She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 714 - 712: There Must Be a Commotion

Chapter 714: Chapter 712: There Must Be a Commotion

The Emperor did not bring up the timber rail project at the Imperial Court but instead directly entrusted Jinrong with it through the Cabinet, just as Tan Weixian had said. The Main Office would supply all the necessary materials, primary and auxiliary, required for the project.

When the Cabinet dispatched the task, it did not even seek the opinions of Prince Yu or Prince Fu.

By the latter part of the first month of the lunar year, the Guangsha Construction Business operated by the Qi family had also opened its doors, and although it had not yet secured any construction projects, it started operations on the sixteenth of the month to accommodate the inquiries of various customers.

In this era, small advertisements were not common. Firstly, there weren’t many public utilities, so the places where one could post small ads were either private properties or government office premises. Engaging in such activities was akin to courting death.

Secondly, there were few literate people in this era, and the numerous craftsmen and construction businesses already had their dedicated streets and alleys. Clients usually found them on their own. The effect of posting small advertisements was insignificant, to say the least.

Luckily, Guangsha Construction was not far from the construction industry hub in North City. Ye Xinyan had already had two large advertisement boards made: one horizontal and high above the shopfront, and the other, vertical, placed conspicuously at the entrance.

Both advertisement boards were made with bright colored paint on oilcloth. Besides the necessary text, they featured a dreamlike background of pavilions, towers, small bridges over flowing streams, as well as extraordinary rocks, scenic spots, and village houses.

These two boards were ready before the New Year, and as the shopfront was refurbished by the end of last year and it was close to the New Year, to avoid trouble, the advertisement boards were kept in the Qi Family Courtyard until they opened for business after the New Year.

Ye Xinyan’s mention of avoiding trouble was because Guangsha Construction was a new business, and also because it was located near the entrance to Jishui Lane in North City, where the construction industry was concentrated.

According to customary practice in the industry, newcomers in any field were usually subjected to some form of exclusion. Since Guangsha Construction opened as a store right at the sensitive location of Jishui Lane’s entrance, it was essentially a challenge to the entire construction industry of the capital—it would be disdainful and contemptible for the construction world if no one caused any trouble.

If these two large signs had been erected before the New Year, they would have attracted undue unwelcome attention, possibly spoiling the New Year for both Qi Younian and Ye Xinyan. Therefore, it was wise to install them later to ensure a peaceful New Year and keep the advertisement boards safe.

Ye Xinyan’s considerations were absolutely correct.

Not only were there no small advertisements in this era, but also no such thing as advertisement boards. Shops would simply have a larger and more visible signboard.

Smaller shops would hang a sign or something similar so that people could tell at a glance whether it was a restaurant or a grocery store. In any case, since many of the patrons could not read, these were sufficiently informative. Of course, this was the ancient way of thinking, which was why Ye Xinyan had made such large advertisement boards.

The advertisement boards for Guangsha Construction were the first of their kind in the capital. Passersby from any direction could spot them at a glance, and they were very eye-catching. Moreover, the pavilions, towers, houses, and cottages drawn on the signs clearly indicated that the shop was in the business of building and constructing homes.

This new and novel thing greatly intrigued the people of the time, and some even came specifically to watch and discuss from afar: Look, isn’t the pavilion in the upper left corner like something from the Immortal Realm, with such an air of immortality? And there, in the bottom right corner, that courtyard—that must be one of our common folks’ homes, doesn’t it look quite like the Old Wu Family’s compound?

Owing to these two massive advertisement boards, a construction business called Guangsha in North City became well-known to many people.

These two large advertisement boards caught the eye of all sorts of pedestrians and particularly unsettled those in the same trade.

Therefore, after Guangsha Construction opened its doors for business on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, it did not, unlike other construction businesses, suffer from quiet desolation due to the weather not completely warming up. Instead, it received quite a few visitors coming to inquire. Among these people were potential future clients, as well as those who were simply idle, with nothing better to do, and came over for a chat.

By the latter part of the first month, on this particular morning, more than ten burly men entered Guangsha Construction.

At this moment, Ye Xinyan was sitting in the meeting hall in the backyard. Behind several rows of desks and cases in front of her were more than twenty clerks and foremen skilled in construction work. Ye Xinyan was explaining to these people the business rules and operating standards of the Qi Family Construction Business, which was akin to ancient job training.

The training content was not just about industry standards and safety issues but also covered material management, document and record management, as well as reading and drawing construction plans and diagrams.

When it came to managing documents and drawings, Ye Xinyan only briefly mentioned it without going into detail. She planned to wait for Zhou Biyao to arrive in the capital, then let Zhou Biyao take over this part, training some professionals in this area.

As for Wong Qiao’s undercover identity and his relationship with Zhou Biyao, these were not within Ye Xinyan’s consideration. If Wong Qiao could be dispatched as an undercover agent, then it would not be surprising for Zhou Biyao to defect and join the enemy when necessary, after all, this era advocated for the concept of a wife following her husband. And Zhou Biyao, in the eyes of someone like Jiang Yifan, would certainly be a suitable double agent.

Ye Xinyan emphasized how to manage the personnel and the composition and structure of the construction crews. Every fifty people formed a small construction team. The workshop head of this small team had two assistants beneath him, one in charge of project progress and the other responsible for materials and technical details of the project.

Today’s lecture had just started when a tumultuous noise erupted from outside, loud and disruptive. Since Qi Younian and Yuan Shang were taking care of everyday reception up front, and with the guards sent by Lian Gui to support Ye Xinyan, she was not too worried.

However, as much time as it takes to drink a cup of tea had passed by and not only had the noise not subsided, but it also seemed to escalate. Even Ye Xinyan became restless, and the craftsmen and foremen began to get distracted, each turning their heads to look towards the front hall.

Ye Xinyan stood up and said to the twenty or so people sitting in front of her, "It seems there is a situation up front, you all go elsewhere for now. Stay here and review what we just discussed and discuss amongst yourselves. I’ll go have a look."

If there were troublemakers outside, these people going out would only add to the spectacle, unable to contribute meaningfully, and their presence would only cause more chaos. They would not only be of little use, but they might even get swept up in the trouble.

When Ye Xinyan entered the front hall from the back, more than ten burly men were gathered aggressively in the front hall, shouting at Qi Younian.

The guards from Duke An’s Mansion were stopped by Qi Younian to the side, and they had not stepped forward.

When Ye Xinyan came out, the guards from Duke An’s Mansion saw her, saluted in her direction.

Qi Younian turned his head, glanced at her, and signaled for Ye Xinyan to stay silent.

Seeing the look in Qi Younian’s eyes, Ye Xinyan stood in the back, silently observing and not going forward to join in. She understood that a commotion like this was inevitable at some point, and Qi Younian’s intention seemed to be to try to reason with the other party as amiably as possible.

If these people also had some background, and it came to a point where reasoning could prevail, it would be a matter of who had cultivated more patience and composure.

Only when they were clearly in the right, having exhausted all means of being kind and just, would they act without any psychological burden, and would feel even more justified in taking action. They could not let others think that they were bullying by using their power, a facet that Ye Xinyan quite appreciated.