However, as the words were about to leave her lips, she abruptly withdrew them.
Instead, her mind was filled with astonishment and disbelief, "Could Minister Chen be telling me that the entire Five Grains Repository, from the inside out, is constructed entirely of wood?"
Lu Qing Wan possessed countless private properties and frequently assisted the Xuan Jia Army in procuring provisions. Regardless of whether it was in Zhong Zhou or Shang Jing, she had seen more granaries than actual houses.
Northern granaries were mostly built with bricks and earth, and storing grain directly inside posed no problem, at most attracting some rats. However, keeping a few cats in the granary would solve the rat infestation.
Southern granaries were mostly large wooden barrels or boxes reinforced with simple wooden planks, placed on racks a dozen inches off the ground to prevent the stored grain from becoming damp.
And Xin Du was precisely in the south.
Hearing Chen Jian Zhang's words, Lu Qing Wan could already envision the Five Grains Repository, which Chen Jian Zhang considered a significant safety hazard, in her mind.
Chen Jian Zhang, seeing Lu Qing Wan's expression, knew that she likely understood the drawbacks of an all-wood granary.
He nodded gravely, "If it weren't so, why would I, going against my own word, seek out Prime Minister Nan and Elder Wen, attempting to dismantle the current Five Grains Repository and rebuild a new one?"
Restrained by the old man's ingrained traditional views on women, Lu Qing Wan suppressed the urge to slap her own forehead, though her expression was far from pleasant.
"Prime Minister Nan and Elder Wen are both people who care for the nation. They shouldn't be turning a blind eye to such an issue, should they? And you yourself, as the esteemed Minister of Revenue, are you unable to resolve such a minor issue properly? It's just a repository, why has it been dragged on until now?"
A mere repository was insignificant to high-ranking officials like Chen Jian Zhang, Prime Minister Nan, and Elder Wen. The fact that such a trivial matter had been delayed for over four months left Lu Qing Wan utterly bewildered.
Chen Jian Zhang sighed repeatedly, "Your Highness, you are unaware. Although you and His Highness granted the various ministries autonomy to manage their own establishment, we are not experts in construction. How could we personally oversee the building? As the Ministry of Works also needed to construct its own offices, all departments entrusted the task of building their respective offices to them. Currently, all the government offices and official residences in Xin Du are built by the Ministry of Works. The problems are not limited to the Ministry of Revenue's Five Grains Repository; other government offices and even official residences have some issues to varying degrees. Initially, we approached the Minister of Works directly to resolve these issues, but upon doing so, we discovered that Minister Nian of the Ministry of Works had also been swindled."
He didn't elaborate on how they were swindled, but the old scholar, who was usually so upright and full of filial piety, was so incensed that his beard trembled. Lu Qing Wan could see that if not for his upbringing as a member of a noble family, the old gentleman would have been cursing.
Filled with both curiosity and surprise, she couldn't help but ask, "May I ask Minister Chen, who dares to swindle you esteemed high officials? Did you not directly confront the person to resolve it? Or is that person truly so formidable that even over a dozen of you high officials cannot deal with him?"
Chen Jian Zhang sighed repeatedly, "Your Highness, you are unaware. Although all government offices were undertaken by the Ministry of Works, the craftsmen and lumber required were supplied by the Lin family's trading firm, a wealthy merchant in Xin Du. The construction was specifically handled by the Lin family's firm. Therefore, if accountability is to be sought, the Lin family's firm is the first to be held responsible."
"Then hold them accountable!" Lu Qing Wan stated as a matter of course. "Their construction is substandard and has caused losses to the court. They should rebuild and compensate. What is the problem?"
After speaking, Lu Qing Wan remembered something and quickly added, "By the way, they built the houses, but surely the blueprints weren't their own creation, were they? This is the Ministry of Revenue's repository. You and Minister Nian of the Ministry of Works wouldn't be so audacious, would you?"
As Chen Jian Zhang had said, these high officials did not understand construction and entrusting their offices to the Ministry of Works was understandable. However, the Ministry of Revenue was his domain. If he himself did not take responsibility for the blueprints and caused such consequences, it would be more than just taking responsibility; it would be severe dereliction of duty. Fortunately, Chen Jian Zhang's capabilities were sound, as he had received the approval of Si Feng Wu and succeeded the position of the first Minister of Revenue in the new dynasty as the nominal uncle of Feng Qing Heng.
He quickly denied, "Certainly not. The blueprints for the various government offices were jointly determined by us, the principal officials, Minister Nian of the Ministry of Works, the Supervisor of Imperial Manufactories, and Commander Tie Shou. Especially for the repositories of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War, Minister Nian and Commander Tie Shou followed the process from beginning to end. I recall Commander Tie Shou saying that Xin Du is not like Shang Jing; it rains a lot and has many insects. Important repositories must be handled with extreme caution. His blueprint for the Five Grains Repository was divided into three layers. The outermost layer was cast with blue bricks and lime, used for temporarily storing grain with clear destinations. The middle layer was a cast-iron repository, used for storing aged grain, which could not be easily burned if someone had malicious intent. The innermost layer was the wooden granary, used for storing new grain, allowing for ventilation, preventing mold, and facilitating transportation. At the time, I, along with several principal officials of the Ministry of Revenue and Minister Nian, were very satisfied. However, when it was built, the repository turned out to be entirely made of wood."
At this point, Chen Jian Zhang began to pour out his grievances like a bamboo tube emptying its contents, without Lu Qing Wan needing to ask further.
"As soon as I saw the repository, I went to the Ministry of Works. Minister Nian took me directly to Lin Dong Ye, the proprietor of the Lin family's trading firm. He, however, said that it was just a mere repository and there were no such major issues. When I intended to hold the Lin family's firm accountable, he directly brought up the lumber guild managed by the Lin family and audaciously threatened me, saying that if I dared to lay a hand on the Lin family's firm, the lumber merchants and their associated common folk who relied on the Lin family's firm for their livelihood would riot. I investigated and found that the Lin family's firm had been the de facto ruler of Jin Cheng for years. If he were truly pushed to desperation, he could indeed incite a significant riot. With the Prince not yet enthroned, such an event occurring would have an extremely adverse impact on the new dynasty. Therefore, I temporarily suppressed this matter."
Chen Jian Zhang spoke with frustration, and Lu Qing Wan did not feel any better listening to it. If this were in front of Si Feng Wu, she would definitely have slammed her fist on the table.
"So, Prime Minister Nan and Elder Wen also based their decision on this point, making you temporarily play the role of a silent turtle?"
Upon hearing the words "silent turtle," Chen Jian Zhang's mouth twitched involuntarily.
"Primarily, the Lin family's firm was responsible for constructing not only the government offices but also the residences of various officials, and most of them have some issues. These issues, if not exposed, would not significantly impact the overall situation. However, if they were exposed and reconstruction were to occur, the cost would be enormous. Both Prime Minister Nan and Elder Wen felt it would not be worth the expenditure. Therefore, after discussion, we decided to delay the matter slightly, at least until after the enthronement ceremony."