Chapter 431 - 429 Identity
Duke An furrowed his brows hearing how smoothly Ye Xinyan had answered, and that she had gotten straight to the point as soon as she opened her mouth.
Rail transportation had been a hot topic in the court since the end of last year. At that time, Prince Yu was in Yuyuan Prefecture, an idle prince unconcerned with politics. Not only was Ye Xinyan in Yuyuan Prefecture, but she was also a woman; how could she have known about these matters?
"Did you hear it from Prince Yu?" Duke An asked.
"You could say that," Ye Xinyan nodded.
Duke An’s heart skipped a beat again. Why would Prince Yu discuss this with her? It seemed unlikely that Prince Yu would speak to a woman about the court’s affairs.
Ye Xinyan explained, "When discussing the railway carriages in the capital, His Highness Prince Yu had mentioned that the operation of railway carriages wasn’t a big deal, but there were greater concerns regarding the use of rail to transport important materials for the court."
The statement wasn’t entirely true, but neither did Ye Xinyan lie. Indeed, when she discussed the matter with Jinrong and Jiang Yifan, they had also talked about railway carriages that could carry passengers within towns—a distinction between priority and sequence.
Duke An felt much relieved upon hearing this. It had been around this time last year that the court debated the issue of rail transport. It wasn’t unusual for Prince Yu to know about it now, and mentioning it while discussing railway carriages with his granddaughter seemed normal.
Duke An said, "It’s good that you know. The railway lines in the capital have been laid for nearly a year, but it wasn’t until Prince Yu and you returned that there has been substantial progress. Moreover, the progress has been so rapid that within less than half a month, it will be possible to transport passengers. This is indeed a big deal and bound to draw a lot of attention to you. I want to ask what your plans are for the future?"
"Plans? What plans?" Ye Xinyan didn’t understand what Duke An was specifically referring to.