She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 651 - 649: To be continued

Chapter 651: Chapter 649: To be continued

The Emperor did not intend to impose his will on others; it was just that this matter was indeed an urgent priority. Whether it could be achieved or not was another question. To press them first might bring about an unexpected effect.

To Wang Xian’s surprise, Jinrong only wrinkled his brow slightly in reluctance and then agreed, "This... can be tried. However," Jinrong thought of Ye Xinyan’s style of expecting compensation for labor and refusing to work without payment, "does Imperial Father know the rules of the craftsmen in the common folk? If it were someone else, it would surely take a month or two to complete this task. Imperial Father wants results before the end of the year; this means rushing the work."

The Emperor did not quite understand what Jinrong meant, "It is about rushing the work, indeed." Otherwise, why go through him? The task could just be handed over to the Ministry of Works.

Clearing his throat, Jinrong gave an embarrassed glance at Prince Fu and Wang Xian and said, "The Ye Family woman is very difficult to deal with. When she takes on work that others find challenging or requires rushing, she charges double. How much does Imperial Father plan to spend to hire someone for this task?"

The Emperor was completely stunned. He had always been a man of his word, only giving orders and never experiencing any situation where payment was to be negotiated for work to be done. He was out of his depth with this matter of labor costs...

The Emperor looked towards Prince Fu and Wang Xian.

Prince Fu and Wang Xian also wore expressions of surprise. His Highness Prince Yu... had perhaps been dealing with merchants and commoners too often, even to the extent of speaking about labor costs in front of His Majesty. The Emperor asked a civilian construction business to do work; would they possibly shortchange them of silver? Was it really necessary to haggle over the price at this time?

Although Wang Xian did not clear his throat with a cough, he also felt uncomfortable in his throat. Seeing that the Emperor was looking over, he had no choice but to speak, "Our Ministry has ample experience of employing civilian craftsmen, and there are standard rates for their wages. Prince Yu can rest assured that we won’t exploit the labor without compensation."

Jinrong cast a sidelong glance at Wang Xian, Not exploit? What a joke. How much silver does the Ministry give to the civilian construction firms? Don’t you all have an idea in your hearts?

You also know you’re employing civilian craftsmen, can Ye Xinyan be the same as them? Can the work you now require be compared to what the civilian craftsmen produce? Could Ye Xinyan be satisfied with those standard rates you possess?

Jinrong scoffed, "If it is so easy, why does Minister Wang bother asking for someone inexperienced like me? Just find a few experts in construction, wouldn’t that suffice? Why then bring such a simple matter to Imperial Father’s attention? Imperial Father has vast affairs to govern; how can he afford to focus his mind on such trivial matters?"

The Emperor stroked his beard and nodded, his Sixth Brother was truly understanding.

However, Wang Xian’s expression darkened, and with a twist of his beard, he said, "This wooden railway is for the business use of His Highness Prince Yu, and his own people are involved. Naturally, it would be smoother if you handled it. If I had craftsmen who are skilled in wooden railways at my disposal, I certainly would not bother His Highness Prince Yu."

"As Minister Wang has also mentioned, you do not have craftsmen familiar with wooden railways under your command. Doesn’t Minister Wang understand the principle of a sought-after commodity? Having presided over the Ministry for many years, you should know better than anyone that there is a wide disparity between the wages and treatment for craftsmen of exquisite skill and those of mediocrity."

Prince Fu cast his eyes down, remaining seated and silent, full of contempt in his heart. Jinrong, though a prince, would talk about silver and wages for every task he was asked to do, truly losing face for the royal family.

Jinrong’s gaze also swept over Prince Fu, likewise disdainful in his heart. Even if he asked for a high labor cost, it was justified and the price was clear. The silver that Prince Fu liked to put into his own pockets had no name, no set amount, and couldn’t be openly discussed. Where did his look of disdain come from?

The Emperor saw that although his two sons did not openly oppose each other, it was evident that both were displeased, and he felt greatly troubled. Couldn’t the children of the royal family get along in harmony?

He waved his hand irritably and said, "Alright, since the matter can be done, silver is a trivial matter. As long as it’s reasonable, how could the court ever deny the people their silver?"

Prince Fu looked up, his eyes smiling but not quite smiling, as he gazed at Jinrong and asked, "So, exactly how much are the labor costs? Does Sixth Brother want to set a figure now, or go back and discuss it with your subordinates before reporting to Imperial Father?" The tone of mockery in his voice was extremely obvious.

Jinrong, of course, wasn’t afraid of his mockery, and said brazenly, "The year before last, I entrusted Ye Xinyan to help me get the Railway Carriage up and running, and I paid her two thousand taels of silver. You can use this project as a reference, adjusting as appropriate, and then I will discuss it with Ye Xinyan to see if it is acceptable."

"What? Two thousand taels of silver?" Wang Xian exclaimed in a loud voice.

Prince Fu also sneered, "Sixth Brother really does have money, and he’s generous too. The railway had already been completed at that time, and for the little job that the Ye Family’s girl did, Sixth Brother gave her two thousand taels of silver. Those who don’t know any better might think Sixth Brother intends to support Duke An’s granddaughter."

Jinrong’s expression darkened. Lao Qi speaking like this in front of Imperial Father—was he trying to insinuate that he was courting the favor of one of Imperial Father’s indispensable ministers? This minister was a noble and prestigious one who had once commanded heavy troops and produced countless significant subordinates, who now hold important military positions.

With a cold face, Jinrong said, "It’s disappointing that both Seventh Brother and Minister Wang come from the Ministry of Works. Can’t you two see that I paid Ye Xinyan two thousand taels of silver, yet the Railway Carriage was up and running within ten days of my return to the capital? It was precisely because of these two thousand taels of silver that the entire capital’s railway carriages encountered almost no difficulties and were fully operational throughout. Can the significance of this to the capital and the court really be measured by two thousand taels of silver?"

After Jinrong finished speaking, he stood up and saluted the Emperor, saying, "I won’t deceive Imperial Father. I took charge of this matter, and ultimately, Ye Xinyan was the one who did the work. Since Prince Fu and Lord Wang both think that I’m not using my mind and spent too much silver, why not let Prince Fu and Lord Wang negotiate with Ye Xinyan? With the face of the two of them, Ye Xinyan might not even charge a labor fee."

Upon hearing this, Prince Fu and Wang Xian choked; they’d forgotten that Ye Xinyan wasn’t just some craftsperson—she was Duke An’s granddaughter. If Duke An’s granddaughter took a dislike to them, she might demand a higher fee than Jinrong had stated, and what would they do then?

She was not just any woman, but the granddaughter of Duke An, known for her fiery temper and reckless behavior.

Both men immediately fell silent and pretended to be dead.

"That’s enough, they were just speaking offhand. You should sit down," the Emperor said.

The Emperor picked up on the key point in Jinrong’s words, "Don’t you have a minor official skilled in construction amongst your subordinates? Why did you involve Duke An’s granddaughter? It isn’t appropriate for a woman to be involved in the court’s projects."

Resentfully sweeping his gaze over Prince Fu and Wang Xian, Jinrong finally sat down and said, "Indeed, there are a few in my household capable of planning construction, but they have not participated in the building of wooden railways, and Imperial Father required it urgently. Now, only the Qi Family Construction Business has experience with this matter, so if we use the Qi’s manpower, we have to go through Ye Xinyan. She requires silver for her work and sets her price based on the project’s difficulty and urgency."

The Emperor found it amusing that they were discussing labor fees in the Imperial Study Room—a likely unprecedented event. However, what could he do when the worker was a woman, and not just any woman, but Duke An’s granddaughter? Women tend to be less reasonable.

"Alright," the Emperor said with a wave of his hand, "to do work and receive silver for it is only fair and proper."

Jinrong was just about to nod in agreement when he heard the Emperor continue.