She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 241 - 240: Just a Small Part

Chapter 241: Chapter 240: Just a Small Part

Considering the possible punishment they might face, the two petty officials from the Ministry of Works felt their legs tremble slightly. With hearts full of trepidation, they turned again to another piece of paper, whose writing was not very clear or distinct.

They read the document from the beginning, line by line, clause by clause, and gradually, they forgot their anxiety, forgot whether or not the tasks arranged by His Highness Prince Yu were intentionally delayed, forgot whether or not they would be abandoned by His Highness...

Could a project really be done this way? With such meticulous and detailed clauses laid out, the responsibilities of each person became much clearer. Many of the issues covered in these clauses were things that they, the people who worked on through projects, had never even thought of.

The two read over the index on railway transportation and its associated clauses written by Ye Xinyan several times, too excited to express their feelings. They didn’t care that His Highness Prince Yu was still in the room and just searched with their eyes for where the detailed content associated with these clauses could be found.

Their gazes swept over the room from different angles, eventually settling on the two desks, before looking up in confusion. Could it be that the examples displayed on the wall were the work of these two persons, who were clearly amateurs, one of whom was a young woman? Could they alone accomplish so much?

Jinrong saw from their expressions that Ye Xinyan had indeed lived up to the trust placed in her, still maintaining her usual style of work: innovative, quick, and highly effective, enough to astonish seasoned Ministry of Works officials.

He thought of the answers he got when he inquired about the work progress these last few days and couldn’t help but laugh. Being defeated by a woman, he wondered what sort of psychological experience that must be.

"How do you find it, what are your impressions? Do you still need to deliberate and plan for a few more days?" Jinrong asked with a good-natured tease.

One of them wiped the sweat from his forehead and replied with a bow, "I am incompetent and failed to carry out the tasks given by Sixth Master. I just don’t know who is responsible for the drawings and clauses on the wall? Looking at the notes, a lot has already been done. I wonder whether we could have a look at the actual content produced?"

Perhaps feeling that his request was a bit excessive, he added, "If you suspect us of having intentions to plagiarize, I... I can offer to become a disciple first and then seek guidance." If they could master a more efficient way of working, becoming a disciple would be worth it.

Jinrong was moved by the suggestion, looking at Ye Xinyan with eyes full of expectation. If it were possible to take on disciples, of course that would be best. If there were more people with Ye Zi’s talents, no, even half her abilities, future tasks would not be so inefficient and ineffective.

Ye Xinyan was taken aback by Jinrong’s gaze. Was this guy thinking the same thing? But... this disciple seemed to be a bit old, didn’t he?

Qi Younian stepped forward with a smile, "This is not a suitable place for discussion. Why don’t we go back to the old courtyard, let Sixth Master sit down, and it will be more convenient for you to give orders."

The official who had spoken before took a small step forward, bowed, and said, "Father-in-law Qi, might we be permitted to look at these two charts on the wall for a little longer? We won’t casually flip through any other important documents, just look more at these two charts on the wall."

Qi Younian replied with a smile, "I’m not worried about you two looking, but this really isn’t a place for receiving guests. It wouldn’t be right to have Sixth Master stand and talk all the time, neglecting our duties to the Sixth Master."

Ye Xinyan glanced at the two men Jinrong had brought along and then spoke to Jinrong, "This room has only some dampness that hasn’t been aired out, but it’s fine for moving around and working during the day. If Sixth Master doesn’t mind, we can move in a couple of desks and chairs, and Sixth Master can give orders from here. What do you think?"

Jinrong readily agreed, "Alright, if Ye Zi isn’t afraid of having her methods stolen, let’s sit here for a while and let them both learn how Ye Zi works."

Ye Xinyan said, "There isn’t much skill involved, it’s just about being clear and orderly, and working according to that order. If you two are interested, you are welcome to observe."

These were methods she had learned from following the established protocols and from her seniors after she started working. Since she had learned from others, what right did she have to fear others learning from her? Besides, once the document was completed, it would eventually be handed over to the professionals in Jinrong’s team for summary. Keeping it hidden was pointless and only led to dissatisfaction.

One of her former seniors had once said that those who hide their skills and fear others learning from them are those who lack confidence and true ability. People smart and capable enough will constantly progress; others may learn a fixed method, but someone who keeps improving has mastered the methodology.

What she had pursued thereafter was to work using a methodology, rather than just learning methods. This approach proved the senior right, as mastering the methodology had made her a seasoned management and technical professional.

Hearing Ye Xinyan’s permission, the two hurriedly gathered against the wall, looking at the large paper with the list of clauses, discussing each item and clause in turn.

With Jinrong’s nod, Qi Younian immediately gave instructions to bring several chairs and a small table. Tea and refreshments were also brought to the table.

Jinrong sat down in the seat of honor, while Qi Younian, Hu Jing, and Ye Xinyan took their seats on the chairs below. While they were setting this up, the two clerks had already roughly memorized the list of regulations on the wall, standing by with Jinrong’s servant behind Jinrong.

Jinrong said to Ye Xinyan, "Prior to this, the two of them were in charge of the initial planning for engineering projects at the Ministry of Works, and now they are the officials in charge of the Railway Carriage transport documents. Judging by their reaction to those two papers on the wall, Ye Zi’s work must be quite impressive. You mentioned earlier that you had completed a small part; I’m curious as to what stage this portion is at?"

"I haven’t done that much. Previously, I had discussed the overall framework with Wong Qiao, established the structure and record of the document, and then began to assign specific tasks," Ye Xinyan explained, pointing to the draft and detailed list on the wall, "The markers there indicate our progress, and indeed, it’s just a small part."

Ye Xinyan’s words left the two clerks with a bitter feeling in their hearts. If this was a small part for her, did that mean that their group had basically achieved nothing?

Hu Jing shook his head and laughed, "Lady Qi is being too modest. It’s our mansion’s Railway Carriage transport document that is really making slow progress; we might as well say there has been no progress, as we are still planning the overall scheme. Even the framework that has been produced is not as clear or concise as the list of provisions Lady Qi has."

Ye Xinyan explained, "It’s understandable for the people in your mansion to be slow since they have not seen the application of railroads before."

There were many reasons why she worked quickly. For one, there had been successful examples of large-scale operation of Railway Carriages in history, and in the nearly two hundred years since, rail transport had made several leaps in development, gaining significant improvements and expansions in speed and methods. She had seen these widely adopted, various rail operations with her own eyes and had ridden them herself.

Furthermore, with the amalgamation of global information and technological innovations and the rapid advancement of productive forces, methods and efficiencies of work had been repeatedly improved. In doing this work, she not only had mature methods at her disposal but also didn’t need to weigh repeatedly the feasibility and success probability of the project, making quick progress inevitable.