She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 630 - 628 Disappointment

Chapter 630: Chapter 628 Disappointment

Ye Xinyan naturally didn’t know what the two said after they left the Qi family’s home, but she did know their dialogue at the Qi family’s. However, she didn’t take it to heart. Regardless of whether Jinrong could understand her intentions, based on her understanding of Jinrong, even if he disagreed with her viewpoint and did not approve of her disdain for the scholars who were the foundation of the nation, she thought he would simply ignore it and not interfere with how she treated the craftsmen of the Construction Industry.

Jinrong, Jiang Yifan, and Ye Xinyan were each busy with their own affairs.

...

The railway carriages in the capital city ran very well. Now, the carriages were used not only for passenger transport but also for cargo, which accounted for a considerable amount of transportation, giving the Emperor, who closely monitored the operation of the railway, more confidence.

The court’s railway transport had been in use for a while, laid between Jiwang, an important granary storage location, and the border pass of Liaoyuan Prefecture. The transportation was extremely efficient. Leaving from Jiwang Town in Heyuan Commandery in the morning, one could reach the border pass of Liaoyuan Prefecture before dark. The only issue was the railway’s distance from the capital city, which meant the Emperor could not inspect it closely.

However, this efficient mode of transport was enormously expensive. According to the plan, another railway was to be prepared in the following spring, and the court had to raise silver taels for laying it.

So, when the Emperor heard from Jinrong that Jiang Yifan, who had been demoted to Qingyuan County, had unauthorizedly agreed to the private sector laying wooden rails for experimentation, he did not question Jiang’s wrongdoing. Instead, after reviewing Jiang’s evaluations over the past three years and despite compromising Duke An’s face, he transferred Jiang back to the capital city.

Jiang Yifan, being a man who understood the situation, managed to obtain Old Master Ye’s forgiveness after his return, and became very close to Duke An’s Mansion. This made His Majesty the Emperor feel less embarrassed when facing Old Man Ye.

Jiang Yifan did not disappoint him. While the court was preparing to raise silver for next spring’s railway construction, Jiang Yifan presented the results of the wooden railway trial.

This matter was urgent and important, and amidst his numerous responsibilities, the Emperor took the time to hastily look over the trial report of the wooden railway.

He was extremely surprised by the report’s meticulousness and organization. Although he had never dealt with the specific tasks himself, he had seen many memorials, so he could recognize the distinctiveness of this railway trial report.

The report covered all aspects of the wooden railway, using simple language that easily sketched out the process of laying and using the railway.

Especially the section called "Trial Summary" which used extremely concise sentences to describe the wooden railway’s planning, preparation, pre-fabrication, laying, completion, trial, any faults, the process of finding causes, and the methods of elimination. The clarity and simplicity of the content was such that even he, the Emperor who rarely left the palace, could understand.

The summary clearly listed the pros and cons of the wooden railway. It even compared the hauling capacity and speed between common carriages and railway carriages, clearly pointing out the advantages of using wooden rails over iron rails.

Surprised and full of admiration, the Emperor, wary that he might be deceived by the report due to his lack of expertise, called for some competent officials from the Imperial Workshops Bureau to come and discuss the report carefully to ensure its feasibility and authenticity.

After all these tasks were completed and the feasibility was confirmed, the Emperor presented the report to the Cabinet for discussion. Only after the Cabinet responded did the Emperor bring the matter of wooden rails to the Imperial Court, asking the senior officials for their opinions.

The Emperor had personally reviewed the document and had the officials from the Imperial Workshops confirm its authenticity. Overjoyed, he took it to the Imperial Court to discuss how to implement it and also wanted to share with the officials the intelligence and resourcefulness of the people of the Great Xia Dynasty, who were not only able to come up with such a method of transportation but also optimize it so quickly.

However, the reaction of the court officials was far beyond His Majesty the Emperor’s expectations, almost leaving him dumbfounded, unable to maintain his imperial demeanor.

Logically, wooden rails could be used for a long time, and their efficiency was in no way inferior to that of iron rails. Moreover, the wear and tear on the wheels caused by wooden rails were significantly less. For the court, replacing iron rails with wooden ones would greatly reduce financial expenditures. This beneficial aspect was undoubtedly a great thing.

However, there were those who opposed it, and not just one person or faction. Even the Crown Prince and Seventh Prince, Prince Fu, who had historically been at odds, maintained an unprecedented level of agreement on this matter.

The Emperor felt an inexplicable emotion and looked on with a calm expression at the reaction of the court officials, but his heart was brimming with disappointment for the two sons he had once held such great hope for.

Usually, it was tolerable for the princes to exploit their privileges for profit after all, the realm ultimately belonged to the royal family as long as they didn’t go too far, he generally didn’t pursue the matter.

But rail transport was a matter of national importance, and for the casting and forging of rails, countless laborers and Silver Coin had been mobilized to increase mining and expand furnaces. Such significant financial outlays could shake the very foundations of the state if mishandled.

They couldn’t think of a way to alleviate the country’s worries, but now, with a ready solution in front of them, they set aside their previous differences for personal gain and joined in opposition, allowing the nation’s finances to be wasted on pointless matters. How could such people be the rulers of the world?

The Emperor’s heart was filled with disappointment, yet his years of ruling the Celestial Empire and his dignified manner prevented any sign of it from showing on his face; he simply watched quietly as the court officials on the Imperial Court debated and their expressions changed.

Logically speaking, the biggest loser from switching from wooden to iron rails should be Seventh Prince, Prince Fu, but the most restless and the first to voice opposition was none other than the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince had already seen Jiang Yifan’s trial report on wooden rails presented to the Emperor at the Cabinet the day before and had flown into a rage immediately.

Back at the Crown Prince’s Mansion, he furiously condemned that utterly disgraceful wretch, yes, the very Jiang Yifan who had been humiliated by the eldest daughter of Duke An’s Mansion until he had no face left and had been ignominiously demoted to a minor position as magistrate in a small town in Yuyuan Prefecture.

That year’s scandal had spread throughout the capital, and people had not yet forgotten; it was shameless of him to return!

This shameless fellow, after being utterly disgraced by his wife in the capital and losing his position, actually managed to live in peace and get along with the divorced woman in Qingyuan County. For the sake of promotion, he even collaboratively produced this troublesome wooden railway.

Was this not deliberately causing trouble for him, who was in charge of the Ministry of Revenue?

Indeed, the Crown Prince felt that Jiang Yifan was intentionally seeking to trouble him.

Although the rail transportation project was under the management of Lao Qi, and the cost of the iron rail project was enormous, meaning Lao Qi handled a considerable amount of Silver, the enormous amount of Silver was actually raised through the Ministry of Revenue.

As the Crown Prince oversaw the Ministry of Revenue, securing such a substantial amount of Silver provided him with too many opportunities to extend his reach.

But that scoundrel Jiang Yifan came up with the wooden railway. How could wood compare to iron materials?

Looking across the Great Xia Dynasty, just within an arrow’s flight, one could see countless trees, not to mention the many forests and mountains filled with forests throughout the lands of the Great Xia Dynasty.

It could be said that if wood were used for railway construction, the materials would indeed be readily available. Compared with iron rails, which required mining, smelting, firing, and forging, wooden rails were as simple as picking fruit by hand.

With such simple and cheap materials, where was the need for vast financial resources? When would he be able to fill the void in his hands?!