Lord Wang asked warmly, "Is your family listed on the Civilian Register or the Craftsmen Register?"
After Song Jiyun’s great-grandfather had risen to prominence, he bought fields and land and switched to the Civilian Register.
"We are on the Civilian Register," she replied obediently.
Lord Wang nodded, then asked, "But you continue to engage in craftsman’s work, do you not?"
This was true.
Although Song Jiyun felt that such a question was somewhat inappropriate, it was true, and she had no choice but to admit it.
She nodded and said, "What you said is true, my lord."
Lord Wang’s expression then softened a few degrees more than before, and with a smile, he said, "Since you are engaged in the work of artisans and you do it so excellently, producing new porcelain, you should dedicate yourself even more to deepening your research and focusing on your studies."
However, his expression suddenly changed, and he became full of official authority, loudly reprimanding her, "How dare you engage in the work of merchants, running off to Nanjing to sell your family’s porcelain?"
Song Jiyun was startled by his sudden change of face, her heart pounding chaotically as she took a deep breath to steady herself.
Just as she was about to answer, Lord Wang abruptly stood up.
He was quite tall, and when he looked at people, his eyes were as sharp as those of an eagle.
He scanned the crowd and said sternly, "No wonder Jingde Town, a renowned ’Porcelain Capital’, has become a mess, shrouded in smoke and chaos, where officials do not act like officials, and citizens do not behave like citizens!"
Everyone in the great hall turned pale, lowered their heads, and trembled violently.
Immortal Baoguang hid directly behind the drapes of the great hall.
Lord Wang continued to rage furiously, "Under the vast heavens, all land belongs to the emperor; along the edges of the lands, all are his subjects. The Imperial Court asked you to surrender your secret recipes, and you hesitated and prevaricated, even trying to negotiate terms with the Imperial Court. Is this how you act as subjects, as citizens?"
He did not spare Eunuch Wan from his scolding, "Eunuch Wan, as the Supervisor of Pottery in Jingde Town, you are like the parent official to the kiln workers. What is a parent official? That is to treat the people under your charge as your children! Have you educated and guided them properly?"
Eunuch Wan was so rebuked that he almost faltered.
Lord Wang seemed to relent slightly, pursing his lips and not continuing his rebuke, shaking his head with a sigh and turning around, adopting a grave and earnest demeanor as he said, "As parents, who does not hope for their children’s well-being? I’ve been silent until now, listening. Do you burn 150,000 pieces of porcelain every year because Lord Wan forced you to increase production? Or did he restrict your production?"
Indeed, he had not!
But there had never been such a rule in Jingde Town.
Heads bowed, no one dared to make a peep, nor did anyone lack the sense to speak up at such a time.
Lord Wang’s tone grew gentler, "After all, Lord Wan does not come from a family with a long history in porcelain-making, and his methods might differ from your usual practices. But ultimately, he oversees all the porcelain in Jingde Town, taking into account the whole town. This is unlike you, who only need to manage your own small plots of land and can focus simply on the ground beneath your own feet. When you point fingers at him, have you ever considered why he does what he does?"
The crowd quietly exchanged glances, beginning to doubt whether they had been in the wrong.
Yet Song Jiyun felt as if a massive hole had been gouged in her heart, leaving her cold.
She was all too familiar with this sort of rhetoric.
Were these not the very opening lines used to beguile and brainwash the masses?
Her gaze turned icy.
"But is that an excuse for your violations and non-compliance? Is that a reason for your protests and refusal to cooperate?" Lord Wang, after his piercing trio of questions, turned the focus back to Song Jiyun.
"The Song Clan!" he said sternly, "Merchants prioritize profit over partings. You are young, thinking that earning money means safeguarding your family’s enterprise. Little do you know that if a person only chases after money, they will only harm their foundation, their role, and their virtue."
He continued with paternal kindness, "It is inappropriate for a stranger to counsel too deeply, and normally these are not words I should speak to you. But seeing that you are a clever and agile woman, handling the kiln factory and supporting a multitude, I pity you for your talents. I do not wish to see them go to waste, hence my painstaking effort to advise you at length."
His manner appeared caring, but to Song Jiyun, it felt more like a veiled threat, "You must know how to appreciate your blessings! Do not, for a small profit, ruin the foundation your father left for the Song Family."
Song Jiyun suddenly began to laugh, her voice respectful yet with a cold light flickering in her eyes, "My lord has paternal love for his people, and since you have gone to such lengths to instruct a commoner like me, how could I dare to disappoint such sincere concern? "
She made a bow and said, "I am indeed willing to offer the recipe for sweet white porcelain to the Imperial Kiln Factory."
She emphasized the words "Imperial Kiln Factory."
Then she glanced at Eunuch Wan, who although still looked somewhat pale, could not entirely hide the joy in his eyes, and said, "I just don’t know how I should deliver the recipe? Should I give it directly to Lord Wan?"
She had to tie Eunuch Wan to the ship of the recipe.
From now on, no matter what happens, Wan Xiaoquan will not be able to extricate himself!
"How dare you!" Before the words had even faded, Lord Wang burst into a great rage, his eyebrows arching fiercely as he pointed and scolded, "The Song Clan, I see you are young and wanted to give you a few words of encouragement, but you actually dare to play these petty tricks before me, stirring up trouble. I feed on the emperor’s grain, why would I covet a minor porcelain formula from your family?"
"Guards! Take The Song Clan into custody. I want to see, in all the heavens and the earth, who dares to defy the imperial edict, who dares to oppose the imperial court!"
The great hall erupted into a buzz.
"How could this happen?"
"There’s no need to arrest Boss Song, right?"
"But it is indeed so, we commoners, how can we not obey"
Immediately, someone stepped forward and tightly grasped Song Jiyun’s arm.
For the first time in her life, Song Jiyun felt the helplessness of a duckweed beneath the might of authority.
But if she simply conceded now, what would happen to her mother and three younger sisters behind her?
Song Jiyun looked up at Lord Wang.
Others merely rob you of all you have, but he isn’t satisfied just with that, he even wants to dig up one’s ancestral grave.
She did not struggle.
Struggling at this time was useless.
If others have set their hearts to scheme against her, the path ahead had already been laid out for her.
She fixed her gaze on Lord Wang, "Lord Wang, since you find me unteachable, may I ask how should I hand over the formula?"
Lord Wang sneered and said, "Too late! I despise those who overreach and do not know when to advance or retreat. Reflect on yourself well in prison, then will you realize where exactly you have gone wrong?"
"I have to go to the prison?"
"What else to do with those taken into custody?"
"I thought just being expelled from the great hall would suffice!"
The people cautiously whispered among themselves, filled with confusion, incomprehension, sympathy, regret, and worry.
Only Song Tao finally relaxed the hands that had been tightly clenched together.
"May the Bodhisattva protect us!" She silently prayed, as Song Jiyun finally arrived at a different ending from her previous life.
Unbelievably, Eunuch Wan was related to Wang Jue, who was the current Jiangxi Administrative Commissioner and who would later become the Minister of Rites and Grand Scholar of Wuying Hall.
No wonder Song Jiyun’s business later expanded to the Capital City.
If it weren’t for the inappropriate setting, she would have burst into loud laughter.
Who would have thought that her little idea could change Song Jiyun’s fate!
Song Tao could hardly conceal her triumph, seeing Old Master Wu next to her with a distraught appearance, she even whispered softly, "Do you know what she did wrong?"
Old Master Wu hadn’t heard clearly what she said at all.
However, a clear and beautiful voice echoed within the great hall, "Really? I am quite interested to know, what exactly did she do wrong?"
The crowd was startled.
They turned around.
Only to see Yuan Yunzhong striding into the hall from outside.
His handsome features appeared especially cold, clothed in a bright red over-the-shoulder brocade trailing behind.
The complex patterns of lotus persimmons made with gold and silver threads on his shoulders shimmered with dazzling brilliance under the dim light of the great hall, highlighting his noble dignity and imposing aura.
His eyes, filled with a snowy gleam, looked straight at Lord Wang and he asked again, "I am very curious to know what Miss Song has done wrong? Instead of being at the Liang County Yamen, why are all of you crowding here?"
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