Chương 745: Zhaoji Pavilion

All seventeen bowls were piled high with bamboo skewers of varying heights, with noticeable differences.

Some bowls were piled high with grains, while others contained only a few grains, all alone.

"Alright, are you all done voting?"

Liu Ce looked into the hall, "No one missed casting, right? If you missed, hurry up, this is your last chance."

No one in His Highness responded; they all shook their heads.

"Alright, someone, count the votes! I'll count them with everyone, so it's open and fair."

Two eunuchs stepped forward, one with a bamboo stick and the other with chalk, and drew tally marks on the black wooden board.

Do it in order, one by one.

First, let's talk about Maoxun Pavilion.

"One, two, three... sixty-six! Mao Xun Pavilion, sixty-six votes!"

Tian Feng stroked his beard and nodded. It wasn't a lot, but it wasn't a little either; he was fairly satisfied.

Ju Shou glanced at it from the side and had a general idea of what was going on.

Next, let's talk about Yiyun Pavilion.

"One, two... sixty-one votes! Yiyun Pavilion, sixty-one votes!"

Ju Shou sighed, slightly inferior, losing five votes to Mao Xun.

Tian Feng glanced at him smugly, but Ju Shou turned his head away, pretending not to see him.

Continue counting: Qianqiu Pavilion, 31 votes.

Tai Jiege, 27 votes.

The Zhenhuang Pavilion fared even worse, with only eleven votes.

Cheng Yaojin looked at the few bamboo skewers and scratched his head: "Why are there so few? I thought it looked pretty imposing..."

Yuchi Gong patted him on the shoulder: "It's alright, Lao Cheng, we still have Dingding Pavilion!"

When they reached Dingding Pavilion, the eunuch drawled out the words, counting each one very slowly:

"One, two... sixty-eight! Dingding Pavilion, sixty-eight votes!"

"oh!"

A murmur of cheers erupted from the group of generals, as if they had won.

Yuchi Gong straightened his back and raised an eyebrow triumphantly to the side, as if to say: See, I told you this name would be popular!

Sixty-eight votes, currently in first place!

The military officers all felt confident that the situation was under control.

Next, continue counting the remaining items: Bai Zege, 24 votes.

Guan Ning sighed, somewhat disappointed.

Xinghan Pavilion, 18 votes.

Xun You nodded slightly. Not much, but not bad.

Lingxiao Pavilion, twelve votes.

Hunyi Pavilion, eight votes.

Chenji Pavilion, seven votes.

Tuoyu Pavilion, 15 votes.

Song Yingxing and Jia Sixie exchanged a glance. It wasn't bad; it wasn't a small amount.

Wanshi Pavilion, three votes. The young officials who cast their votes quickly lowered their heads, afraid of being glared at by the senior officials.

............

After counting and counting, only the bowl from Zhaoji Pavilion remained.

The bamboo skewers in that bowl were piled up to the top, sticking out quite a bit, which looked frightening.

Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on the eunuch's hand.

The military officers were filled with apprehension: Could it be... that there are more than just the number of troops involved in the conquest?

The civil officials also craned their necks, waiting for the final result.

The eunuch reached in and took out handfuls of bamboo skewers, counting them in a clear voice:

"One, two... eight, nine, ten..."

When the count reached fifty, the supporters of Dingding Pavilion remained calm.

When he counted to eighty, Yuchi Gong's mouth was agape.

When the count reached one hundred, the entire hall erupted in uproar.

"One hundred... one hundred and thirty-three!"

The eunuch straightened up and announced loudly:

"Your Majesty! Zhaoji Pavilion, 133 votes! The most votes! Leading by a wide margin!"

The hall fell silent for a second.

A buzz of discussion immediately followed.

The military officers were a little surprised, looked at each other, but didn't object.

After all, big names like Xu Da, Li Jing, Guan Yu, and Yue Fei all chose this option, as did leading civil officials like Xun Yu, Fang Xuanling, and Zhuge Liang.

The fact that even the big shots agree means it makes sense.

Besides, it doesn't matter what the name is, as long as it gets into the cabinet. A more elegant name seems to make one look more respectable.

Most of the civil officials looked approving and nodded in agreement.

"Zhaoji... is indeed good. Solid, with roots."

"Kongming's suggestion was indeed extraordinary."

"It's much better than those flashy ones; it has the grandeur of a founding nation."

Liu Ce clapped his hands with a smile, and the hall immediately fell silent.

"Alright, the votes are here, it's the popular choice, so it's settled, let's call it Zhaoji Pavilion."

He leaned forward slightly, his tone becoming more serious, completely different from his earlier joking manner:

"Actually, I also prefer this name."

Mao Xun focused too much on merits themselves, while Ding Ding emphasized martial arts skills, both of which were somewhat biased. But "Zhao Ji" is different; "Zhao" means beginning, and "Ji" means foundation.

More than twenty years ago, we were scattered in different places. Some were ordinary people, some were minor county officials, some were border soldiers, and some were defeated generals.

They came together, starting from nothing, to quell the chaos, to stabilize the land, to reclaim wasteland and develop production, to build railways and factories, to build such a large business and to enable the people to live a good life.

This is what is meant by "laying the foundation for a great enterprise."

"The portraits of meritorious officials hanging in this pavilion are not only the foundation we built from scratch to conquer and govern the country."

Future generations can go in and see not only who made contributions, but also how this country came to be, and how much hardship and sacrifice their ancestors endured.

Knowing that starting a business is difficult makes it even harder to maintain it.

This name carries weight and has roots.

After he finished speaking, His Highness and the assembled officials all bowed and shouted in unison:

"Your Majesty is wise! We are in awe!"

This time, I am truly convinced.

Even the generals who initially thought the name wasn't imposing enough felt their hearts flutter after hearing it.

Yes, Zhaoji.

This foundation was built by them, through hard work and perseverance.

Is there anything more fitting than this?

Liu Ce waved his hand, his gaze sweeping over the Ministry of Works' train, his tone becoming decisive:

"Song Yingxing".

Song Yingxing quickly stepped forward, bowed, and stood ramrod straight.

"The name's decided, let's officially begin construction," Liu Ce instructed.

"The site was chosen to be an open space on the south side of the imperial city and the east side of the imperial road. It was spacious, close to the palace, and the common people could see it when they passed by on the imperial road, which would showcase the grandeur of our dynasty's meritorious officials."

The scale was raised two levels above the Nine Ministers' Office, with three stories. The eaves and brackets were made of the finest materials, and the beams and pillars were all made of century-old nanmu wood.

It needs to be impressive, but also sturdy. It shouldn't leak and have tiles fall off after thirty or fifty years, ruining the portraits of meritorious officials. That would be a laughing stock.

Draw the blueprints as soon as possible and show them to me.

The groundbreaking ceremony was presided over by me personally.

Song Yingxing quickly cupped his hands in greeting, his tone firm:

"I will personally oversee the construction, selecting the best craftsmen and using the finest timber to ensure quality and quantity! If there is even the slightest discrepancy, I will offer my head in retribution!"

He had spent his entire life working on engineering projects, and he was more excited than anyone else to be able to oversee the construction of Zhaoji Pavilion, a building that would be remembered for all time.

I have to go back and draw blueprints overnight, using all the skills I have in this life.

After the court session ended, the officials walked out in twos and threes, still talking about the Zhaoji Pavilion.

Sunlight streamed onto the steps of the Liangyi Hall, making them shimmer with gold, and everyone's steps were lighter than usual.

Yuchi Gong walked side by side with Qin Qiong, still muttering to himself, somewhat unwilling to accept defeat.

"Shubao, you said that Zhaoji Pavilion sounds elegant, but it's not as imposing as Dingding Pavilion."

Shouting "Establish the foundation!" during battle sounds so powerful! Shouting "Start the foundation!" sounds like calling someone's name—it lacks momentum.

Qin Qiong glanced at him sideways and said slowly:

"Can prestige fill your stomach? As long as it makes you famous in history, that's enough. Do you think calling it the Dingding Pavilion will give you another portrait?"

"Your Majesty is right; a foundation must be laid. Our generation is the ones who lay the foundation. This name is fitting."