Chapter 8 Seeing blood is one thing, but if others have this craving, so be it.
"Your subject greets Your Highness the Crown Prince." Cui Jin was about to bow when Mu Chenbi lifted his wrist. Cui Jin did not stand on ceremony and straightened up, nodding and smiling at him.
Mu Chenbi glanced towards the Imperial Study, then studied Cui Jin's expression. His handsome face suddenly relaxed. "When can Xingguo Fang return to the capital?"
Cui Jin made a gesture.
"Half a year?!" Mu Chenbi exclaimed. "Sir knows that meteorite cannot be forged, but it's just a formality, why would it take half a year?"
"Why is Your Highness so certain that Xingguo Workshop cannot melt it down?" Cui Jin retorted.
Mu Chenbi sighed, "I can't argue with you, sir. Fine, six months it is."
“That’s right,” Cui Jin said with approval. “You are the future emperor, so you must be patient. There’s plenty of time. Why can’t you wait even half a year?”
"I can wait, but the Jin Kingdom cannot." Mu Chenbi's youthful temper suddenly subsided, his imperial aura pressing down like Mount Tai, his expression remarkably similar to that of Mu You in his prime. "I went to the inner workshop again last month, and what kind of things were they casting? Calling them junk would be an understatement. How can those things be held by the soldiers of my Great Jin? How can they protect the country when they are so easily defeated!"
"Your Highness has lofty aspirations, and even the Emperor and I have praised you," Cui Jin said in a low voice. "Once Xingguo Workshop returns to the capital, the revival of the Great Jin's casting technology will be just around the corner."
“I am determined to see all the workshops in the world, and I am very curious about their special skills.” Mu Chenbi’s eyes were bright. “Xingguo Workshop’s Heavenly Furnace is made of Yunnan red bricks, and the furnace fire never goes out. When Xingguo Workshop returns to the capital, it will surely take the Heavenly Furnace with it.”
"As long as the body is in the furnace, Your Highness will have plenty of opportunities to learn." Cui Jin was both amused and annoyed. The imperial majesty of the crown prince couldn't even last half an incense stick's time. "Your Highness is exceptionally talented. If you could use even half of your obsession with weapons on state affairs, you would surely become a great emperor for all time."
"I really hadn't thought about it." Mu Chenbi lowered his phoenix-feather eyebrows.
"With Mr. Cui's assistance, isn't the Emperor a great emperor for all time? Father and son have dominated the ages, Mr. Cui is truly capable."
As the imperial carriage drew nearer, the curtains were lifted, revealing a dignified and composed face. The Empress spoke gently yet with dignity, glancing over Cui Jin's unusual ghostly face, and nodded, gesturing for Mu Chenbi to come to her side.
Just as Mu Chenbi bowed in greeting, a boy of about sixteen or seventeen years old appeared from the other side of the phoenix carriage. He was full of scholarly air, but his eyes were full of cleverness. He bowed to Mu Chenbi and said, "Le Xiu greets Crown Prince Brother."
Empress Shen followed Mu You for over twenty years and bore him two sons: Shen Bi, who was brave and valiant, and Le Xiu, who was intelligent. Mu Shen Bi was personally taught by Mu You from a young age, while Mu Le Xiu grew up by her side. Perhaps due to their different personalities and infrequent meetings, the brothers were not very close. When Mu Shen Bi went to the inner palace to pay his respects as a child, Mu Le Xiu would inevitably wail upon seeing him. Empress Shen, out of pity for her youngest son, exempted her eldest son from the formalities of paying his respects. Over the years, the brothers grew even more distant.
"Your subject greets Your Majesty." Mu Chenbi approached the imperial carriage.
"What are you saying to Mr. Cui? You're almost blocking my imperial carriage." Empress Shen hadn't seen her eldest son for many days and missed him dearly. Seeing him looking radiant and triumphant, she felt gratified.
Cui Jin shook off his cloak and gave a deep bow to the Empress and the prince, saying, "Your subject will take his leave now."
Mu Lexiu glanced coldly at his one eye, then watched him stroll leisurely away, and said disdainfully, "Just a charlatan, he doesn't even respect the Empress Dowager, does he really think he's an immortal?"
“Le Xiu, Mr. Cui has already paid his respects to me. How could he be disrespectful?” Shen Yu frowned. “Your father also said that Mr. Cui should just be himself when he walks around the palace and doesn’t need to be bound by formalities.”
"Mother," Mu Lexiu said stubbornly, "there is a distinction between ruler and subject. Cui Jin calls himself a subject, so he should act like one. If everyone is to follow his example, what kind of etiquette will the Great Jin Dynasty have left?"
“If you have grievances against your teacher, just say it to his face. What kind of hero talks behind people’s backs?” Mu Chenbi hardened his voice. “Your mother says you love reading, but is this how the classics teach you to be a person?”
"Mother!" Mu Lexiu's face flushed red. "Your subject merely reprimanded Cui Jin for his disrespect towards you, how did I get scolded by my elder brother?"
"Alright." Shen Yu rubbed his temples. "The two brothers bicker as soon as they meet. They must be enemies from a past life. Le Xiu, he is your elder brother, the Crown Prince. It's alright for your brother to teach you a few words. Just listen to him."
Mu Lexiu clenched his fist and rolled his eyes. "Your Majesty is standing at this intersection. It seems that after meeting with Mr. Cui, you're going to the Inner Palace again. I heard that the Inner Palace has produced some junk that has offended Your Majesty." Lexiu was shrewd. The head of the Inner Palace was the Emperor's brother-in-law and Empress Shen's elder brother. Whenever Shen Yu heard that Mu Chenbi was causing trouble for the Inner Palace again, his head would ache with worry.
"Yes." Mu Chenbi didn't hide anything. "So what? Father often praises you for being well-read. Shouldn't a scholar be oblivious to what's going on outside the window? You've heard this and that. It seems you haven't been studying diligently."
Shen Yu paused, and Mu Lexiu swayed slightly, moving closer to the phoenix carriage. Shen Yu gestured for her eldest son to come closer, "Your uncle, have you gotten into trouble again?"
"It's normal for the quality of castings in the Imperial Workshop to vary; it's not a big deal," Mu Chenbi said casually. "Is Mother going to see Father?"
"I heard that your father hasn't been sleeping well these past few days, so I specially had some calming soup prepared." Shen Yu gazed at Mu Chenbi's handsome face and then added, "You're almost twenty now, so you should share the Emperor's burdens more often. The inner palace is not what it used to be. I've also advised my brother to be pragmatic, but your uncle is stubborn. When you get the chance, you must try to persuade him, understand?"
"Your subject will keep this in mind."
Seeing the imperial carriage disappear into the distance, Mu Chenbi approached his younger brother, coughed, and said, "You've heard, I've heard... Several new actors have arrived at Shiya Pavilion, and you even summoned them to the palace to see them..."
“Brother.” Mu Lexiu trembled. “It’s all just hearsay. You must have misheard. It’s just rumors. I’m afraid you’ve misunderstood it too.”
"Logically, it's none of my business," Mu Chenbi said in a low voice. "It's one thing for others to have this kind of hobby, but you're my brother. If Father finds out..."
"No." Mu Lexiu's eyes flickered. "However, it wouldn't matter if Father Emperor knew that I was studying poetry and music."
"You'd better watch yourself." Mu Chenbi turned and walked away.
Mu Chenbi had no interest in meddling in his brother's affairs. Just how many unknown skills did the Pei family of Xingguo Ward possess? And what kind of formidable craftsmen were they? Mu Chenbi was itching with anticipation, eagerly awaiting the Pei family's triumphant return.
Canglang Island, Xingguofang
Lou Shitou shouldered the large sack delivered from the mine, groaning as he poured the freshly dug charcoal into the sieve. Guan Ye rubbed her hands together, then gestured for him to join her in lifting the sieve by its four corners and shaking it slightly. Fine pieces of charcoal fell through the mesh into a prepared winnowing basket. Guan Ye bent down to examine them, skillfully picking out small pieces of charcoal of varying colors and tossing them behind her head. Lou Shitou caught them steadily, then crushed them in his large hand, turning the charcoal into dust.
Guan Ye used to do this kind of work dozens of times a day. She was so familiar with it that she could tell whether the charcoal stones in the winnowing basket were to her liking just by touching them with her eyes closed. Ever since the meteorite entered the Heavenly Furnace, the furnace has been like a charcoal machine. There weren't enough people to work with, so Pei Bi recruited some casual laborers from outside the workshop. They worked for a few days and were then sent away. The work looks simple, but if you are not careful and mix in some other stones, you won't be able to refine silver charcoal if the purification is not thorough enough. The Heavenly Furnace is only for burning silver charcoal.
Seeing that it was Guan Ye who brought the winnowing basket, the charcoal master knew what was going on. Without even glancing at it, he took it and poured the charcoal into the red-hot copper pot. The hot and cold contact caused sparks to fly up. The master took off his long robe and tied it at a slant across his chest, revealing large chunks of dark, muscular muscle. He swung an iron shovel bigger than Lou Shitou's head and quickly stirred the charcoal. The impurities mixed in with the charcoal were instantly removed during the burning process. The hissing black smoke stung his mouth and nose. In the blink of an eye, the charcoal master shouted and lifted the shovel. The shiny black charcoal was lifted high and, as if by magic, returned to the winnowing basket without a single piece falling.
"Great!" Lou Shitou clapped his hands happily. "Amazing!"
"Want to learn?" the sizzling master asked smugly.
"I won't learn it." Lou Shitou shook his head without even thinking. "It's burning my face."
"You don't know what's good for you." The master curled his lip, and seeing that Guan Ye was also watching intently, he leaned closer and said, "I heard from others that you, girl, have declared that you'd rather be a blacksmith than a sword slave. That fool won't learn from you, but why don't you?"
"I won't learn." Guan Ye blinked.
"You can't even heat the raw materials, how can you forge iron?" the man snapped. "With this, a young girl like you wants to be a foundry master?"
"Even a stone would feel a burning pain in its face." Guan Ye deliberately touched her face. "I was just joking with others, Master, please don't take it seriously."
After being rejected repeatedly, the metalwork master lost face and said to Lou Shitou, "Your father has been burning metalwork all his life, but your younger brother won't learn it. If you don't learn it, how will you face your ancestors if the skill is lost?"
“My brother is doing very well.” Lou Shitou spat at him, “You’re the one who’s seen your ancestors.”
"Everyone says your younger brother was carried off by wolves," the stoker said anxiously. "You're the only one left, you idiot."
Lou Shitou picked up a few pieces of charcoal and threw them at him, hitting the man squarely on the head. Bright red blood streamed down his face. The other charcoal burners who were busy nearby stopped what they were doing, picked up their shovels, and were about to beat Lou Shitou up.
"Let's go." Guan Ye thought to herself that something was wrong and grabbed Lou Shitou's wrist to pull him out. Before she could finish speaking, a shovel came down and Lou Shitou braced himself against it with his arm, leaving a deep gash that tore his flesh apart.
"A bunch of old masters bullying us, what kind of heroes are they?" Guan Ye shouted.
"Get out of the way! We're going to teach Lou Shitou a lesson today!" the man yelled, clutching his forehead. "If you don't leave, I'll beat you up too."
"Why aren't you making a move yet?" Outside the courtyard, Ajiu and Cangyu had been watching for a while. Ajiu leaned against the door with her sword in her arms, staring intently at Guan Ye, who was not showing any weakness. A group of people were swinging their shovels over her head, but she still held her head high and went for it, as if the sky falling down would only make a loud noise and she would not be afraid of being crushed to pieces.
Cang Yu looked conflicted, taking several steps forward only to pull back again. "We've just returned to the workshop... If we rashly stand up for others... If the workshop owner finds out... These are all experienced craftsmen."
"There's blood everywhere." Ajiu couldn't help but look at Guan Ye. Did she really think that big oaf could protect her? She'd let him get away, yet he was still standing there, not moving. Did he think his head was harder than a shovel?
What a...stupid girl. Ajiu shook her head inwardly, drew her sword and was about to step forward when suddenly a figure in yellow robes shoved aside Cangyu, who was blocking her way, and got ahead of her.
"Get out of the way!"
"—Miss Muyun." The surrounding chefs recognized Jiang Muyun and exchanged glances before putting down their shovels.
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