Rebirth and Reversal of Fortune

Chapter 464 Overseeing the Engineering Challenges

The massive construction project of the palace was in full swing, and Su Jinxiu and Xiao Ling took on the important responsibility of supervising the progress and quality of the project.

Every morning, Su Jinxiu and Xiao Ling would arrive at the construction site to carefully check the progress of each task. Xiao Ling, clad in heavy armor, had sharp eyes and didn't miss any corner that might have problems.

"The foundation here is not solid enough and must be reinforced!" Xiao Ling said loudly.

The craftsmen quickly agreed, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

Su Jinxiu held the ledger and carefully checked every single item that came in or went.

"The quantity of this batch of timber does not match the records. Go and find out!" Su Jinxiu's voice was crisp and firm.

As the project progressed, various problems arose one after another. In order to meet the deadline, some craftsmen began to cut corners and use inferior materials.

"The quality of these bricks is clearly substandard. Who was in charge of purchasing them?" Xiao Ling shouted angrily.

The official in charge of procurement turned pale with fright and immediately knelt down to beg for mercy: "General, spare my life! I was negligent for a moment."

Xiao Ling showed no mercy: "Negligence? This concerns the safety of the palace, and there is absolutely no room for carelessness!"

Su Jinxiu patiently taught the craftsmen how to improve their skills.

“Everyone, follow the standards. As long as the quality is up to par, you’ll all get a reward,” Su Jinxiu said.

However, the weather also caused considerable trouble for the project. Continuous heavy rains made the construction site muddy and severely hampered the project's progress.

"The rain keeps falling, what should we do?" The craftsmen were extremely anxious.

Xiao Ling made a quick decision: "We must build a rain shelter; we can't let the project come to a standstill."

Su Jinxiu was busy allocating defensive supplies.

"Bring all the tarpaulins over here and protect the parts that have already been completed."

During the supervision process, they also encountered some people who secretly framed them. Some people deliberately caused accidents in the places they inspected in an attempt to smear their supervision work.

"This is clearly something someone did on purpose to frame us," Xiao Ling said.

Su Jinxiu calmly analyzed: "Husband, don't be anxious. As long as we act uprightly and behave properly, we are not afraid of their schemes and tricks."

At the same time, some ministers with ulterior motives also slandered Su Jinxiu and Xiao Ling to the emperor, saying that they had embezzled funds from the project.

"Your Majesty, I have heard that Su Jinxiu and Xiao Ling have been embezzling large sums of money while supervising the project."

Although the emperor had doubts after hearing this, he still decided to believe them.

"I believe in their loyalty. We will wait until the truth is found before making any decisions."

Despite immense pressure, Su Jinxiu and Xiao Ling continued to steadfastly remain in their supervisory roles.

"No matter what, we must ensure the project is completed smoothly," Xiao Ling said.

Finally, under their strict supervision, the project gradually came to an end.

"We can't relax in this final stage; we must ensure a perfect ending," Su Jinxiu said.

Just when they thought they could breathe a sigh of relief, they discovered a major quality hazard.

“There are structural problems with this part of the building, and it must be rectified immediately!” Xiao Ling said.

The craftsmen looked troubled: "General, this renovation is a huge project, and it may delay the construction period."

Xiao Ling's attitude was firm: "The construction period can be postponed, but the quality must not be compromised in the slightest!"

The massive construction project of the palace encountered a series of thorny problems during its progress, plunging the entire project into a predicament.

First, there were technical challenges. When building a large palace, the craftsmen discovered that traditional building techniques could not meet the design requirements, and the complex roof structure caused problems with load-bearing capacity.

"What are we going to do? The existing methods are simply not enough to support such a huge roof." The head craftsman in charge looked worried.

Upon learning of the situation, Xiao Ling and Su Jinxiu immediately convened all the skilled craftsmen to discuss solutions.

"Let's brainstorm and find a way to solve this problem," Xiao Ling said.

The craftsmen offered their suggestions, but none of them could fundamentally solve the problem of load-bearing capacity.

Su Jinxiu then sent people to search for relevant technical books and materials, hoping to find inspiration from them.

"Even if we have to search through all the ancient books, we must find a feasible solution," Su Jinxiu said.

At the same time, serious problems arose regarding manpower. Due to the massive scale of the project and the tight schedule, the migrant workers worked long hours at high intensity, becoming physically and mentally exhausted, and many even fell ill.

"Sir, the migrant workers simply can't take it anymore. Every day, someone collapses from exhaustion," the official in charge of managing the migrant workers complained to Xiao Ling.

Xiao Ling frowned: "Immediately arrange for people to treat the sick migrant workers, and at the same time adjust working hours. We can't continue to work like this recklessly."

However, new problems arose, with the decrease in the number of migrant workers causing a significant delay in the project's progress.

"At this rate, it's impossible to complete the project on time," Su Jinxiu said with deep concern.

To address the labor shortage, they had to recruit migrant workers from other areas. However, most of the recruited workers lacked experience and were inefficient.

"These new migrant workers are completely unfamiliar with the work process. What are we going to do?" the craftsmen complained.

Xiao Ling decided to organize experienced craftsmen to train the new migrant workers.

"Everyone, please work hard and get them up to speed as soon as possible," Xiao Ling encouraged.

Just as they were working hard to solve the manpower problem, the supply of materials was disrupted.

"Sir, there's a problem with the stone and timber suppliers; they can't deliver on time."

Xiao Ling was furious: "Investigate immediately to find out what happened and make sure the supply of materials is guaranteed."

It turned out that the supplier deliberately delayed delivery in order to obtain higher profits.

Su Jinxiu decisively said, "Change the supplier. We absolutely cannot let them delay the project."

After some twists and turns, a new and reliable supplier was finally found.

But one problem after another arose. While excavating the palace foundation, they encountered an underground spring, and the construction site was flooded.

“The underground spring water is flowing continuously, making construction impossible.” The craftsmen looked at the flooded construction site, helpless.

Xiao Ling and Su Jinxiu personally came to the scene to check the situation.

"We must find a way to drain the water, otherwise the project cannot continue," Xiao Ling said.