She Became A Downfall Noble Lady-Chapter 1034 - 1032: Prince Fu’s Sense of Crisis

No wonder scholars resist evaluating craftsmen. The court publicly announces the technical levels of craftsmen from the Ministry of Works; this grand event lets people know that the path in life is not only through study. By learning a craft well, one can not only support a family but also earn court-recognized status, bringing glory to the family.

For families that are average or even poor, learning a craft is more reliable than studying.

For those with talent, if they learn well, they might, by chance, create something new and apply for a patent with the court, potentially turning it into a large amount of silver.

Furthermore, the court can assign a technical level. Those with a higher level receive the court’s official salary as support. Even those ranked lower are considered people with status; common villains who wish to bully them would face legal consequences.

Even without the talent, one can learn a trade and earn a living for the family, far stronger than the scholars who cannot attain fame and have nothing to show for their convoluted words.

Prince Fu participates in the craftsman level evaluation due to the court’s opposition being too strong, forcing the emperor to compromise.

After the craftsman technology evaluation, the emperor did not embarrass Prince Fu too much and assigned him to assist at the Ministry of Revenue.

Prince Fu had previously been in charge of the Ministry of Works. Now, with the court strongly advocating industrial development, it was the right time for Ministry of Works officials to showcase their skills and build their careers. Yet, the emperor assigned him a task in the Ministry of Revenue, as an assistant.

After the previous purging, half the officials of the Ministry of Revenue were punished, with some beheaded, and homes searched. The affairs of the Ministry of Revenue hardly needed assistance; even if the court ignored it, no one would dare to cross the line for several years.

This essentially was an idle position.

Thinking back to the momentum that nearly reached the Crown Prince’s place, and comparing it to today’s awkwardness, Prince Fu felt deeply unsettled.

Moreover, during the craftsman evaluation, when he saw Wong Qiao, his sense of frustration grew even stronger.

Although Wong Qiao still showed respect and tactfully explained that two years ago, when he couldn’t stay in the capital and thought of returning home, the eldest uncle of the Qi family took him in, preventing him from falling too far.

But such flimsy explanations could hardly ease Prince Fu’s shame and suspicion.

The steward of Prince Fu’s Mansion had spent effort to recruit Wong Qiao from Guangsha Construction.

After joining the Iron Workshop, Wong Qiao did replicate the ingenious devices of the Qi Family Mechanical Workshop. However, once the Iron Workshop collapsed, Wong Qiao returned to the Qi Family Mechanical Workshop in Clear Water Village, Yuyuan Prefecture, and within a year, came back to the capital.

Prince Fu could not believe that once someone abandoned their master, the master could so easily take them back and assign them important roles.

The only explanation: Wong Qiao had never forsaken the Qi family.

Prince Fu was confident that his precautions were sound; Wong Qiao was merely a steward craftsman at the Iron Workshop and had no opportunity to engage in the mansion’s confidential affairs.

Despite this, it couldn’t erase Wong Qiao’s malintent toward him.

Even more troubling, Wong Qiao now, leveraging his position at the Qi Family Mechanical Workshop, had become prominent, being one of the leading creators of power machinery and one of the two master craftsmen in the world.

It’s a dangerous phenomenon. Someone who was nothing under Prince Fu’s command became a noteworthy talent when joining forces with Prince Yu.

If others had the same idea, Jinrong wouldn’t need to recruit; people eager to affiliate themselves with him might overflow him.

One day after the craftsman technology level public announcement, the emperor summoned the four Cabinet ministers, officials from the Imperial Workshops Bureau and the Ministry of Works to the palace for discussions. Shortly after, Ye Xinyan, Wong Qiao, and the old craftsman Shi Yin were also called in succession.

Listening to the servant’s report, Prince Fu contemplated. Since the emperor summoned Ye Xinyan and others, it must be about industrial and machinery matters.

Even though he wasn’t handling affairs at the Ministry of Works now, he knew the smelting furnace in Huaiyuan County produced efficiently and steadily.

Moreover, the mechanical workshop’s newly launched modern devices over the past few years significantly enhanced efficiency. If the court strongly supports industrial development, industry might gradually take a leading role in the world.

It’s unfortunate; if he hadn’t coveted the small benefits from the iron mines and iron materials previously, he could have held the world’s leading achievements in his grasp today.

Prince Fu dismissed the reporting servant, unable to shake off the regret in his heart, and simply stood up, strolling out of the Revenue Department Office. And then he saw Jinrong walking leisurely to the side door of the palace.

For unknown reasons, whether due to some psychic perception or something else, as Jinrong was just about to lift his foot, he inexplicably put it down again and turned back to glance.

The side door of the palace was quite far from where Prince Fu was standing, yet Prince Fu clearly saw the smile on Jinrong’s face.

Afterward, His Highness Prince Yu continued his relaxed posture and pace, entering the palace.

The already uncomfortable Prince Fu was enraged by the inexplicable implication of Jinrong’s smile, causing a surge of crisis and ruthless energy within him. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

If the matters of the Ministry of Works had nothing to do with him, it shouldn’t have much for Jinrong either! At the very least, he had managed the Ministry of Works for years, overseeing numerous workshops with far more experience than Jinrong.

The emperor ought to prioritize him for discussions on engineering matters.

However, despite both being princes, the emperor called Jinrong while leaving him aside.

As Prince Fu looked towards the palace, his eyes deepened somewhat.

......

Emperor Qianqing had the potential to be a wise ruler, adept at grasping the key points of matters.

After everyone gathered, the emperor delivered an opening statement.

The emperor’s vision was very good; originally, the court purchased the steam engine patent, only needing to manage its own affairs. But the emperor wished to grasp the general direction of the steam engine’s application and thus convened this seminar.

Cheng Dahui briefly outlined the court’s next step, intending to apply the steam engine to ships.

This plan was remarkably good; ships powered by steam engines would have unparalleled advantages in both transport and warfare.

Ye Xinyan already knew this direction of the court; as part of the privately funded construction industry supported by influential individuals, Ye Xinyan naturally had to formulate her next research plan according to the court’s direction to avoid redundant studies. Not only would it waste resources, but confronting the court meant directly opposing the emperor, surely to her detriment.

However, having been summoned to discuss these matters amongst those of little standing made Ye Xinyan uneasy.

Could the emperor wish for the two parties to cooperate?

Just as she was anxiously pondering, the emperor spoke: "Madam Jiang Ye, Lord Cheng has already mentioned the court’s direction in steam engine research. What are the Mechanical Workshop’s plans moving forward?"

Ye Xinyan’s seat was quite close to the emperor’s, with two palace lady officials standing behind accompanying her.

Seeing Cheng Dahui, Jinrong, and others looking at her, were these people all waiting for her to speak?

"Your Majesty," Ye Xinyan slightly bowed, "The Mechanical Workshop plans to apply the steam engine in civilian textiles. During this phase, not only must the transmission conversion method of the steam engine be developed, but the structure of the spinning machine must be improved, as the tasks are very complex."