This is what it means to have a family.
As Song Tao listened to the people’s discussions, she let out a slight sigh of relief, and quickly glanced at Prince Ning.
Prince Ning nodded slightly.
With that, Song Tao felt even more at ease and her courage grew.
"Lords," she called out loudly once more, "although I have no evidence to prove who tampered with the glaze, it is clear to all who has benefited from this incident. I believe Lord Yuan’s recusal is imperative. I beseech the lords to see the truth."
Some officials from the Three Departments cast odd glances at Yuan Yunzhong.
Yuan Yunzhong spoke calmly, "Third Miss Song, I just want to ask you one thing."
He paused.
The crowd who came to watch the commotion also began to say, "Quiet down in the front, let’s listen to the lord speak."
The crowd in front of the Glazed Factory gradually quieted down.
A sense of unease surged in Song Tao’s heart. She wanted to object, but before she could, Yuan Yunzhong said, "Miss Song, are you certain that your glaze has been sabotaged?"
"Of course." At this juncture, Song Tao firmly insisted, "Not only am I certain that my glaze was tampered with, but I can also be sure of the exact material that was altered. You may not be aware, but the Supervising Pottery Officer and some lords from the Manufacturing Office cannot distinguish the different glazes because they all look like ash from plants and trees. Only an insider..."
"So, you’re certain that your glaze was tampered with?" Yuan Yunzhong interrupted her rambling, and said, "Third Miss Song, this is the hall of the Three Departments, not a place for idle chat in the streets. Answer the question directly, no need for superfluous words."
How could that be considered superfluous words?!
Song Tao’s face went cold, her brows slightly raised as she was about to refute Yuan Yunzhong, but the onlookers burst into laughter.
And a man shouted, "Women’s talk is always tediously incoherent and lacks focus. They can twist even the most serious matters into nonsense. Lord Yuan, please proceed with the trial; we all want to know if the glaze has truly been tampered with."
Song Tao’s face turned bright red with a "whoosh."
Yuan Yunzhong, however, nodded as if he were a good official heeding the voice of the people, and casually said, "Third Miss Song, you only mentioned the tampering after tasting the glaze. And just now, Supervisor of Pottery Lord Wan also said that identifying glazes is a closely guarded secret of each family. Does that mean, you identify different glazes by taste, through tasting and thereby discerning the differences?"
The glaze contained various pigments, some of which were poisonous. If they were identified by taste, one would long be dead.
However, Song Jiyun had discovered the secret of "Jade Porcelain" by tasting it—in her previous life, although the Song Family Kiln Factory had stopped producing "Jade Porcelain" and revealed the formula, very few could actually make it successfully. It was Song Ren, while acting as the steward for the Song Family Kiln Factory and wanting to stand out, who continued to research the formula that the Kiln Factory no longer used. He discovered the secret through tasting, and Song Tao learned by imitating him.
Pressed into a corner, she hadn’t been careful and tasted it as she had done in her past life.
She looked hesitant.
Meanwhile, Yuan Yunzhong’s expression grew colder as he said sternly, "Third Miss Song, please answer ’yes’ or ’no’!"
The austere pressure bore down on her, as if she had to answer immediately, or else face consequences she couldn’t bear.
Nervous, Song Tao hastily replied, "Yes!"
Yuan Yunzhong’s expression slightly softened, the pressure around him eased as he addressed the chief judges from the Three Departments, "In that case, why don’t we invite a chef with a sensitive palate to try it and determine the taste. This could also clear Third Miss Song’s name."
He also asked the onlookers, "What do you all think? You can also recommend any chefs you trust to assist in examining this case."
The crowd exploded in excitement once more.
Someone suggested, "Just invite the chef from Jinghua Building, isn’t their head chef said to have a naturally discerning tongue that can taste hundreds of flavors?"
Others volunteered themselves, "Me! I can help! I am a chef!"
Yuan Yunzhong ignored the clamoring crowd and turned to the chief judges of the Three Departments.
After a brief discussion, the chiefs judges agreed that Yuan Yunzhong’s suggestion was feasible.
Yuan Yunzhong then asked Song Tao, "The pottery jar in your hands, is that the glaze you use for glazing?"
Song Tao nodded.
The chief judge from the Ministry of Punishments immediately ordered the jar to be sealed.
Yuan Yunzhong then sent a clerk to retrieve the statements, asking the litigation masters from both parties to confirm the "Jade Porcelain" recipes announced by Song Jiyun and Song Tao.
"That’s right!" confirmed the litigation masters from both sides.
Yuan Yunzhong also arranged for someone to confirm with Song Jiyun and Song Tao directly.
Song Jiyun had an inkling of what Yuan Yunzhong intended, and she nodded in agreement.
Song Tao felt somewhat uneasy, but with the evidence in black and white before everyone, she too confirmed it.
Then Yuan Yunzhong declared loudly, "Both parties confirm there are no mistakes!"
The crowd watching grew even more silent, each person craning their necks to get a better view.
Yuan Yunzhong had the staff from the Manufacturing Office execute before everyone a new batch of glaze according to Song Tao’s recipe.
Song Tao became anxious and said, "Why not reconstitute Song Jiyun’s formula instead?"
Yuan Yunzhong replied coldly, "You raised the objection, so naturally, your formula will be used."
Song Tao, dissatisfied, cried out to the officials from the Three Departments, "Lords, Lord Yuan should recuse himself!"
The chief judge from the Metropolitan Censorate gave Song Tao a glance and said with a smile, "Third Miss Song, are you asking to judge your own case?"
The hidden chill in his eyes was unmistakable.
Song Tao’s face turned pale in an instant, and she dared not speak further. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚
She quickly glanced at Prince Ning.
Prince Ning sat there drinking tea, his expression leisurely.
Song Tao felt like a rabbit was thumping in her heart, unsettled.
The officials from the Three Departments paid her no mind, quickly finding a chef.
Aside from Jinghua Building, they brought in several chefs who claimed their palates were extremely sensitive, as well as two who had volunteered themselves.
One by one, the people began to taste the glaze from Tao’s pottery jar and the newly prepared glaze according to Song Tao’s recipe.
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