Song Jiyun moved to Anxi Palace and took the opportunity to ask Nanny Chang about thanking the Empress Dowager for her grace.
Nanny Chang didn’t make her own decision and told Noble Consort Wan about it.
Noble Consort Wan was somewhat displeased and said, "She wouldn’t be eating from the bowl and looking at the pot, trying to curry favor from the Empress Dowager, right?"
Nanny Chang rather liked Song Jiyun, and although she wouldn’t upset Noble Consort Wan on her behalf, she still spoke a few words in her defense, "Just see what she’ll say to the Empress Dowager, and you’ll know."
Noble Consort Wan nodded in agreement.
Miss Chang then took Song Jiyun to Shoukang Palace.
When the Empress Dowager heard she had come to express her thanks, she frowned and said to a female official close to her, "Didn’t they say she moved to Anxi Palace? Why would she run over here? Does she want to offend both sides?"
The female official, not wanting to stir up trouble, said with a smile, "She should also come to knock her head in thanks to you. If it weren’t for you, she would still be sweeping the Buddhist hall with those palace maids in the West Palace!"
The Empress Dowager, finding the point reasonable, allowed someone to bring Song Jiyun in.
Song Jiyun wouldn’t be indiscreet, of course. She paid her respects respectfully and mentioned the protection she had received from Noble Consort Wan, "If not for Noble Consort telling the commoner, the commoner wouldn’t have known that it was you who spoke on my behalf in front of His Majesty. Your kindness, Noble Consort, is something I dare not forget for the rest of my life."
The Empress Dowager hadn’t expected Song Jiyun to speak well of Noble Consort Wan in front of her, but seeing Song Jiyun’s sincere and grateful expression, one that seemed to come from the heart, her expression softened slightly.
There were too many fair-weather friends in the palace; it had been a long time since she had come across someone as sincere as this.
"Rise!" the Empress Dowager said, "Rare is it for you to recognize good from bad. This is all the Emperor’s grace. If you want to thank anyone, thank the Emperor!"
"I am grateful to Your Majesty the Empress Dowager for the guidance," Song Jiyun took the lesson to heart and sincerely replied, "The Emperor needs thanks, and Your Majesty the Empress Dowager as well."
The palace was a lonely place, and the Empress Dowager had also heard about Yuan Yunzhong causing a ruckus in the Yuan Family. She had long been curious about Song Jiyun, just not willing to show it. Now that she was meeting her and the impression was a good one, she started to converse with Song Jiyun, "They say you’re good at porcelain-making; how did you learn to make porcelain?"
In the Empress Dowager’s mind, artisans were always men.
Song Jiyun was so good-looking, with hands as white and delicate as scallions, not at all resembling someone who did manual labor.
"To answer Your Majesty the Empress Dowager," Song Jiyun sincerely replied, "When my father passed away suddenly, my mother was pregnant, and my elder uncle and younger uncle had already divided the household and were living separately, and there were two younger sisters to take care of; having no other choice, I had to take over the family business... "
In truth, her father thought that if a girl had a craft, even after marrying into another family, that family would value her more.
But at that time, there were very few people with such an idea, and she had no need to challenge or convince the people around her.
Using the Spring and Autumn Annals’ style of writing, she recounted to the Empress Dowager the events that had happened in her family. And because she couldn’t gauge the Empress Dowager’s preferences, she also spoke at length about how her father had taken care of her uncles, and how they weren’t cut out to run the family, and even about how Song Tao’s kiln factory had been implicated in Prince Ning’s case and was sealed due to someone’s exploitation; she had no choice but to take charge.
She also expressed her fear that the Empress Dowager, out of sympathy, might issue an order for the Song Clan to adopt a son for her family so she could return to being a sheltered lady, so she straightforwardly talked about how she created sweet white porcelain and the differences between new and old Blue and White porcelain, how she planned to train her sisters, and her intention to find someone capable among her brothers-in-law to take over the family business.
The skills she had learned from those public speaking experts in her previous life were fully displayed, and the Empress Dowager was moved alternately to righteous indignation, fervor, and near tears, often saying, "Good child, you’ve had it hard. With such spirit, your father would certainly be very proud."
Seeing that the atmosphere was really good, Song Jiyun decided to seize this rare opportunity and refrained from mentioning Song Tao, instead sharing many interesting anecdotes about making porcelain.
This time, not only was the Empress Dowager spellbound, but also the attendants serving her were all listening with mouths agape.
Nanny Chang even couldn’t help but interject, "Were all those glaze colors made from plant ash? Then how do you distinguish whether it’s blue or green?" The Empress Dowager wasn’t displeased at all. Instead, she followed up on her question, "Yes! If it were mistaken, wouldn’t the entire kiln be wasted?"
"This is where experience comes in," Song Jiyun said with a smile, "The difference between them is very subtle, not something a master craftsman with just a decade or two of experience could easily discern. Therefore, in Jingde Town, it is rare for one person to master all the twenty or so steps of porcelain firing. Usually, you learn one craft, I learn another. Each person masters their craft thoroughly, works at it for life, so that together, we can create a piece of porcelain."
She also said, "It’s a pity I don’t have these materials on hand. Otherwise, I could demonstrate for you and everyone here, and even fire a few pieces myself."
This piqued the Empress Dowager’s interest, who then instructed a female official by her side, "Go and tell the Manufacturing Office to send some clay to the palace. Let Miss Song show us some firing. It will be an eye-opener for us."
Being addressed as "Miss" by someone like the Empress Dowager was an honorific for unwed women.
The female official cast a deep glance at Song Jiyun and with a beaming smile agreed, "Yes," before going out to make arrangements.
Song Jiyun then took a brush to draw designs for the Empress Dowager.
There was laughter and chatter in Shoukang Palace until the Empress Dowager had to go and pay respects to the Empress Dowager. Only then did she and Nanny Chang return to Anxi Palace.
What they did not expect was that upon their return, Anxi Palace was dead silent, everyone treading carefully, afraid to make any sound while walking.
Nanny Chang’s face turned pale and she beckoned a clever looking palace maid to whisper, "What happened?"
The palace maid glanced at Song Jiyun.
Nanny Chang waved her hand, indicating there was no need for secrecy.
The palace maid visibly relaxed and then whispered into Nanny Chang’s ear, "It’s terrible! Historian Lady Ji from the Repository, somehow, has given birth to a son for the emperor, and he’s already six years old. Eunuch Zhang brought him before the Emperor, who was overjoyed. He didn’t even inform the Noble Consort before immediately dispatching someone to the Imperial Cabinet to announce the news. Now he has even gone to see Historian Lady Ji..."
Nanny Chang was stunned.
Song Jiyun didn’t dare make a sound either.
Who knew upon whom Noble Consort Wan would vent her anger?
At this time, going to see Noble Consort Wan would certainly be courting death.
Yet if they returned and did not pay their respects to Noble Consort Wan, it would probably provoke her even more.
"What, what do we do?" Even with all her experience in the palace, Nanny Chang was still so flustered that she grasped Song Jiyun’s hand.
Song Jiyun, on the other hand, was all the calmer in the face of crisis.
After thinking for a moment, she said, "Let’s wait here for a while. If the emperor hasn’t come by half a Shichen, we’ll pretend we know nothing and go see the Noble Consort, acting according to the situation."
That was the only option.
Nanny Chang nodded.
The emperor, who dined with Noble Consort Wan every evening, apparently forgot to come to Anxi Palace in his joy.
Song Jiyun and Nanny Chang did not end up waiting for the emperor.
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