Chapter 402 - 401: The Thing for Killing Time
As planned, Jinrong, Ye Xinyan, and their party hurried along, only managing to enter a town by sunset, where they stayed at an inn that the guards had booked in advance.
After freshening up and resting for a short while, Ye Xinyan received a message from Jinrong inviting her to join him in a private room of the inn’s main hall for dinner.
The town where they stopped was not large—even though the guards had booked the best inn available, it was still quite basic. The main hall of the inn could fit seven or eight tables and had been partitioned by Hongzhi and his men, with the private room taking up nearly half of the hall’s space.
Jinrong purposely shared a table with Ye Xinyan and, while they dined, discussed the proposition from Jiang Yifan about operating the railway carriages in the capital, seeking her opinion and asking whether she would like to undertake the task.
Ye Xinyan hadn’t expected Jiang Yifan to make such an arrangement. After some thought, she felt that it was indeed doable—having something to occupy her time in the capital would spare her from idleness and the trouble others might cause. Moreover, as she would be assisting His Highness Prince Yu, this substantial reason would allow her to come and go from Duke An’s Mansion freely, making things much easier for her.
However...
"It is doable," said Ye Xinyan after finishing the soup in her small bowl, wiping her hands as she spoke, "but, Sixth Master must be aware that this is all theoretical for us; we’ve never actually done it before. There may be imperfections in the process which will require time and manpower to adjust and improve."
Jinrong nodded, "That’s true. Yuanfan and I have thought about this, and Yuanfan even said that if you, Ye Zi, could plan during the trip, once you arrive in the capital, you could start immediately. At the very least, you could get things running while you’re there, ensuring any issues are addressed promptly."