She Became A Downfall Noble Lady

Jinrong spoke with candor, "Father, no matter how intricate these things are, they are just a business. To achieve such results in these endeavors, I invested a great deal of manpower and resources. Back when this business was started, we had insufficient funds, so it was only by pooling together the funds from three parties that these affairs were set in motion—it’s a joint venture." Jinrong glanced up at the emperor and saw a smile that wasn’t quite a smile on his face, as if he was waiting for him to spin out more tales. Jinrong couldn’t help but pull a long face and said, "Imperial Father, buying materials is always necessary for railway construction, and even if the bolts were crafted by me, they still cost labor and materials. All I can promise you, Father, is that as long as the court requires, the Mechanical Workshop will sell all its threaded parts to the Ministry of Works."

Having listened to him finish, the emperor laughed and scolded, "Look at the extent of your aspirations. Just because I asked an extra question, you’ve made such a big speech. Does the court, which manages projects throughout the land, really covet your little bit of silver?"

Feeling wronged, Jinrong said, "It wasn’t easy for your son to do this; I searched far and wide for the skilled craftsmen I once knew, spending a great deal. You ought to let your son recoup the initial costs, shouldn’t you?"

"Look at you, becoming less and less impressive the more you speak." The emperor no longer paid Jinrong any mind, instead turning to Minister of Works Wang Xian, "Beloved Minister Wang, take these ten sets of parts back and ask the workers to calculate how many of such parts we will need. Also inform Prince Fu about the screw thread connection."

Wang Xian seemed to ponder for a moment and glanced at Jinrong sneakily before speaking, "To report back to Your Majesty...," Wang Xian sneaked another glance at Jinrong, seemingly in a bit of a dilemma.

The emperor furrowed his brow and asked, "Does Beloved Minister Wang find something inappropriate? If you have any doubts, feel free to voice them. Prince Yu is also a minister of the court, and it is his duty to worry about the world. You need not consider his feelings." As an emperor, if something his son created was indeed useful, he wouldn’t hesitate to give his son some extra profit. But if his son’s actions were detrimental to the court and the world, then it would be problematic.

Wang Xian hurriedly answered, "No, there is nothing amiss. Your humble servant only thinks that the rail construction project will be enormously expensive, and since Qingyuan County is remote, it is unlikely to have many craftsmen. Even if these fasteners are good products, I’m afraid they won’t be able to supply our needs."