Eunuch Qin didn’t put on airs in front of Song Jiyun, and upon seeing her, said straightforwardly, "I have already heard about your matter, whether it was the Empress Dowager’s own idea or someone around her, I think that is not important. What’s important is what you are going to do?"
Song Jiyun understood his meaning.
Did she want to fight the Wei Family full throttle and take back the order from Cining Palace, or did she just want the Wei Family to apologize or compensate her for some of her losses... Although both meant making the Wei Family admit defeat, the goals were different, and so the means would also vary.
Song Jiyun did not know how the order from Cining Palace was lost, nor did she know Eunuch Qin’s attitude, so she naturally could not declare her stance then and there.
"For me, I definitely hope to take back the order from Cining Palace, and my family’s Kiln Factory could thus improve," she said politely yet sincerely, "but I am completely in the dark about palace affairs, so whether it’s feasible, I must listen to your opinion."
Eunuch Qin secretly "tsked" to himself.
This Song Clan sure spoke flawlessly, kicking this ball to his feet.
He couldn’t help but say, "What if I tell you not to compete?"
Song Jiyun did not think twice and said, "Then I wouldn’t compete."
Not competing was impossible, but she could not say that in front of Eunuch Qin.
Eunuch Qin nodded in satisfaction and said, "This time, it was indeed the Wei Family who meddled, and it was actually with the Empress Dowager’s approval that someone else was chosen to make items for Cining Palace using Longquan Porcelain."
Song Jiyun was very surprised.
Logically, the Empress Dowager should not be meddling so much.
If the piece was not good-looking, they could simply fire it again. Replacing it last minute generally indicates extreme dislike, to the extent of being intolerable even for a moment.
"I wonder if the Empress Dowager was dissatisfied with the designs I drew, or if she has some misunderstanding about me?" Song Jiyun sought advice, "so I can know how to make amends."
In interpersonal relationships, fearing that one side might prejudice the other is a major concern.
She did not delve into how the Wei Family meddled but first thought of how to change the Empress Dowager’s impression of her.
Whether she could retrieve the order was of secondary concern now.
Eunuch Qin nodded appreciatively, his words becoming even more sincere: "It’s because you went to meet the Noble Consort recently, and not only did you get along famously, but the Noble Consort was also preparing to arrange a marriage for you. The Wei Family spread this word to the Empress Dowager, and that’s why she suddenly decided to have the Ji Family and Deng Family help with the porcelain."
The Deng Family also benefitted as the spoils of the situation.
Song Jiyun was displeased internally.
But according to what Eunuch Qin said, she was involved in a palace conflict.
The Noble Consort’s exclusive favor, the neglect of the youthful Central Palace, the fading lineage of the Emperor—both the Empress Dowager and Empress were quite dissatisfied with the Noble Consort.
The Wei Family used her visit to the Noble Consort to create a narrative against her, hitting the mark perfectly, even branding her as part of the Wan Faction.
She kept her composure and discussed with Eunuch Wan, "If we somehow let the Empress Dowager hear about the dispute between the Wei Family and me, could it change her mind? I still have an order from Kunning Palace, and I fear that if I can’t change the Empress Dowager’s impression of me, that order might also be affected."
For the Empress, the Empress Dowager is the person worth her trust.
Eunuch Qin smiled and said, "Who would you have say it? How would they say it?"
Moderation is a very subtle sensation, and it’s easy to be too clever and mess things up.
Song Jiyun smiled and said, "Do you have someone to recommend?"
It’s not that there wasn’t anyone, but she didn’t have the means to let him take such a risk.
Eunuch Qin laughed, "If I were that capable, I would have been walking sideways in the palace by now, and wouldn’t be subject to impeachment."
He had once been impeached by Lord Wang.
That still needs to be carefully considered.
As Song Jiyun was thinking, Immortal Baoguang peeked his head in from the outside and said, "Are you still not done talking? The soy milk and deep-fried dough sticks are getting cold."
Eunuch Qin, being a Southerner, had lived in the Capital City for many years but had never managed to adapt to the northern bean juice. Regrettably, sweet soy milk was seldom sold in the Capital City, whereas bean juice was common. Even so, it was impossible for Qin Mansion to lack the sweet soy milk Eunuch Qin liked.
Immortal Baoguang had gone out to buy sweet soy milk early in the morning, purely out of filial piety.
Upon hearing this, Song Jiyun quickly stood up and said, "I won’t keep the young master from showing his filial respect. I will visit another day."
Eunuch Qin hummed an acknowledgment, allowing Immortal Baoguang to escort Song Jiyun out.
Immortal Baoguang couldn’t help but be amazed and said, "I didn’t expect you to have such skill, to get my father to have me personally see you out." He then asked her, "Did you succeed with the matter you needed my father for?"
"No!" Song Jiyun shook her head.
Immortal Baoguang’s eyes kept darting around.
Feeling inspired, Song Jiyun whispered, "Have I told you before? I still have an order from the Kunning Palace. If Kunning Palace also misunderstands that I am associated with the Noble Consort, it will be troublesome. This isn’t just about being implicated or not; it’s about whether our Song Family can survive in the future. When deities clash, the insignificant suffer. Whoever can help me resolve this issue, it’s not just about gilding a Bodhisattva, I would gild them in gold if necessary!"
Immortal Baoguang remained silent until they reached the side gate of Qin Mansion. Song Jiyun looked utterly dejected as she bid him farewell. Only then did he not resist asking, "You said you’re willing to gild a Bodhisattva; how much silver would that be?"
Song Jiyun sighed, pretending to be ignorant, "How many pieces of silver does it take to gild a Bodhisattva? Even if it’s the Statue of Sakyamuni in the Mahavira Hall of Tanzhe Temple, at most it’s just over a thousand taels of silver."
Immortal Baoguang’s heart pounded wildly.
The last time the Song Clan asked for his help, their generosity was exceptionally rare.
No man could compare.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone to Jingde Town without even knowing if he was dealing with something long or short, square or round.
He couldn’t resist asking, "How exactly is the gilding done?"
Song Jiyun, eyes glowing, looked up at him and whispered, "I provide the gold; I’ll make a life-sized statue for him, solid. However much he weighs, I make it weigh."
Upon hearing this, Immortal Baoguang’s face flushed red and he immediately said, "Rest assured. I’ll handle this for you. Isn’t it just about keeping the position at Kunning Palace? At the latest within three days, no, I’ll have news for you by tomorrow."
Song Jiyun immediately said, "Then I’ll go and get the money for you now."
Immortal Baoguang, smiling, asked for her address and said, "I’ll just come and pick it up at your mansion when it’s time."
Was this to prevent Eunuch Qin from finding out?
Song Jiyun didn’t care.
As long as he could get the job done for her.
Song Jiyun flattered him for a bit before she boarded her carriage and instructed Zheng Quan, "Hurry up and get Zhou Zheng to see me. Let’s see how much silver we can mobilize and try to convert it all into gold."
Converting gold into silver, if the amount is too large, could easily cause an adjustment in the exchange rate.
"Leave this task to Wang Hua," she said. "He’s familiar with the people in the Capital. If the exchange could be done privately, that would be ideal."
These days, without banks and even the money houses at risk of closure at any time, everyone tried to stash their money at home. For those families with generations of merits, changing thousands upon thousands of gold pieces is easy.
Zheng Quan complied and went back to find Wang Hua to exchange the gold.
Unexpectedly, that very evening, Immortal Baoguang came looking for her.
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