"Did you hear about Prince Ning’s demise while you were with the Eldest Imperial Son?" Song Jiyun asked, "Doesn’t that mean everyone in the palace knows about this?"
Shao Qing shook his head and spoke softly, "I heard it from the people left by the old master in Qianqing Palace."
He explained, "After I followed the Eldest Imperial Son into Qianqing Palace, the old master was afraid I might inadvertently offend someone and not understand the reasons, so he had his people in Qianqing Palace give me several hints. Only then did I learn that the old master still knew people in Qianqing Palace. This time, something happened to Prince Ning as well. The Emperor had always been holding back, but when someone told him of Prince Ning insulting the Emperor and his son, he could no longer restrain himself and had Eunuch Qin deliver a cup of Carthamus Tinctorius to Prince Ning.
"Initially, everyone pretended not to know about this, and the matter would have been considered concluded once the Imperial Household dealt with the aftermath. But later, someone told the Emperor that Prince Ning had died and feared that the refugees surrounding the city might revolt. Everything implied that the Emperor was acting on impulse. The Emperor was furiously angry. Several eunuchs serving him were punished with beating.
"It was the people left by the old master in Qianqing Palace who told me about Prince Ning’s issue.
"They were concerned that I might inadvertently anger the Emperor.
"This matter is of great importance, so I subtly inquired among others in Qianqing Palace and it seemed like nobody knew."
That means the refugees could still be at peace for a few more days.
Song Jiyun saw Shao Qing out and focused wholeheartedly on crafting Doucai.
She meticulously outlined the Branch Folding Flowers, then filled them with red, green, yellow, and other colored blossoms. Finally, she carefully placed these porcelain bases into the porcelain containers, stacked them in the Bun kiln, and watched as Master Xiao Guo lit the fire before she sighed in relief.
She asked Zhou Zheng and Dai Sishi to stay in Pocket Alley and returned to West Jiangmi Alley with Zheng Quan and He Dazhi.
Before she returned, Yuan Yunzhong was probably discussing something with Master Jinghu; she arrived just as she saw Yuan Yunzhong coming out from Master Jinghu’s yard, with Master Jinghu seeing him off.
"Yun Duo!" Yuan Yunzhong hurried forward with a smile, "I heard from my grandfather that you have been away from home these past few days, firing pottery in the Pocket Alley. Did you receive some urgent orders? The city has been a bit chaotic these days, you must always bring Zheng Quan and the others when you go out."
"Alright!" Song Jiyun sweetly replied, though her gaze met Master Jinghu’s squarely.
Master Jinghu looked at her expressionlessly with a cold stare.
Yet, her smile grew even more cheerful. She turned to Yuan Yunzhong and said, "Thinking about how good business is at Yinyu Hall, and since I brought quite a lot of Kaolin Clay, instead of letting it sit unused, I thought I might as well fire it all and send it over to Yinyu Hall to sell, as that’s a business as well."
Yuan Yunzhong agreed heartily. He had good news to share with Song Jiyun, gently tugged at her sleeve, and said to Master Jinghu, "I’ll accompany Miss Song back to West Cross Courtyard first," without giving Master Jinghu another glance, and walked off with Song Jiyun.
Song Jiyun couldn’t resist looking back.
Master Jinghu was standing alone at the entrance to the courtyard, enveloped under a canopy of tree branches, his figure alone and lonely.
She couldn’t help but purse her lips in amusement, jesting with Yuan Yunzhong, "You seem so joyous; has there been some good news regarding the refugees?"
Yuan Yunzhong said, "Is it that obvious?"
"Not very," Song Jiyun mused, "but I know you too well. Seeing you like this, I knew something good must have happened."
Yuan Yunzhong laughed heartily, saying, "Indeed, there is good news. The Emperor has already decided to pacify those refugees. Maybe I don’t even need to leave the city to resolve this issue."
If that were the case, it couldn’t be better.
Song Jiyun joyfully proposed, "Let’s book a table at the restaurant today? We’ll invite Master Jinghu over and have a few drinks to celebrate a little."
Yuan Yunzhong was a bit surprised, thought for a moment, and replied, "You make a good point. I was so caught up in the happiness, I forgot my grandfather is always alone, though he has Mr. Huang for company, it’s still not as enjoyable as having joy under one’s knees."
Song Jiyun pursed her lips and smiled, "Then you better go tell him quickly, I’ll have someone call for the table."
Yuan Yunzhong went to invite Master Jinghu.
The meal Song Jiyun had ordered was ready, and after almost half an hour, Yuan Yunzhong and Master Jinghu arrived.
She hastily asked someone to sieve the wine and said to Master Jinghu, "This is indeed great news; a celebration is in order."
Master Jinghu smiled and agreed, "Indeed," and appraised Song Jiyun with a smile not quite a smile where Yuan Yunzhong could not see.
She simply ignored him.
A few days later, the kiln at Pocket Alley was fired up.
Out of three hundred ceramic pieces, only eighty-nine succeeded.
In the eyes of Master Xiao Guo and others, this was a rare achievement. However, to Song Jiyun, it was far from sufficient.
If she wanted to produce high-quality Doucai, she knew more efforts were necessary.
Song Jiyun sent a few pieces of Doucai to the Manufacturing Office, hoping to meet Noble Consort Wan.
Lord Chen from the Manufacturing Office, ever since the Glazed Factory incident, had deeply acknowledged Song Jiyun’s capabilities and did not want to offend her. Even though her actions were slightly irregular, he still did his best to facilitate this matter.
Song Jiyun presented Lord Chen with a pair of Lotus Pattern Octagonal Cups.
Latter, these cups fell into the hands of Ji Shuanghu and became a family heirloom of the Ji Family. Of course, that was a later development.
Noble Consort Wan truly adored the Doucai bowls, dishes, and plates when she saw them.
She leisurely admired the colorful patterns and asked Song Jiyun indifferently, "What do you want?"
Song Jiyun smiled and said, "How dare I seek Her Highness’s grace? I was just in the palace last time and saw the records at the Imperial Supervision and Construction Department and knew that Her Highness likes Doucai. I tried firing a kiln and, unexpectedly, it was a success. I specifically brought it to present to Her Highness."
As astute as Noble Consort Wan was, Song Jiyun certainly didn’t dare to deceive her. She continued, "If Her Highness could keep them, it would be adding splendor not only to the Song Family Kiln Factory but also to Yinyu Hall. How could I dare ask for any reward?"
Noble Consort Wan smiled at these words, "I thought you came to apologize for matters related to the Eldest Imperial Son."
Song Jiyun felt a cold sweat on her back and hastily said, "Her Highness only has the Emperor in her heart; I am aware of that."
Noble Consort Wan’s expression slightly cleared, and she pointed to the Doucai she had offered and ordered the attendant, "Then let’s keep it!"
Song Jiyun expressed her thanks again and again.
Once outside the palace, Zheng Quan helped her onto the carriage and asked, "Was it successful?"
"It was, more or less!" Song Jiyun laughed.
With so little time, she could only make a brief appearance in front of Noble Consort Wan. Even if Yuan Yunzhong didn’t have to leave the city to attend to the refugees, it was sufficient.
Zheng Quan happily agreed, "Indeed."
When the carriage reached Shichahai, it was stopped.
"Miss Song, it’s me!" The one stopping her carriage was Xu Guangzeng; he looked quite different from the last time he came to see her. Not only was he neatly dressed, but he also showed an unmistakable obsequiousness facing her.
He approached the carriage and said, "Miss Song, my elder brother has agreed. He said if there’s anything in the future, you can directly instruct me. He also said he’ll try to get me assigned to Lord Yuan’s side."
Song Jiyun exchanged a few polite words with him and then instructed Zheng Quan to whip the horse and leave Shichahai.
However, she didn’t beam with joy at Xu Guangzeng’s appearance, but instead, her face showed a trace of worry.
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