She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 426 - 425 Ran an Empty Car

Chapter 426: Chapter 425 Ran an Empty Car

Liu Yu faced Prince Fu’s gaze, nodding as he said, "I also believe that the proposal His Highness Prince Yu made to remodel the streets must have come from Miss Ye. Elder Master Ye’s boldness is indisputable, and with Qi Ye moving in and out with a face identical to Miss Ye’s, the old master still remains undisturbed. One can’t help but admire his composure."

When Prince Yu and that Qi Ye returned to the capital, it wasn’t just them observing in secret; there were many others keeping watch. There were those who paid attention because of the Crown Prince and my lord, their concern arising from justified causes. And there were many more who were idle, waiting to be entertained, waiting to see when Qi Ye could no longer hold on and under what pretext would revert back to Ye Xinyan.

Liu Yu did not believe that Duke An was unaware of these things, yet the old man was still this formidable, allowing his granddaughter to work so openly. The daughter of the Duke’s Mansion, out working for others... The Duke commands respect.

Jinyi rubbed his temples and said to Liu Yu, "What do you think is really going on with this Qi Ye? She was just an ordinary girl, and suddenly she has all these impressive tactics at her disposal. Sixth Brother has been carefree for so many years, and we never see him involved in serious matters, but now, with Qi Ye’s various strategies aiding him, Sixth Brother has really made a show of himself. If someone with ulterior motives stirs things up a bit, Sixth Brother might actually start having other ideas."

Liu Yu fell silent. Seventh Master was indeed right; Prince Yu was now very different from before. In the past, neither the Crown Prince nor Seventh Master put much effort into watching Prince Yu. But in these last two years, things were getting too noisy around Sixth Master.

The year before last, shortly after Prince Yu arrived in Yuyuan Prefecture, he launched a cattle farm in Qingyuan County. Although it turned out that the cattle farm was indeed established to earn silver, the male calves and excess female cows bred by the dairy farm had an undeniable impact on farming.

Just over a year after the cattle farm in Qingyuan County was established, a larger one appeared in the southern part of Yuyuan Prefecture. Once this cattle farm scaled up and began continuously selling male calves and under-producing female cows, it would inevitably drive down the price of draft cattle. More farmers would profit from their fields.

If Prince Yu were to start several more of these cattle farms and dairy product workshops elsewhere, wouldn’t the common people everywhere start praising His Highness Prince Yu?

With the cattle farms earning him a reputation and their cheese producing substantial profits for him, it would be understandable if he harbored a little ambition. And now, adding the railway project into the mix...

Liu Yu couldn’t help but pinch his temples like Jinyi. The quest for the position of Crown Prince was already difficult; add Prince Yu to the mix, and with his prestige and wealth to support him, he was sure to become a formidable rival to Seventh Master.

But there were benefits as well.

Liu Yu consoled Jinyi, "Seventh Master needn’t be too vexed. Even if His Highness Prince Yu starts to have such ambitions now, he’s a decade behind you. In the end, our aspirations have to be contended for at the Imperial Court. Sixth Master has missed a step, and the gap is wide. What’s most important for you now, Seventh Master, is to grasp the power at hand and ensure the defense of the Northern border is well maintained."

Jinyi, playing with a piece of green jade paperweight in his hand, said lightly, "I’m aware of this. Only, in the past, when Sixth Brother hadn’t left the capital and wandered about without doing any real work, Imperial Father would see him and merely exchange a few words about amusing customs. To suddenly hear Imperial Father praising him in the Imperial Court today made me feel somewhat uncomfortable."

Liu Yu laughed and said, "It’s good that Seventh Master can see it clearly. Actually, if His Highness Prince Yu really does interfere, it might not be a bad thing. His Majesty is still in his prime; there are many days ahead. Seventh Master, standing so conspicuously in front of the Crown Prince, is too eye-catching. If some of that attention goes to Prince Yu, Seventh Master’s life will be much easier.

Not only does Seventh Master have many influential officials in the Imperial Court, but he also controls the defense of the Northern border, a formidable force. The defense of the Northern border is fundamental to the state, and the support from the military personnel there is crucial to Seventh Master in times of need. All these are advantages Seventh Master has over Prince Yu and the Crown Prince. By firmly holding onto them, Seventh Master is one step ahead of them."

Speaking of the defense of the Northern border, Jinyi recalled Duke An, and shaking his head with a wry smile said, "The soldiers of the Northern border were mostly trained by Elder Master Ye, and we should indeed be close to Elder Master Ye. Who knew Sixth Brother would accidentally meet Ye Xinyan, and the old man, who hasn’t received a prince in his mansion for many years, actually let Sixth Brother visit."

Liu Yu thought Jinyi wanted to start making moves on Duke An and hurriedly said, "It’s better for us to maintain the status quo with the Duke. You show respect to the Duke for not wanting to entangle with princes, and he also treats you with considerable propriety; this is good. Unless there’s another opportunity, it’s best to get along peacefully like this. Even if the old master doesn’t support you, at least don’t let him become wary of you."

Duke An’s temperament is very difficult to deal with. If he really becomes provoked, considering the favors the Ye Family received from ten generations of emperors, even the Seventh Master wouldn’t really be able to do anything to the elder.

"Hmm," Jinyi agreed noncommittally, not dwelling on the topic. Instead, he commanded, "The railway Sixth Brother has taken on might begin operations in the next few days. Send someone to gather information, and on the day of the trial operation, let’s find a place to watch the excitement."

.......

The capital’s yamen acted quickly. His Majesty the Emperor gave Lord You Chenghui five days. Yet, You Chenghui only took three days to settle everything. The yamen’s officials and the people sent by the Ministry of Works together demarcated the construction site for the railway, and then had the merchants clear the road outside the boundary.

You Chenghui had been reprimanded by the Emperor and had his official salary cut for half a year; he needed to vent his frustration somehow. While a cut in official salary was not a small matter, the lost face was an even bigger issue.

When Lord You assigned tasks, he thundered at his subordinates, "Since the merchants can rush work day and night to make money, they can also clear the roads for this official day and night. Anyone who can’t clear the roads will be invited to the yamen to have tea as a guest."

Thus, three days later, even the unfinished sections of the railway’s construction site appeared neat and tidy. The construction area was distinctly separated from the walking streets, and the streets of the capital regained their usual order.

As for the sections of the railway that could begin operations, they were tidied up even more. The trees and buildings along the road were adorned with red silk, and the railway carriages were about to start operating.

Hu Jing was very reliable when it came to managing tasks. The inauguration of railway operation wasn’t the same as a shop opening; a large crowd of onlookers would cause trouble on the streets and to the progress of the railway carriages. Therefore, Hu Jing hadn’t arranged for a big announcement beforehand.

Even so, the area around the railway carriages was teeming with bustling crowds, entirely reliant on the yamen’s officials to maintain order. Otherwise, the railway carriage would hardly be able to move an inch. In that case, the carriage wouldn’t need to operate and could just be turned into an exhibit.

Circumcity Railway Carriage Service, yes, that’s the official registered name of the capital’s railway carriage service. For the first three days of the trial operation, horse-drawn freight wagons and eight-seater open carriages were free to ride.

However, the four-seater intricately carved carriages, under Hu Jing’s arrangement, were definitely not free. The four-seater wooden carriages, whether you consider the exterior carvings or the interior furnishings, all qualified as luxurious. For the type of person who would ride such a carriage, mentioning ’free’ would be like slapping their face and cursing them in the street.

Jinyi wanted to witness the operation of the railway carriages, and his cousin, Jiang Shuyuan, had already inquired about the starting stations of the carriages and secured an open-view spot at a roadside tavern.

Jinyi, Jiang Shuyuan, and Liu Yu sat high up there, looking outside through a partly closed window.

Today, Jinyi came not only to witness how the carriages ran on the railway track but also to catch a glimpse of Duke An’s granddaughter, who didn’t mind showing herself in public, to see what she looked like nowadays.

However, to his disappointment, the opening ceremony only featured Liu Qing, the manager from Prince Yu’s Mansion, leading a few managers and presiding over the inauguration.

After the lively bursting of more than a dozen strings of firecrackers, they began the grand running of the first empty trip. Yes, regrettably, the railway carriage’s first trip was an empty one, with no one attempting to try it.