She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 522 - 520: Wouldn’t that be chaos?

Chapter 522: Chapter 520: Wouldn’t that be chaos?

Ye Xinyan calculated that it was approximately sixty li from Clear Water Village to Peach Grove. If the wooden railway occupied the land plus several feet wide buffer zones on each side, it would require at least an area of 15 qing of land. Money was a problem, but the biggest issue was whether the court would permit such a method of buying and selling for such a long, narrow strip of land.

Hearing Ye Xinyan’s doubt, Jiang Yifan answered, "There has been no such precedent in the county, and I have sent someone to Yuyuan Prefecture Yamen to inquire, but there is none there either."

Ye Xinyan raised his eyebrows in surprise and looked at Jiang Yifan. With no precedent, what was he on about with this wooden railway, speaking as if it was all the rage.

Jiang Yifan looked at Ye Xinyan with a smile, "Do you have to look at me with such eyes? We know to check for precedents before doing something, and naturally, those who come after us might do the same. I’ll set a precedent here for others to follow in the future."

Ye Xinyan glared at him, opened his mouth, and finally could only nod in agreement, admirably saying, "Hmm, Lord Jiang is bold, and this humble woman is sincerely impressed." It’s no wonder he dared to follow Jinrong and help him to seize the throne.

"What does Lord Jiang plan to do? How should we deal with this land to make it appropriate?" Ye Xinyan asked.

Jiang Yifan said with a smile, "Since we’re doing something without a precedent, naturally we will do it according to Ah Yan’s wishes. What do you intend to do? You can treat it as a minor private road, register it with the Yamen and just start building for use; or you could outline the land you need and let the Yamen’s people measure it, calculate the area, and then you purchase it. It’s all up to you."

"Then let’s buy the land," Ye Xinyan chose without a second thought, "Having the land deed gives us confidence in using it. If it’s just on the record, should someone come arguing one day, wanting to purchase a large area of land or use this private road, it will always be troublesome. It’s better to just buy it outright and use it with a clear conscience."

Moreover, there was the risk taken by Jiang Yifan. By selling such an unusual piece of land through his hands, as a county magistrate, Jiang Yifan had already exposed himself to the risk of being criticized in the future. If it were only on record, allowing others to use the Son of Heaven’s land at will, there would be even more criticisms. She would rather not owe him this favor.

Jiang Yifan laughed, "Given your status, and considering the owners connected by this railway at both ends, not to mention Yuyuan Prefecture, even looking across the entire world, there are very few people who have the ability to trouble you over such a thing. There’s no need for you to spend silver on this."

Ah, could this be an early prototype for using power to enclose lands in the future?

Ye Xinyan looked at Jiang Yifan with a skeptical eye for a few moments. With Jiang Yifan’s strong sense of power, if one day he reached the position of Ultimate Minister, would he become a major corrupt official?

"Well, Lord Jiang, it’s settled then, we’ll spend the money to buy the land. I was worried before that the Yamen wouldn’t allow someone to buy such a narrow strip of land, but since it’s possible to purchase, let’s just buy it. Owning the land will be safer."

Jiang Yifan shook his head and laughed, "Since you’ve said so, let’s buy it. But if you feel you’ve been taken advantage of later on, don’t come asking me to make it right." Ah Yan is a good girl, not like those women from the official and powerful families, each one thinking too highly of themselves, acting as if everything in the world should be ranked according to power and wealth, and that they are entitled to whatever they enjoy.

Ye Xinyan ignored Jiang Yifan’s gaze automatically, but sensitively caught the possible underlying meaning in his words.

"Why would I regret it?" Ye Xinyan did not pretend to be audacious. She still asked clearly, to avoid any future regret.

Jiang Yifan smiled slyly and said, "The court is currently discussing rail transportation. The materials consumed by iron tracks are too great and are a major topic of discussion. No one has yet mentioned the risky business of using wooden rails out in the open. If Ah Yan has the wooden railway built here, and it functions without issues for three to five years," Jiang Yifan gestured towards the capital, "this official will naturally submit a report to the court, explain the reasons, and strongly recommend switching to wooden rails."

Damn it, he truly is one of those cunning and evil types who would not rise early without the promise of profit, living up to that saying that crows are the same all over the world. Ye Xinyan was extremely indignant.

"That’s what she thought, with someone like Jiang Yifan who is dedicated to his career, how could he leave a handle in a small county town waiting for someone to take the opportunity to turn him over. There it is, the purpose behind it all. If someone indeed brings it up, wouldn’t it further highlight that Jiang Yifan has the court’s interests at heart and is trying to test the usage of wooden railways with civilian power? It clearly shows his loyalty to the court."

"Her, just an ordinary salaried worker, going up against someone like Jiang Yifan who lives by scheming, her mind indeed isn’t sharp enough."

Ye Xinyan glared at Jiang Yifan for a long time before saying coldly, "Lord Jiang, you really are calculating!"

Jiang Yifan said cheerfully, "Well said, well said. Ah Yan, you flatter me."

"..." Not ashamed but proud instead! Ye Xinyan withdrew her gaze resentfully.

Even so, for the sake of business, the railway had to be built. To swallow such a silent frustration... it was really pathetic.

Jiang Yifan, still cheerful, watched Ye Xinyan’s annoyance and added, "It’s also like paving the way for my career, so the silver for buying land and building the railway, I’ll pay half. What do you think?" It’s as if we’re building it together, just thinking about it feels heartwarming.

"No need." What wishful thinking! Ye Xinyan glanced at him sideways and slowly said, "The Qi family will pay for the land and the construction of the railway, but there are some things that need to be made clear."

Jiang Yifan raised an eyebrow and cautiously sized up Ye Xinyan, a bad feeling rising in his heart.

Ah Yan said she didn’t need him to shoulder the silver. And afterward, if the wooden railway indeed proves reliable, she could not stop the court from snatching the idea to use, and the court wouldn’t pay her a dime. She was fine with it? That wasn’t her usual way of doing things, was it?

"Go ahead, Ah Yan," said Jiang Yifan. He guessed that the counterattack would come next.

Indeed, Ye Xinyan started to tally up the accounts, "The cow farm is a business partnership between Sixth Master and Lord Jiang, the Mechanical Workshop is mine and your joint venture, and I only hold a thirty percent stake in the Dairy Products Store. Yet the railway is being built solely by the Qi family, and if everyone profits from its use..."

"That wouldn’t be quite fair, would it?" Seeing Jiang Yifan’s somewhat enlightened expression, Ye Xinyan continued, "There’s a fee for using this railway of mine, and the charges will be calculated based on weight and trips. Payment shall be split according to everyone’s share of the business. You don’t mind, do you, Lord Jiang?"

Jiang Yifan’s dark pupils flashed; could this also be turned into a business? He frowned in an instant; if other merchants learned of this money-making method and started to scheme, wouldn’t the whole world’s roads become chaotic?

Ye Xinyan didn’t understand why, upon hearing her proposal, Jiang Yifan’s expression kept changing. Jiang Yifan was not someone who couldn’t hold back; would he change his face just over the railway fee?

"Do you find it inappropriate, Lord Jiang?!" Ye Xinyan’s tone was somewhat confrontational. Should I, your sister, invest the silver and effort to build the railway and then just let you use it for free? And also let you use it as a stepping stone for your promotion and advancement?

Jiang Yifan’s brow was still furrowed as he inquired, "If everyone sees this as a means to profit and vies to emulate, won’t the world’s transportation become greatly disturbed?" What troubled him was that it was indeed a convenient way to travel, with many benefits.