48 Chapter 48
◎Porcelain making. ◎
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, sending hostages to other countries was a common practice.
As a crown prince or prince of a country, being sent out as a hostage is even more common.
But for Prince Dan of Yan, what was unusual about being a hostage in Qin was that he and Ying Zheng were old acquaintances.
When in Zhao State, Prince Dan was a hostage, but at least he had the support of Yan State. However, Ying Zheng was just a child abandoned by his hostage father. Coupled with the great hatred in the Battle of Changping between Qin and Zhao, Ying Zheng's situation at that time could even be described as precarious.
But times have changed. Prince Dan is still a hostage, while Ying Zheng has become the almighty King of Qin.
Therefore, even though the Qin State treated him with courtesy, Prince Dan could not help but feel resentful when he faced Ying Zheng in the past.
Why didn't he have the same good luck as Ying Zheng? When would he be able to inherit the throne of King Yan and end his humiliating and dangerous life as a hostage?
When Fusu came to see his father, he had just parted ways with Prince Dan on bad terms.
The experience in Zhao State was not a fond childhood memory for Ying Zheng, and anyone involved in this past would not have a good impression on Ying Zheng.
But he was the King of Qin after all, and he adhered to the strategy of making friends with distant countries and attacking nearby ones. Qin had not yet completely broken off relations with Yan State. Even if he was unhappy, he would not show his displeasure to Prince Dan. He still politely welcomed him and invited him to a banquet.
However, what Ying Zheng did not expect was that his courtesy earned him a bad look from Prince Dan.
Prince Dan didn't dare to say anything bad, but his face showed his dissatisfaction and resentment. Unless Ying Zheng was blind, it would be difficult for him not to notice Prince Dan's true emotions.
Ying Zheng was so angry that he almost laughed. Which one was stronger, Qin or Yan? Who was the one under the roof?
Prince Dan is just a hostage, yet he dares to be disrespectful to the King of Qin!
Ying Zheng thought that perhaps the State of Yan missed the Qin army too much.
Fusu saw his father's angry face and hurried over to rub his chest. "Father, don't be angry. Anger is bad for your health! Otherwise, I will have General Meng Tian beat Prince Dan over the head to vent your anger!"
Ying Zheng couldn't help laughing and said, "What nonsense! Meng Tian is not one of those reckless knights from Yan and Zhao. How could he do such a thing?"
"Oh, it's not a good idea for General Meng Tian to do it." Fusu said, "Then I'll ask Mi Qing and Li You to do it..."
"Meng Tian can't do it, but my eldest son can?" Before Fusu could finish, Ying Zheng patted his head and said, "Get off me. Your shoes are rubbing against my clothes."
Fusu used his hands and feet to get off his father and patted the footprints on his robe.
"Then we will have to endure his anger for nothing. Why?" Fusu said angrily.
After being annoyed by his eldest son, Ying Zheng was no longer so angry. He looked at Fusu with interest: "Why are you being so arrogant? How long can he keep jumping around?"
Fusu said: "If the king insults me, I will die. What's more, my father is not only the king, but also my father. I..."
"What are you talking about!" Ying Zheng poked Fusu's forehead and interrupted him again, "How old are you? You're talking about life and death with no restraint!"
Fusu shut his mouth in grievance.
Seeing him like this, Ying Zheng couldn't help but smile. He raised his hand, picked him up and placed him on his lap, and said slowly: "Your king and father are not so useless that he needs a child like you to vent his anger."
Fusu perked up and looked up and asked, "Father, what are you going to do?"
Ying Zheng smiled faintly and said, "Not much."
"Ah?" Fusu was stunned.
Ying Zheng said, "Even if I win a little bit, what's the point of fighting for this little bit of pride? What I and Prince Dan are fighting for is the State of Yan."
Fusu understood, and he smiled and said, "Then the winner between my father and Prince Dan will only be my father."
Ying Zheng rubbed his head and smiled complacently, his meaning was self-evident.
Ying Zheng asked, "How did you come up with the idea of covering someone's head and beating him?"
Fusu said innocently, "Father, there's no need to think about it."
Ying Zheng laughed: "You are quite quick-witted, but all your ideas are crooked."
Fusu chuckled and said that this was just the beginning. People in later generations had much more crooked ideas than him.
Ying Zheng patted him, pointed to the bookshelf beside him, and said, "Go to the second shelf and get the fourth book on the left."
Fusu obediently went to find the book, and there were two big words on the cover: Sun Tzu.
He looked at his father, and Ying Zheng said, "Bring it here."
Fusu came over and sat down, and the father and son read the military book together.
…
When Meng Yi found Fusu in the martial arts training ground, he was correcting Meng Hua's bow posture.
Meng Yi stepped forward and saluted: "Master, I have found the soil you requested. Please take a look and see if it is suitable."
Fusu said, "Hmm...wait a moment."
Meng Yi stepped aside and watched Fusu instruct Meng Hua for a while before stopping.
Meng Hua was not good at archery and had not made any progress after practicing for a long time. He was afraid of being scolded if he asked his father, so he came to ask Fusu to teach him.
Seeing the eldest son coming, the servant hurriedly brought hot water for him to wash his hands. Meng Yi approached and whispered, "Eldest son, Meng Hua...I will ask my brother to teach him."
Fusu said, "Meng Qing, this is not a good thing for you to do."
Meng Yi thought Fusu had misunderstood him, and hurriedly explained, "The eldest son is very busy, so there is no need to waste time on Meng Hua. I..."
"Don't be impatient." Fusu said with a smile, "Mr. Meng, I want to ask you a question."
Meng Yi hurriedly asked, "Excuse me, young master."
Fusu wiped his hands and asked, "If I were talking to Wang Li, Meng Qing, would you come over and interrupt us?"
Meng Yi was stunned and said hesitantly: "Your Majesty..."
"Hmm?" Fusu said jokingly, "Just speak frankly, Meng Qing. I promise I won't complain to my father, nor will I speak ill of you behind Meng Hua's back."
Meng Yi smiled and said, "I really don't know how to do that. But..."
"I know." Fusu raised his hand, "Mr. Meng, please allow me to interrupt you."
Meng Yi said, "Young Master, please speak."
Fusu said, "Mr. Meng, you are worried that people will say that Meng Hua is favored by the king because his father and uncle are favored by the king, and even the eldest son looks up to him, right?"
Meng Yi nodded awkwardly and added, "Besides, Meng Hua is my nephew. I can't treat him differently."
Fusu laughed and said, "But just now you clearly looked at him differently. And I must tell you something, Meng Qing. Although General Meng Wu, General Meng Tian, and you, Meng Qing, are more favored by my father, in my opinion, you are only benefiting from Meng Hua's influence."
"Mr. Meng, I fell in love with Meng Hua first, and then I fell in love with you and General Meng Tian."
Meng Yi was slightly startled, then laughed and said, "I am the one in power, confused and petty. Please forgive me, young master."
He was afraid that Meng Hua would receive special treatment from the eldest son and cause discussion, but he forgot one thing: their Meng family had been favored by the king for generations, and he and his brother had already received enough special treatment.
This is not a matter of panic, but a matter of pride for the Meng family. Because the king values their Meng family so much, they should repay the king with lifelong loyalty and devotion.
Fusu smiled and said, "Okay, let's go and take a look at the soil we brought back."
The clay used to make porcelain must be kaolin. Fusu could not leave the palace at will, so he could only tell Meng Yi about the characteristics of this clay and order him to send someone to find it.
During this period, Fusu ordered the construction of a small porcelain kiln, which of course could not be built in his palace. He asked his father to give him a vacant palace in the former dynasty as a workshop, and asked for some craftsmen, intending to conduct glass research here in the future.
Fusu had solid theoretical knowledge. After seeing the soil that Meng Yi had ordered people to find, he carefully identified it and confirmed that it was kaolin, and then he began to put it into practice.
The first few steps were fine, but when it came to throwing the clay, Fusu deeply understood what it meant to have eyes that could do it but not hands.
Fortunately, since it was his first time, Fusu did not seek to make it too exquisite, and just barely made the shape and considered it completed this step.
Meng Yi watched the entire process curiously. After Fusu had the kiln sealed and repeatedly instructed them to keep the fire burning to maintain the temperature, he asked, "Master, is this ready?"
Fusu said, "Let's come back and take a look at it tomorrow. I don't know what color it will turn into."
Meng Yi asked, "Why is this?"
Fusu explained, "Because the iron content will affect the final color of the shape, I have a poor grasp of this, so I can't control the final color."
Meng Yi nodded, half understanding: "So there's iron added to this soil."
"Uh..." Fusu thought about it, and it was hard to explain. He said, "Just understand it this way."
When the kiln was opened the next day, it was not only Fusu and Meng Yi who came, but also Li You and his four men, as well as Ying Yue, Ying Gao, and Jiang Lu.
In fact, many young princes and princesses wanted to come along, but they were persuaded by Fusu. He promised to let them line up one by one in order to ensure that everyone could see it.
The craftsman carefully took out the fired porcelain and presented it to Fusu. They were four small round bowls that looked green in color.
Fusu rubbed his nose and said, "It's... not very successful."
But the others were already stunned. They were all clearly fired and shaped, and porcelain was much more exquisite than pottery.
Meng Hua murmured, "It...seems to be glowing."
Fusu said: "It is the sunlight that is shining on it, so it does not shine."
"It really is glowing." Jiang Lu also said, "Brother, can I touch it?"
Fusu smiled and nodded: "Of course."
After hearing Fusu's words, everyone stepped forward to touch this new thing they had never seen before. Even Meng Yi couldn't resist his curiosity and went over to touch it twice.
Seeing this, Fusu asked them to try it themselves, and then asked the rest of the children to come and watch to satisfy their curiosity.
"Then they will definitely want to try making it themselves." Ying Yue smiled, "What will you do then?"
Fusu smiled and said, "By then you will have probably learned it, so naturally you will bring them here to play."
Ying Yue: "..."
She doesn't really like taking care of children.
【Author’s words】
The information related to porcelain making in this chapter comes from online searches.
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