She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 635 - 633: Arriving in Beijing Early

Chapter 635: Chapter 633: Arriving in Beijing Early

Tan Weixian struggled to consistently refute the Crown Prince’s arguments and had no choice but to turn to Yu Shiqing and Xing Bin for help.

Xing Bin, feeling helpless, had to advise, "Your Highness is the Crown Prince. In the future, when Your Highness inherits the throne, Prime Minister Han will support you with all his might as well."

The Crown Prince angrily slammed his teacup on the table and said furiously, "By that time, I will have plenty of loyal officials by my side. Who needs that old dog!"

Although Tan Weixian felt some consolation in his heart, such words seemed improper to be heard. Thus, he dared not dwell on the topic further and tentatively asked, "Just now, Your Highness mentioned that many on the Imperial Court oppose the use of wooden rails instead of iron ones. Does that include the people from Prince Fu’s faction too?"

The Crown Prince replied heatedly, "Of course. With such a massive project, who knows how much Lao Qi can skim off the top. If it’s changed to wooden rails, the cost of the project would be reduced to mere scraps. Even if he pushes it to the limit, how much can he really take advantage of?"

Tan Weixian quickly followed up, "If that’s the case, let’s have someone investigate it. If Prince Fu indeed embezzled a significant amount from the project, the sudden switch to wooden rails will catch Prince Fu and his subordinates off guard, surely leaving a trail of evidence. This might be an opportunity to strike at Prince Fu and possibly cause him to lose His Majesty’s favor completely."

The Crown Prince was taken aback, then his expression softened a bit, but his words revealed some uncertainty, "Lao Qi is cunning as a ghost. It won’t be easy to catch him red-handed."

However, Yu Shiqing smiled and said, "It depends on where he chooses to start." The Crown Prince might not be very competent, but he still held the advantage of being the legitimate eldest son. As long as he could take down his competitors, he was the confirmed successor to the throne.

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince was startled, "How would we know where he chooses to start?"

Yu Shiqing smiled and said, "If Your Highness were in charge of the railroad construction, where do you think it would be easiest to siphon off silver?"

"Oh?" A gleam suddenly appeared in the Crown Prince’s eyes; this was his area of expertise, "There are plenty of places to get involved. Starting with the raw materials is the simplest and least noticeable method. Just like with our daily necessities, a reduction in one process or in quality level brings a significant price difference, which can yield a substantial amount of silver. Then there’s the number of workers and their wages and rations, along with repairs and rework, all of which are opportunities to make money..."

The Crown Prince began participating in politics at a young age and had been in charge of the Ministry of Revenue for many years. With every day extravagant and everything luxurious, there had to be a source for the vast amounts of spent silver. As for embezzling silver, he naturally had much to say.

Seizing the opportunity, Tan Weixian concurred, "What Your Highness said is right. Let’s start with the raw materials to investigate how much Prince Fu has embezzled in the railroad project. If we can indeed cause Prince Fu to lose His Majesty’s favor and the support of court officials, the setback we’ve suffered would not be in vain."

When the Crown Prince heard the word ’setback’, his demeanor became sullen as he waved his hand and said, "Let’s have someone send a message to the prefectures and counties in the southeast and the west to slow down on tax collection for the time being. The court isn’t raising funds for the railroad project anymore, and imposing additional burdens now would be unjustifiable."

After discussing that, the Crown Prince frowned and said to Yu Shiqing, "And that Jiang Yifan, can we find some fault and get rid of him? Every time I think about such a man in the Ministry of Revenue, I feel extremely uneasy."

Yu Shiqing hesitated and replied, "Let’s see how things go. Jiang Yifan was appointed directly by His Majesty, not so easy to deal with. Although His Majesty’s decision to place him in the Ministry of Revenue that day was made casually, the words of His Majesty are still imperial edicts, and we cannot act too overtly. If His Majesty thinks that even those appointed by Your Highness can’t stand firm in the Ministry of Revenue, it could displease him, and the loss would outweigh the gain."

......

Jiang Yifan was completely unaware of the Crown Prince’s extreme dislike of him, or perhaps he was aware but didn’t take it to heart.

In his more than half a year in the Ministry of Revenue, he did not get involved with important matters. Even in the less critical issues, he did not apply himself wholeheartedly, showing no sign of the excellence that had characterized his three years of service in Qingyuan County.

To others, it seemed as if Jiang Yifan had exerted all his efforts in Qingyuan County to achieve excellent results, just to return to the capital. Once back in the capital, everything was settled, and all that was left was to wait for his seniority to move up the ranks.

And these days, Jiang Yifan was particularly busy. He had received a letter from his ancestral home in Cloud Central Province, stating that his mother and younger brother had already set out for the capital days ago, and according to their journey, they would arrive in just a few days.

Jiang Yifan received the letter and was overjoyed.

His intention when he had sent the letter to his parents that day was to have his mother spend the New Year in her ancestral home and wait for the weather to warm up before rushing to the capital. Unexpectedly, his mother was so anxious that she actually embarked on her journey at the end of the year, braving the severe cold.

Beyond his joy, there was also a touch of bitterness in his heart.

His mother’s rush to come over was very likely because she had heard that he and the Duke’s Mansion’s eldest miss were considering reconciliation. She might be worried that he was once again being suppressed by his clan’s uncle, and that was why she hurried over. She was probably thinking of persuading him against it.

Mrs. Jiang, Lady Qin, arrived in the capital on the twenty-second day of the twelfth lunar month.

The day before Lady Qin arrived in the capital, Jiang Yifan went to Guangsha Construction in North City.

After more than ten days of repairs, the storefront of Guangsha Construction had begun to take shape. Except for the inability to work with plaster, almost all other tasks had been nearly completed.

The ones busy with the work were not only Wang Qiao and Song Ping, but also several officials and craftsmen they had recruited in the capital.

Jiang Yifan exchanged a few pleasantries with Wang Qiao, glanced over the renovation of the storefront, and then found Song Ping to say that he had something to tell the young miss.

Upon hearing that Jiang Yifan had come specifically to find Ye Xinyan, Song Ping was extremely cooperative and promptly ushered Jiang Yifan to the back yard of the shop. He also called a young worker to hurry and inform the young miss.

When Ye Xinyan heard the message passed on by Jiu Yue, she put down the writing brush in her hand, pondering what Jiang Yifan wanted with her.

After discussing the matter of marriage with her, although they often met, it was really just encountering each other. If they bumped into each other, they would nod to acknowledge one another from a distance or up close, smile awkwardly, then pretend nothing happened and walk away separately.

This was the first time he had sought her out specifically to talk.

Now, hearing that Jiang Yifan wanted to see her for something, Ye Xinyan—who had grown up in modern times and should have modern beliefs—unexpectedly started to feel nervous.

That time when Jiang Yifan spoke to her about the marriage proposal, her response was that she needed to think about it. Afterward, no one asked her how her thinking was going, nor did she tell anyone the result of her thoughts.

It seemed her family was willing for her to consent by default, and even Yin Xiaocheng, who to this day had shown no fondness for Jiang Yifan, chose to remain silent. The few times he saw her, he did not speak much about the matter.

Seeing her a bit uneasy, Song Ping’s household gave Jiu Yue a look, indicating for her to stand outside the door, while she herself approached Ye Xinyan and said, "Lord Jiang knows propriety. He must have something to discuss if he’s seeking the young miss now. Perhaps you shouldn’t busy yourself for the moment."

As she spoke, Song Ping’s household glanced at the writing brush held by Ye Xinyan.

Ye Xinyan looked at the sheets of paper on the desk in front of her and the brush in her hand, put down the brush this time, and stood up.

Song Ping’s household hurried forward, straightened her clothes for her, smoothed out the wrinkles on her sleeves, and after sizing her up from front to back, nodded in satisfaction, and urged, "You are different now, young miss. Your relationship with Lord Jiang is not just about business anymore. You should speak more gently."