She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 301 - 300: Information About the Capital

Chapter 301: Chapter 300: Information About the Capital

Jiang Yifan had just finished reading the letter Jinrong received from the capital and heard Jinrong ask his wife about it. He handed the reply back to him and said, "It’s nothing much, Nanny Jin treats Ye Zi like her master, naturally she can’t get to the point. I just told her that if one day Duke An takes a fancy to having her back, she certainly won’t be able to stop it."

"In the past, she had a chance to escape, but now who knows how many eyes are watching Qingyuan County and Clear Water Village, plus she has the Qi family’s grandfather and grandson to consider, so she can only obediently return. She has her own servants by her side, so even if she returns to the capital, she could still act more freely, which is better than being under the surveillance of people sent by Duke An and that Maternal Aunt Liu."

"Besides, as Sixth Master and the Qi family’s business grow bigger and bigger, she can’t stay cooped up at home living a mediocre life. She has to step out of the house eventually, and if she doesn’t have the servants of Sixth Master and Duke An’s Mansion, how could she possibly step out on her own? I asked her, does she really want to depend on others for the rest of her life?"

Jinrong asked in surprise, "That’s it? Just by saying these things, she listened?"

Jiang Yifan spread his hands and said, "Yes, just that."

Jinrong looked at Jiang Yifan resentfully, thinking that if it were so simple to persuade Ye Xinyan with just a few words, then his role as a persuader was too easy.

But what else could Jiang Yifan and Ye Xinyan have talked about? According to Nanny Liu and others, after their conversation that day, Ye Xinyan seemed quite displeased and appeared to be deeply troubled, which could really be due to various dissatisfactions and discomforts upon returning to Duke An’s Mansion.

"You’re quite cunning, planning to push aside the people I carefully selected with just a few words," Jinrong said, his expression quite skeptical.

Jiang Yifan, not taking it too seriously, said, "How can you say that? Sixth Master probably doesn’t plan to have the Qi family always use people from Prince Yu’s Mansion, right? In the long run, it is beneficial for everyone if the Qi family operates independently without relying on anyone else.

In the future, when the Qi Family Construction Business works on projects, they won’t be hindered by their attachment to Prince Yu, making it easier to expand the family business. With Qi Ye working for Sixth Master, the substantial profits the Qi family gains will be greatly beneficial to Sixth Master’s career."

After saying this, Jiang Yifan pointed to the letter that Jinrong Hongzhi was packing up and said, "So, does that mean the minor official Sixth Master sent back has already been put to good use, and spread the word about the Qi Family Construction Business using railroads?"

Jinrong had to let go of his inner conflict and responded, "Mm, it’s something I brought up when meeting with colleagues in the Ministry of Works. These people who work in the Ministry are quite enthusiastic about such clever inventions and spread the word quickly. I’ve already made arrangements for this topic to circulate for a few more days before letting Dong Bolin officially submit a memorial, suggesting that railroads could be applied more widely."

Jiang Yifan asked, "What if the court approves the proposal but assigns someone else to handle the project? After all, construction is a lucrative opportunity, and many people might reach for it."

Jinrong said, "Dong Bolin’s memorial will provide detailed explanations, clarifying the potential applications of railroads and their benefits. Traditionally, with a memorial developed to this extent, the task would likely be assigned to Dong Bolin."

During the conversation, Jinrong pondered for a while and then continued, "What you’re saying could happen. I’ll have Hu Jing send a message to the capital. If they assign the task to Dong Bolin, then no need to mention it, but if it’s assigned to someone else, then let Prime Minister Han suggest dividing the project into separate tasks: drafting the regulations and carrying out construction. Our people will handle the document drafting, which is a job without much profit, and presumably, no one would fight over it."

Jiang Yifan nodded, "It’s best to arrange it like this. Before the documents come out, probably no one will think that this project is one for the ages. Once the terms and related drawings for rail transport are completed, the whole picture of rail transport will emerge, and by then it will be too late for anyone to try to claim credit."

"Are the documents produced by Ye Zi and Wong Qiao almost integrated with those from the Sixth Master’s Mansion? How much did they reference each other?" Jiang Yifan asked again.

Speaking of this, Jinrong was very pleased; he smiled and said, "I am thankful that I had them work separately in two locations. The people in my mansion work slowly. Only after I urged them repeatedly, even saying that another group had already completed all the documents along with the drawings, did those people stay up all night and rush to finish everything by the end of last month."

"They also compared both sets themselves. The documents produced by Ye Zi and Wong Qiao stand out in their grand layout, with operation and structure being rigorous and comprehensive. Many of the overarching constructions and even ingenious devices are unheard of, which nearly made the old engineers of the Ministry of Works drop their jaws in astonishment."

Jinrong thought of the way those proud engineers were taken aback by the documents and couldn’t help but feel amused and proud.

"The documents produced in my mansion excel in detailed perfection and ingenuity. Although they lack grand scenes and scale, when it comes to the layout and detailed placement of individual tracks, they are unsurpassable by Ye Zi. We owe this to the help of those two petty officials; without them, Ye Zi’s project would have looked rougher."

"It’s good that they have their respective strengths. After all, rail transportation is a new thing, and completing it will inevitably cost a huge amount. The more cautious and meticulous we are, the greater the chance of success," Jiang Yifan said.

Jinrong nodded in agreement, then said, "According to the journey, Uncle Wan should be arriving in the capital soon. The idea of using the railway for construction came from my mansion. If people approach Uncle Wan for inquiries, that would be great. Let Uncle Wan explain it to them well. If no one asks, then Dong Bolin will have to find an opportunity to ask Uncle Wan."

...

The spread of railway application in the capital was even faster than Jinrong had estimated.

The petty officials in charge of specific engineering affairs at the Ministry of Works had less to do by winter, and those returning to the capital would naturally meet up with good colleagues and talk about their recent situations and experiences.

The petty officials from Jinrong Residence exaggerated the application of the rail tracks in the construction workshops when they told their colleagues, which immediately piqued the interest of those who had spent many years engrossed in engineering and devices. After inquiring in detail and adding their own insights and discussions, they brought up more versatile applications for the railway.

When Wan Yan entered the capital to deliver a handwritten letter and a garden design from His Highness Prince Yu to his father, even His Majesty the Emperor knew that the Sixth Prince had come across construction affairs in the remote Yuyuan Prefecture.

His Majesty, quite intrigued, looked at the garden design of Prince Yu’s other mansion and said smilingly to the two court officials present in the Imperial Study Room, "Jinrong always says he can turn words into reality; this garden is indeed very refined. But spending so much silver to renovate the garden, and in the end, it’s left vacant—what do you think he’s plotting? I was thinking that he had finally understood the concept of making money through industry, but it seems the money he earns might not even cover the cost of the renovations."

Prime Minister Han Yan and the Minister of Revenue Yu Shijie were standing next to the Emperor, initially just accompanying His Majesty and humoring a look at this garden. They didn’t expect that such a fine garden could be created in a remote place like Yuyuan Prefecture, so they began to examine it more closely.