Ma Xiuying was extremely annoyed, knowing that the matter was not the official reason at all, but she was helpless against these officials who were making a fuss about the banner of imperial power. After all, she is also a royal person, so she can't say in front of everyone that the imperial power is equal to the people.

Zhu Yuanzhang's indifferent attitude shows that he maintains an attitude of neither opposing nor denying this matter, perhaps he also thinks in his heart that everything should be given priority to the royal family, and everyone and everything should first open the way for the imperial power.

Ma Xiuying was very angry, she wanted the horses to run and not give the horses grazing, isn't this a bad intention? Shen Wansan is her friend, and Shen Wansan's construction of the city wall is a good thing for the benefit of the country and the people, and it is also her own expense, so she has to help Shen Wansan with affection and reason.

She thought about it, lent a part of the bricks for the construction of the palace to Shen Wansan, and suggested that Shen Wansan go to the mountains to mine stones, and the walls of the building were mainly made of stones, and only a layer of bricks was laid on the outside for decoration.

Therefore, the section of the city wall built by Shen Wansan from Zhengyang Gate to Shuixi Gate is basically a stone, and there are few bricks. In order to be strong and strong, he deliberately had people pour a layer of glutinous rice water on each layer of stone to make it tightly bonded. This was labor-intensive and time-consuming, but the walls were also stronger than those made of bricks.

Seeing that Shen Wansan had solved the problem of city bricks, Hu Weiyong instructed the inspectors to come to find trouble every now and then. These inspectors could not find fault with the city wall, but they did not leave, which seriously affected the progress of the workers.

Shen Wansan is a businessman, he understands that these inspectors deliberately pick bones in the eggs to blackmail money, he is unwilling to toss with these people, in order to successfully complete the project, he often goes up and down.

After a long time, the inspectors all felt that Shen Wansan was a noodle melon, and as long as he had no money, he would go to the southeast city wall construction site to hang around, knock and knock.

Shen Wansan endured his anger and sent it away with silver. If it weren't for comparing the progress of the project with Zhu Yuanzhang, if it weren't for Ma Xiuying telling him that the city brick incident was deliberately obstructed, the purpose was to prevent him from successfully completing the project, and the ghost would be willing to swallow his anger so much. After the city wall was built, he decided to go back to Suzhou immediately, he didn't want to come to the capital again in this life, and he still wanted to be a soil emperor in his hometown.

While inquiring about the progress of the repair of the northwest city wall, he also supervised the quality construction of the southeast city wall, and he planned to complete it at the same time as the northwest city wall, so that it would neither lag behind nor stand out, so as not to fall into the hands of others and make people pick on them.

A section of the city wall was repaired so that Shen Wansan was emaciated, he was so trembling and cautious, he heard that the northwest city wall was completed on the day it was announced that the southeast city wall was also completed, and the difference was only half a day.

However, Hu Weiyong dug a big hole for him, announced the completion of the northwest city wall externally, and asked the people to check the condition of the city wall again, so it took three days to hand over the report to Zhu Yuanzhang, so it formed an illusion that the southeast city wall was built three days earlier than the northwest city wall.

Zhu Yuanzhang was a little unhappy when he heard this, and asked why the southeast city wall was built slower than the northwest city wall, is the strength of the country still not as good as the strength of the individual?

Hu Weiyong was secretly proud, and said with trepidation: "Weichen doesn't know, the people sent by the emperor never dare to be lazy, and they have been building city walls day and night, and they have never left the construction site during this time. However, I heard that Shen Wansan often let the craftsmen rest and recuperate, and Weichen also wondered, how could he repair faster than the emperor's people?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was even more angry, this can't compare to Shen Wansan, could it be that Shen Wansan cut corners and perfunctory projects? Hmph, if there is a mistake in the southeast city wall on the day of acceptance, he will definitely want Shen Wansan to look good!

On the day of completion and acceptance, Zhu Yuanzhang took his ministers to the scene in person.

Ma Xiuying was not at ease, and also asked to accompany her on the grounds that she wanted to take the children to witness the construction of the city wall.

The completion of the city wall not only represents the establishment of the imperial city's defensive buildings, but also a symbol of the consolidation of imperial power, Zhu Yuanzhang was in a good mood that day, and readily agreed to Ma Xiuying's request, and also asked the princes to carefully observe the city wall and write a piece of experience.

Everyone climbed the Purple Mountain to observe the situation of the city wall, and saw that the entire city wall was built with exquisite craftsmanship and magnificent scale. It is connected to Stone Town in the east, Qinhuai District in the south, and Xuanwu Lake in the north, which includes the capital cities of all dynasties. What is particularly eye-catching is that the city wall does not follow the old system of square or rectangular shape of the ancient capital, but is built "because of the time and location", and is built by the mountains and rivers. There are hundreds of miles of red silk hanging on the wall, and from a distance, it looks like a fiery red dragon winding on the earth.

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded with satisfaction, his whole face was full of excitement, he didn't expect that the construction of the city wall would be a dragon. The dragon is a symbol of the Son of Heaven, and now that he is stepping on the dragon vein, the palace is guarded by a dragon, doesn't it mean that his imperial power is protected by God, and even God has sent a dragon to protect him.

The ministers sang praises one after another, boasting that the dragon fell from the sky because the emperor was diligent in government and loved the people.

Zhu Yuanzhang was complacent for a while, and ordered someone to check the solidity of the city wall. Although the dragon wall is auspicious, it depends on its practical value.

The 20 inspectors were divided into two groups, one to inspect the northwest and the other to the southeast. The city walls in the northwest are all topped and tamped with mortar mixed with tung oil, lime and yellow workers, and only half an inch can be stabbed by knives and guns. The city wall in the southeast is even stronger, and knives and guns can't be stabbed at all, and even if they are cut down, only shallow knife marks are left.

In full view of everyone, the inspectors did not dare to deceive, and came back to report the results.

Hearing the acceptance effect of the northwest city wall, Zhu Yuanzhang's face was full of smiles, but when he heard that the southeast city wall was still stronger than the northwest city wall, his smile froze on his face, and he couldn't help but ask Shen Wansan the reason.

Shen Wansan was a little carried away when he heard that the city wall he built was better than that built by the emperor, and said: "The city walls built by the grass people are all built with large stones, and they are also reinforced with glutinous rice and water layers. It is estimated that after a hundred years, the city walls in the northwest are decaying, and the city walls in the southeast are still unharmed. ”

"You're good, better than my guys do, good, good. Zhu Yuanzhang's face was cloudy, he comforted and appreciated it on the surface, but he was dissatisfied in private. The people who were angry with themselves were slower to complete than Shen Wansan, and the quality of the city wall was not as good as the city wall repaired by Shen Wansan, which made him lose face in front of the public, and even hated Shen Wansan.

If he was dealing with ordinary people, Shen Wansan would inevitably find the other party's dissatisfaction, but Zhu Yuanzhang was the emperor, and Shen Wansan could not stare at Zhu Yuanzhang's face at any time, so he didn't find Zhu Yuanzhang's expression faintly unhappy.

As soon as Ma Xiuying saw Zhu Yuanzhang's face changing, she knew that Shen Wansan's fart was slapped on the horse's leg, and hurriedly glanced at Shen Wansan.

But Shen Wansan didn't even pay attention to Zhu Yuanzhang's expression, how could he find Ma Xiuying's hints.