She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 221 - 220: Orbit

Chapter 221: Chapter 220: Orbit

Zhou Shuyu’s trip to Clear Water Village wasn’t in vain, as he acquired much news and naturally wanted to return early to inform his father. And that Lady Qi, if backed by Duke An’s Mansion, evidently wasn’t a figure to take lightly. He couldn’t disregard her, so he decided to go home and let his father make a plan on how to deal with his second sister’s affairs afterward.

Therefore, shortly after the Zhou siblings returned, they didn’t linger; they quickly arranged for someone to pack their belongings and said their goodbyes to their aunt and uncle.

Liang Wanqiu had just learned that her male and female cousins had spent more than half a day in Clear Water Village, even having lunch there, and then she heard they were heading back to Yuyuan Prefecture right away, which frustrated her.

She had been so happy when she found out that her cousin from her mother’s side was coming, thinking that having a sister born into an official’s family meant they could get along nicely. She wanted to show everyone in town that her sister was the daughter of the prefectural head of Yuyuan Prefecture, proving that the Liang family was indeed different from the other families in the county.

But her cousin didn’t seem close to her at all. It wasn’t that she resented not being taken along to Clear Water Village—she knew the state of such rural places: filthy and stinking, without a spot to comfortably stand, let alone expecting her to dine and socialize in those homes—she absolutely couldn’t tolerate it.

What she minded was her cousin doing things without telling her, not being on the same page as her. She detested Qi Ye, hated the snack shop, yet her cousin insisted on not following her wishes. Not only did she frequent the snack shop several times, but she also secretly visited the Qi family in the countryside without telling her.

This time, she even ate and rested at that rural home of Qi Ye’s, which was practically a blatant affront to her.

But what could she do since her cousin was the daughter of an official family? Even though she was unwilling, she dared not show any dissatisfaction to her cousin. And even if she complained, she had to be tactful, careful not to upset her cousin.

Liang Wanqiu forced a smile and accompanied Zhou Biyao for half a day until the next morning when she, along with her mother, escorted her cousin out of the Second Gate. Only then did her expression fall as she clung to her mother, Lady Liu’s arm, and grumbled, "My cousin is different from when she was younger, not at all likable now. The daughter of the Prefectural Magistrate, yet she spends her days chasing after a village woman—it’s embarrassing even for me."

Lady Liu gently patted Liang Wanqiu’s hand and scolded, "Don’t speak of your cousin like that. If your cousin finds that village woman capable of being a Steward and thinks it’s curious, it’s fairly normal."

Liang Wanqiu pursed her lips and whispered, "She’s just a Steward for that good-for-nothing Sixth Master Rong. Who knows if she actually has the skills to be a Steward, or if it’s for other reasons. In my view, my cousin is here to disgrace my aunt and uncle."

Lady Liu frowned and reproached, "Is that something a young lady should say? And as for Sixth Master Rong, his status is extraordinary—you mustn’t disrespect him!"

As Lady Liu reprimanded her daughter, she was thinking that even a bystander like their lord could see the extraordinary status of Sixth Master Rong. How could her brother-in-law, the prefect and so respectful of Sixth Master Rong, not be aware? Perhaps Zhou Biyao was also aiming for Sixth Master Rong.

Thinking this, Lady Liu grew annoyed. Why hadn’t they thought to let their daughter get close to Sixth Master Rong through the village woman from the Qi family? Their whole family had been living in Qingyuan County, yet their niece who hadn’t stayed long had stolen a march on them. It seemed she needed to discuss this thoroughly with her lord.

......

Jinrong and Jiang Yifan rode into town and stopped at a crossroads, where Jinrong suddenly asked Jiang Yifan, "When you saw that track at the Qi family’s, what did you think of?"

Jiang Yifan put away the thoughts that had occupied his mind during the journey and said, "How about we go to my place first, to eat while we talk?"

"Your place? The county government office?" Jinrong shook his head, "Let’s go to mine instead, it’s too crowded at yours, and we can speak more freely at my place."

"That’s true, then let’s follow Sixth Master’s suggestion," Jiang Yifan nodded.

The group traveled in silence and finally entered Jinrong’s residence. The two men and Hu Jing each freshened up, changed clothes, and sat on the armchairs around a low table, drinking tea and resting while waiting for dinner.

Jinrong was the last to emerge, tossing a hand towel to Hongzhi. He took the seat of honor and, smiling, asked Jiang Yifan, "Yuanfan, you were silent the whole way here, what were you thinking about?"

Jiang Yifan glanced obliquely at Jinrong and said casually, "Wasn’t Sixth Master also silent the entire way here? I wonder what Sixth Master was contemplating?"

The two had been at odds for a day, and Hu Jing sipped his tea with his head down as if he hadn’t heard their conversation.

Jinrong laughed, "Of course, I was thinking about the Qi family’s reaction to the railroad. It’s simply incomprehensible, how could I have had the mood to talk?"

"I was thinking about that as well," Jiang Yifan said blandly.

"Enough with the joking," Jinrong said, "Speaking of the railroad, I’ve only seen a short segment at the Imperial Workshops Bureau. It seemed very cumbersome, and using it for civilian purposes is a first for me. The Qi family’s railroad is quite clever, following their design, we just need to prepare the tailored rail specifications, and it can be applied in various places, very convenient. What are you thinking, Yuanfan?"

Jiang Yifan organized his thoughts before speaking, "Vehicles traveling on the railroad are not only stable but also fast and energy-efficient. If railroads could be laid between major towns, it would make the exchange of goods and messages between towns more convenient, reducing the bumps on the road. Even using it within towns seems promising. By laying railroad tracks around main streets, different classes and types of carriages could travel on them, certainly alleviating the chaos of carriages and horses on the streets."

Jinrong looked towards Hu Jing, who spoke seriously, "Lord Jiang is right. If these facilities are well constructed, they’ll not only make transportation between regions convenient but will also be very profitable. With the railroad assisting, transport vehicles can travel nimbly and smoothly, which means they can be made larger. If used for passenger and freight transport, the profits could rival those of the canal transport.

"Also, for the court’s land transportation of official supplies, we could lay dedicated railroads on the main official transit routes, which would greatly speed up the movement of the court’s supplies. Like disaster relief or transporting military provisions and grains, it would not only be faster but also save manpower and resources. If railroad transport could be popularized, it would be a great achievement."

Just like the usual transport of military provisions and grains, just feeding the soldiers and laborers en route would consume a large portion of resources. If there were large-scale railroad transport, just this one aspect would save a significant amount of money. Completely changing the mode of land transport, the merits of it go without saying, and the official who proposed it would certainly rise in ranks and might even be recorded in the annals of history.

Jinrong thought for a while but his expression became increasingly troubled, "This is not an easy task; by the rules, we should write a detailed memorandum and find a reliable person to present it to the court. It’s a great achievement, and we must clearly plan who should be credited for it." After thinking a bit more, Jinrong added, "If Yuanfan starts to implement it here, could it give you more capital for future promotions?"

Hu Jing shook his head, "This is a significant matter, related to military and political affairs, with too wide implications. Even with a detailed memorandum presented, it’s not guaranteed that the court will smoothly adopt it amid the contention of various forces. Lord Jiang is currently in decline; it is even less suitable for you to take on such a sensitive matter first. It would be more appropriate to find someone in the Imperial Court to present it according to the rules."