Indeed, the atmosphere at Diagonal Street No. 2 Alley was tense, and the people hurried forward to see Song Jiyun.
"Owner, Shopkeeper Zhou has gone to the Yamen to fight the lawsuit. He won’t be in trouble, right?"
"What should we do? Those people from the Deng Family are really arrogant. Just now, someone came to our doorstep to scold us, threatening to make our family suffer." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
"Wang Hua said it’s nothing to worry about. But I heard that the Deng Family has the backing of someone from the Metropolitan Censorate, and he’s a Third rank official. Won’t Young Master Yuan be at a disadvantage?"
About Yuan Yunzhong’s family background, Song Jiyun didn’t share much with the people around her. Moreover, the position of Inspector General wasn’t a permanent one in the court at this time. It was appointed as needed and revoked once the task was completed, so their concerns weren’t without reason.
"It’s alright," she reassured the people around her. "Wang Hua will handle these matters."
Of course, they didn’t fully trust Wang Hua, but they did trust Song Jiyun. Since she said so, they believed her.
As Song Jiyun led Master Xiao Guo and the others toward the back courtyard, she informed them of today’s visit to the Manufacturing Office, "We need to quickly fire up a few kilns to test the temperature and the heat. What I fear is focusing only on the blueprints while Longquan Porcelain might directly fire up the finished products. After all, the impact of physical objects is more direct."
The people thought it wouldn’t come to that, but Song Jiyun had grown significantly in authority over time, and they no longer dared to casually question her decisions. They reassured her, "Our Jingde Town’s products are excellent, and with the Imperial Kiln Factory here, people outside might not know, but don’t people in the palace know how good our products are? You don’t need to worry so much."
Song Jiyun disliked their attitude and said, "Everything is like rowing a boat against the current; if you don’t advance, you’ll fall back."
She informed everyone that Ji Shuanghu had already fired two kilns and said, "Do you still think that no one else can compete with us? Before Jingde Town was designated as the Imperial Kiln Factory, do you know where the Official Family’s kiln factory was?"
The people lowered their heads.
Master Xiao Xiang cleverly said, "Owner, don’t worry, we will definitely test the kilns well. As soon as your designs are ready, we’ll strive to get most of them right the first time."
"Good!" Song Jiyun nodded contentedly and began to discuss with everyone what gifts to send for the selection at the Manufacturing Office.
By the time Zhou Zheng and Wang Hua returned from the Yamen, the sun had already set. Even if they hurried, they would likely arrive at the city gate only for it to be closed, so they decided to rest in Ertiao Hutong for the night.
Song Jiyun had Zheng Quan order several tables of food from the neighboring restaurant, and Wang Hua somehow managed to find a few willow branches and soaked them in water before sprinkling it over Zhou Zheng’s body to ward off bad luck, wishing peace and success in all things, and hoping to never have to go to that place again.
Zhou Zheng cheerfully allowed the water droplets to be sprinkled on him, and said to Song Jiyun, "Miss, everything has been handled. The Deng Family did seek out Lord Liu from the Metropolitan Censorate to intercede, but the officials at Shuntian Prefecture said that they act according to law. Besides our family suing theirs, our neighbors next door also want to file a suit against them. What if the Prefecture acts unjustly and incites public rage? The Liu Family was quite tough at first, but after being pulled aside by the Legal Advisor from the Prefecture and spoken to, the case was judged.
"I suppose the Deng Family hasn’t given up yet, but the Liu Family will certainly not help them speak up anymore."
Song Jiyun nodded, knowing this was probably because the Prefect of Shuntian wanted to give face to Yuan Yunzhong and didn’t wish to provoke trouble, thus dealing with the case impartially.
She couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
No matter when, fighting a lawsuit was never a simple matter.
She raised her wine cup slightly towards Wang Hua and said, "I have to thank you for this matter, you’ve put in a lot of effort."
Wang Hua stood up in fright, repeatedly saying "I dare not," while understanding in his heart that Song Jiyun was thanking Yuan Yunzhong.
After the third round of drinks, as everyone listened to Zhou Zheng’s experience in court, the conversation gradually turned to the matters of the Manufacturing Office.
Wang Hua’s eyes spun round and round, as he poured wine for Song Jiyun, saying, "If you don’t have any instructions for me tomorrow, I’m going to visit the Yuan Family. The old Lord often goes to the palace to lecture for the Emperor, and my brother serves by the old Lord’s side. I’ll ask him if he knows anyone in the palace."
But Song Jiyun did not want to rely on the Yuan Family.
Yuan Yunzhong had defied the elders of his family for her, and in the eyes of those elders, she was probably seen as either a gold-digger or a "vixen" who bewitched people’s hearts. If she were to continuously rely on the elders of Yuan Yunzhong’s family for everything, wouldn’t that make them look down on her even more?
Moreover, she always believed that difficulties were sometimes challenges, and if she were to retreat without a fight, she would certainly miss many opportunities to hone herself.
"That won’t be necessary," Song Jiyun said with a smile. "I already have an idea."
Wang Hua was astonished.
Yet, Song Jiyun did not say much more and got up the next day to go into the city with Zhou Zheng.
On the way back, she made a special trip to have Zheng Quan pass by the Bureau of Textiles and Dyeing and pointed at the dusty residence beside them, asking Wang Hua, "Did you say last time that this is the residence of Senior Eunuch in Charge of Writing Utensils Qin Fang, Qin Da Ren?"
Wang Hua was startled and guessed, "Are you thinking of securing a position at the Manufacturing Office through Lord Qin?"
He hesitated, "He is a tough person to speak with. Behind his back, everyone calls him a ’smiling tiger.’ Don’t be fooled by his courteous front; the moment he turns around, without any interest exchange, he won’t give face to anyone."
His implication was that Song Jiyun did not yet have enough capital to make Qin Fang help her.
Song Jiyun of course knew this, but she also had her own ideas.
She instructed Zhou Zheng, "Mice have holes, snakes have lairs. Who knows how many people from outside the Capital City come to seek their fortune here, and certainly among them are some skilled and capable middlemen. Find a local influential figure and spread the word that we will pay handsomely for a broker who can find out Lord Qin’s preferences."
She also said, "As long as he is human, there can’t be an absence of preferences. Once you know his preferences, there’s a way to cater to them."
Wang Hua couldn’t help but look at Song Jiyun with admiration.
Zhou Zheng, though, said, "Wouldn’t we be putting the cart before the horse doing it this way? Instead of finding out Lord Qin’s preferences, wouldn’t it be more direct to investigate the Empress Dowager’s preferences?"
This is a case of a man being limited by his experience.
Song Jiyun took her time teaching him, "We are new to this place and, in the eyes of the varied folks in the Capital City, no different from a big fat sheep. We must act even more discreetly, not showing our intentions. Let’s not talk about whether these people can find out the Empress Dowager’s preferences; if someone were to get wind of it, and a charge of prying into the affairs of imperial relatives gets laid on us, we both would end up in prison.
"But inquiring about Lord Qin is different. He is a Chief Eunuch close to the Emperor, and numerous people want his help and are ready to bribe him. Even if we were discovered, at worst we’d gain a reputation for opportunism."
Zhou Zheng nodded repeatedly.
Song Jiyun said with a smile, "If Lord Qin were truly upright and incorruptible, we might not find out anything. But I rather doubt he’s that sort of man. Therefore, when we go to inquire, we will be sure to get accurate information, and we’ll be able to connect with Lord Qin immediately."
Zhou Zheng was skeptical.
Wang Hua could not help but express his admiration, "Ah, if Lord Qin were to accept bribes, he would surely have to let people know how to bribe him! Those preferences of his that everyone talks about might very well be spread by himself."
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