Song Jiyun asked Hong Xi, "If kindness is repaid with kindness, what do you repay kindness with?"
Hong Xi was silent for a while. đŻđ§đđđŹđđđŁđ¤đđŽđľ.đđ¤đ˘
Song Jiyun talked to him about the wares of Yinyu Hall, "Dehua porcelain is known for its figurines, Longquan Porcelain for its color, and our porcelain excels in the form of the objects. We must create unique features. There are many refined scholars and guests in the Capital City; we need to focus on the Four Treasures of the Study and teaware, while our everyday porcelain should primarily be high-end pieces like thin-walled porcelain."
As the two conversed, they sidelined the matter regarding Song Tao.
*
At that time, within the Qianqing Palace, Prince Ning was talking about Song Jiyun, "I truly did not expect to encounter a lady with such exquisite craftsmanship. One kiln firing yielded seventy to eighty percent success rate. Itâs not only among women that she stands out, even compared to men, sheâs a rarity, the best of the best. No wonder the people of the Imperial Kiln Factory in Jingde Town recommended her to come to the Capital City to fire porcelains for the Empress Dowager. I had thought in vain that it was her beauty that had caught the eye of the eunuch Supervisor of Pottery and landed her the job at Cining Palace."
At this point, he chuckled a few times to the emperor, his tone lightly frivolous, "I canât be blamed for that. Who could resist considering such thoughts upon seeing Miss Songâs beauty? Any man would have thought the same."
The emperor, upon hearing this, showed a hint of disapproval and said, "Speak of the matter at hand, why disparage someoneâs appearance?"
Prince Ning chuckled again, about to respond, when Lord Yuan Yunzhong, who had been silent at his side, suddenly said, "Prince, is it truly remarkable for one kiln to produce seventy to eighty percent of quality porcelain?"
Prince Ning was at a loss for words.
Lord Yuan, however, bowed to the emperor with a smile, saying, "Although I serve as the Inspector General of Jiangxi and have personally visited Jingde Town and witnessed the Song Clan firing porcelain, I did not realize the significance of one kiln producing seventy to eighty percent of quality pieces. Now that his Highness Prince Ning mentions it, I canât help but be curious."
After speaking, he continued to question Prince Ning, "I understand that the leading kiln factories in Jingde Town sometimes take orders from the Imperial Kiln Factory when it is too busy. According to what you have said, the Song Family Kiln Factory must also rank as one of Jingde Townâs top kiln factories, doesnât it?"
Prince Ning did not understand the meaning behind Lord Yuanâs question, so he looked towards the emperor.
The emperor seemed curious as he looked at him.
His original intention in praising Song Jiyun was to let the emperor know why he had suddenly decided to propose marriage to her.
Although Lord Yuan might not be aware of his motives, Lord Yuan was always known for his strategic thinking. Lord Yuan asked him such questions probably had his own intentions.
All kinds of thoughts ran through Prince Ningâs mind, but he could not fathom the purpose of Lord Yuanâs question. The emperor was still waiting for his answer. Deciding he couldnât make sense of it, he chose to simply go along with Lord Yuanâs words, to meet challenge with constancy.
"Indeed," said Prince Ning with a smile, "Otherwise, why would I say this young lady is extraordinary! I heard from the people in Jingde Town that the recently appointed Lord Jiang of Liang County granted Miss Song a title of âA woman who does not concede to menâ as soon as he took office."
"Is that so?" The emperor glanced at Lord Yuan with interest and said, "That sounds quite impressive!"
"Your Majesty is wise!" Prince Ning smiled and bowed, saying, "It is for this reason that I..."
The words "am smitten with the Song Clan" were on the tip of his tongue when Lord Yuan smiled at him and once again interrupted, "I wonder how many kiln factories of the same caliber as the Song Familyâs exist in Jingde Town?"
Prince Ning was taken aback.
Lord Yuan, already smiling, said to the emperor, "The âFishing Alone in the Cold River Snowâ tea set I brought for you last time is a new underglaze blue, newly fired by the Song family in conjunction with several other kiln factories in Jingde Town. Now the porcelain shop of the Song family in the Capital City also sells this new underglaze blue. I heard that their products are so in demand that their orders are backlogged for three years."
Upon hearing this, Prince Ningâs eyes flickered.
That new underglaze blue was clearly fired by Song Jiyun, yet Lord Yuan said it was a joint production with other kiln factories.
Lord Yuan, why would he want to downplay Song Jiyun in front of the emperor, as if afraid Song Jiyun would steal the spotlight?
Could it be he feared the proverb that âthe tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the windâ?
Prince Ning pondered in his heart.
The more Yuan Yunzhong tried to make Song Jiyun appear ordinary, the more he had to make the Emperor aware of Song Jiyunâs excellence.
Otherwise, his plan couldnât be carried out.
"It seems Lord Yuan, though he has been to Jingde Town, knows nothing about its affairs," Prince Ning said, breaking into Yuan Yunzhongâs speech and drawing the Emperorâs gaze to himself, "That new blue-and-white porcelain was hardly a joint effort by several kiln factories. It was clearly Miss Songâs innovation."
Upon hearing this, a flicker of anxiety passed through Yuan Yunzhongâs eyes, but his face showed no sign as he said, "How is it that I heard all of Jingde Town is now firing this new blue-and-white? If it was truly Miss Songâs unique creation, how did the other kiln factories get their hands on the recipe?"
"Thatâs what you donât know," Prince Ning watched him, a cold sneer in his heart, and said aloud, "Now all the kiln factories in Jingde Town look up to the Song Clan. They all follow the Songâs lead, begging for scraps. Whatever the Song family tells them to fire, theyâll fire. Some small workshops donât even fire their own porcelain anymore. Instead, they work as the Song Family Kiln Factoryâs helpers, specifically pulling clay for the Songs, or carving for them, becoming a part of the Song Family Kiln Factory."
The Emperor furrowed his brow.
Prince Ning grew more excited and said, "Now, the best kiln factory in Jingde Town can manage to fire only four or five pieces out of ten, and the average ones, three or two. It is also common to see kilns producing nothing. The Song family, when firing a kiln, yields seven or eight out of ten pieces of porcelain. This is rare, not only in Jingde Town but also if you look back fifty years. No one could compare."
Yuan Yunzhong still did not admit defeat, saying, "According to Prince Ning, the Songâs porcelain firing is indeed formidable. But to say that no one in the past fifty years could match them seems a bit of an exaggeration."
Prince Ning glanced at him disdainfully and said, "Itâs not an exaggeration for fifty years, nor even a hundred years. In the past fifty years, the only one who could be compared to the Song family by a thread was the Songâs father, Song Youliang. He once fired Jihong Porcelain. Unfortunately, it was as fleeting as an epiphyllum flower, achieved only once. But if we talk about the firing success rate, itâs far from the Songâs capabilities. At Song Youliangâs peak, the success rate was around fifty percent. Not to mention, Song Jiyun also invented sweet white porcelain."
He went on and on about the affairs of the Song Family.
Yuan Yunzhong again interrupted him, "Prince Ning, you said earlier that you had a request for the Emperor. Might I know what it is? Do you need me to excuse myself?"
Of course, he wanted to ask for Song Jiyunâs hand in marriage!
Prince Ning thought smugly but looked up to see the Emperorâs somewhat somber face.
His heart skipped a beat.
The sound of Yuan Yunzhongâs voice echoed once more in his ears, "Prince Ning seems so familiar with the Song family affairs. The matter you wish to request from the Emperor, it wouldnât happen to involve the Song clan, would it?"
He laughed, "Let me guess what the Prince wants to do. The Song family has a skill in porcelain makingâPrince Ning wouldnât be wanting the Song to fire a piece of porcelain for you, would he? Indeed, after the Empress Dowagerâs birthday, it will be the Grand Empress Dowagerâs thousandth autumn, followed by the Noble Consortâs birthday."
He jested with the Emperor, "But, Prince Ning, you seem a bit too miserly. Are you planning on only shearing wool from one sheep? You canât offer something else as a gift?"
The Emperor also laughed, "Yes, it does seem a bit stingy."
Prince Ning stiffened.
He had fallen into Yuan Yunzhongâs trap.
Yuan Yunzhong pressed him again and again, not letting him speak of the Song Clan. It wasnât out of fear that the Song would draw too much attention and cause unnecessary trouble; in fact, it was to lure him into speaking about the Song familyâs affairs.
The Emperor was the most suspicious of all.
If he proposed to marry Song Jiyun under these circumstances, the Emperor wouldnât think he was seduced by Song Jiyunâs beauty or appreciated her talent. The Emperor would believe he sought to marry Song Jiyun for her skill, because she was extremely good at firing porcelain.
And the scandal of him smuggling porcelain had not yet subsided.
Cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
But how could Yuan Yunzhong know he intended to propose to Song Jiyun? How could he know what he was about to say?
Prince Ning looked towards Yuan Yunzhong.
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