Early in the morning, Zhu Cunji knocked on Hong Chengchou's door.
At this moment, Hong Chengchou had just sat up in bed. He had not even brushed his teeth yet.
The knocking startled him.
This official's just-woken-up appearance, how could it be shown to others?
In a flash, he moved.
Zero point zero one seconds to comb his hair.
Another zero point zero one seconds to wash his face and brush his teeth.
Another zero point zero one seconds to smooth out every wrinkle on his robe, aligning each fold with military precision.
By the time Zhu Cunji knocked again, Hong Chengchou was already seated upright in a chair, dignified and serene, as if he had risen at dawn, read several classics, and meditated upon the fate of the empire.
"Rebel," Hong said calmly, "why do you come to see this official so early?"
Zhu Cunji grinned.
"Do you know? The court already considers you dead. They have appointed Sun Chuanting as Minister of War."
Hong Chengchou's brows twitched slightly.
Sun Chuanting was part of the rebel faction. Now promoted to Minister of War and entering the capital? What safety remained in the imperial city? At any moment he could coordinate inside and out, open the gates, and welcome disaster.
It's over. The Great Ming is truly finished.
That was what he thought.
On the surface, however, he merely lifted his eyebrow a fraction.
"Oh. Now I know."
Zhu Cunji tilted his head.
"We seized your position. No regrets?"
Hong replied evenly, "After order is restored, what belongs to this official will eventually return to this official."
Zhu laughed.
"You are quite broad-minded. Fine, I came to discuss something."
"Speak."
"After Sun Chuanting left, the court did not appoint a new Governor of Shaanxi. But the work still needs to be done. You are skilled in such matters. How about helping manage the governor's duties?"
Hong's expression did not change.
"You dare privately appoint a governor?"
Zhu waved his hand.
"Not appoint. Just let you sit there and handle the work. We are not saying you are officially Governor. Actually, Dao Xuan Tianzun told me that in the future we will not even have the title of governor. Only county magistrates and city mayors."
Hong's heart trembled.
They are already designing a new bureaucratic system? How utterly insane.
Zhu scratched his head.
"I do not understand it fully either. I am just informing you. Will you lend a hand?"
Hong said coldly, "You rebellious traitors are not afraid that this official will see all your secrets?"
Zhu burst into laughter.
"What secrets? Just internal administrative files. Look as much as you like."
He leaned closer and lowered his voice.
"I do not know why, but Dao Xuan Tianzun seems to value you highly. He just said that letting you review internal affairs might be beneficial. Our Gao Family Village system is very advanced. But a system that is too advanced cannot simply be imposed overnight. We need someone like you to integrate it, to blend it with current realities."
Hong's jaw tightened.
"This official will not work for rebels. Only death can repay imperial grace."
"Oh? Not willing? Then forget it."
Zhu waved casually and walked toward the door.
Just as he stepped out, a bit of dust drifted down from the ceiling and landed on Hong's sleeve.
Hong immediately flicked it away with precise movements, brushing his sleeve clean.
Zhu chuckled to himself as he left.
This fellow has no intention of dying. A man ready for death would not care about a speck of dust. He will surrender eventually. I will chat with him again tomorrow.
…
Elsewhere.
Early morning.
Li DaoXuan was still enjoying his lazy sleep.
Suddenly, from inside the box came a loud clang, clang, clang.
The "Special Divine Summoning Artifact."
A massive bell engraved with Dao Xuan Tianzun's likeness was ringing.
Li DaoXuan knew immediately.
Gao Yiye was calling him.
The little people rarely summoned him unless the matter truly exceeded mortal capability.
He propped himself up on the edge of the bed and leaned his face over the box.
Below was the watchtower. Gao Yiye stood on the third-floor balcony, gazing at the sky with joy.
"Tianzun, you have arrived."
Li DaoXuan smiled lazily.
"What problem cannot be solved?"
Gao Yiye clasped her hands.
"Reporting to Tianzun. The Mingyue Gorge plank road project has sent word. They cannot dig any further. They request your assistance."
Li DaoXuan understood at once.
Tens of thousands of former bandits plus tens of thousands of Sichuan civilians had been working from both ends toward the center. The Hanzhong to Guangyuan section of ordinary road had essentially been opened and leveled. Only certain parts lacked cement paving, and the railway tracks had yet to be laid.
Now over one hundred thousand workers were blocked at both ends of Mingyue Gorge.
Just this final stretch of Shu Road remained before full connection.
And this stretch truly could not be dug by human hands.
Recently, due to the pacification of the Central Plains and Sichuan, his "Box Salvation Index" had been increasing geometrically. His field of vision had expanded rapidly.
The radius now exceeded five hundred kilometers.
The most treacherous section of Shu Road, Mingyue Gorge, had just entered his field of view.
He had waited long for this day.
Naturally, he would make his move.
"Very well," Li DaoXuan said. "I will help them dig."
Gao Yiye's eyes sparkled.
"May I go watch?"
Li DaoXuan laughed.
"Of course. I need a few days to prepare magical treasures for moving mountains. Use that time to head over and enjoy the spectacle."
Gao Yiye beamed.
"Wonderful! We go watch the fun!"
She ran down from the watchtower, summoned her special guard unit, and set off toward Mingyue Gorge.
…
Up here, Li DaoXuan began to think seriously.
His hand inside the box turned into a giant hand dozens of meters tall. But even with such a hand, trying to dig through Shu Mountain was ambitious.
He needed tools.
Electric drills. Chisels. Hammers. Shovels. Essential.
Even then, competing against a mountain scaled down only two hundred times would be exhausting.
For example, a peak originally one thousand meters high, reduced two hundred times, would still be five meters tall.
Five meters.
Two and a half Li DaoXuans stacked together.
Even with drills and hammers, dealing with that would be tough.
And he could not let the little people see him struggling awkwardly.
That would damage his handsome celestial image.
Good.
Time to buy better toys.
He opened Taobao.
Search.
Click.
Order placed.
Storm Number One Micro Excavator.
Suitable for indoor and outdoor use. Length just over two meters. Width under one meter. Height only one point three meters. It could easily enter courtyards or even operate indoors.
Multi-functional with interchangeable front arms: mechanical rake, auger drill, hydraulic breaker hammer, soil ripper, grapple.
Perfect divine treasure for home living, travel, and moving mountains.
Mingyue Gorge.
He was coming.