At the time, Fu Shiyin had been wary of the Empress Dowager. After weighing his options, he gave the stones to Gu'en Houfu first, figuring he would immediately make it up to Marquis Wenxin's Mansion once the next shipment of stones arrived.
But sometimes, luck just runs out. This year, it rained incessantly in the south, making the roads difficult to traverse. The transport date for the Lake Tai stones was pushed back again and again, and they still hadn't reached the Capital City.
Hearing Song Nanzhen bring this up, how could he not feel guilty?
Fu Shiyin immediately said, "Mr. Song, rest assured, as soon as the Lake Tai stones enter the Capital City, I'll make sure to send them to you first. You know as well as I do, the south has been rainy and the roads are slick. It's truly too dangerous to transport such heavy stones on roads like these. My hands are tied. I can't just send them out on a dangerous journey."
