RMWDS -Chapter 248 What a Coincidence

The construction manager was extremely confused.

He had known Miao Yunyou for quite some time.

Back in the early days, she had indeed been short on funds. She carefully watched every expense, saved wherever possible, and pursued maximum cost-effectiveness. She would even compare prices from multiple suppliers for a single screw.

But ever since the resort became successful, she had completely switched to the philosophy of “use the most expensive option” and “use the best option available.”

So why had she suddenly changed?

Why was she deliberately rejecting high-quality solid wood carved panels and specifically asking for the cheapest, most toxic, most worthless materials possible?

Looking at the construction manager’s expression—which practically screamed “Has she been drinking?”—Miao Yunyou couldn’t help laughing.

She explained in a more relatable way:

“Let me put it like this.

“Imagine this scenario.

“You have a relative who’s done every bad thing imaginable and is incredibly annoying. He forces you to renovate a house for him, and it’s obvious he has no intention of paying you a single cent.

“You can’t refuse because of family obligations.

“But at the same time, you don’t want to do too good a job and end up benefiting that jerk.

“So what kind of materials would you choose?”

She paused.

“Of course, I’m just using an analogy. The building I’m working on isn’t actually for people to live in…”

Not for people to live in?

The construction manager suddenly understood.

A mausoleum? A tomb?

The confusion vanished from his face and was replaced by the expression of someone who had finally connected all the dots.

“Oh! Why didn’t you explain it that way from the beginning? Now I get it!”

He nodded vigorously with the confidence of a man speaking from experience.

“Who doesn’t have relatives like that? I’ve got plenty of experience.”

“I have a distant cousin exactly like that. He’s spent his entire life loafing around and dreaming about getting rich without working for it.

“Two years ago he opened a coffee shop and borrowed 300,000 yuan from me. He promised to pay me back with interest once he started making money.

“The shop closed after only three months.

“To this day, I haven’t seen a single cent.”

The construction manager rolled his eyes dramatically.

“Then last year he came up with another scheme. Said he wanted to open a traditional-style hot pot restaurant.

“I don’t know where he found them, but he bought a batch of raw materials from some bankrupt factory and dumped them in my warehouse, asking me to process them for him.

“He promised that once the restaurant became profitable, he’d pay back the previous 300,000 yuan plus the processing fees.”

His face was filled with regret.

“I still can’t believe I actually believed his nonsense.”

“Then guess what happened?

“Before the restaurant renovation was even finished, he got arrested for defrauding his business partners.

“Three years in prison.”

The manager shook his head.

“It was only afterward that I learned just how unbelievably terrible those materials were. They were so bad that nobody wanted them, which was why he managed to buy them so cheaply.

“The processed panels are still sitting in my warehouse right now, taking up space. If I want to dispose of them, I’d have to spend even more money.”

Then he suddenly paused.

“Now that I think about it… isn’t this perfect?

“That batch of panels seems to match Boss Miao’s requirements exactly!”

Miao Yunyou’s eyes lit up like light bulbs.

“Seriously? How much is there? And what’s the quality like?”

The construction manager held up five fingers.

“More than five hundred panels.

“They’re all standard 1.22-by-2.44-meter sheets, with various thicknesses—12, 15, and 18 millimeters.”

“As for quality…”

His tone became extremely certain.

“Absolutely terrible.”

“Every toxic substance exceeds safety standards.”

“I guarantee they’ll warp and bulge within three years.”

“And within five years, they’ll definitely delaminate and fall apart.”

“No doubt about it.”

“Perfect! Absolutely perfect!”

Miao Yunyou was grinning from ear to ear.

“That’s enough. More than enough.

“I’ll take them all.

“Just name your price.”

Based on Miao Yunyou’s assessment of the current situation, she didn’t think that dog of an emperor would survive another five years anyway.

The moment he heard her mention buying them, the construction manager immediately waved his hand dismissively.

“Come on, what are you talking about? Sell them?” he said with a hearty laugh. “…”

“These lousy panels have been sitting in my warehouse for almost a year. I’ve been worrying about how to get rid of them.

“Boss Miao, you’re actually helping me clear out old inventory and solve a huge headache. I should be thanking you. How could I possibly charge you money for them?”

Miao Yunyou was now his biggest client, with plenty of future projects still to come. He wanted nothing more than to build a stronger relationship with her, so there was no way he would charge her over something this minor.

“Just tell me when you need them. I’ll notify the warehouse and have everything loaded onto trucks.

“You won’t have to pay a single cent.”

After all, if he calculated their actual value, those garbage-grade materials weren’t worth much anyway.

Miao Yunyou didn’t bother being overly polite.

“I want them right now.

“The sooner, the better.

“Have them delivered directly up the mountain!”

Now, let’s shift our perspective to the ancient world.

Mount Xuanwu, Rear Mountain — Prayer Temple Construction Site

The ground had only just dried after the torrential rain.

Each step kicked up bits of dry mud, leaving faint yellow dust clinging to the soles of shoes.

The temple foundations, which had previously been half-completed, had been torn apart by the mountain flood.

Broken wooden beams and scattered bricks lay strewn everywhere, their surfaces still marked by the force of the rushing water.

The washed-away timber had dried only halfway under the sun, with pale whitish stains left along the edges where it had soaked in rainwater.

Several craftsmen squatted among the rubble, trying to salvage usable wood from the debris.

Their movements were sluggish.

Their faces were filled with despair.

Standing atop the highest earthen slope was Princess Ningyu.

Her plain-colored palace robes were stained with dust, and the mountain wind whipped the hem of her skirt violently around her.

Her fingers gripped the jade ornament at her waist so tightly that her knuckles had turned white.

As her gaze swept across the devastated construction site, her expression became as cold as ice.

Behind her stood Mu Zigui.

His hands were folded respectfully at his sides.

He didn’t dare say much, merely remaining quietly beside the princess.

Finally, Princess Ningyu spoke.

“Can Lu Chengan send any more workers?”

Her voice was calm, but the exhaustion beneath it could not be concealed.

Mu Zigui stepped forward.

His voice remained gentle and measured, though his concern was obvious.

“Your Highness, Governor Lu has already gathered every carpenter he could find in the entire city.

“He even recruited elderly coffin-makers and furniture-shop apprentices.

“Everyone is already working at the site.”

He paused.

His tone grew heavier, though his explanation remained clear and orderly.

“The problem is that all of the carved decorative timber was destroyed by the flood.

“The doors, windows, beams, pillars, and roof ornaments of the temple all need to be carved again from scratch.

“Hand-carving is extremely slow.

“Even if everyone works day and night without rest, three days…”

He lowered his head.

“Three days isn’t even enough to complete the doors and windows of the main hall.”

Princess Ningyu closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Three days.

Only three days remained.

The imperial envoy from the palace would arrive in three days.

If what he saw was nothing but ruins, the Eighth Prince’s faction would undoubtedly seize the opportunity to attack her.

Once the charge of deceiving the emperor and misleading the throne was attached to her name, everyone involved here would be in serious trouble.

“Can we find a way to delay him for a few days?”

She opened her eyes and looked toward Mu Zigui.

“Perhaps do something to the envoy?

“Make him fall ill, or have some kind of accident.”

Mu Zigui gently shook his head.

A shadow of worry settled over his features as he lowered his voice even further.

“Your Highness, that won’t work.

“Our scouts have just returned with information.

“The envoy is accompanied by more than a dozen guards, all of them highly skilled fighters.

“Our people can’t even get close to him.

“It would be impossible to act without being noticed.

“Instead, we’d likely alert him and make matters worse.”

“Guards?”

Princess Ningyu frowned.

“Imperial Guards from the palace?”

“No.”

Mu Zigui shook his head again.

“They’re not from the palace.

“Judging from their martial arts techniques, they appear to be members of the Han Yue Sword Sect.”