CHAPTER 832: CHAPTER 830: THE NOTE

With the emperor’s permission, Prince Fu continued, "I heard that there are several capable managers in Sixth Brother’s Mansion who previously worked as scribes at the Ministry of Works. These scribes have greatly assisted Guangsha Construction in the current construction project. I wonder if, when construction begins next year, we could borrow these managers from Sixth Brother’s Mansion and also let the clerks and artisans in the Ministry of Works learn how to get things done."

"It’s agreed. Your Sixth Brother has a sense of the bigger picture and would certainly not refuse." In the emperor’s view, this was a family matter and he immediately agreed on Jinrong’s behalf, saying to him, "You have been doing business outside for years and have many people under your command. It is time to consolidate them and do something for the court."

"I respectfully follow Imperial Father’s teachings." Jinrong lowered his gaze, responding indifferently, making no effort to hide his displeasure.

Those are people he has cultivated for many years; why should they be taken away by a single word from Jinyi? If he later finds another excuse to keep them, what then? Not only are these people convenient for his own use, but they can also help Ye Xinyan when she’s in need.

He envied Ye Xinyan’s ability to act decisively and to fight for her rightful interests when needed, whereas he had to anticipate and deliberate, retreating step by step.

Luckily, in front of Imperial Father and several important ministers today, he clearly explained the shortfalls and difficulties that Guangsha Construction would be facing with the court’s rail project.

Once the issue of using inappropriate materials for rail components emerges next year and investigations are underway, Guangsha Construction will face fewer criticisms.

Jiang Yifan did the right thing by exposing Prince Fu early on. With this year’s wooden rails serving as bait, coupled with the abnormal iron material flow controlled by Wong Qiao and the iron mine smelting tracked beyond court control by Hu Jing, once this matter is exposed, it will be a severely consequential case.

Even without pinning a charge of conspiracy on Prince Fu, such matters are forbidden by royal authority. His followers will likely face immediate purging, and Prince Fu will be strictly monitored, losing any chance to be involved in state affairs.

So it seems that Jiang Yifan and Hu Jing need more manpower, and they must hurry to resolve this matter before next year’s rail construction begins.

......

Jiang Yifan was not as Jinrong imagined, stretching the time to meet with his fiancée until the night before the wedding.

It wasn’t that he was adhering to the rules on his own accord, but simply that he couldn’t manage it.

Three days before the auspicious day, Ye Xinyan had already been strictly controlled. This severe control was entirely because Ye Xinyan, having completed all the needlework she was supposed to do, justified her desire to resume her free comings and goings.

She genuinely felt that she had been detained for over ten days, having completed all the tasks assigned, and should logically be allowed out to roam and shop.

Unfortunately, apart from her and Jiang Yifan, everyone else found this demand unreasonable. Additionally, Jiang Yifan would still frequently, under everyone’s strange looks, come to visit Ye Xinyan, even if just to catch a few distant glimpses or exchange a couple of words, persisting with enthusiasm.

Previously, it was all right since the wedding was still a bit away, and everyone turned a blind eye. But now, with only three days left until the wedding, it was absolutely impossible.

After Jiang Yifan was once again refused entry to Duke An’s Mansion, he leveraged his good rapport and, after much trouble, managed to get a note to Ye Xinyan.

Ye Xinyan, who had been thoroughly bored, was addled from the overwhelming wedding rituals. She saw Jiu Yu sneak in when no one was watching, furtively hand her a folded paper styled as a square victory, silently saying, "From the Young Master," before darting out.

Having grown numb to the maids’ title for Jiang Yifan, Ye Xinyan now simply ignored it.

Given Jiu Yu’s secretive demeanor, Ye Xinyan discreetly accepted the folded paper, thinking it might carry serious information, maybe about the prior conversations regarding how to salvage the rail project faults—something no one must see.

Poor her, troubled and puzzled, not knowing why things were moving so quickly. With the new year approaching, if the matter were revealed now, no matter how angry the emperor became, after the lengthy two-week holiday, his temper might cool significantly. Fortunately, the emperor may then consider the father-son relationship and deal with the matter lightly.

Jiang Yifan and Jinrong shouldn’t make such a simple mistake, right?

Ye Xinyan stealthily opened the paper...and damn, it was nothing of the sort.

A neat square-folded paper of considerable size, opening to reveal Jiang Yifan’s instructions for Ye Xinyan.

The content was so different from her expectation, putting her off guard, making her foolishly read through.

Jiang Yifan advised her that if she found the wedding rituals overwhelmingly complex, she should simply not bother remembering them. Two bridal matrons would always be by her side to remind her of what next steps to take. She should just follow the bridal matron’s guidance.

The note ended by reminding her that although there are many wedding rituals and a large audience, they are all people closest to her, either family or friends, and any minor mistakes wouldn’t matter; there’s no need to be nervous.

Ye Xinyan reading the note felt a mix of amused and touched, but more than anything, a warmth filled her heart.

Coming to this world blessed with the original owner’s memories, Ye Xinyan knew Jiang Yifan as a distinguished gentleman universally praised for his appearance and intelligence.

But in those memories, Jiang Yifan always maintained a composed demeanor, hardly smiling, making him seem a boring, indifferent man.

To her surprise, after years of interaction, she discovered his personality was entirely opposite.

Ye Xinyan recalled her first meeting with Jiang Yifan; him seated proudly on his horse, looking down arrogantly, which felt unpleasant.

Who would have thought, after traveling so far with Sister Qi and Nanny Jin, that their destination was surprisingly under Jiang Yifan’s jurisdiction? Maybe that darn red thread of fate from the old matchmaker remained uncut after all.

Holding onto the note, Ye Xinyan let her thoughts drift. Suddenly, feeling a rub between her fingers, she focused and saw the note was gone.

She then heard Zhou Biyao’s laughter, in a mockingly annoying tone, "Hey, what’s this? Is it correspondence between Lord Jiang and you passed secretly? This is against the rules! Lord Jiang is quite eager, isn’t he? Doesn’t he realize Sister Qi is about to marry soon?"

As Zhou Biyao spoke, she continued to laugh while looking at the note.

Ye Xinyan’s face flushed, suddenly turning stiff, not knowing how to strike back, only reaching to snatch the paper. This annoying kid knows I’m about to marry Jiang Yifan, so how can passing a note still count as secret correspondence?