Chapter 2053: Chapter 1956: You Knew All Along
Huang Zhenlong said, "Of course, the Fucheng City Government plans to develop Fucheng into a civilized city. You know, the current standard for a civilized city is low-carbon and environmentally friendly."
"That’s why the Fucheng City Government plans to build a subway. As it happens, the subway line will pass through, and one of the stations is right around the area where you discovered the Han Princess Tomb."
"Now that you’ve found this Han Princess Tomb, their planning can’t be approved anymore. At the very least, that subway line through Anmin Alley can only be rerouted, and if the subway is rerouted, many above-ground facilities will have to change accordingly. This is definitely not a small project."
Zhou Shitao listened to Huang Zhenlong’s words and did not speak for a while.
"But I think the Fucheng City Government should thank you and Huo. If you hadn’t discovered the Han tomb at this stage, and if they had gone through the urban renovation process after getting approval and then discovered the Han tomb, that would have been really unfortunate."
"At that point, the municipal planning would have already started, and perhaps half of the subway would have been built. Changing directions and revising the plan then would be a major loss, so if you think about it, you deserve to be called heroes."
Zhou Shitao chuckled and said, "The credit goes to Huo. If the Fucheng City Government wants to thank anyone, it should thank Huo. Since they haven’t received approval, it’s good. It gives Fucheng the opportunity to submit a new planning proposal earlier, to modify the original plan."
"Although this detour means it might take a few more months to get approval, it’s better than losing billions, right? Fucheng is only so big, and the government finances are tight. It’s best to avoid waste and trouble whenever possible."
Zhou Shitao saying this showed that he had no objections to the location of the ancient tomb, and Huang Zhenlong understood, so he said:
"Okay, I’ll communicate again with Chief Lu and ask them to hold off the approval process until you’ve confirmed the tomb’s location and found the passageway. Then I’ll inform Chief Lu, and we’ll liaise with the Fucheng City Government from above. As for the municipal planning issue in Fucheng, you don’t need to worry; they’ll know what to do."
Zhou Shitao really had no interest in these political events. He wasn’t concerned about the local government personnel’s machinations. He just hoped that during the excavation of the Han tomb, he could fully immerse himself in archaeological work without anyone causing trouble or any mishaps occurring.
After hanging up Huang Zhenlong’s call, Zhou Shitao turned back and looked at Huo Sining with an inquisitive gaze.
Zhou Shitao might be old, but it didn’t mean she was muddled. When she took Huang Zhenlong’s call, the changes in Huo Sining’s facial expressions didn’t escape Zhou Shitao’s notice, especially when Huang Zhenlong mentioned municipal planning. The look in Huo Sining’s eyes showed that her obedient student knew the inside story.
"Tell me, what exactly is happening with the Fucheng municipal planning? Did you know about this long ago?"
Zhou Shitao turned back, staring seriously at Huo Sining.
Confronted by her master’s gaze, Huo Sining initially wanted to play innocent but quickly admitted honestly, "Yes, I knew. Actually, when I wrote that paper for you, I had a personal motive."
Saying this, Huo Sining explained Zhang Chao’s matter in detail. She talked about accompanying Liu Cheng to Zhang Chao’s neighborhood, feeling the temperature anomaly around Anmin Alley, discovering the Gathering Yin Formation, and suspecting there might be burials beneath Sanfang Street.
After hearing Huo Sining’s lengthy explanation, Zhou Shitao’s somewhat angry expression finally calmed down. He sighed and said:
"Maybe someone was guiding you here. If Zhang Chao hadn’t responded to that post, you might not have come to Fucheng. If you hadn’t wanted to compensate the person who replied to you, perhaps you wouldn’t have met Zhang Chao. It seems destined for you to discover this Han tomb."
Seeing Zhou Shitao’s expression wasn’t as stern as before, Huo Sining hurriedly went over with a playful demeanor. "Master, are you not angry anymore?"
Zhou Shitao snorted coldly and said, "If you discovered Jiang Weide’s inappropriate behavior, you could have just told me directly. Why go through all the trouble of writing a paper and going in circles like this? Do you really think I, your master, am not worthy of your trust?"
Huo Sining immediately had an awkward expression, "No."
Zhou Shitao rolled his eyes at Huo Sining disapprovingly, "Not what? Do you think I don’t know what you’re thinking? You wanted to quietly deal with Jiang Weide without involving others, afraid to trouble me, your master. I thought of you as my own daughter, but whenever something happens, you leave me out of it."
"If your senior hadn’t noticed something unusual about your paper, I would have put it aside, thinking it was your treasure appraisal thoughts. If you have ideas, just tell us directly. When did I become an outsider to you?"
Huo Sining couldn’t rebut a single word in response to Zhou Shitao’s words and hung her head low.
In fact, Zhou Shitao was right. Many times, Huo Sining tends to take everything on herself, unwilling to rely on others until absolutely necessary. However, this approach seems to keep people at a distance, too indifferent to outsiders like Zhou Shitao and others.
"Master, I..." Huo Sining was at a loss for words, wanting to say something but unable to.
Zhou Shitao sighed. After interacting with Huo Sining for years, he naturally understood her character. Such a personality isn’t necessarily bad, but Zhou Shitao found it hard to accept or felt unwilling to be treated as an outsider by his own student.
"Huo, I’m not criticizing you. Sometimes your master might be more useful than you think. Don’t have so many reservations; feel free to talk to me about any difficulties. I can only teach you so much, but if you need help, I promise to help you to the best of my ability," Zhou Shitao said solemnly, patting her shoulder.
To outsiders, Zhou Shitao’s remarks might sound amusing, full of implications for his student to give him a chance. If Hong Wenkun saw this, after being thwarted in Anmin Alley, he’d likely be thoroughly shocked.
