I Am A Corrupt Official, Yet They Say I Am A Loyal Minister!

ctory in his designated area, specifically for producing cement.
He also arranged some artisans to make molds and others to excavate and transport sand and gravel.

The work was extensive, and the details were precise, but Lin Beifan organized everything methodically.
Once all the arrangements were in place, everyone rolled up their sleeves and started working.
Around one million disaster-stricken people, except for approximately 300,000 who were elderly, weak, sick, or disabled, all joined in the labor.

Physically strong men were responsible for the arduous tasks on the construction site, while women who were not capable of such physical work took charge of logistics, such as cooking and fetching water.
The scene was bustling with energy and enthusiasm.

A week quickly passed, and the Empress and the officials were curious to see how Lin Beifan’s efforts had turned out.
They left the city to take a look.

As they arrived, they couldn’t help but feel like they were experiencing a similar feeling to a character in a story entering a grand garden, where everything was fresh and unfamiliar.

“Sir Lin, explain to Us what all these things are for!” the Empress asked.

“Of course, Your Majesty!” Lin Beifan led the Empress and the officials to a place filled with warmth.

“Your Majesty, this is the workshop for producing cement, also known as the Cement Workshop! All the cement needed for our city’s construction is produced here!”

“What does your ‘cement’ look like? Can you show Us?” the Empress inquired.

“Certainly!” Lin Beifan led them forward, pointing to piles of dull grayish soil, and said, “This is cement!”

Everyone was astonished, “This is cement? It looks… so unattractive.”

“Don’t be deceived by its appearance; it is incredibly practical!” Lin Beifan explained.

The Empress curiously asked, “How is this cement used?”

“This cement needs to be mixed with sand and water in certain proportions, and then it becomes extremely sturdy! There’s no need to say more; follow me!”

Lin Beifan led everyone to a flat area with a collection of grayish bricks.

“This is the brick-making area, and we are using cement to make bricks!”

“Bricks made from cement?” everyone was once again puzzled.

Lin Beifan explained, “We need to make bricks first before we can construct houses! Compared to traditional bricks, the bricks we make with cement have an unparalleled advantage.”

“What advantage?” they asked.

“They are fast, time-saving, labor-saving, and cost-effective!” Lin Beifan smiled, “Previously, when making bricks, we had to first excavate the clay, let it pile up in the open for about half a year under the scorching sun and rain, letting it decompose and loosen inside.
Then, through a certain process, only fine and pure clay remained!”

“After that, we would mix the pure clay with water, repeatedly knead it into a thick mud, and then shape it into brick embryos.
After drying, we put them into kilns for firing! This entire process was time-consuming, labor-intensive, and required a lot of charcoal!”

Upon hearing this, everyone couldn’t help but nod in agreement.

“But our cement bricks are different!”

“To produce cement, we only need about three days or so!”

“After the cement is produced, as long as we mix it with sand and water in a certain proportion to form a clay-like substance, we can use the existing molds to create bricks.
Then, we leave them in a dry place to solidify! In 2 to 3 days, we can have bricks ready for construction.
Their quality is not much different from traditionally fired bricks,” Lin Beifan explained.

The officials’ expressions changed.

Lin Beifan picked up two dried and solidified cement bricks from the ground and smiled, “Take a look at these bricks.
How are they different from the ones you usually see?”

After contemplating for a moment, an old minister said, “Apart from the color, they are nearly as strong as the usual bricks.”

“That’s another significant advantage of cement.
It sets quickly and is very sturdy!” Lin Beifan smiled.
“With these bricks, building houses becomes much easier and more affordable!”

Their expectations grew.

“Everyone, please follow me!” Lin Beifan led them forward to rows of bungalows.

With pride, Lin Beifan said, “These are houses built with cement, and it only took five days to complete all of them!”

“Built in five days?” Everyone was astonished.

“How can it be done in five days?” someone asked.

“As you can see, we transport the pre-made cement bricks here and use them to build the walls, reinforcing with more cement! In this way, the houses are naturally constructed!” Lin Beifan explained.

“Do we not need to dig trenches for the foundation?” the Minister of Works asked.

“We do, but we don’t need to dig as deep.
It takes half a day to handle that.
All our houses are interconnected using cement, providing mutual support and stability like Mount Tai!” Lin Beifan replied.

“Do we not need to erect pillars?” the Minister of Works asked again.

Lin Beifan shook his head, “No, we don’t! The cement walls we build are very sturdy.
So, we skip that step and build the walls directly.
The whole process takes two days, one day for wall construction and one day for waiting for the cement to dry and solidify.”

“What about the roofing?” the Minister of Works inquired once more.

“That’s the simplest part.
Look up!” Lin Beifan pointed, and they saw several large horizontal beams on top of the houses, and the walls were still made of cement.

“After we finish building the walls, we place several horizontal beams on the roof.
Then, we lay the pre-made cement boards on top and let them solidify with cement! This entire process takes less than half a day!”

“After that, we wait for one more day for the roofing stones to dry and solidify, and it’s all done!”

“This is the process of building houses.
We just need to produce cement, and with it, we can make cement bricks and cement boards.
Then, we follow the construction process like stacking building blocks.
The whole process is as simple as that!”

Lin Beifan smiled faintly, “Your Majesty and distinguished officials, are you satisfied with the speed of house construction?”

The Empress and the officials were shocked and amazed!