Zhu Cunji frowned slightly, irritation clearly visible on his face.
"Casting technology," he said unhappily. "Why can't we manage it? Isn't it just pouring molten iron into a mold and taking it out after it cools? It's such a simple thing. Even I understand it. Why can't my artisans do it?"
His subordinate grimaced. "As for the specific reasons… this subordinate does not fully understand them either, Your Highness."
At this moment, Lian Guoshi could not help but interject.
"Your Highness," he said cautiously, "iron forged by repeated hammering is far stronger and tougher. Iron cast directly into molds tends to be brittle and easily fractured. It lacks durability."
He gestured toward the railway. "This official just observed that the iron carriage weighs at least several hundred thousand catties and carries over a thousand people. Its weight is extraordinary. Rails made purely by casting would surely not be able to endure such pressure. They would crack and fail."
Zhu Cunji raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You understand metallurgy as well?"
"This official only understands the surface of it," Lian Guoshi replied modestly.
Zhu Cunji snorted. "Then you are mistaken."
He stamped his foot lightly against the rail beneath him.
"The rails you are standing on right now were cast."
Lian Guoshi froze. "Eh?"
Zhu Cunji continued irritably, "That is precisely why this prince is annoyed. Others can cast them, yet my artisans cannot. Explain that to me."
Lian Guoshi fell silent.
He thought carefully for several breaths, then spoke slowly. "Then… it must be the quality of the molten iron itself. This molten iron must be exceptionally pure, allowing even cast iron to possess sufficient strength. That must be the reason."
Zhu Cunji's eyes lit up. "Ah! I see."
He immediately turned to his subordinate. "Then how do we obtain this high-quality molten iron?"
The subordinate shook his head. "We do not know. This technique belongs exclusively to Steward Li's household. Such knowledge is certainly passed only within the family. There is no way for us to learn it."
Zhu Cunji sighed heavily. "So that means I still have to buy everything from them, don't I? I can't make cheaper ones myself."
The subordinate nodded.
Zhu Cunji's lips pursed into a sulk.
Lian Guoshi found this strange. "Your Highness, the Prince of Qin's estate is wealthy enough to rival a small kingdom. If you want something, you simply purchase it. Why insist on producing it yourself? That would be both laborious and time-consuming."
Zhu Cunji looked at him as though he were a fool.
"You look clever, Governor Lian," he said, "but you are actually quite stupid."
Lian Guoshi frowned. "Oh?"
Zhu Cunji pointed at the rail again. "Do you know how much a single section of this costs?"
Lian Guoshi silently calculated the iron content, converted it to the price of raw iron, then to refined iron, and finally to silver. Cold sweat formed on his back.
"I fear… it would cost no less than four taels of silver."
Zhu Cunji shook his head. "Not quite that expensive. Xi'an Prefecture produces far more iron ore than other regions, so iron is cheap here. Steward Li sells a section like this to me for two taels of silver."
Lian Guoshi was startled. "That is quite cheap."
Zhu Cunji nodded. "Cheap per section, yes. But think carefully. From Xi'an Prefecture to Yan'an Prefecture, how many sections of rail will be needed?"
Lian Guoshi's pupils shrank.
The straight-line distance alone was five hundred li. Once curves, gradients, and detours were considered, the total length would be far greater.
Even at two taels per section…
The cost was terrifying.
Now he finally understood why Zhu Cunji was so desperate to cut costs.
Unfortunately, without mastering the casting technology, Zhu Cunji had no choice but to continue purchasing rails from Gao Family Village, unable to save even a single copper. He could only economize elsewhere—on the roadbed, sleepers, stations, and labor.
To that end, Zhu Cunji employed the cheapest possible workforce, including large numbers of refugees who were willing to work simply for food.
Even so, the Prince of Qin's estate still struggled to sustain the expense. Zhu Cunji had even gone so far as to solicit funds from nearby imperial relatives just to keep the project moving.
Lian Guoshi felt deeply unsettled.
"Your Highness," he asked, "why invest such vast sums into iron rails and iron carriages?"
Zhu Cunji straightened, his face glowing with confidence. "To make money, of course."
He began counting on his fingers.
"One carriage can carry a thousand people. Charge each person a small fare, and that's two or three hundred taels in one trip. Run a round trip each day, and that's about five hundred taels daily."
He laughed. "That's fifteen thousand taels a month!"
Lian Guoshi was stunned. "Fifteen thousand… per month?"
"Exactly," Zhu Cunji said proudly. "Once I recover the construction costs, everything afterward is pure profit. Hahaha! I will become unimaginably wealthy. No other princely estate will compare."
Lian Guoshi replied flatly, "You are already the wealthiest imperial vassal in the realm. No princely estate compares to you even now."
Zhu Cunji froze.
"…."
An awkward silence followed.
After several breaths, Zhu Cunji snapped, "You, Governor Lian, are extremely irritating. This prince dislikes you and does not wish to speak with you."
He turned to leave.
Lian Guoshi, however, deliberately followed.
"Your Highness, please do not leave. This official has just taken office and has many matters he does not understand. I wish to consult you."
Zhu Cunji waved him away. "Go away."
"Your Highness, who exactly created these iron carriages? This Steward Li—who is he? Might you introduce me to him?"
"No."
"I merely wish to speak."
"Absolutely not."
"Just a conversation—"
"Go talk to Wu Shen or Shi Kefa. You civil officials are the most annoying people alive."
Several hours later, Lian Guoshi sat alone in the Governor's Yamen, reviewing documents.
The deeper he read, the more alarmed he became.
Around Xi'an City, industry and commerce had developed far beyond agriculture. While farming stagnated due to natural disasters, workshops, factories, and trade flourished unabated.
The reason soon became clear.
All such enterprises were registered under the Prince of Qin's estate.
And enterprises belonging to a princely estate paid no taxes.
Profit distribution was simple: forty percent to the Prince of Qin's estate, sixty percent to Steward Li.
Together, these two controlled nearly all economic activity in Xi'an Prefecture.
More disturbingly, Zhu Cunji's forty percent was quickly spent—on luxuries, entertainment, cultural goods, and the massive expenses of railways and iron carriages—most of which flowed straight back into Steward Li's hands.
In the end, over ninety percent of Xi'an's wealth gathered around a single man.
Lian Guoshi's heart sank.
"Who exactly is this Steward Li?" he muttered. "His influence exceeds even that of the Prince of Qin's estate."
He recalled that Wang Shunxing, the former governor, had neither opposed nor befriended Steward Li.
He had simply avoided him.
After a long silence, Lian Guoshi reached a conclusion.
"Provoking local magnates is dangerous. Colluding with them is equally dangerous."
"The safest course…"
He closed the dossier.
"…is to avoid him."