Chapter Fifty: The Boundless Land and Buildings of Ten Thousand Miles

  The Wanli Lou is said to be a tower of 10,000 miles high, although it's an exaggeration, but indeed the highest building on Fuxi Street, with a height of seven layers. It was considered the top work of the construction industry at that time. Along with the Luyan Tower in the Baiyun Temple in the East City, the Fengxi Lou by the Taixing Lake in the West City, and the Liguo Stele on the Zushan Mountain in the North City, it is known as one of the "Four Scenic Spots of Kyoto". It's a must-see attraction for visitors from other places to the capital city.

  The famous building is famous for its legend, and the legend exists because of the famous building. The Wanli Building is no exception. In "Si Ma Yun", the Wanli Building was built the latest, with only a history of ten years. Unlike the other three, which have histories of several hundred years. When it was built to the fourth floor, there was a problem - it exceeded the height limit. The highest Taiji Hall in the Imperial Palace is only 18 meters high, and you dare to build such a tall building? As a result, the building was sealed off, and the young master named Wanli Lou was also detained by the Kyoto Prefecture.

  When the house was sealed and the people were arrested, they coincidentally encountered Emperor Zhao Wu, who had just sneaked out of the palace in casual clothes. He was quite interested in this young master who aspired to build the tallest building in the middle of the city. Moreover, he was in a good mood that day, so when the Kaifeng Prefectural Governor arrived upon hearing the news, he said: "This person's name is well-chosen; the Wanli Tower covers ten thousand miles."

  That locked-up Lou Wanli, though unaware of the emperor's identity, also understood that a savior had arrived. He immediately shouted: "It is six harmonies and three divisions reunited as one, ten thousand miles of rivers and mountains, ten thousand miles of Lou's building."

  When one's heart is filled with joy, everything becomes easy to handle.

  Emperor Zhao Wu specially allowed Lou Wanli to build the Wanli Tower and personally wrote the inscription: "The six directions, three divisions return to one unity, the Wanli River Mountains and the Wanli Building" This excellent story has been passed down since then. It is said that the legendary young master of the Lou family, Lou Wanli, also became friends with His Majesty, and every year on New Year's Eve, he would send a Wanli River Mountain banquet to His Majesty.

  Such a master will surely be able to summon the wind and rain in Zhongdu City; such a building will surely be called the number one building in Great Qin.

  Since its completion, few have dared to stir up trouble in the Wanli Tower.

  The Chinese language is extremely subtle. The word "rare" means it still exists.

  Today, there were two young masters who rarely dared to fight in Wanli Building.

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  As the clock turned back, Qin Lei and Xiao Pang walked side by side on Fuxi Avenue. The scorching sun of a summer noon made Xiao Pang sweat profusely. Looking at the refreshing expression of the little white face beside him, Xiao Pang felt annoyed and finally asked fiercely: "Hey, where are you planning to go for lunch? Not taking Grandpa for a walk?"

  Qin Lei rolled his eyes and said, "Wanli Building." The little fatty was speechless, thinking to himself that this kid is quite extravagant.

  It turned out that Qin Lei only knew of this one wine house in the whole world, which was mentioned by Li Guangyuan when they were chatting idly in Shangjing. Qin Lei remembered Li Guangyuan's expression of relishing the memory at that time, and thus he also remembered this Wanli Building.

  He didn't know that Li Guangyuan was sighing at the magnificence of Wanli Tower.

  Two people of roughly the same height, one fat and one thin, appeared in front of the gate of Wanli Building. Qin Lei took a deep breath, damn it, how can they occupy such a large space in this place where every inch of land is worth its weight in gold?

  How big is it? It's even bigger than the courtyard where his Shu Xiang Ge is located. This Wan Li Lou actually occupies dozens of acres in the most prosperous area of Qin State.

  Inside, there was a five-zhang-tall gate with stone lions, and a small lake came into view. This lake was slightly smaller than the one at Shu Xiang Ge. Several five-story buildings were scattered around the lake, paying homage to the majestic seven-story building in the center of the lake, which had intricately carved railings and a grand atmosphere.

  Qin Lei was left speechless. The little fatty beside him saw his dejected appearance and scornfully curled his lip, humming: "I know who you are now."

  Qin Lei gave him a sly grin and said: "If you had asked me earlier I would have told you."

  Although Xiaopang guessed his identity, his attitude didn't change much. He just introduced him with a hint of pride: "In the past, when Lou Wanli, the owner of Lou Mansion, received the imperial decree to build a high-rise building for the Great Qin, he invited all the famous masters in the world, but none of them could build a tower higher than eight stories. So, Mr. Lou had to find another way." Xiaopang spoke with reason and calmness, without haste or urgency.

  Qin Lei clapped his hands and said, "Lao Boss Lou has a good strategy. Since he planned to build a high-rise building from the beginning, he must have known the craftsmanship of this era, and seven floors are the limit. But he deliberately made it public, and everyone in the world knows about it. Not only did it increase the reputation of Wanli Building, but also created momentum for the subsequent acquisition of adjacent land."

  The little fatty looked at Qin Lei in surprise and said with a hint of approval, "I've heard that you were locked up stupidly in the state of Qi, but I think you're quite clever."

  Qin Lei smiled and said: "Fourth Master's praise is misplaced, this is something that comes naturally to me."

  Xiao Pangzi thought he would say something humble after being praised. Unexpectedly, he was so blatant in his self-praise. He couldn't help but hold his belly and laugh loudly: "Today I finally saw someone thicker-skinned than Wen Lao San. Hahaha!"

  Qin Lei supported the little fatty who was laughing so hard he was shaking all over, and still smiling said: "Fourth Master has exaggerated."

  The laughter of the little fatty and the fourth master had already attracted everyone's attention, looking at them with disdain. Embarrassed, Qin Lei quickly pulled the little fatty to the White Jade Bridge on the lake.

  Xiao Pangzi finally stopped laughing and continued panting: "This building owner is the most shameless, at that time, Wanli Building only had a few hectares of land. Our building owner petitioned the Kyoto Prefectural Governor to the Emperor, saying that although the building cannot be built as high as Wanli, it can be built as wide as Wanli, with mountains and rivers, which perfectly matches the meaning of Wanli River Mountain."

  Qin Lei gazed at the rugged artificial hills on the lake and chuckled: "This Old Lou is indeed well-versed in the ways of the saints."

  Xiao Pangzi stuck out his tongue and said, "It's deeply in line with the emperor's mind. Your Majesty drew a circle on the map of Beijing's defenses with your imperial brush, and then gave all the land within that circle to Wanli Tower. That's a full 80 mu."

  Qin Lei smiled silently and thought to himself, "Compared to that chief designer, he has a much smaller presence."

  The two of them seemed to have forgotten their previous unpleasantness, chatting and laughing as they walked across the White Jade Bridge and into the grand entrance of the Number One Pavilion in the world. As soon as they entered, a dignified doorman dressed in a long gown came forward to greet them, bowing politely before asking loudly, "Which floor would the two gentlemen like to go to?" His attitude was surprisingly neither servile nor overbearing.

  Qin Lei and Xiao Pangzi chimed in unison: "Of course we'll go to the seventh floor." They exchanged a glance, and suddenly felt a sense of mutual understanding.

  The waiter glanced at the two of them and asked warmly, "Do you have a reservation?"

  The two shook their heads simultaneously. The waiter looked embarrassed and said, "Our Wanli Building has a rule that there is no reservation for the seventh floor. Looking at the two of you with your noble demeanor, it's hard to say how valuable you are. How about this, I'll take the liberty of opening a private room on the sixth floor for the two of you? The view won't be any worse than the seventh floor."

  Qin Lei didn't even lift an eyebrow and insisted: "Today, the two of us are going up to the seventh floor."

  Xiao Pangzi had come several times before and knew he needed to make an appointment. But today, he absolutely couldn't lose face in front of Qin Lei, and being a troublemaker himself, he also shouted: "Right, I'm going up to the seventh floor!"

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  "Alright, 800 recommendations have been reached. As promised, here's a chapter. It seems that 850 recommendations will also get another chapter, so let's all work together to push it up and exhaust the monk until he vomits blood."

  Willingly

  P.S. Chapter 50, half a century now. Just a small celebration to say.