Shao Qing naturally also knew.
Reclining on the Drunken Master’s Chair with his legs crossed and reading a book, Yuan Yunzhong was asked by him, "Madam Song dispatched the Second Miss and Third Miss of the Song Family to deliver meals to Miss Song. Shouldn’t we take a look?"
Song, Song, delivering...
To Yuan Yunzhong’s ears, these words were all "Song."
A rare wave of irritation swept through his heart as he said, impatiently, "What does someone else’s family business have to do with us?"
Shao Qing looked at him peculiarly.
That single look also made Yuan Yunzhong’s face dark as the bottom of a pot.
Shao Qing could only explain, "I thought you were quite concerned about Miss Song’s matters before, but now that such a big issue has occurred within the Song Family, you seem indifferent."
He also speculated, "Could it be that the Song Family Kiln Factory is involved with Prince Ning’s smuggling scandal?"
Listening, Yuan Yunzhong cast a cold glance at him and said, "If the Song Family is in trouble, what good does that do us?"
Shao Qing finally understood.
When he talked with Yuan Yunzhong about kindness and common decency, Yuan contrasted it with closeness and distance of relationships. When Shao discussed closeness and distance of relationships, Yuan countered with kindness and common decency.
In short, reason was always on Yuan Yunzhong’s side.
He kept his mouth tightly shut.
However, Yuan Yunzhong just had to ask him, "What’s the deal with Yan Ji? Who’s making trouble behind the scenes?"
Shao Qing made a "you’re telling me to keep quiet" gesture, only to be disdainfully glanced at by Yuan Yunzhong, who threatened, "Do you still want to work for the Imperial Guard or not?"
"Not at all!" responded Shao Qing bluntly, "I want to go back and take care of the old master!"
Yuan Yunzhong derided him, "That’s all the ambition you have!"
Shao Qing shamelessly replied, "All I want is a warm bed and my wife and kids."
Having teased, but not daring to truly offend Yuan Yunzhong, he said softly, "Do you think we ought to help Miss Song?"
But Yuan seemed to remain trapped in his previous mood and said sharply, "Help how? Kill all those gossiping tongues?"
"Of course not!" Shao Qing found Yuan Yunzhong increasingly odd today.
But he had no solution.
What he dealt with were matters above the court; they were entirely different from commerce.
Scratching his head in frustration for a while, he decided that since he could not come up with a solution, he might as well put it out of his mind for the time being. His thoughts gradually shifted to other matters: "What do you think, why did the Duke of Ying leave his nephew in such a remote corner as Liang County? It couldn’t be that he is also involved in Prince Ning’s smuggling case, could it? The Grand Ancestor once said, anyone who ’reports a minor offense of a prince,’ would be ’one who sows discord among relatives.’ Is Prince Ning’s smuggling a ’minor offense’ or a ’major offense’?"
But Yuan Yunzhong ignored him.
Shao Qing, used to it, merely prattled on to himself.
Suddenly, Yuan Yunzhong said, "Miss Song is clever beyond measure. Even if she is momentarily criticized by others, she will quickly stand up again, and she won’t let go of those who caused trouble behind her back!"
Shao Qing’s eyes widened.
He was already discussing major court affairs with Yuan Yunzhong, yet Yuan was still on the topic of Miss Song’s issues.
As for Miss Song’s matters, was Yuan Yunzhong planning to get involved, or not?
*
Regarding the rumors about the Song Family Kiln Factory, just as Song Jiyun had anticipated, they evolved from "The Song Family Kiln Factory has produced Shocked Glaze" to soon becoming "The Song Family Kiln Factory sealed their kiln warehouse and the storeroom at the docks, stopping production to investigate all porcelain they produced." Next, it turned into "Anyone who has bought Shocked Glaze Porcelain from the Song Family Kiln Factory can exchange their order for three of their family’s Buddha statues." And finally, it became, "The Song Family Kiln Factory and the Yan Ji Glaze Shop have come to blows, alleging that Yan Ji sold substandard materials to them, resulting in the production of Shocked Glaze Porcelain."
However, sales at the Song Family Kiln Factory were not affected by this gossip. Instead, even more people were lining up at the Kiln Factory, inquiring when they would start taking new orders again.
Passersby asked, "Aren’t you afraid of buying Shocked Glaze Porcelain?"
"Afraid of what!" Most people dismissed the concern, "Aren’t they checking each piece one by one? If there’s a problem found, one can even get three Buddha statues for free."
The entrance to the Kiln Factory was blocked by people. Several groups, like Qian San, with carts full of Shocked Glaze Porcelain, clamored for the Song Family Kiln Factory to exchange goods and compensate. For a time, it was hard to distinguish which ones were there to extort and which ones truly sought compensation.
Even though Jiyun had already arranged for helpers, everyone was still so busy that they barely had time to drink water.
Zhou Zheng was dumbfounded, "Can it really be like this?"
He believed in Jiyun’s methods to turn the tide, but such a sensation was beyond his expectation.
However, Jiyun didn’t feel victorious yet.
She said to Zhou Zheng, "This matter is not over yet. There are still over a hundred pieces of sold porcelain that haven’t been reclaimed, and there should be more people coming sporadically to return their purchases. You all need to be patient and handle the returns and appeasement properly."
Zhou Zheng hurriedly said, "Owner, rest assured, I know what to do."
Gazing at the bustling crowd, he had another worry, "What about our orders? At this rate, we’ll have to schedule them three years out."
Though making a fortune every day, one still needs to be alive to spend it!
He thought of stopping for a while to properly complete the coming orders before accepting any more work.
Jiyun said with a sly smile, "We’ll open a Dragon Kiln!"
Zhou Zheng was stunned.
The Dragon Kiln is named for its shape.
Built along mountain slopes, stretching from top to bottom, sometimes spanning several miles, from afar, it snakes across the hills, resembling both a dragon and a serpent, hence the name Dragon Kiln.
Porcelain firing is a demanding process, all done by hand, from forming to throwing, glazing, and stacking, relying solely on experience.
Due to its large size, the Dragon Kiln loses heat quickly, which can easily cause cracking in the porcelain.
Jingde Town currently uses round kilns, shaped like buns.
They’re easier to control in terms of temperature, and due to better heat retention, the porcelain products are more reliable than those from other kilns.
But a Dragon Kiln can fire many pieces of porcelain at once, and some Kiln Factories occasionally use them when producing low-grade ceramics.
As long as the porcelain doesn’t leak, there’s always a buyer.
It’s just a matter of high or low price.
"But, but our Kiln Factory has never produced low-grade porcelain!" After a long while, Zhou Zheng finally said with a somewhat hoarse voice.
The Owner had already turned things upside down because of a single piece of Shocked Glaze; she would certainly not use low-grade porcelain to pretend to be mid- to high-grade.
But if not pretending to be mid- to high-grade, what’s the use of opening a Dragon Kiln?
He felt his brain wasn’t keeping up with the Owner’s line of thought.
Jiyun laughed, "Just because others can’t do it, doesn’t mean we can’t either! Go invite Master Luo over, and let’s discuss how to start this Dragon Kiln?"
Beyond technique, starting a Dragon Kiln also requires the right location and kiln workers.
Their Kiln Factory has always been firing Bun kilns, built on a spacious flatland.
Previously, other kiln factories were envious of their piece of good land; now, to start a Dragon Kiln, they would need to find another location.
"Borrow!" Jiyun looked slowly at those seated, such as Luo Zixing, and spoke deliberately, "The most prominent tree in the forest is the one most likely to be blown down by the wind. Our family’s business is doing so well; we must have inconvenienced many others. Now that we’re expanding, instead of buying land, it would be better to seek mutual benefit and assistance, borrowing the land of other workshops, so we can all profit together."
As for how to borrow, that would depend on how they negotiated!
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