu at Tongzhou Wharf right away."
"Go ahead, let Lord Qiu do it freely, and don't let him be constrained by the budget anymore," the Second Prince said, waving his hand.
"Achoo, achoo! Who's scolding me? Achoo! Three times already, it's not scolding me, it's thinking of me?"
Qiu Cheng was holding a meeting with several leading veteran craftsmen when he suddenly sneezed three times.