She Became A Downfall Noble Lady

Jinrong was also helpless, for it was his father who had slandered another’s character. What else could he do? All he could do was to look at the Emperor woefully and continue dully, "Miss Ye likes the scenery there. Another important reason is that, although it is a barren land, after decades of nourishment from fallen leaves and fruits in Peach Grove, the soil quality has somewhat improved. Growing grass and raising cattle there should be good."

At this point, Jinrong paused for a moment, pondering how to reveal the matter of Jiang Yifan making the decision alone to approve and agree to the construction of the Railway Carriage.

In matters of conversation, the Emperor was a very considerate person. He asked just in time, "I haven’t heard too much about planting grass. Is it difficult, requiring Ye Xinyan to stay behind to guide it?"

His Imperial Father could be rated as the best conversationalist. Jinrong thought to himself with amusement. He then replied, "Planting grass is not difficult; the main issue is that the journey from Peach Grove to Clear Water Village is too long. The dairy products workshop is in Clear Water Village, and with the cows producing milk twice a day and needing to be transported twice, it’s too time-consuming and highly inconvenient. Thus, Miss Ye has planned to lay a wooden railroad there, and she needs to stay to oversee the manufacture and laying of the railroad."

Jinrong’s last two sentences were somewhat vague and lacking in confidence. Most of the roads in the world were built and controlled by the court, and such a sensitive mode of transportation as the railroad, if made open for private construction by civilians, could throw the whole world into chaos.

As expected, the Emperor instantly grasped the key point and asked with a grave tone, "A railroad? Connecting two places, with a length of sixty li?"

Seeing the Emperor’s stern expression, Jinrong hurriedly explained, "This railroad is being constructed on purchased land, and it has been recorded in the Yamen."

The Emperor fixed his gaze on Jinrong, speaking with an ambiguous tone, "How exactly was that land purchased? Could it be that only a narrow strip of land for the construction of the railroad was bought?" As soon as the Emperor saw Jinrong’s complexion, he knew he had guessed right. "Qingyuan County magistrate Jiang Yifan is an old friend of yours; he’s quite audacious. Not only does he dare to exploit this loophole left by the court, but he also dares to agree to the construction of the railroad privately!"

If it were an ordinary county magistrate, the Emperor wouldn’t necessarily know who it was, but Jiang Yifan was once his personally appointed Top Scholar in the Imperial Council, and also a significant figure in the Duke An’s birthday banquet incident. At that time, Jiang Yifan, holding only an eighth-rank position, publicly humiliated Duke An, breaking ties with Duke An’s granddaughter Ye Xinyan and expelling her from the family.

At that time, it was the Emperor himself who had removed Jiang Yifan from his Imperial Council position and sent him away from the Ministry of Personnel.

And Jiang Yifan, even after being sent away, didn’t stay out of trouble. The Railway Carriages in the capital had been operating for nearly a year, and their speed, smoothness, and stability were evident to all. Especially the speed, which was two to three times that of ordinary carriages. The patrolling Imperial Censor had specially compiled statistics; this was in the city with boarding and alighting, city intersections, and obstructions from pedestrians. If there were none of these, the horses could run unhindered, traveling a thousand li in a day without any issues.