Song Jiyun, of course, had no idea about Lord Wang’s murmurings.
In her view, didn’t a boy escort a girl home after a date? That was only proper, wasn’t it?
When she got home, she noticed it was already late, so she simply went to the study room and looked through the account books of the last few months.
Ever since the incident at the Liangyu Kiln Factory and Eunuch Wan’s visit to the Song family to ask for forgiveness, the prestige of the Song Family Kiln Factory in Jingde Town had peaked—when the new blue and white porcelain was released, it sold out in an instant. Not to mention the Song Family Kiln Factory itself, even the workshops and kiln factories that fired porcelain with them had orders lined up for three years ahead. Even so, they were hard to come by; there were even scalpers selling orders in the market.
The Song Family Kiln Factory was so besieged by other workshops and kiln factories in Jingde Town that they all wanted to join hands with the Song Family to fire new blue and white porcelain. The store managers and master craftsmen were wined and dined to the point of exhaustion day in and day out by various hosts. Xiang Yang even moved to the kiln factory, saying he wouldn’t return home until the craze subsided.
The account books of the Song Family Kiln Factory were even more impressive—a riot of colors and patterns, and the income for just March had already matched that of the previous year.
Song Jiyun contemplated that not only did the production of the new blue and white porcelain need to be expanded, but a reward system had to be established. Otherwise, over time, everyone would lose their motivation.
After spreading out some Xuan paper, she began to draft and draw when Madam Qian came in with some refreshments.
"The Xiong Family sent over some Hui-style flaky pastries the other day. I thought they were quite good, so I had the kitchen make some," she said as she personally arranged the pastries on a plate and brewed a pot of chrysanthemum tea before speaking, "I heard that you went out with Lord Yuan today, is that true?"
She had not yet officially informed Madam Qian of her time spent with Yuan Yunzhong.
Song Jiyun pondered for a moment and succinctly relayed the events between them to Madam Qian as she poured her a cup of tea, saying, "I was afraid you would worry, so I was planning to tell you after he returned from the Capital City."
Madam Qian worriedly asked, "Will his family agree?"
Song Jiyun never indulged in baseless speculation and replied, "I have not yet met his family. I’ll know after I meet them. Besides, since I’ve decided to be with him, as long as he does not give up, I have nothing to retreat from. If it still does not work out, it’s not as if our meeting was in vain. The worst-case scenario, I’ll return to Jingde Town."
To reassure Madam Qian, she even wrapped her arms around hers and cooed, "You won’t despise me for coming home to freeload, will you?"
"Nonsense!" Madam Qian’s eyes reddened, "My daughter is so good, why should they look down on you? If you come back to Jingde Town, stay by my side, I would wish for nothing more! If you want to make porcelain, then make porcelain; if not, just travel around. When we are old, we can simply have one of your sisters adopt a child for you to raise and look after you in your old age. There’s nothing to be afraid of."
Song Jiyun felt a warm affection in her heart and sincerely said, "Mother, it’s wonderful to be your daughter."
Madam Qian’s tears streamed down as she caressed her head and said, "You have a family to fall back on, what is there to fear?"
Song Jiyun nodded repeatedly, "Having a mother like you, I fear nothing."
While they were still speaking, Xiang Zhan popped her head in and said, "Lord Yuan is here."
Madam Qian quickly wiped her eyes with a handkerchief, composed herself, and sat down at the table with the dignity of a mother-in-law.
Yuan Yunzhong, as usual, performed the ritual greeting to her and then said to Song Jiyun, "I am about to set off for the Capital. I am leaving Wang Hua here; if you have any matters, direct him. If he’s unsure of what to do, you can wait for my return before deciding."
Song Jiyun was taken aback, intuitively sensing that this matter was related to Prince Ning.
Not wanting Madam Qian to worry, she nodded, "Then I’ll see you out."
Madam Qian, astonished, had wanted to ask about Yuan Yunzhong’s family situation, but now the moment had passed; she quickly said, "Why are you leaving so soon? Didn’t you say you’d wait until Prince Ning’s case was settled before deciding?"
Yuan Yunzhong replied, "Prince Ning’s case must be concluded by the Three Departments. I am rushing back to the Capital precisely for this matter."
As he spoke, he also glanced at Song Jiyun.
Song Jiyun suspected his words were not yet finished. After helping Yuan Yunzhong to pacify Madam Qian, he signaled her with a look and said, "I’ll see you out. We need to hurry up and pack up at Yinyu Hall, decide what to take with us and what we can leave behind. I’ll get a few more people to lend a hand."
Yuan Yunzhong naturally agreed.
As the two left Song Jiyun’s courtyard, Yuan Yunzhong immediately grabbed her hand and squeezed it, then handed her a brocade box, saying, "I was planning to give this to you in a few days, but it seems there’s no more time."
"What is it?" Song Jiyun asked curiously as she opened the brocade box.
Inside the box was only a copper key.
He said somewhat embarrassedly, "I thought that we couldn’t always live at your family’s house, so I bought a residence not far from the Yamen. The house is still livable, though a bit run-down. Whenever you have time, you could go have a look, let Wang Hua buy some furniture and plant some flowers and trees according to your preference. If you don’t like it, you can also have Wang Hua find a residence that you’d prefer."
Was this a case of getting the provisions ready before the troops move out?
Song Jiyun actually quite liked the idea.
She cheerfully agreed with an "Okay". While walking with him towards Yinyu Hall, she started to discuss the house with him, "Do you like camphor trees? Camphor can repel mosquitoes. There are a lot of mosquitoes in Jingde Town during the summer due to the lush vegetation, so I think we should plant several camphor trees around the house."
Even the sorrow of parting seemed to disappear.
Yuan Yunzhong "Hmm’d" in agreement, his gaze at her gentle as water, and said, "I also think camphor trees are nice. If you’re worried about mosquitoes, you can also plant some mountain pepper trees. My maternal grandfather’s house is surrounded by many mountain peppers."
It was the first time Song Jiyun heard of this, and she discussed it enthusiastically with Yuan Yunzhong, until they reached Yinyu Hall. Only then did her expression become somewhat solemn as she whispered, "But has something happened with Prince Ning?"
Yuan Yunzhong replied, "We don’t know yet. But based on the travel time from the Capital City to here, it should have nothing to do with him."
However, the news had come so suddenly that there must be some unexpected change.
Song Jiyun was a bit worried for Yuan Yunzhong, "Then you must be careful on the road!"
Yuan Yunzhong took her hand and said, "Don’t worry, this time I will be brandishing the Inspector’s Ceremonial Staff."
Guaranteed to depart smoothly and return safely.
Song Jiyun also wanted him to return soon. She stood with Yuan Yunzhong in the courtyard packing up, passing him the porcelain prepared for him piece by piece.
"This Jihong Porcelain Brush Washer is very rare. My father has made porcelain for so many years and has only managed to produce seven or eight pieces like it. You can give it as a gift. These are items from the Four Treasures of the Study made of sweet white porcelain. I reckon they must already be popular in the Capital City; otherwise, Eunuch Wan wouldn’t be using them to curry favor. This new blue and white porcelain is a rare find nowadays. Although it’s commonplace in Jingde Town, it should still be quite impressive in the Capital City. I’ve brought several sets of tea utensils for you..."
She instructed him on each one.
All these porcelain pieces bore a signature, and considering the wealth and status of the people Yuan Yunzhong intended to give them to, this was also a way to promote their belongings while giving gifts.
Yuan Yunzhong agreed, and Shao Qing arrived, dusty from the road, and said, "Young master, everything is ready. If we travel overnight, we should reach Lake Entrance by dawn."
Song Jiyun exclaimed in shock, "You’re in such a rush?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
