93. Family Affairs and State Affairs
While Chen Ji was resting and drinking water, Bai Li quietly approached him and whispered, "I just saw them secretly writing down what you said. You'd better be careful and don't let them steal your skills."
Chen Ji drank the water from the cowhide water bag while looking around. Wherever his eyes fell, many men with thick eyebrows and big eyes avoided his gaze.
He asked doubtfully, "Princess, this is your father's message. Aren't you on your father's side?"
Bai Li said angrily, "Let's put it this way. Stealing is wrong!"
Chen Ji smiled and said to Bai Li: "It's okay, Princess. Look, these craftsmen are all good at building kilns. It's so tiring for them to come and help with the work. It won't hurt to learn something. Don't be so stingy."
Bai Li was disappointed: "I don't know if your skills are truly valuable, but since my father was eager to learn from you, it must be good. I don't know if you are truly confused or just pretending to be. Don't you understand the principle that teaching your apprentice will only make the master starve to death? My father is a man who is friendly to the people, but when it comes to getting things done, he has many tricks up his sleeve. If he didn't have some tricks, would the gentry in Jiangnan obediently give him food and fodder?"
"Well, you say that about your own father."
Bai Li rolled his eyes: "Forget it, I can't explain it to you clearly, I'll go talk to him!"
Chen Ji looked at her back as she left angrily and suddenly laughed.
At this time, Feng Daban ordered people to find tables and chairs from the village, covered them with coarse cloth, and set up a chessboard. "I'm afraid this kiln renovation won't be completed in a short time. Your Highness, please don't stand there. I will play a few games with you to keep you from getting bored."
Prince Jing said with a smile, "Come on, I almost lost my faith in Taoism when I played chess with that kid the other day. Playing chess with you today is a good opportunity to regain some confidence."
Feng Daban whispered softly, "Your Highness is so ruthless in his words."
"Come on, guess first."
Just as Prince Jing grabbed the chess piece and put it in his palm, he suddenly saw a slender white hand reaching out from the side, taking the chess piece out of his palm and throwing it back into the chess basket.
Prince Jing slowly turned his head.
Bai Li stood aside angrily: "Dad, what on earth are you doing here?"
Prince Jing explained sincerely, "Dad is here to help, but Dad's health has been declining over the past three years and he really can't do heavy work anymore. Otherwise, Dad would definitely help move bricks and paste mud right now."
Bai Li frowned and said, "Don't pretend to be ignorant when you know the truth. You are not here to help, you are here to steal my skills!"
Prince Jing quickly stood up and took Bai Li's wrist as they walked out of the kiln factory. "How could a great Prince Jing like me do something like stealing someone's skills? Come on, let me take you out for a walk. By the way, your birthday is in a few months. Do you have any gifts you want?"
Bai Li struggled and was dragged out: "Dad, your bribery is useless, please let me go..."
Just as I reached the door, I saw a carriage slowly stop in front of the door, followed by several servants and guards riding tall horses.
The driver took off the footstool and placed it in the mud, then helped Chen Liqin slowly get out of the carriage.
"Prince? Why are you here?" Chen Liqin was stunned.
He came to look for traces.
When he heard that Chen Ji had come to the kiln to mess around, he was furious. Time flies when you are young, and you should seize every minute to study. How could he come to this kiln to waste time?
But he didn't expect to see Prince Jing and Princess Baili as soon as he got off the carriage!
When Prince Jing saw Chen Liqin, he was also startled: "Why is Lord Chen here?"
Chen Liqin bowed and said, "I just went to the clinic to make up for my son's tuition.
I have agreed with Imperial Physician Yao that my son will no longer be an apprentice in the clinic. I intend to send him to Donglin Academy next spring. When he returns after completing his studies like his elder brother, I will have him take the imperial examination and serve the Ning Dynasty.
Bai Li exclaimed, "Is Chen Ji no longer at the Taiping Clinic? Is he going to Donglin Academy for three years?"
Prince Jing held onto Bai Li and said seriously, "I was wondering why such a brilliant child like Chen Ji was placed in the Taiping Clinic. If he could take the imperial examination and serve the court, he would have a better future."
"Your Majesty is wise."
"Chen Ji is in there. I'll take you to find him."
Bai Li whispered, "Dad, Chen Ji doesn't want to go back to the Chen Mansion."
Prince Jing laughed and said, "Little fool, that's his family affair. Can you make the decision for him?"
…
…
At this time, Chen Ji and Liang Maoer were pushing the stone mill together, and they had prepared the raw materials early. Once the kiln modification was completed, they could start burning cement immediately.
Chen Liqin saw his dusty appearance from afar and immediately frowned: "Chen Ji!"
Chen Ji looked up in astonishment and subconsciously asked, "Why is Master Chen here?"
When Chen Liqin heard the address of 'Master Chen', he immediately said displeasedly, "I have already discussed it with Imperial Physician Yao. From now on, you don't need to go to Taiping Clinic. Come home with me."
Chen Ji was silent.
Have you discussed this with Master?
No longer an apprentice at Taiping Medical Clinic?
Inside the kiln factory, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at Chen Ji.
Chen Ji suddenly said with certainty: "Impossible."
Chen Liqin frowned: "What's impossible?"
Chen Ji said seriously: "Master will never agree to this."
Chen Liqin was stunned. He had originally intended to trick Chen Ji back, but he hadn't expected him to see through his lies. What kind of trust could this person have to be so sure of?
He slowed his tone and said, "Chen Ji, I know you're still angry, but the servant who secretly withheld your monthly salary has been beaten to death, and the housekeeper was also beaten with ten boards. No matter how angry you are, it's time to calm down. You are not a child anymore. You should understand the two paths you have to choose. If you stay in Taiping Medical Clinic, you will only be a seventh-rank imperial physician in your old age. But if you take the imperial examination, you will be a shepherd in the future, and the people you come and go will be all famous figures. You will see a completely different world."
Chen Ji suddenly asked, "Master Chen, when do the summer cicadas crawl out of their holes after the rain?"
"Why are you asking this? Don't waste your time on such meaningless things when you are young!"
Chen Ji smiled and said, "Master Chen, please go back. I think being an apprentice in a clinic is fine. Maybe being an official would be nice, but I don't want to."
Being an official is good, but I don’t want to.
With great force.
Bai Li stared at the figure of the young apprentice, who was frank and upright, neither humble nor arrogant.
Chen Liqin's expression finally darkened. "Chen Ji, such a major matter is not up to you to decide. You are young and ignorant now, and you think you are right, but your parents will never harm you. Come, tie him to the carriage and return home!"
The next moment, Chen Ji looked at Prince Jing innocently: "Prince, are you still going to learn the technology of modifying the kiln?"
Prince Jing was stunned: "So you have already discovered it, why are you pretending not to know?"
Chen Ji smiled and said, "Your Highness is wholeheartedly serving the people, so it doesn't matter if he learns from you."
Prince Jing raised his eyebrows and said jokingly, "But we have almost learned it now, so you can just follow me."
Lord Chen, please return home. You can take the imperial examinations in the future and become a general or a prime minister."
Chen Ji's smile widened. "Your Highness, you don't think this little downdraft kiln can really be used to smelt iron, do you? Where does the molten iron flow out, and where does the iron powder flow in? How do you immediately fry the molten iron into wrought iron? How do you carburize the iron into steel? Could it be that Your Highness has learned all of this?"
Prince Jing was stumped by a series of questions. He subconsciously looked at the military craftsmen he brought with him, but saw that they were far away and were as anxious as ants on a hot pan. They were gesturing to him with their claws and teeth, insisting on keeping this kid!
Prince Jing was amused. "You used the kiln modification trick to lure me, but you hid so many things? Feng Daban, today I said I would teach this young man a lesson, but he taught me a lesson instead. Yeah, he took advantage of me."
Feng Daban smiled and said, "Doctor Chen is indeed very intelligent."
The military craftsman of the Jing Dynasty waved his hand and said, "Don't let Master Chen take Chen Ji away. He must stay."
Bai Li muttered quietly, "Dad, you just said this is Chen Ji's family affair."
Prince Jing lowered his voice and said righteously, "This is not a family matter now, it's a state matter."
At this time, a group of military craftsmen blocked Chen Ji and pushed the servants and guards of Chen's mansion back.
Chen Liqin looked at Prince Jing and asked in confusion, "Your Highness, this is my family affair, why are you interfering?"
Prince Jing patiently explained, "Chen Ji is needed here to do something important. Sir Chen, please go back. He cannot go back with you."
"What is he doing here?"
"This is a military secret, and I can't tell you yet."
Chen Liqin was breathing heavily and his beard was shaking. He didn't expect that he had failed twice in a row in trying to bring Chen Ji back home.
He looked at Chen Ji, then at Prince Jing. "I still have to preside over the curtain banquet, so I'll take my leave today. But Your Highness shouldn't interfere too much in my family affairs. I'm sure I'll bother you again in the future."
Prince Jing waved his hand and said, "Go ahead."
Seeing Chen Liqin striding away, he looked at Chen Ji with a sharp gaze and asked, "What is carburizing steel?"
Chen Ji turned around and looked at the inverted flame kiln behind him: "Your Majesty, things must be done one by one."
Prince Jing laughed in anger and pointed at him with his finger in the air: "Okay, okay, then do it one by one! Wang Kezhi, take your people back and hurry up. I want to see the complete kiln tomorrow morning!"
The leading military craftsman, Wang Kezhi, clasped his fists and said, "Yes!"
After the artisans left, Liu Quxing looked at Chen Ji bitterly and said, "Chen Ji, you should go back to the Chen Mansion with your father. He's right. The imperial examination is a path to greatness, a path that will take you straight to the top. Being an imperial physician means you can only be with patients in Luocheng. If you're unlucky, you might not even be able to become an imperial physician."
Chen Ji rolled up his sleeves again and said with a cheerful laugh, "If I go to Donglin Academy for three years, won't you forget about me? How will we drink then?"
Liang Gou'er, who had been lazing by the wall, suddenly reappeared. He lifted his sun-shading straw hat and, holding a withered grass stem in his mouth, said slowly, "Young people act without considering the consequences. Later, you'll understand that becoming an official is the best way out in this world. You'll regret it, but by then, it will probably be too late!"
Chen Ji smiled and said, "Then we'll drink together and cry bitterly. You'll regret your marriage, and I'll regret my future!"
Liang Gou'er cursed and covered his face with his straw hat again: "Your curses are a bit dirty..."
(End of this chapter)
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