She Became A Downfall Noble Lady

Jinrong also knew the severity of the issue but, sighing helplessly, he said, "Qi Ye’s matter... Ah, was done a bit too early. If it had been delayed by a few years, until the power dynamics in the Imperial Court were clearer, then carrying it out would be extremely useful. Now, our people are prematurely placed at the forefront of controversy, there are too many variables, and acting too soon isn’t good."

Jiang Yifan, who had also held a post and gained insight within the power nucleus of the capital, knew the intricate relationships within the Imperial Court could easily doom a seemingly straightforward and beneficial matter or implicate an official with bright prospects because of it.

However, since things had already come to this, there probably wasn’t another solution, at least not one that would prevent other powers from exploiting the situation.

"If the Qi family immediately dismantled the railway tracks at the construction site and delayed this matter for a few years, would that be feasible?"

Jinrong immediately responded, "Impossible. Even if you want to delay it, you must be able to actually do so. There are many people working for the Qi Family Construction Business, most of them skilled craftsmen in construction. Any one of them, just by mentioning a few words to their peers, would reveal the crux of the matter. With such a useful tool available, there would be many rushing to use it. Are we supposed to silence them all just to delay this matter for a few years?"

Hu Jing smiled and said, "Massive railway construction isn’t that simple; it’s a matter that consumes silver. Regardless of whether His Majesty wants to do it, when it’s discussed at court, the various powers will tug at each other. By the time its feasibility is affirmed, it will have taken quite some time, not something that can be determined in less than three or five months. Even if it can be used, until the court allocates the silver for it, who knows when that will happen.

Sixth Master just needs to decide who to credit with the proposal, to whom the merit should be given. After the Pre-Qin Dynasty, whether scholars or officials, they all saw classical learning as the right path and would not value these practical things. Therefore, in the short term, this major accomplishment won’t be noticeable."

After pondering for a moment, Jiang Yifan asked, "If Sixth Master is to turn this matter into a formal report for the court, should we give the Qi family a heads-up?"

Follow current novels on N(o)vᴇl(F)ire.nᴇt