Chapter 96 Chapter 96 The address of the dinner party...
The dinner was held in Chengqian Hall.
To show their support, Emperor Chengde, Empress Wen, and almost all the important officials in the court attended. As shareholders of Qingjiangju, Hua Qingzhi and Jiang Wan also had the opportunity to observe this feast.
As night fell, the glass lanterns in the hall were lit. Their shimmering light illuminated the entire Chengqian Hall as bright as day. The main table was naturally occupied by the Emperor and Empress. The seats on either side, the kabuki performers at the banquet, and even the red carpet had all been meticulously inspected by the Ministry of Rites.
Jiang Wan and Hua Qingzhi sat at the last table, looking upwards.
Emperor Chengde wore a bright yellow court robe and a crown with twelve tassels, appearing majestic and imposing. Empress Wen wore a yellow phoenix robe, accessorized with step-shaking ornaments and oriental pearls. Her face was kind and beautiful, her manners elegant and dignified. Sensing Jiang Wan's gaze, she returned it with a gentle smile, not intentionally looking at her, but like a spring breeze caressing her face.
The first seat on the right below was for the Loulan envoy, and the first on the right was for the Wusun envoy. However, the two envoys had not yet entered the palace, so the seats were temporarily vacant.
Wusun was stronger than Loulan, and the Zhou dynasty prioritized the right. The Loulan delegation sat at the first right, firstly because Loulan and the Zhou dynasty had closer ties, and secondly because Wusun prioritized the left, while Loulan and the Zhou dynasty both prioritized the right.
Further down, second from the right, sat a thin, elegantly dressed middle-aged man. As he faced the main table, Jiang Wan couldn't see his face clearly. He only noticed his right hand, which held the wine glass. It was pale and thin, with the pads of his middle and ring fingers uneven and slightly tilted outward—a sign of prolonged penmanship.
Second from the left sat the fourteen-year-old Sixth Prince. Although immature, he exuded a heroic spirit and handsome features, reminiscent of Wen Shen.
It is true that the nephew resembles his uncle.
The Sixth Prince was the only prince attending the dinner. In addition, the Grand Tutor had accepted the Sixth Prince as his disciple a few days ago. Jiang Wan guessed that His Majesty already had a new candidate for the Crown Prince in mind.
Then the person who could sit opposite the Sixth Prince... Jiang Wan quietly asked Hua Qingzhi: "Is that the Grand Tutor?"
"Yes." Hua Qingzhi said, "You also grew up in Lin'an, haven't you seen him?"
Jiang Wan shook his head.
"Indeed, the Grand Tutor likes quietness and rarely attends banquets." Hua Qingzhi lowered her voice. "It is said that he was not like this before, but then his sweetheart passed away... and he became like this."
"ah?"
Hua Qingzhi laughed and said, "It's just hearsay, hearsay."
As they were talking, the door of Chengde Hall opened, and the spy voice of the chief eunuch interrupted their whisper.
"Welcome the Loulan envoys into the palace!"
Jiang Wan looked in the direction of the voice. The envoy was dressed in a solemn red silk robe, and the sun pattern on his shoulder showed his noble status in Loulan.
Aigu wore a serious expression, staring intently at the Chengde Emperor on the throne. Jiang Wan winked at him, but he didn't react, simply slowing down his pace as he passed her.
Then he lifted his clothes in a very childish way.
In fact, his action already has the feeling of the legacy of Wei and Jin Dynasties, but when Jiang Wan saw his action, he knew that this guy's knight addiction had come back.
Last time, he had imaginatively thrust his sword back into its scabbard and said to her, "The waters remain unchanged, the mountains flow green, and we'll meet again someday." If it weren't for the solemn meeting between the two nations, his gesture would probably have been accompanied by a remark, "Miss Jiang! How are you? My swordsmanship has improved!"
Thinking of this, Jiang Wan quickly lowered his head, fearing that he would not be able to help laughing and break the etiquette.
Aigu walked to the main table, placed her left hand on her chest, and bowed. "Crown Prince of Loulan, Aigu, greets His Majesty the Emperor of Great Zhou and His Majesty the Empress. I wish His Majesty and His Majesty eternal happiness."
The deputy envoy beside him held a huge night-shining pearl in his hand. The chief eunuch took the pearl and presented it to Emperor Chengde.
Emperor Chengde: "The Crown Prince is very thoughtful. I remember that when Qingrong got married, I was the one who escorted her to the Yumen Pass. Twenty years have passed, and her child has grown up and even become the Crown Prince. It seems that the King of Loulan has truly cultivated you with all his heart. Qingrong must be relieved if she knows this in the afterlife."
Jiang Wan wanted to laugh when she heard this. You showed no concern for the princess when she was ill, yet now that she's passed away, you're feeling sentimental.
Thinking of this, he became a little worried, fearing that Aigu would confront Emperor Chengde in such a situation. In his impression, Aigu was straightforward and didn't have the evasiveness of politicians. If he couldn't hold back, it would probably end badly.
But surprisingly, Aigu did not show any excited reaction. She remained bent over and said calmly, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."
Emperor Chengde smiled and nodded. The chief eunuch stepped forward, bent over, and pointed to the first chair on the right: "Please take a seat, Crown Prince."
After Aigu sat down, the Wusun envoy came to the palace. It was Tuke, the left general of the Wusun, who was also a familiar face. Tuke presented a Ferghana horse with a pure and beautiful coat, which was said to be able to travel a thousand miles a day.
However, it was inappropriate for a horse to lie across the palace, so Emperor Chengde praised the horse a few words and then had the horse led to Baijun Garden.
After the banquet began, Emperor Chengde raised his glass and said, "You two distinguished envoys have come from afar. I have specially prepared some gifts to express my gratitude."
After a pause, he ordered the eunuch serving beside him: "Bring it up."
After a while, two eunuchs, each holding a tray, knelt in front of the envoys of the two countries.
When the red silk was removed, Jiang Wan revealed a newly crafted cup on the tray. It was shaped like a strange goat's horn, with a pure white base and a colorful pattern painted on it. There was a hollowed-out area on the front, inlaid with a emerald green gemstone, and surrounded by a gleaming gold rim.
Even people who don’t know much about porcelain can feel the magnificent and prosperous atmosphere at first glance.
Not only did the court officials whisper their praises, but Emperor Chengde also showed a satisfied expression.
On the envoy's side, General Tuke recognized it immediately: "Is this the Lai Tong Cup?"
"Indeed," said Emperor Chengde, "I have heard that the Lai Tong cup originated from Wusun and later spread to Loulan. I believe both envoys are familiar with it. However, this Lai Tong cup has been modified using the craftsmanship of our Great Zhou. The craftsman who made this cup is right here, that—"
Queen Wen reminded quietly: "Jiang Wan."
"Yes, let Miss Jiang introduce you two."
Jiang Wan stood up, first kneeling before Emperor Chengde, then walked over to the envoys' table and saluted General Tuke and Ayigu. Both envoys looked at her, but General Tuke's eyes were surprised, as if he had just recognized her; while Ayigu's gaze was much more complicated, and she couldn't understand it for a moment.
Jiang Wan cleared his throat. "Your Excellencies, this cup is modeled after the Lai Tong Cup. The entire cup is made using porcelain craftsmanship, but it's painted with pastel colors to mimic the white color of the Wusun Lai Tong Cup. The porcelain made with this pastel color is crystal clear, pure white, and easy to color."
"The Laitong cup in front of the Wusun envoy depicts Kunmi hunting; the one in front of the Loulan envoy depicts a noble worshipping Buddha. The painting utilizes multiple colors, fired multiple times. Vermilion, in particular, is the most difficult to achieve, so it's applied using the overglaze red technique. The front is hollowed out using the transparent glaze technique, and the inlay is the renowned jadeite agate of the Great Zhou Dynasty, sourced from Lingnan and extremely valuable."
After a pause, she said, "These are the latest porcelain technologies from the Great Zhou Dynasty. I hope the two envoys like them."
After hearing this, Emperor Chengde, Empress Wen, and all the court officials were shocked. Jiang Wan's descriptions of pastel and overglaze red were completely unheard of.
If Jiang Wan was an ordinary little girl, I'm afraid these old ministers would scold her on the spot for making trouble.
But now she is a shareholder of Qingjiangju, the top-earning porcelain company, and a talented craftsman who has defeated "Liuguang Yuwan". Everyone from the Zhou royal palace and royal clans to the noble families and officials all give priority to buying Qingjiangju's products. The court officials can only secretly sigh at her superb skills and courage, and dare to use new technologies and new styles that have never been on the market as state gifts.
And the effect looks very shocking.
From a distance, the two Laitong cups were dazzling and exuded an air of elegance. Many courtiers craned their necks to get a closer look. If they weren't at the banquet welcoming the envoys, they would have even rushed over to take a closer look.
Of the two envoys closest to the Lai Tong Cup, General Tuke knew nothing about porcelain and seemed to understand only vaguely what Jiang Wan said. He was curiously studying the pattern on the cup; Aigu eagerly took the tray, his eyes shining as he praised repeatedly.
Jiang Wan breathed a sigh of relief.
To solve the technical problems of replicating the Laitong Cup, Jiang Wanke stayed up all night for three days, even using a potion to activate it. It wasn't until yesterday, when the cup was sent for firing, that she finally had time for a good night's sleep.
First, there was pastel painting. This was a technique that belonged to the field of white porcelain. She bought a tutorial from the system and studied it all night before she finally mastered it.
He Wanrong had chosen the designs for her after browsing countless albums of Western Region paintings. But she had to apply the glaze herself—famille rose is a soft-colored porcelain, and the glazing method is different from that of previous celadon, but its advantage is that it can be painted with vermilion—the main color of Western Region paintings.
Jiang An bought the jade agate from a nearby merchant. Although the price was high, it was the easiest part of the entire production process.
Jiang Wan learned three techniques in three days: pastel technique, soft-color porcelain glazing technique, and overglaze red technique, and finally created these two Lai Tong cups.
Fortunately, the effect is pretty good.
General Tuke glanced at the deputy envoy beside him, and the deputy envoy stood up and took the tray with both hands.
However, the moment his hand touched the tray, something unexpected happened.
The moment the tray left the eunuch's fingertips, it suddenly tilted, and the Lai Tong cup slid down along the tilted angle and quickly left the tray.
General Tuke stood up in shock, but the dining table in front of him stopped him and knocked his knee.
He paused in pain, but because he was less than a second late, he was no longer able to catch the Lai Tong cup.
Breaking the state gift in public at a banquet, whether intentional or not, was suspected of provocation. Wusun sent envoys to visit Zhou for the first time. Zhou wanted to seize the opportunity to form an alliance with Wusun, and Wusun naturally also wanted to form an alliance.
If the state gift was broken by the deputy envoy, I'm afraid it would be difficult to resolve.
The deputy envoy and the young eunuch kneeling beside him were both so frightened that they could not move. The young eunuch hung his head, his back hunched and shaking like a sieve.
For a long time, he still didn't hear the sound of porcelain breaking.
Jiang Wan knelt down and took the Lai Tong cup with both hands. He raised his head and glanced coldly at the deputy envoy.
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