CHAPTER 903: CHAPTER 901: THIS THING IS VERY IMPORTANT

Jinrong was inexplicably stared at by his father. Everything was going well, so what was the problem now?

He always had a discerning eye, and the moment he saw Guangsha Construction’s garden design, he had an urge to claim it as his own. Especially after the incident with Tang Qian, it provided him the opportunity to make this garden a renowned spot.

Such a great thing, how come Imperial Father was perfectly fine when viewing the design, full of appreciation, but when his gaze turned to him, it became so displeased and dismissive?

The Emperor was annoyed when he saw Jinrong’s innocent look and said grumpily: "Not leading the way yet? Are you waiting for tip money?"

"..." Jinrong was speechless. Well, anyway, it’s all his fault no matter what.

Knowing the garden layout thoroughly, Jinrong first led the Emperor to the two-story pavilion located slightly east of the garden’s center, called the Tranquil Pavilion, to rest.

Sitting under the corridor canopy on the second floor of the Tranquil Pavilion, sipping tea, listening to the polite and clear-spoken Attendant tour guide introduce the surroundings, the Emperor’s agitated mood gradually calmed down.

After resting, the Emperor rose and went downstairs to experience the real atmosphere of being there.

Creekview Garden is centered around water, with pavilions and towers scattered throughout, the corridors between them appearing spacious and elegant, naturally poetic. Walking around the pond, one can see the shadows of flowers dancing in the wind, peaks framing the windows, and the full view of Cui Zhu, upright and graceful.

In the winding paths, this ten-acre garden did not feel small at all.

While touring the garden, small pavilions are occasionally seen, either plain and clean or lavishly decorated with carvings, surrounded by flowers, trees, and picturesque scenes of pine and bamboo, each with a unique landscape. Not only is the view superb, but even spending half a day in one of them remains endlessly intriguing.

In the pavilions, apart from furniture and decorations, there are inscriptions in various calligraphy styles and paintings of landscapes, flowers, and birds, done by Ye Xinyan, Jinrong, or literati skilled in painting and calligraphy, or gathered from the family’s collection of famous works, hung up to fit the scene.

Each pavilion carries a plaque with its name, Bamboo Pavilion, Pine Pavilion, Sparse Plum Pavilion, showing variety.

The Emperor didn’t come in vain, he came with enthusiasm and left still wanting more. Not only did he borrow Ye Xinyan’s idea, allowing this garden to gain imperial influence, but upon leaving, he mocked Jinrong’s naming of the garden, finding the name not only soft but also lacking any artistic sense.

Then, with a bold stroke, he renamed it Lang Garden. Not only inscribed personally, but even the garden’s name was changed by His Majesty. You tell me, isn’t this garden’s status high enough now? Can the price be raised?

The next day, without Ye Xinyan’s maneuvering, the garden’s fame soared again. His Majesty not only spared precious time amidst his busy schedule to tour Creekview Garden, but also, after the tour, personally inscribed it, renaming it Lang Garden.

So now, that garden, which has intrigued people for so long, is called Lang Garden. Just hearing the name exudes boldness and a sense of artistic conception.

If the garden wasn’t good enough, how could His Majesty bother renaming and even inscribing it? That’s the Emperor’s personal handwriting!

This business, as Ye Xinyan said, can’t help but be profitable.

Quickly, raise the price.

The original price? Sorry, at that time, the Emperor hadn’t graced us with his presence, we had no idea of our garden’s true market value. Now that the Emperor has guided us, a garden touched by imperial influence, can silver really measure it?

...

In the evening, at the Jiang Family Residence, after dinner, Jiang Yifan and Ye Xinyan sent the servants away. Jiang Yifan took Ye Xinyan and inquired carefully about the efficiency of iron smelting.

Such an important issue, he needed to understand it thoroughly. If improving smelting efficiency was so easy, would iron materials still be so scarce? Although it was suggested by Ah Yan, looking at her expression at that time, she seemed not very confident.

"The other day I heard you mention arranging for Wong Qiao to do some things, but I didn’t expect it to be about improving iron smelting efficiency tools. Do you already have ideas? Otherwise, this matter would be precarious. Smelting has always been a major issue for the court, where a lot of manpower and financial resources are consumed, but the output is never satisfactory."

Ye Xinyan received news from Jinrong today that the Emperor not only agreed for her and Wong Qiao to go to the iron smelting workshop to observe the smelting process, but also truly visited Creekview Garden, oh, now it’s been renamed Lang Garden.

She didn’t know the circumstances under which these events occurred, nor did she know that the Emperor had promised her the patent rights for the steam engine. But just from the Emperor’s mood, the Old Emperor seemed quite anticipating this matter.

So, she spent the entire afternoon caught up in memories of the steam engine and her own self-doubt. Could this machine, capable of changing the course of society and leading it towards industrialization, actually be made in this era? Would it have practical value?

After being troubled for so long, hearing Jiang Yifan’s question, Ye Xinyan responded with a bitter face: "I feel like I’ve gotten myself into trouble, creating a big problem for myself for no reason. Initially, I thought that going to the smeltery workshop was no big deal, just mentioning it to His Highness and taking a stroll through the small workshop. Who would have thought it would lead to this outcome? The Emperor probably places great importance on this matter."

She said, spreading her hands, "Things have come to this point, there’s no choice but to grit one’s teeth and move forward. If I had talked it over with you a bit earlier, at least you would recall that the smeltery workshop is under close surveillance by the court at this time, we could push the time back a bit. By then, whether it succeeds or not, it wouldn’t matter."

Jiang Yifan was not as worried as Ye Xinyan. In such matters, having a good idea is already very important. As the saying goes, planning lies in man, accomplishment lies in the heavens. Whether it happens or not is sometimes not up to personal will, cannot be forced.

Ah Yan and Wong Qiao are merely visiting the workshop, they won’t be consuming court resources. Even if it doesn’t happen, the Emperor might be slightly disappointed but there won’t be any severe consequences.

However, given his confidence in Ye Xinyan, it’s puzzling why she would bring up something she’s uncertain about.

Some things, like what Ye Xinyan mentioned before, colossal creatures that can fly through the sky, even knowing what they are, given their current means, could never be made, hence Ah Yan naturally wouldn’t mention them.

So, what exactly is the thing Ah Yan mentioned?

He asked in surprise: "Is the thing you mentioned difficult to make? If it’s really not feasible, bring out other tools developed by Peach Grove Mechanical Workshop, even if they have nothing to do with smelting, at least they can stall a bit."

Jiang Yifan is the only person in this world with whom she can speak openly.

Ye Xinyan, out of nostalgia for her past experiences and longing for that bustling industrial era, readied herself and explained to Jiang Yifan: "Where I come from, this thing is considered the cornerstone in starting the industrial era, it’s called the steam engine. Once improved, it was only then that the industrial process in my place officially began, greatly accelerating industrial and technological advances."