Song Jiyun had just managed to arrive at the Manufacturing Office.
Lord Liu was about to send someone to call for her.
Seeing her, Lord Liu looked as if he had seen a lifeline and hurried over.
"You’re finally here!" he said, wiping the sweat from his face, "I didn’t want to disturb you, but just now, the palace sent over an order specifically requesting you to help make two sets of Twining Branch Flower teaware, two pairs of new Overglaze Enamel Plum Vases, a hanging screen of Overglaze Enamel, and two Guanyin Bodhisattva statues."
Song Jiyun was startled and asked, "Which nobles are requesting these? Are there any specific requirements?"
If it was about flowers, she could make the Twining Branch pattern, but with thousands of flower varieties, how could she make them without specific instructions?
Lord Liu hastened to reply, "Yes, yes, yes."
As he spoke, he led Song Jiyun into a study next to the hall and took out a sheet of paper from the desk to hand to her.
The paper listed Begonia and Jade Hairpin for the Twining Branch Flower, Lotus Pattern and Eight Treasures Pattern for the Plum Vases, and the Four Gentlemen for the hanging screen.
Lord Liu explained beside her, "The Begonia flower teaware and the Lotus Pattern Plum Vase are requested by Consort Chen, the Jade Hairpin teaware is requested by Consort Jing, the Eight Treasures pattern Plum Vase and one of the Guanyin Bodhisattva statues are requested by Consort Xian, and the other Guanyin Bodhisattva statue is requested by Dowager Consort Fan."
Song Jiyun felt a bit bewildered.
Although she intended to promote her porcelain, the depts of the palace were vast, and she hadn’t done anything yet; her reputation was already established.
She asked Lord Liu, "When is this order due? Do I need to enter the palace to express gratitude? You mentioned before that the Empress wanted to meet me. Has the palace set the procedures?"
"Look at my memory." Upon hearing her words, Lord Liu tapped his forehead and laughed, "The items on this order just need to be delivered to the palace before the Mid-Autumn Festival. As for whether to go express gratitude, you can discuss it after you meet the Empress. This order was brought by a young eunuch from the Empress’s side, obviously with the Empress’s approval. You can ask for the Empress’s intentions when you arrive."
He also told her, "You’re to enter the palace in three days. However, I’m not sure if the Empress knows that you’ve been to the palace before; the palace has arranged for a teaching nanny to come tomorrow to teach you etiquette."
Upon finishing, he added meaningfully, "If you feel it’s unnecessary to learn etiquette, you can mention it to the people at Zhaode Palace."
Zhaode Palace is where Noble Consort Wan resides; he couldn’t possibly think she and Noble Consort Wan had any connection, could he?
Moreover, relationships within the palace are so complex.
She smiled and said, "Since it’s an arrangement by the Empress, I will surely arrive early. I just don’t know where I am supposed to learn the etiquette? What time should I arrive tomorrow?"
Seeing that she did not pursue the conversation, a flicker of disappointment crossed Lord Liu’s eyes, but he still spoke kindly, "It will be at the Manufacturing Office. However, the palace gates don’t open until Mao Hour, so it wouldn’t be until Si Hour that you can arrive. Just make it before Si Hour."
Song Jiyun agreed.
Only then did Lord Liu say with a smile, "I haven’t congratulated you on being chosen by the Empress Dowager yet!"
As he spoke, he bowed to Song Jiyun and formally congratulated her several times, "I had heard that your products were well made. I did not expect that your first attempt would break the palace traditions—both left and right views are direct selections of eighteen designs." He also reflected, "Truly, a young hero. The palace selected a total of twenty-four designs, with the other six painted by Ji Shuanghu from the Ji Family. The Deng Family in Dehua didn’t get any selected."
Song Jiyun didn’t comment on the Deng Family. She praised Ji Shuanghu a few times, exchanged pleasantries with Lord Liu, then stood up to take her leave, "Please forgive me, Lord, but I’m overwhelmed with these sudden commitments and am anxious to finalize the designs. Please excuse any faux pas on my part."
"Of course, of course," Lord Liu smiled and stood up, realizing it was getting late and he needed to leave the Yamen too, so he decided to walk Song Jiyun out.
"Remember to come tomorrow. Don’t forget," he advised while waiting for the sedan chair at the doorway, "If you encounter a nanny with a bad temper who particularly likes to nitpick and might accuse you afterward, you must be extremely respectful to them and prepare several red envelopes."
Song Jiyun thanked him for his kindness and boarded the carriage.
Just as the carriage curtain was lifted, he caught a glimpse of a commanding profile.
He couldn’t help but blink.
If he wasn’t mistaken, that was Yuan Yunzhong, right?
Lord Liu couldn’t restrain himself and stepped outside the door, taking a few steps forward and craning his neck to get a better look at the carriage.
It was covered with the common blue coarse cloth, a black lacquered carriage body that was ubiquitous on the streets.
Meanwhile, his attendant, directing the sedan chair bearer to stop right in front of him, said, "My lord, what are you looking at?"
"Hmm!" Lord Liu awkwardly withdrew his gaze and said, "I was looking at that carriage in front; it looks familiar."
Little did he know, the attendant said, "That belongs to the retired Minister of Personnel Lord Wang. When his son-in-law used to live nearby, he often passed by here."
Lord Liu was dumbfounded, "You, how did you know that it was Lord Wang’s carriage?"
The attendant nonchalantly replied, "I saw that you hadn’t come out by this time, so I ran over to see it stopped right at the door, blocking it. I thought of asking them to move, so your sedan wouldn’t have trouble getting out. Little did I know that it was Lord Yuan from the Household Affair Department sitting inside, so I kept quiet."
With six Lords Yuan holding various offices in the Yuan Family, without specifying the department, one can’t tell which Lord Yuan it is.
Lord Liu stamped his foot and said, "Why didn’t you come and quietly tell me?"
No matter what would eventually happen between Song Jiyun and this Lord Yuan, getting an opportunity to strike up a conversation could prove useful later on.
The attendant was astonished.
Lord Liu instructed, "Tomorrow, you sit here waiting. If that Lord Yuan comes by again, quietly come and tell me."
"Yes!" the attendant responded. The next day he was up early, squatting in the gatehouse, but the carriage only dropped off a woman at the door, stayed for a while, and then left.
He went to inform Lord Liu.
Lord Liu frowned and asked, "How long did the carriage stop at the door?"
The attendant, sensing some reproach in his tone as if blaming him for incompetence, hurriedly said, "I originally wanted to approach, even if just to greet the carriage driver without mentioning your lordship’s name, but just then, that young lady walked up to the carriage and was constantly talking to Lord Yuan. It wasn’t appropriate for me to go over. By the time I thought to approach, the carriage had already left."
Lord Liu asked, "Did they talk for a long time?"
The attendant slightly embarrassed, said, "As soon as that young lady turned around, Lord Yuan grabbed her hand. Every time she turned around, Lord Yuan would grab her hand. It wasn’t until the young lady said it was getting late and Lord Yuan still seemed reluctant to let go. Finally, the young lady pushed Lord Yuan into the carriage, watched it go far, and then came inside."
Lord Liu stroked his chin and said, "Continue squatting at the door for me, and call me immediately when Lord Yuan arrives."
Perhaps he would come to pick up Song Jiyun.
He also dispatched someone to the outer chambers where Song Jiyun was learning the rules—unable to ascertain when Nanny would return to the palace, he had no choice but to keep vigil.
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