Lord Wang Xian thought of the machinery that was seven or eight squares in size and couldn’t help but ask further, "Your Majesty, this humble official will immediately summon my subordinates and Ministry of Works officials to discuss. However, we still have many questions about that device called a lathe, and I wonder if there is someone at His Highness Prince Yu’s residence who could resolve our doubts?"
The emperor looked towards Jinrong, who wasn’t inclined to keep secrets and replied, "Among the people who delivered letters and goods to the capital, there are two who have worked in the Mechanical Workshop. Lord Wang, if you have any questions, just send someone to Prince Yu’s residence to inquire. I will let Uncle Wan know when I return."
Lord Wang Xian hurriedly clasped his hands in thanks. He hadn’t expected His Highness Prince Yu to agree so readily. As for whether they should purchase the machinery, that still needed to be discussed with his subordinates, to determine if this kind of device would indeed be used in engineering. Once a conclusion was reached and His Highness Prince Fu made a decision, they would proceed accordingly.
After sending Lord Wang Xian and the others away, the emperor stood up and said to Jinrong, "Let’s talk in the inner room."
In the inner room there was a heated brick bed, which was warm and cozy in this winter day. The emperor sat down directly on the bed, and a eunuch came forward to help him remove his shoes. As he lifted up his robe to sit on the bed, the emperor called to Jinrong, "You come and sit on the bed too. It’s been a while since we father and son have had a talk."
Although Jinrong verbally agreed, he didn’t actually sit on the bed. Born into the imperial family, in addition to the father-son relationship, there was a more important relation of sovereign and subject to consider, and many rules could not be transgressed.
He had a eunuch move a brocade stool over and sat down on the edge of the bed, close to the emperor, waiting for his questioning.
After the tea was brought, the emperor took a couple of sips before asking Jinrong, "You’ve added another business venture, also in partnership with that woman from the Ye Family?"
Jinrong didn’t hide anything; after all, the emperor had ways of finding out whatever he wanted to know far more conveniently than they did, and attempting to conceal the truth would only provoke suspicion.
Ignoring the emperor’s reference to Ye Xinyan, Jinrong answered truthfully, "Miss Ye used the Qi family’s silver. When preparing the Mechanical Workshop, there was not enough silver, so my son and Jiang Yifan, the magistrate of Qingyuan County, also invested silver. Thus, it is a partnership among three parties."
"Jiang Yifan..." The emperor repeated the name, "The Ye Family lady’s ex-husband, right? Jiang Yifan and Ye Xinyan can actually get along amicably?"
"Yes," he said, somewhat reluctantly, "Both Jiang Yifan and Miss Ye are not petty-minded and didn’t mix personal emotions with business." He still regretted it now. If he had not harbored a desire to watch a spectacle back then, not tangled Ye Zi’s affairs with Jiang Yifan’s, he could have avoided a strong rival and not be as troubled as he was now.
He was such a fool. When he first saw Ye Xinyan in the slums of the capital, he should have realized that Miss Ye, who had reached a dead end, had changed from before.
But he didn’t notice. Not only did he not notice, but when they met again, he also didn’t take the finally emerging talented Ye Xinyan seriously or keep her in his heart. It was because of his repeated desire to see a joke that he mixed Yuanfan and Ye Zi again and again.
Now, the bitter fruit indeed tasted astringent.
The emperor, with sharp-eyed observation, looked at Jinrong and said, "Able to continue supporting the Qi family and dealing appropriately with the ex-husband. From this perspective, the Ye Family lady has indeed become quite sensible, hasn’t she?"
Jinrong felt a bit uncomfortable with the emperor’s repeated references to Ye Xinyan as a lady, "Imperial Father, Ye Xinyan is just a young woman who has just turned twenty, an age suitable for marriage, so it is not appropriate to refer to her as a woman."
The Emperor stared at Jinrong for a few moments before slowly saying, "Your wife has been gone for five years now, hasn’t she? Over the past six months, your Royal Mother hasn’t stopped mentioning your remarriage to me. What are your plans? Have you taken a fancy to any young lady from a certain family?"
The Emperor shifted the topic from Ye Xinyan to his remarriage, causing Jinrong to become more cautious. Since he returned at the end of last year, his Royal Mother, Consort Liang, had repeatedly urged him to remarry. She had kept mentioning the daughters of influential families or those from Aristocratic Clans, because of their beauty or virtues, which gave him quite a headache.
Now that the Imperial Father had asked again, how could he refuse?
Jinrong stood up and respectfully replied, "In the last two years, your son has just started doing some business and doesn’t want to be entangled in household affairs. After my business stabilizes in a couple of years, I will think about remarriage."
"Sit down. We are Father and Son here, just talking about family matters; no need to be so tense." The Emperor gestured for him to sit down and continued, "Remarrying a princess consort is merely to help you manage the prince’s mansion’s affairs, and to have someone looking after you when you return to the mansion. How could that hinder your work?"
Jinrong glanced at the Emperor and cautiously answered, "Having an additional woman in the house is always more worrisome, and it’s difficult to manage the women of this world. Your son wishes to wait another couple of years, until things are quieter, then consider remarriage."
"Threaded fasteners, those were also made under the supervision of the Madam of Ye Family, weren’t they? If Minister Wang and the Ministry of Works Official discuss and decide that threads can be used for rail connections, doesn’t Ye Xinyan need to come back to be informed of the matter?" The Emperor brought the topic back to Ye Xinyan, which made Jinrong very anxious.
He was indeed eager for Ye Xinyan to return to the capital city; leaving Ye Zi in front of that lad, Jiang Yifan, truly did not put his mind at ease. He even feared that calling Ye Zi back now might already be too late.
But coming back to the capital, Duke An’s granddaughter, so many excellent marriage prospects awaited her.
Jinrong answered ambiguously, "Miss Ye handles affairs with strong capability, and if she could return to provide guidance, it would naturally be best. However, it seems that there are still a few business matters in Yuyuan Prefecture that haven’t been properly settled." Unable to decide, Jinrong spoke with deliberate vagueness.
The Emperor looked at Jinrong for a long time, making him extremely uneasy before slowly saying, "Ye Tang’s granddaughter was already unlike a proper lady in confinement even before marriage. Although she has undergone some turmoil and has grown a lot, she is still a woman who has been married before."
Jinrong opened his mouth, wanting to offer a defense, but was stopped by a light glance from the Emperor, "You understand the rules of the royal family. If your business truly cannot do without her, and Duke An is also willing, she can continue to work on your enterprises. As for anything else, don’t think about it. Don’t end up losing the business as well."
When the Emperor made his warning clear, although his words were cautionary, they weren’t very harsh, Jinrong then gathered his courage to probe, "Imperial Father, Ye Xinyan is not an ordinary woman, and cannot be constrained by ordinary rules. She is truly a rare and good woman, with a broad heart and a lot of tolerance in dealing with others, a kind-hearted and untroubled nature."
"What then?" asked the Emperor with a smile that was not quite a smile. In the Imperial Family, when selecting a wife, the qualities he mentioned did not rank first.
Jinrong stood up again and knelt on the ground, saying to the Emperor, "Your son is but an idle prince, who will belong to the collateral branches of the Imperial Clan after two or three generations. Your son believes that for someone like me, the requirements for choosing a wife need not be too stringent."
Emperor Qianqing had to suppress a laugh, having not expected Xiao Liu to use all his cunning to become an idle prince, who, besides living freely, actually had the convenience of marrying as he pleased!