91. Offspring

The rooster crows in the morning.

The crow was beside the bed, pecking gently at Old Man Yao's hair.

Old Man Yao slowly opened his eyes and listened to the gentle splash of water in the yard. He put on his coat and went out with Wuyun in his arms.

In the yard, he saw Chen Ji with his sleeves rolled up, walking out carrying a shoulder pole.

Old Man Yao sneered and said, "It seems you weren't tired enough yesterday. If you're really not tired, why don't you open a door in the courtyard wall first? This will save the prince and Bai Li from climbing over the wall every day."

Chen Ji explained with a smile, "We used too much water last night when we washed off the dust on our bodies. So I got up early this morning to fill the water tank so that we wouldn't have any left when we cook. Did I let you rest while I cooked? I'll be more gentle next time."

"Not really."

Old Man Yao sighed.

He noticed the changed red apricot tree in the yard and said with emotion, "Next spring, when the apricot tree blooms white, it should be very beautiful. It's great to be able to do things with friends when you are young. You may be shabby at the time. But decades later, when you look back on them, those old friends seem to be shining."

Chen Ji was surprised.

Old Man Yao looked at him and asked, "Do you have any more red cloth?"

Chen Ji was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly took out the red cloth strips that he had not used up last night, and went to the main hall counter to get a brush and handed it to the master.

In his impression, Old Man Yao always looked dull, never pretentious, and never tolerated pretentiousness.

Today, the other party suddenly became sentimental.

Old man Yao took the brush and gently wrote his wish on the red cloth: "Stop harming the old man, you little bastards."

Chen Ji had no expression on his face and slowly turned to look at his master.

Old man Yao said slowly: No need to hang it on the apricot tree, hang it on your forehead, then you can help me fulfill this wish.

Chen Ji said unhappily, "Are you trying to make fun of me so early in the morning?"

Old Man Yao wrapped the red cloth around the lowest apricot branch and said in a dull tone, "Yesterday evening, Jin Zhu came to the clinic looking for you, but you weren't there."

"Did he say anything?"

Old Man Yao put his hands behind his back and turned to walk towards the main hall of the clinic. "No, how could he casually tell the imperial physician about the Secret Service? But I know why he came to see you."

Chen Ji followed his master carrying a shoulder pole: Why?

The Secret Service failed to apprehend the Jingchao thief who used the firearm, so they're returning to the clues of the Gold Workshop and the Craftsman Supervisor. Yesterday, they went to the Cao Gang and arrested a number of people. Perhaps there's a new clue for you to uncover. Did you go to Liujiatun to avoid him?

Once you join the Secret Service, there's no way out. Where can you hide?

Chen Ji said softly, "I suspect that Concubine Yun is planning to push the prince and the princess into this vortex, so I simply took them away from the trouble. Now that Prince Jing is back, perhaps no one will dare to frame them anymore. But every day is a day."

Old Man Yao raised his eyebrows: "Is Concubine Yun going to harm her own child?"

Chen Ji hesitated for a moment, then spoke his conjecture: "Master, Tian Jingchao already knew in advance that the Jiefan Guards had surrounded the Gold Shop in Hongyi Lane. The person in charge of the Gold Shop fled in advance, but someone deliberately lured the Crown Prince and the Princess there. Aside from Concubine Yun, no one else would have done this. My guess is that he would have enlisted his own child to inherit the throne of Prince Jing."

However, Chen Ji was also a little confused: "But I don't understand. Concubine Yun doesn't have a son, why would she do this?"

"You ask me? I'm not a spy!"

Chen Ji thought about it over and over again, and always felt that he was missing a key piece of information, just like when a building is completed, the most critical wooden tenon is missing in the mortise and tenon structure.

"Master, has Concubine Yun ever had any children die in these years?"

"No, she only has Baili as her child."

"Have there been other children who died in infancy in Prince Jing's Mansion?"

“Never heard of it.”

Chen Ji was surprised: "Master, is Prince Jing in good health? A powerful prince only has three sons?"

Old Man Yao said calmly, "Having too many children isn't necessarily a good thing. If this palace had another boy, I'm afraid there would be another bloody storm. Perhaps Prince Jing experienced the cruelty of the succession struggle, so he couldn't bear to see his children kill each other, so he stopped having children."

“It’s indeed possible!”

Chen Ji still had a question in his mind: "Concubine Yun has no offspring to inherit the throne of Prince Jing. Why did she kill the Crown Prince, Bai Li? If she was going to do it, she should have done it after she had an offspring. Did I make a wrong judgment?"

etc.

Chen Ji looked at Old Man Yao and said, "Master, how long has it been since Prince Jing stayed overnight in Feiyun Garden or Wanxing Garden? Uncle Crow can communicate with birds, you must know this."

Old Man Yao sneered, "Who do you think I am? Would I do something like eavesdropping?"

Chen Ji said seriously: "Master, this is very important."

Old Man Yao stroked his beard and said, "In the three years since I came to Luocheng, Prince Jing has never spent the night in Wanxing Garden or Feiyun Garden. He has always lived alone in Mingzheng Tower."

Chen Ji was silent and filled in the last wooden dowel.

He seemed to understand why Concubine Yun did this.

While he was thinking, there was a rustling sound outside the wall.

Chen Ji and Old Man Yao walked back to the backyard suspiciously.

The next moment, the prince's head popped out from the eaves: Chen Ji!

Chen Ji was surprised: "Prince, you're here so early? It's unlike you to be so hardworking."

The prince's face changed. "Look at what you're saying. Didn't I work diligently yesterday? Chen Ji, you have to speak with conscience."

Diligent, very diligent.

The prince's expression softened. "I want to discuss something with you. Yesterday you said you needed help to modify the kiln. I found some helpers for you."

Chen Ji responded with a smile: "It's a good thing to have helpers."

The prince hesitated slightly: "This helper's identity is a bit special, but you don't have to feel pressured. He is mainly curious about what we are doing..."

The more Chen Ji listened, the more he felt something was wrong.

The next moment, someone set up a ladder opposite the courtyard wall, and a figure appeared on the eaves.

Chen Ji's expression changed: Prince?

Why did you invite Prince Jing when you asked for help?

But Prince Jing was still wearing his patched clothes. After climbing into the clinic, he smiled and said, "Climbing over your own wall is quite exciting. No wonder the prince and Baili didn't go through the main gate."

The prince lay on the eaves of the wall and laughed happily: Right.

Chen Ji quickly made a face to the prince and whispered: The prince is mocking you, can't you hear it?

The prince's smile gradually disappeared.

Prince Jing slowly walked to the apricot tree, raised his hand and picked up a red cloth strip, silently looking at the wish written on it: "Did you write all of this? It's been a long time since I've seen such a simple wish. Usually, I see more people asking for official positions and wealth."

Chen Ji put down the shoulder pole and asked curiously: Your Highness, are you going to help us?

The prince smiled and said: I am definitely not in a good condition to work, but I have called other helpers for you. They are on the way and should be here soon.

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a knock on the door outside the clinic, and someone shouted through the crack in the door: Your Highness, we are here.

Prince Jing raised his hand and pointed, saying to Feng Daban who had just climbed into the yard: Open the door for them.

While Feng Daban went to open the door, Chen Ji whispered to the prince: Prince, have you said anything to the prince?

Prince Jing is an extremely pragmatic person. He must have come early in the morning because the Crown Prince mentioned something that interested him.

The prince lowered his voice and said, "After morning class today, my father asked me what I did yesterday. I boasted to him about your story, saying that earthen kilns are not easy to use, and that even if the local tyrants can modify it to a semi-inverted flame, we still don't care. Today we are going to build a full inverted flame kiln."

Chen Ji thought thoughtfully: What did the prince say?

The prince shrugged: He asked me what was going on with the downdraft kiln and the chimney.

Where to place it, how to leave the air intake and flame holes, where to place the combustion chamber, how high to leave the fire wall... How would I know these? I said it was all confidential. I can't tell him.

Chen Ji was stunned.

Prince Jing is so professional?

The so-called rising flame kiln, flat flame kiln, semi-downdraft kiln and full downdraft kiln, the essential difference is how the flame flows in the kiln.

Most people's impression of a kiln is that it is just a mound of earth, and few people pay attention to the internal structure of the kiln.

A powerful vassal king actually knew so much about this matter that he even came here specially to join in the fun?

At this time, the door of Taiping Medical Clinic opened, and more than ten men walked in one after another.

The men had dark skin, muscular bodies and were very strong.

The first man saluted Prince Jing and said: Your Highness, I have brought people with me. They are all experts in kiln construction.

Prince Jing nodded, then turned to look at Chen Ji: "Let's go that way?" There was an oxcart ready at the door.

Chen Ji was stunned for a moment: You also make ox carts?

Prince Jing laughed and said: We are going to work, so what else can we ride if not a ox cart?

After going out, Bai Li subconsciously wanted to get on the ox cart that Chen Ji and his group were riding in, but Prince Jing stopped him and said, "Where are you going? Come and sit here."

oh!

Bai Li lowered his head and slowly sat down next to Prince Jing.

Three ox carts set off slowly, and the wooden wheels made a squeaking sound as they turned.

With Prince Jing at their side, everyone in Chen Ji's ox cart was extremely reserved...

On the two ox carts on Prince Jing's side, the strong men all had solemn expressions, were serious and gritty, and were chewing on bread with their heads down.

When they arrived at the kiln factory, the men got off the car and started working.

First clean up the messy kiln factory.

Chen Ji took a branch and drew a construction plan on the ground: first dig out a foundation, leaving space for a combustion chamber on each side.

While he was drawing, Prince Jing suddenly interrupted and asked, "Are the interior walls straight up and down, or are there vertical blast holes? Wouldn't that send all the flames straight up to the dome?" "Can the temperature at the bottom of the furnace be raised?"

Chen Ji explained: The cross-section of the flame hole should be small, so that the flame flow speed is extremely fast. As long as the dome is a reasonable arch, the flame flow will roll back downward in the furnace.

In addition, holes should be left on the fire wall to ensure more uniform temperature.

Another man wondered: Why do we need to keep two combustion chambers?

Chen Ji continued to explain: It is also for the convection of the flame flow, so that the flame flow can change from a semi-inverted flame state to a fully inverted flame, and the temperature can be increased by another 20%.

Prince Jing was surprised: "So much? Do you know what a 20% temperature increase means? So many craftsmen have tried so hard to raise the temperature by 10% and still can't do it, and you say 20%?

Chen Ji thought about it: It should be fine.

Prince Jing pondered for a moment, then turned to look at the man he brought with him: Do you think this is feasible?

The leading man hesitated and said: Your Highness, please allow us to discuss this.

But I saw more than ten men gathered together and whispering.

Finally, one of them said, "Give it a try, and you'll know. As long as the drawing is correct, building a kiln this small will only take one day."

Feng Daban found a barely usable chair from the kiln factory, wiped it clean, and put a piece of coarse cloth under it for Prince Jing: "Prince, please sit down and rest. Your body cannot stand for long."

Prince Jing raised his hand to stop him: It’s okay, let’s take a look first.

Chen Ji took the prince and others to the kiln.

Unexpectedly, the leading man saw them piling up for a while and simply said: "Prince, you guys step aside, just pass the bricks and mud to the side, and we will do the rest."

The prince muttered softly: I’m being disliked.

Liu Quxing whispered: "What should we do? Should we prove that we are no worse than them?"

The prince looked at how efficiently these men worked, thought for a while and said: No need, I allow them to dislike me.

End of this chapter.