CHAPTER 886: CHAPTER 884: FIRST SIGN OF CONCESSION

Ye Xinyan sent off Princess Xianrong, feeling something was missing. After some thought, she realized that this time with her time-traveling scheme, she didn’t earn any transport fees.

The makeup techniques she brought over could have helped Jinrong accomplish great things and definitely extort some silver. But when a lady like Princess Xianrong came to ask, she couldn’t bring herself to demand silver with urgency.

Such a lucrative business, and she didn’t earn a single copper coin, just gave it away for nothing, sigh! It’s so distressing, isn’t it?

In the evening, after dinner, Ye Xinyan chatted with Jiang Yifan, pouring out her grievances and depression to her husband.

What infuriated her was that Jiang Yifan did not comfort her but instead mocked her for picking the easy targets.

He said that when she met someone easygoing like His Highness Prince Yu or His Majesty, she would demand exorbitant sums. But when she faced a woman like Princess Xianrong, who could fight her with disheveled hair, she was willing to take any loss.

"You!" Ye Xinyan was almost furious at his words.

Who was the easy target? The Emperor? What an international joke! Could the Emperor be considered an easy target? Jinrong wasn’t either!

Princess Xianrong was just trying to make a little money, even if she wanted to take advantage, how much could she really extort? The Emperor and Jinrong were using her ideas to plan major projects. Why couldn’t she ask for more reward?

"Why not? There must be a proportion between effort and reward, I’m asking for my deserved proportion, what’s wrong with that?" If not for the strict ancient manners, she would’ve hammered the table, pointing at his nose demanding an answer.

Faced with Ye Xinyan’s sharp eyebrows and stern expression, Jiang Yifan immediately backed down: "Is that so? Why didn’t I think of that before? Ah Yan, you’re so clever, you can understand such profound matters too. I am not as good as Ah Yan."

"..." Ye Xinyan was stunned for a moment. Does this mean everything’s okay now? Why did she feel like she pulled a muscle?

Jiang Yifan seized the moment she was distracted and switched topics, "Ah Yan, those two songs you composed were extremely useful, you can’t imagine how delighted Mr. Hu was to receive them. These songs will allure the Crown Prince much more than an outstanding makeup could. These two pieces don’t require a great voice either. Just have a few concubines learn them and at the right moment, sing when the Crown Prince passes by, accompanied by a dance. Given the Crown Prince’s character, he would be instantly absorbed and unable to pull himself out."

"Huh? Is it really that magical?" Ye Xinyan, still unfocused, was drawn to this topic. Her idea was actually that effective?

"Yes, of course. Particularly the lyrics to the "Kite Mishap" song, it creates a new style beyond the sung poetry. Mr. Hu has already requested musicians versed in rhythm to compose several more pieces based on this tempo, as a continuation. If this succeeds, Ah Yan, you’ll have achieved a major accomplishment."

"Really? Hahaha," Ye Xinyan immediately beamed, "So, Yuanfan, achieving such a great feat on the first try, in the future, can I ask for a Death Exemption Token or something?"

Jiang Yifan imitated her, rolling his eyes largely at her: "Ah Yan, can you occasionally present yourself as cool and composed, even if just pretending, to show your great depth and uniqueness?"

Ye Xinyan resolutely shook her head, saying: "No way, I have no interest in appearing deep, much less unique." Being deep and unique means having the funds to speak for you, and she doesn’t want that.

"Ah Yan, you’re so tacky and shallow." Jiang Yifan burst into laughter, pulling her down onto the bed, rolling over with her.

......

Afterwards, as for this whole song and Crown Prince affair, it no longer concerned Ye Xinyan. She had serious matters to attend to; the garden she was building with Jinrong, the Creekview Garden, was scheduled to be completed in two months.

This project timeline required full dedication. Moreover, her grandfather was reworking the railway grounds in South Zhejiang Prefecture, which she also needed to oversee, coordinating materials and manpower for the site.

Adding to that, there was the cattle farm and Dairy Products Store in the Shungu County valley, which was at a critical stage of mass production. Even with a manager familiar with the process overseeing things, she still had to meticulously review the reports sent every few days.

She didn’t have much free time to meddle in other trivialities.

......

The weather gradually warmed up, and the court’s hidden political scene also became increasingly tense.

As Lih Mian’s investigations with the Imperial Guard Camp pressed ever closer, although they hadn’t discovered the core areas of the Ministry of Works and those mines, suspicious individuals presumed to be with the Imperial Guard Camp had already appeared several times near the Tongping Prefecture mining area and the smeltery workshop in Huaiyuan County.

Though those individuals had only hovered around the outskirts a few times, the truth seemed very near. If the Imperial Guard Camp was in Tongping Prefecture and Huaiyuan County not by coincidence but due to leads, they were certain to uncover the truth, it all depended on Lih Mian’s determination to solve the case.

This was not fearmongering; a key figure involved in the railway materials case mysteriously went missing when assassins came to silence them, along with that person’s family, leaving them all untraceable.

This further unsettled Prince Fu.

One evening, in Prince Fu’s study, several candles cast overlapping shadows across the room.

Under candlelight, Liu Yu was making another attempt to persuade: "...The Emperor may not be in his prime, but he is still in good health. Your Highness, our plans are for the long term and not in a hurry. I believe it would be best for Your Highness to proactively go confess to His Majesty about this matter. Take this opportunity to lay low for a period, avoid the limelight from the Crown Prince and Prince Yu. Let the two of them clash, and it’d be best if they both suffer losses."

Present were also the Minister of Works, Wang Xian, and the Deputy to the Cabinet Minister’s advisor, Zhao Yuanshan. The two exchanged glances, agreeing with Liu Yu’s proposal, though assisting him further might seem pushy at the moment, which would be inappropriate.

Thus they refrained from speaking further, waiting silently for Prince Fu’s reaction, only offering gentle persuasion should the chance arise.

These days, Prince Fu was also caught in a whirl of torment.

So many ores and iron materials that weren’t recorded by the court were stored, and although they were placed with registered court supplies, any professional craftsman or officer checking them would find a discrepancy with just a little measurement.

It was nearly irreparable; all he could do was pray to the heavens that Lih Mian was inexperienced, hoping he wouldn’t find the key issues. However, such luck seemed nonexistent now.

In a mere month, amidst many attempts to cover and remedy the situation, Prince Fu’s face had grown visibly thinner.

After pondering for a moment, he said, "The person disappeared along with their family; it doesn’t necessarily mean that Lih Mian captured them. Perhaps they went into hiding themselves. Send more people to search; if nothing comes up, I’ll confess this matter to Imperial Father myself."

Liu Yu and the others sighed in relief; the matter had dragged on for over half a month, and this was the first time the prince hinted at possibly confessing to His Majesty.

Zhao Yuanshan said, "Your Highness is right, just send more personnel, and quickly go over all the related clues about that person. It’s better to find them sooner."