Chapter 651 - 649: To be continued
The Emperor did not intend to impose his will on others; it was just that this matter was indeed an urgent priority. Whether it could be achieved or not was another question. To press them first might bring about an unexpected effect.
To Wang Xian’s surprise, Jinrong only wrinkled his brow slightly in reluctance and then agreed, "This... can be tried. However," Jinrong thought of Ye Xinyan’s style of expecting compensation for labor and refusing to work without payment, "does Imperial Father know the rules of the craftsmen in the common folk? If it were someone else, it would surely take a month or two to complete this task. Imperial Father wants results before the end of the year; this means rushing the work."
The Emperor did not quite understand what Jinrong meant, "It is about rushing the work, indeed." Otherwise, why go through him? The task could just be handed over to the Ministry of Works.
Clearing his throat, Jinrong gave an embarrassed glance at Prince Fu and Wang Xian and said, "The Ye Family woman is very difficult to deal with. When she takes on work that others find challenging or requires rushing, she charges double. How much does Imperial Father plan to spend to hire someone for this task?"
The Emperor was completely stunned. He had always been a man of his word, only giving orders and never experiencing any situation where payment was to be negotiated for work to be done. He was out of his depth with this matter of labor costs...
The Emperor looked towards Prince Fu and Wang Xian.
Prince Fu and Wang Xian also wore expressions of surprise. His Highness Prince Yu... had perhaps been dealing with merchants and commoners too often, even to the extent of speaking about labor costs in front of His Majesty. The Emperor asked a civilian construction business to do work; would they possibly shortchange them of silver? Was it really necessary to haggle over the price at this time?
Although Wang Xian did not clear his throat with a cough, he also felt uncomfortable in his throat. Seeing that the Emperor was looking over, he had no choice but to speak, "Our Ministry has ample experience of employing civilian craftsmen, and there are standard rates for their wages. Prince Yu can rest assured that we won’t exploit the labor without compensation."