Song Jiyun instructed Zheng Quan, "Let’s go!"
Zheng Quan was still hesitant, afraid of offending Prince Ning.
Song Jiyun said, "This isn’t Nanchang Prefecture."
Zheng Quan "eh"ed, and hopped onto the carriage.
Prince Ning was quivering with rage, his gaze at Song Jiyun sharp as a knife dipped in poison, "You’d better pray to the Bodhisattva that you never set foot in Nanchang Prefecture again in your life."
Empty threats are easy to make.
Song Jiyun chuckled coldly, "It won’t be too late for you to say such harsh words to me when you can return to Nanchang Prefecture."
"You!" With a fierce look on his face, Prince Ning stepped forward, intending to grab Song Jiyun, but he was restrained by the people next to him, and they pleaded earnestly, "Prince, the Emperor is still waiting for your Buddhist scriptures!"
Clearly, Prince Ning had not lost all reason, yet he could hardly contain his anger, veins throbbing on his forehead.
Song Jiyun took the opportunity to leave through Zhengyang Gate.
Once Prince Ning and his entourage were out of sight, she asked Wang Hua, "What’s going on? The way he spoke, it seemed like everyone knows that the impeachment of Wei Wei was your young master’s idea?"
Wang Hua jumped down from the carriage and said, "Miss, don’t worry, I’ll go and find out right away."
Song Jiyun nodded and went with Zheng Quan to Ertiao Hutong.
There, a portion of the plain bisque had already been fired, just awaiting her designs to commence the porcelain making for Kunning Palace.
Song Jiyun first went to inspect the bisque of Guanyin.
The facial features were clear, vivid, yet too delicate.
She instructed the person in charge, Zhou Zheng, "This needs to be altered. One of these is for Dowager Consort Fan. By rights, someone of her status would have left the palace for her son’s fiefdom or to guard the late emperor’s mausoleum. Her ability to remain in the palace, staying by the Empress Dowager’s side, shows she is either in very good relations with the Empress Dowager or greatly favored by her. Now that Immortal Baoguang is unable to exert influence for us, we still don’t know where Cining Palace stands concerning us. Therefore, this Guanyin statue is especially important."
Zhou Zheng immediately understood, "Are you suggesting we should sculpt according to the preferences of those older believers who worship Buddha regularly?"
"Yes!" said Song Jiyun, "I once talked to a nanny who came out from the palace to teach me etiquette. I asked her what standards they had for selecting palace maids. She had told me that both the Empress Dowager and the Empress favored women with round faces, believing them to be lucky and joy-inspiring to behold, while the Empress prefers those serene and grounded. This expression of Guanyin is a bit too lively."
Zhou Zheng said, "Rest assured, I know what to do."
Song Jiyun then went to inspect the cups and dishes, pointed out a few minor issues, and began discussing designs with the master craftsmen.
Hong Xi showed up.
The two of them discussed the shop’s matters that afternoon, and only upon parting did Song Jiyun bring up the matter of investing.
Hong Xi thought for a while and said, "Everything is a double-edged sword, with pros and cons. It all depends on whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages and if one can make a decisive move at the right moment, turning danger into safety."
After the Hong Family was raided, Song Jiyun felt that Hong Xi had become much more composed and restrained.
"That’s why I agreed straight away when you mentioned the partnership," Song Jiyun said with a smile, "I believe in your abilities."
Hong Xi smiled bitterly and lamented, "All I want is to live a stable life and to have enough to eat."
"Under the current circumstances, being able to live a stable life and have enough to eat is already a great fortune," Song Jiyun also felt quite emotional.
The two fell silent for a moment until Hong Xi, with a smile, broke the tranquility, "Take a look at how many people want to buy shares, then I’ll think of a strategy."
Song Jiyun thought of the holding companies from her previous life and explained the concept to him in terms he could understand, adding, "These are all the ideas I can think of right now, see if any of them can be of use."
Hong Xi’s eyes lit up, "I need to go back and ponder this thoroughly."
"Then, I’ll leave the hard work to Young Master Hong," Song Jiyun joked with him before sending Hong Xi out.
She stayed in Ertiao Hutong for seven or eight days, firing in one batch the porcelain pillows, tea sets, and wall panels that the Empress had ordered, but there was a problem with the Guanyin statue—the glaze on one statue wasn’t well-controlled, resulting in an area of the robe’s folds that wasn’t defined clearly enough.
Master Xiao Guo looked it over repeatedly, "The ones we previously fired for the Imperial Kiln Factory weren’t even as good as this one, right? Owner has eyes like a flame, if you hadn’t pointed it out, I wouldn’t have noticed. Besides, sometimes those who carve the blanks leave out a stroke; it happens. And there’s no rule saying how many folds there should be on a Guanyin statue."
The majority showed expressions of agreement.
"This is for submitting a sample to the palace," said Song Jiyun, "We must hold ourselves to even stricter standards. I can do what others cannot, and I must do better than what others can."
She asked the masters, "If I require each fold of the clothing to be fired crisply and clearly, can you do it?" She also said, "If you can’t, we’ll start with the technology and readjust. If you can, then I’ll fire another batch right away."
The group exchanged glances, filled with trepidation but considering Song Jiyun’s talent in porcelain, no one dared question her decision, and they collectively agreed, "We’ll fire another batch."
It was just a pity to burn such a single item in a furnace, making it impossible to calculate the costs.
Seizing the opportunity, Song Jiyun also fired some sweet white porcelain ’Four Treasures of the Study,’ "Longquan specializes in monochrome porcelain, varying unpredictably in color, but white is their blank space. We need to find a way to fill it and we might just reap some benefits."
"Exactly," Zhou Zheng said. "I’ve been inquiring about the market recently. Longquan’s celadon sales have always been far behind those of Jingde Town Porcelain. Since the Ji Family got the order from Cining Palace, their shop in the Capital City heavily promoted it. Now their porcelain is in such demand that orders are backlogged for three years. I think we are at a disadvantage because we have never had our own shop, always relying on the Imperial Kiln Factory to boost our prestige. It’s no wonder people equate ceramics with the much cheaper Dehua porcelain rather than Jingde Porcelain."
"Step by step!" Song Jiyun has always believed that opportunities in business are important, but slowly accumulating and then making a move is equally vital.
She ended up spending almost half a month on the Ertiao Hutong side.
Yuan Yunzhong came to find her.
He babbled, "Yun Duo, let Shao Qing follow you wherever you go these days. I need to take a trip to Mount Tai."
Song Jiyun was astonished, "What are you going to do at Mount Tai?"
Yuan Yunzhong replied distressedly, "I have to represent His Majesty in offering sacrifices to heaven at Mount Tai."
"Ah!" When Song Jiyun heard it was for such a reason, she questioned, "That’s a good thing, why the worry?"
Only favored officials could represent the Emperor in offering sacrifices at Mount Tai.
Yuan Yunzhong muttered, "Isn’t it because I’m afraid that Prince Ning might stir up some trouble again?"
Song Jiyun didn’t buy it, "Tell me plainly, what’s going on with you and Prince Ning? Don’t use looking out for my best interest as an excuse to keep things from me, leaving me unprepared and falling for his tricks."
At her words, Yuan Yunzhong coughed uncomfortably.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
