She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 548 - 546: Who Gave Him the Courage

Chapter 548: Chapter 546: Who Gave Him the Courage

Jinrong was also helpless, for it was his father who had slandered another’s character. What else could he do? All he could do was to look at the Emperor woefully and continue dully, "Miss Ye likes the scenery there. Another important reason is that, although it is a barren land, after decades of nourishment from fallen leaves and fruits in Peach Grove, the soil quality has somewhat improved. Growing grass and raising cattle there should be good."

At this point, Jinrong paused for a moment, pondering how to reveal the matter of Jiang Yifan making the decision alone to approve and agree to the construction of the Railway Carriage.

In matters of conversation, the Emperor was a very considerate person. He asked just in time, "I haven’t heard too much about planting grass. Is it difficult, requiring Ye Xinyan to stay behind to guide it?"

His Imperial Father could be rated as the best conversationalist. Jinrong thought to himself with amusement. He then replied, "Planting grass is not difficult; the main issue is that the journey from Peach Grove to Clear Water Village is too long. The dairy products workshop is in Clear Water Village, and with the cows producing milk twice a day and needing to be transported twice, it’s too time-consuming and highly inconvenient. Thus, Miss Ye has planned to lay a wooden railroad there, and she needs to stay to oversee the manufacture and laying of the railroad."

Jinrong’s last two sentences were somewhat vague and lacking in confidence. Most of the roads in the world were built and controlled by the court, and such a sensitive mode of transportation as the railroad, if made open for private construction by civilians, could throw the whole world into chaos.

As expected, the Emperor instantly grasped the key point and asked with a grave tone, "A railroad? Connecting two places, with a length of sixty li?"

Seeing the Emperor’s stern expression, Jinrong hurriedly explained, "This railroad is being constructed on purchased land, and it has been recorded in the Yamen."

The Emperor fixed his gaze on Jinrong, speaking with an ambiguous tone, "How exactly was that land purchased? Could it be that only a narrow strip of land for the construction of the railroad was bought?" As soon as the Emperor saw Jinrong’s complexion, he knew he had guessed right. "Qingyuan County magistrate Jiang Yifan is an old friend of yours; he’s quite audacious. Not only does he dare to exploit this loophole left by the court, but he also dares to agree to the construction of the railroad privately!"

If it were an ordinary county magistrate, the Emperor wouldn’t necessarily know who it was, but Jiang Yifan was once his personally appointed Top Scholar in the Imperial Council, and also a significant figure in the Duke An’s birthday banquet incident. At that time, Jiang Yifan, holding only an eighth-rank position, publicly humiliated Duke An, breaking ties with Duke An’s granddaughter Ye Xinyan and expelling her from the family.

At that time, it was the Emperor himself who had removed Jiang Yifan from his Imperial Council position and sent him away from the Ministry of Personnel.

And Jiang Yifan, even after being sent away, didn’t stay out of trouble. The Railway Carriages in the capital had been operating for nearly a year, and their speed, smoothness, and stability were evident to all. Especially the speed, which was two to three times that of ordinary carriages. The patrolling Imperial Censor had specially compiled statistics; this was in the city with boarding and alighting, city intersections, and obstructions from pedestrians. If there were none of these, the horses could run unhindered, traveling a thousand li in a day without any issues.

Such an astonishingly fast travel mechanism, in the hands of the Great Xia Dynasty court, was undoubtedly extremely convenient. But if it fell into the hands of scheming powers or was controlled by foreign tribes, it would be an unthinkable disaster for the court. Therefore, the construction and use of railway transportation must not be left to those outside the court.

Yet, Jiang Yifan dared to take matters into his own hands and build such a long railroad within his jurisdiction. With this railroad in Qingyuan County, if various merchants began laying their own railroads for faster commercial transportation, wouldn’t the Great Xia Dynasty’s world lose its regulation? And with it, more hidden dangers of subverting the court would emerge.

Jiang Yifan was so daring, just for his own interests, he was willing to commit such a taboo without regard for the consequences.

The Emperor’s face grew dark, and he turned his gaze to Jinrong. There was also the Sixth Prince, whom he had always believed to have a pure and sincere heart, a man who understood the need to maintain the greater good without getting entangled in personal gain. But at a critical moment, he had been so muddled! To say he didn’t fixate on personal gain was to overestimate him; he simply hadn’t encountered a benefit great enough. The exorbitant profits from cheese had caused him to lose his sense of proportion.

Jinrong met the Emperor’s hidden fury with his eyes, but he was not worried that the Emperor would punish him along with Jiang Yifan. His Imperial Father was one of the wiser monarchs among the recent generations of rulers and would certainly not deal with people without distinguishing right from wrong.

In the matter of constructing the wooden railway, Jiang Yifan had been very cautious. The county government office had outlined strict restrictions for the construction of wooden railways in the documents for laying tracks. Moreover, the crux of the matter was that Peach Grove would be the Mechanical Workshop of the future, requiring convenient transportation. Given the Emperor’s current emphasis on mechanical devices, it was entirely possible to approve a railway for the exclusive use of mechanical manufacturing.

Even if he wasn’t worried, he still needed to show an attitude of alarm and fear to avoid damaging his Imperial Father’s dignity. Thus, as soon as the Emperor had finished speaking, Jinrong had already swooped down to kneel.

After the Emperor finished scolding, Jinrong spoke, "Imperial Father, allow your son to explain. Jiang Yifan might have been overbold, but it was out of a wholehearted commitment to the court."

As Jinrong spoke, he glanced at the Emperor with his uniquely dignified status and saw that his father’s expression had not softened in the slightest nor shown any sign of picking up the conversation, so he hurriedly continued, "Our usual railway tracks accommodate the width of two horses running side by side, whereas the railway tracks Jiang Yifan approved fit the size of a single horse-driven carriage. Moreover, it is stated on the cover page of the dossier that this railway is to test the practicality and durability of wooden railways, and without the court’s approval, the construction of railways by civilians is forbidden."

"A trial?" The Emperor’s eyes narrowed, and he scoffed, "What a convenient excuse! A trial for what? For whom?"

"Indeed, it was a trial," Jinrong promptly replied, "Miss Ye said when she bought Peach Grove that if she wanted to facilitate the transportation of cow’s milk, it would be best to build a railway. Jiang Yifan hesitated at first, but later thought if Miss Ye could properly treat the railroad ties and wooden tracks against decay and enable them to withstand years of use without rotting or weathering, then the court wouldn’t need to consume a large amount of iron materials. Wood is readily available, and there are plenty of craftsmen skilled in woodworking. Processing wood is much quicker and less labor-intensive than casting steel."

The Emperor’s narrowed eyes softened somewhat, Jiang Yifan’s consideration was acceptable. The amount of wood used in smelting iron mines was enormous, and just this wood alone might be enough to build the railway. If the wooden railway proved viable, the railway construction would indeed save time and effort and conserve a great deal of Silver Coin.

The Emperor’s tone remained harsh as he asked coldly, "Such a significant matter, just because it’s an excuse that considers the court’s interests, would that allow someone to act recklessly? Was it your encouragement that granted him the audacity to make such a decision without reporting to his superiors?"

"I have known Jiang Yifan for many years and am well aware of his character. Even without me, he would dare to do such things," Jinrong once again bowed deeply and said, "As it concerns the court’s transport routes, and Jiang Yifan knowing that the court is about to initiate railway transportation, he naturally wanted to contribute to the court at this opportunity. As for reporting to his superiors... these kinds of affairs may not necessarily be something the officials are willing to take responsibility for. If the superior directly rejects it, what should Jiang Yifan do? Even if the superiors proceed with caution and report up the hierarchy, it is still uncertain what the outcome will be. By the time a decision is made, Duke An would have perhaps sent someone to fetch Miss Ye back to his residence, and the chance to try out the wooden railway would be lost."