She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 533 - 531: Bringing Back

Chapter 533: Chapter 531: Bringing Back

Jinrong spoke with candor, "Father, no matter how intricate these things are, they are just a business. To achieve such results in these endeavors, I invested a great deal of manpower and resources. Back when this business was started, we had insufficient funds, so it was only by pooling together the funds from three parties that these affairs were set in motion—it’s a joint venture."

Jinrong glanced up at the emperor and saw a smile that wasn’t quite a smile on his face, as if he was waiting for him to spin out more tales. Jinrong couldn’t help but pull a long face and said, "Imperial Father, buying materials is always necessary for railway construction, and even if the bolts were crafted by me, they still cost labor and materials. All I can promise you, Father, is that as long as the court requires, the Mechanical Workshop will sell all its threaded parts to the Ministry of Works."

Having listened to him finish, the emperor laughed and scolded, "Look at the extent of your aspirations. Just because I asked an extra question, you’ve made such a big speech. Does the court, which manages projects throughout the land, really covet your little bit of silver?"

Feeling wronged, Jinrong said, "It wasn’t easy for your son to do this; I searched far and wide for the skilled craftsmen I once knew, spending a great deal. You ought to let your son recoup the initial costs, shouldn’t you?"

"Look at you, becoming less and less impressive the more you speak." The emperor no longer paid Jinrong any mind, instead turning to Minister of Works Wang Xian, "Beloved Minister Wang, take these ten sets of parts back and ask the workers to calculate how many of such parts we will need. Also inform Prince Fu about the screw thread connection."

Wang Xian seemed to ponder for a moment and glanced at Jinrong sneakily before speaking, "To report back to Your Majesty...," Wang Xian sneaked another glance at Jinrong, seemingly in a bit of a dilemma.

The emperor furrowed his brow and asked, "Does Beloved Minister Wang find something inappropriate? If you have any doubts, feel free to voice them. Prince Yu is also a minister of the court, and it is his duty to worry about the world. You need not consider his feelings." As an emperor, if something his son created was indeed useful, he wouldn’t hesitate to give his son some extra profit. But if his son’s actions were detrimental to the court and the world, then it would be problematic.

Wang Xian hurriedly answered, "No, there is nothing amiss. Your humble servant only thinks that the rail construction project will be enormously expensive, and since Qingyuan County is remote, it is unlikely to have many craftsmen. Even if these fasteners are good products, I’m afraid they won’t be able to supply our needs."

The emperor pondered for a moment, which was indeed the case, and asked, "What does Beloved Minister Wang suggest?"

Wang Xian thought about Prince Fu, the rail construction project they were preparing to fund along with Prince Fu, and then about His Highness Prince Yu, who after all was an idle prince—never a person in real power, now or in the future.

He finally bit the bullet and with a bow, reported, "The Ministry of Works has many skilled craftsmen under its management, your servant believes that if the Ministry of Works were to oversee the production of these fasteners, we might be able to meet the needs of the railway transportation project."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Dahui couldn’t help but sigh. Although Minister Wang was aligned with Prince Fu, his audacity... it was truly something, aiming to take a bite out of Prince Yu.

The emperor hadn’t thought of Wang Xian’s proposal as one to profit from his son, but it occurred to him that if this suggestion was implemented, his son’s money-making trade might not be so secure. He looked at Jinrong, and indeed, saw Jinrong’s face had turned somber.

The emperor gave a light cough and said, "I just listened to Cheng Dahui’s opinion, and it seems these parts are not easy to make."

Wang Xian dared not look at Jinrong but asked Cheng Dahui, "Lord Cheng is the expert, may I know what is the difficulty in manufacturing these parts?"

Cursing Wang Xian internally for dragging him into it, yet not daring to avoid answering, Cheng Dahui replied, "Lord Wang, bringing such specifications into uniformity must require specialized tools. As far as your humble servant knows, so far there are no tools capable of making such neat and consistent threads."

Lord Wang expressed his apology to Jinrong with a clasped hands salute, saying, "This humble official is solely dedicated to the court, and hopes His Highness Prince Yu can forgive my improper behavior."

Jinrong remained silent, yet felt a sense of calm within, as everything was proceeding according to plan.

Indeed, the workshops in Clear Water Village could not produce so many items. To speed up the completion of the railroad project, naturally, the responsibility to manufacture the screw-threaded lathes fell upon the Ministry of Works, which was best suited to arrange the processing. If Prince Fu were to monopolize the lathes and processing matters, the amount of skimmed silver would likely be even more.

To willingly forego the silver earned from a batch of workpieces, yet facilitate the construction and compile more evidence to use against Prince Fu, the trade-off was clear at a glance.

Even as Lord Wang apologized to Jinrong, it did not prevent him from continuing to serve Prince Fu: "Your Majesty, this humble official believes that with the multitude of skilled artisans at the Ministry of Works, the court should fund the purchase of the equipment for making screw-threaded fasteners and have the Ministry organize the production of these fasteners for the railroad project."

After Lord Wang finished speaking, he added, "Of course, this should still be discussed by everyone to see if the threads are truly necessary."

Although the Emperor was aware that his son’s money-making venture had encountered problems, Lord Wang’s suggestion was, quite evidently, more beneficial to the court.

He looked toward Jinrong, who was sitting with a solemn face, and said, "Jinrong, ensuring that the railroad project is completed smoothly and swiftly is beneficial to both the nation and the people. The equipment you mentioned earlier for processing the screw-threaded fasteners must be very sophisticated. Let the Ministry calculate a fair price and take over your equipment for the work, would that be acceptable?"

Jinrong, with a gloomy face, glanced at Lord Wang darkly and then said to the Emperor, "Since Imperial Father has spoken, your son certainly cannot do anything that would be detrimental to the court. I will send word immediately to have the lathe blueprints delivered to the city."

Upon hearing the equipment referred to by a different name, Lord Cheng, disregarding etiquette, immediately inquired, "Your Highness, is this processing tool called a lathe? Is it large in size?"

Jinrong’s expression was unchanged as he replied, "It is quite large, about seven or eight feet in length, which is why the artisans refer to it as a lathe."

Lord Wang, upon hearing of such a large tool, felt somewhat uneasy and hastily said with a forced smile, "This humble official has never heard of such a tool. His Highness Prince Yu, I am afraid that merely sending the blueprints over will not be enough for our men to operate it. Could you perhaps send a few of the principal craftsmen and managers who oversee the thread-making as well?"

Jinrong frowned, sending his own people over?

But then he thought of Ye Xinyan, and his heart warmed at the prospect. If he could use this opportunity to bring Ye Zi back, it might not be a bad thing. He had learned from the recent correspondence that Ye Zi had nearly finished arranging his affairs, with all materials, drawings, and construction documents ready, and the personnel well organized. Sending a few capable managers to take over shouldn’t cause any delay.

The Emperor was surprised to see a shift in Jinrong’s demeanor, as if sending people to the capital would alleviate the resentment from the loss of his business. The Emperor’s face, nonetheless, betrayed nothing, as he instructed Lord Wang to confirm with relevant parties whether the bolts were indeed necessary.

Then he said, "Alright, go and attend to your duties. Jinrong, stay behind, I have a few words to speak with you."