Chapter 989: Chapter 987: Sensational Impact
When Qi Younian inquired about Lady Zhao, Wong Qiao’s expression was somewhat inexplicable, unable to tell whether it was relief or disappointment.
"My mother bought more than three hundred acres of land and a few houses with servants in Clear Water Village and its surrounding areas, and has stayed in Clear Water Village."
Lady Zhao experienced major changes in the capital, and then was pressured by the Zhou family to return to the Qi family to make a living. To Lady Zhao’s delight, life in Clear Water Village with the Qi family was far more comfortable and smooth than following under Prince Fu’s command.
This realization made Lady Zhao feel uneasy, yet she couldn’t bear to give up this enjoyment and comfort.
In Clear Water Village, Wong Qiao remained Steward Wong. Whether at the Mechanical Workshop or in Cheung Wusi’s management of the Qi Family Construction Business, Wong Qiao received respect from the craftsmen.
Along with this, his mother, the chief manager, also enjoyed honors that were unattainable elsewhere.
Moreover, Qingyuan County was far from the capital, far from Qi Younian and Ye Xinyan, allowing Lady Zhao to mentally erase the unhappiness from the capital as if it never happened. She enthusiastically purchased dozens of acres of land and bought two houses of servants in Clear Water Village, planning to become a wealthy old real estate lady for real.
However, after residing in Peach Grove for just a year, a letter arrived from the capital demanding that most of the Mechanical Workshop’s personnel be relocated there.
For most people, this was an opportunity to witness the prosperity of the capital and live a good life. But for Lady Zhao, returning to the capital meant needing Qi Younian and Ye Xinyan to admit that her previous actions were wrong. And she must acknowledge that it was the Qi family that provided her and Wong Qiao their livelihood.
Lady Zhao couldn’t bear the disgrace.
Thus, just before Wong Qiao departed, she simply bought over two hundred acres of land, hired over a dozen maidservants and old women servants, becoming the largest landlord in Clear Water Village. She used it to prove that without the Qi family, she could still live well.
As for Wong Qiao, it was only natural for her son to pursue a career. As a mother, she certainly couldn’t become a stumbling block for her son.
Lady Zhao hid her inner thoughts and feelings of bitterness, using a grand reason to stay in Clear Water Village.
Wong Qiao didn’t elaborate as much, but Qi Younian remained silent for a long while, then sighed, "That’s also good. In a few years, once you establish yourself in the capital and have a decent status, perhaps your mother will realize, and you can bring her over then. She only has you as her son. Even with servants serving her, they ultimately aren’t family."
For the sake of his sworn brother, Qi Younian could consider Lady Zhao, but Wong Qiao’s future was still of greater importance.
Wong Qiao came to the capital this time for the research and application of Steam Engines. Ye Zi said this was a major matter, and if done well, Wong Qiao’s future could be promising. At such a crucial time concerning his progeny’s future, if Lady Zhao causes any trouble, it would indeed be a matter of lifelong consequences for the descendants.
Wong Qiao responded dully, feeling uneasy. No matter how one puts it, she was the mother who raised him, leaving her alone thousands of miles away felt truly unbearable to him as her son.
Seeing Wong Qiao’s low spirits and noticing it was getting late, Qi Younian urged, "Once you have a status in the future, your mother’s worries may dissipate, and she’ll certainly be willing to come to the capital. Alright, that’s enough about this; it’s getting late. Didn’t Lord Zhou remind you to visit him? Go now, and pay your respects to your father-in-law and mother-in-law early, so as not to keep the elders waiting."
......
The next morning, Wong Qiao, temporarily residing at his father-in-law’s house, arrived early at the Mechanical Workshop in North City, sorting the equipment and tools they had brought with other craftsmen, aiming to soon test the Blast Furnace driven by steam power.
Yesterday, Ye Xinyan had already sent an invitation to Zhou Biyao, advising her to rest at home and arranged to visit in two days.
Therefore, she also arrived early at the Mechanical Workshop, reviewing the materials and records of the Steam Engine’s development process.
She had barely begun when Hongzhi arrived with two attendants.
Hongzhi stood at Ye Xinyan’s work desk, explaining his purpose with some hesitation.
The early court session ended quickly today, and as the court dismissed, the Emperor kept Jinrong, calling him to the Imperial Study Room to inquire about Wong Qiao’s research results over the past year.
Jinrong reluctantly told His Majesty about what they saw yesterday regarding the operation of the steam engine model.
"His Majesty wishes to see this self-operating machine, so the prince sent me to discuss with the lady," Hongzhi said cautiously, glancing at Ye Xinyan’s expression. "I found no one at Guangsha Construction, and only caught up with you at the Mechanical Workshop."
Hongzhi and a few attendants have always been close to Jinrong, and none of Jinrong’s matters escaped them. The Steam Engine is crucial, also being a significant profitable project for the Mechanical Workshop.
Now, with it not yet completed and the Emperor wanting to observe it, if the operational principle of the Steam Engine were disclosed, how could one argue with the Emperor?
Ye Xinyan looked at Hongzhi’s prudent demeanor and couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. She originally thought to perfect the Steam Engine and its Blast system, then apply it to Smelting Furnace before unveiling it. Such a sudden impact could maximize the sensational effect of its usage.
This impact would benefit raising recognition of industrialization both in the public and the court, allowing people to view the importance of craftsmen with wholehearted attention.
But at this moment, the Emperor intervened.
With the steam engine model taken into the palace and seen by the Emperor, it would surely draw people’s attention. By that time, both developing steam engines and blast furnaces would become widely known matters, simply waiting for results.
But how could the effect still be described as sensational then? It would entirely be like boiling a frog in warm water.
As for patents and the like, Ye Xinyan placed those in a secondary position.
Patent laws were being hastily finalized, but in this era, the rules were that imperial power reigned supreme. Once the steam engine from the Mechanical Workshop caught the Emperor’s attention, even if others knew how to replicate it, they couldn’t wrest the patent rights away. Naturally, no one would be foolish enough to forcibly seize something that passed under the Emperor’s gaze.
Since the Emperor wanted to see it, whether she liked it or not, she had no choice.
"Yesterday, it was Master Shi who explained it to us; let’s have him talk about it."
Upon hearing Ye Xinyan’s instruction, one of the attendants ran out swiftly.
Master Shi came in only to learn that he was to present before the Emperor, and shook his head like a rattle-drum, "I’ve spent my life carefree, and now seeing the Emperor? If the Emperor grows fond of me upon meeting me, and in the future, keeps me confined to the capital, occasionally chatting, wouldn’t I become a caged bird? That won’t do. This steam engine was originally Ah Qiao’s initiative, and I merely offered some suggestions."
Such matters are better handled by the young."
Master Shi resolutely expressed this, casually waved his hand, and his usually slow-moving body suddenly left briskly.
This kind of Master Shi made Ye Xinyan feel frustrated. An unattached person truly acts with enough spontaneity.