Chapter 237: Whispers of Mingsha City

You’ll find out then!

Ding Xiaoping glanced at Bai Ming but said nothing about the specifics of the two upcoming plans.

“Alright, as long as you assign the task, I’ll get it done!”

Seeing this,

Bai Ming didn’t press further. Although he was curious, he knew that with Ding Xiaoping’s nature, even if he asked, he wouldn’t get an answer and would only irritate him.

“I told you—you should have thought about the consequences before messing with me!”

Ding Xiaoping’s lips curled into a cold smile once again.

Mingsha City was already buzzing with activity, and with public anticipation for the Cultural Expo, by the next morning, several media outlets had gathered in front of the Mingsha Tourism office building.

Looking around, there were at least a dozen reporters, including several from mainstream media.

“Hello, is General Zhu of Mingsha Tourism available? Could we talk about the exhibition plan for Mingsha City that exploded online yesterday?”

As a staff member dressed in ancient costume stepped out of the building, a swarm of reporters instantly closed in.

“Sorry, General Zhu is currently on site and isn’t available for interviews.”

She waved her hand and turned to leave.

Unfortunately, she underestimated the reporters; the moment she stepped away, they surrounded her again. “Can you at least talk to us? Does Mingsha City have any related plans?”

The reporters pressed on.

“Sorry, my clearance isn’t high enough—I can’t say anything!”

To everyone’s surprise, the staff member wasn’t one to be pushed around; after her remark, she turned and left the building.

Observing this,

some reporters couldn’t hide their disappointment while others headed straight for the cameras.

“Friends, although the staff member from Mingsha City didn’t give us a straight answer, her reaction makes it almost certain that the plan is real. We’ll keep waiting for a word from Mingsha City’s head!”

Little did they know that while the reporters lingered in front of the Mingsha Tourism office building, over at the Mingsha Academy construction site, Xu Hao patted his hands and leapt off a wooden scaffold. In front of the scaffold, Zhu Qiang and Luo Peng were waiting, clearly having been there a while.

Glancing at the site, rows of wooden pillars, as thick as buckets, had been erected densely, forming an ancient, mysterious formation.

“Brother Hao!”

“How are things on your end?”

Noticing the voices of the two,

Xu Hao took a swig from a nearby water bottle and asked.

“We’ve just finished the foundation. Today, we’re starting on the ground-level structure!”

Luo Peng nodded.

He and Zhu Qiang were responsible for the teaching and living areas of Mingsha Academy this time. The antique-style buildings—with either a three-on-the-outside, nine-on-the-inside layout or a three and six plan—had the slowest foundation work, but things would speed up from there.

“Good to hear!”

“Brother Hao, there’s an issue. With Mingsha Academy shaped like a triangle—teaching and living areas to the south and a public area to the north—how will we build the wall? There needs to be a large gate!”

After a pause, Zhu Qiang added,

“Although the university should be open, it can’t be too open. Too many visitors would impact teaching, and students’ living areas need to remain safe and private.”

He continued, “Simply enclosing the two academies with a wall poses another problem: the Qing Brick Avenue that runs through them!”

“Visitors currently use that road to reach Langya Pavilion.”

“It’s simple—build the wall modeled after Mingsha City’s city wall, but scaled down. As for the school gate, place it along Qing Brick Avenue so that the campus is divided into northern and southern sections. The southern campus will be accessible only to students, while the northern campus will welcome both students and visitors.”

At the mention of the wall and gate, Xu Hao declared,

“I’ve already considered that!”

“This design will resolve all issues without hindering visitor access along Qing Brick Avenue to Langya Pavilion. And when visitors pass through Mingsha Academy, the small city walls flanking the avenue will impart a unique charm.”

He had originally planned to mention this to Zhu Qiang and Luo Peng earlier,

but he decided it wasn’t urgent until now.

“Small city walls? Brother Hao, that’s brilliant! So, can we start construction now? These past few days, many visitors have been tampering with the construction barriers, and security just isn’t strong enough.”

Hearing this, Zhu Qiang quickly added,

“Won’t starting now affect the construction? After all, many vehicles need access to the site!”

Xu Hao hesitated for a moment.

“Brother Hao, it won’t affect the schedule. We can leave a few openings for now and seal them later.”

Zhu Qiang responded,

“Alright, you two manage it. Just make sure that delays don’t hamper progress.”

“Brother Hao, you can count on us!”

“Alright then!”

Xu Hao nodded. The plan for the school wall and gate was now set.

“Brother Hao, one more thing!”

Luo Peng hesitated before glancing at Xu Hao.

“Yesterday, a post appeared online loaded with details about Mingsha City and caught the attention of many netizens! A staff member even mentioned that numerous reporters have just arrived at the office building to verify what’s true.”

“Is it just a rumor or malicious slander?”

Xu Hao’s brow furrowed.

“It’s just a baseless post filled with wild guesses—claiming that Mingsha Academy will rebuild Yuelu Academy, that our palace ritual will transform into a grand Fengshan ceremony, and that all traditional snacks from every province and city in Long Kingdom will be gathered. Now the netizens believe it!

Nearby, Zhu Qiang chimed in,

“This is clearly aimed at several of the Cultural Expo’s exhibition acts!”

Xu Hao glanced at both of them and continued, “Yes! Netizens are in an uproar over this post. Some even claim that an insider at Mingsha City leaked these projects, effectively handing over our secrets to H Country. Others suggest calling the police.”

Luo Peng nodded in agreement.

“What do you think?”

Xu Hao asked.

“Brother Hao, although our plan is entirely different from what’s been posted, I must admit—the idea of gathering every traditional snack from Long Kingdom is quite clever! Combined with our approach, it would be unbeatable.”

After a brief pause, Zhu Qiang remarked,

“Ever since a staff member messaged me about it, I’ve seen netizens’ comments. Many say that both the Fengshan ceremony and the food project are already at their peak, but in reality, Brother Hao’s palace ritual proposal from the recent high-level meeting is even more impressive.”

“Those worried that H Country might steal our ideas clearly underestimated Mingsha City’s strategy.”

“Of course, not every aspect is flawless. The idea of gathering traditional snacks is indeed excellent.”

“Do you think netizens are now concerned about losing out during the Cultural Expo exhibitions?”

Xu Hao took another sip from his water bottle.

“Yes! They say that once H Country sees it, they might copy our project. Knowing their style, you never know!”

Luo Peng nodded in agreement.

“In that case, let’s play along and admit it—but not too openly. If anyone tries to use it against us, we’ll use that to our advantage and confuse H Country. As for the traditional snack idea, we’ll incorporate it into our traditional food exhibition plan, indirectly proving that the plan is real.”

After some thought, Xu Hao made his decision.

“We can’t admit it outright? Got it, Brother Hao!”

Zhu Qiang and Luo Peng exchanged a glance.

“Yes, but we must inform everyone that the real plan must remain confidential. If any details leak, don’t say I didn’t warn you—I won’t be lenient! This doesn’t just affect Mingsha City’s reputation, but Long Kingdom’s as well.”

This time,

all staff involved in the traditional cultural exhibition projects signed strict confidentiality agreements. They’re even prohibited from bringing phones onto the construction site.

Outside, security personnel continuously patrolled the area, ensuring that visitors couldn’t approach the construction zone to take photos or videos.

“Brother Hao, you can rest assured.”

At these words, the two quickly nodded.

“Now that the reporters are here, Qiangzi, you go respond—just like we discussed, don’t admit anything openly.”

Xu Hao raised his hand to check the time.

“Alright!”

“By the way, did you see the guy who claimed he can throw an ancient banquet? Is he really that skilled?”

Xu Hao paused as if remembering something, then asked,

Three days ago, the HR department of Mingsha Tourism called saying a man claiming he could throw an ancient banquet—especially the Confucius Mansion banquet—had sparked interest. They insisted on a thorough interview, but nothing further was heard.

“Brother Hao, he’s been preparing ingredients for two days already. He plans to showcase his dishes at Vermilion Bird Building tomorrow. According to their chef, this guy is truly exceptional!”

Luo Peng immediately replied,

“Tomorrow? Alright! I’ll swing by when I can. By the way, another person claiming to be able to prepare a full Manchu-Han banquet is coming in a couple of days.”

Ding-ding! Just as Xu Hao was about to continue, his phone rang.

Glancing at the screen, Xu Hao first gave the two instructions to handle their tasks, then stepped aside to answer the call.

“Leader!”

The call came from Dong Liping.

Since the New Year, Dong Liping had been promoted to one of the official leaders.

“Xiao Xu, are you busy right now?”

Next, Dong Liping’s voice came through.

Even with his promotion, Dong Liping still addressed Xu Hao in a familiar manner, without any change in tone.

“Leader, I’m not busy.”

“Here’s the situation: Yesterday, some details about Mingsha City suddenly surfaced online. Since it involves the Cultural Expo, higher-ups took it very seriously and launched an investigation. They found that the post was sent using a prepaid SIM card bought externally and was scheduled from your Mingsha Tourism office building.”

At this point,

Dong Liping’s tone dropped noticeably.

Everyone could tell he was quite displeased!

“It seems that this person was very well-prepared—clearly aiming directly at the Cultural Expo!”

Xu Hao’s expression changed.

“Don’t worry, we’ll definitely track him down. Right now, the higher-ups are more concerned about whether this post will affect the Cultural Expo’s exhibitions.”

After a brief pause,

Dong Liping’s voice came through again.