"Yes," Song Jiyun said, "Father had always hoped I could take over the kiln factory while he was alive."
As she spoke, she glanced at Luo Zixing and others who had hurried over to receive Eunuch Wan, and said, "Fortunately, with the support of some store managers and master craftsmen, I haven’t let my father down."
Then she bowed to Eunuch Wan and said, "Father often spoke of your support for our family’s kiln factory. I hope for your continued guidance in the future!"
Her demeanor was neither humble nor haughty, but rather graceful, causing Eunuch Wan to take an extra look at her.
He leaned back in his taishi chair with an air of casual yet intrinsic arrogance and said, "I heard that you had an empty kilning a few days ago? And the kiln workers even caused a scene at your home because of it?"
There were quite a few spectators at the time, and Song Jiyun hadn’t expected to hide it from the people at the Imperial Kiln Factory forever; however, in official circles, it was common practice to deceive superiors rather than subordinates. That Eunuch Wan had learned about it so quickly still caught her by surprise.
She responded frankly, "Indeed! My father passed away suddenly, and everyone at home was in a panic. The kiln factory was also overstaffed, inevitably leading to some disorder. But rest assured, I have been staying at the kiln factory these past few days to deal with this matter, and it surely will not delay the delivery."
"Is that so?" Eunuch Wan’s gaze, which was already somber, darkened further as he said coldly, "But how come I heard that there was another incident at your kiln factory last night—that Song Li, responsible for glazing the sacrificial white porcelain, destroyed the clay because he was dissatisfied with a woman being the one calling the shots at the factory, and now the kiln factory has run out of clay to use?"
A chill ran down Song Jiyun’s spine.
Unless Eunuch Wan had sent someone to watch the Song family’s kiln factory, there was no way he could have known so quickly and in such detail, right?
But she didn’t have time to ponder at the moment and said with a smile, "That did happen. However, my father always taught us ’to be prepared is to have no worries.’ Our kiln factory has always had a reserve of clay."
As she spoke, she instructed Zheng Quan, "Go to the drying room and bring over a few of the clay blanks we made for the sacrificial white porcelain."
Then she said to Eunuch Wan, "Sir, we were prepared in advance, and the remaining clay is enough to fire another kiln."
Eunuch Wan was taken aback.
Luo Zixing and others who had come to accommodate the guest were already sweating profusely.
They knew Song Jiyun was bold, but they hadn’t anticipated she’d be bold enough to hoodwink Eunuch Wan!
But Eunuch Wan was indeed hoodwinked by Song Jiyun.
Despite having been a Supervisor of Pottery for over a decade and being able to describe the characteristics of different clays, he might not be able to recognize them accurately.
Moreover, since the Song Family Sacrificial White Porcelain had its own unique secret recipe, even if he was suspicious, he wouldn’t be able to determine it right away.
Eunuch Wan looked at the clay blanks Zheng Quan brought over and after examining them, he nonchalantly tossed them aside, his expression softening slightly.
Song Jiyun quickly said, "Sir, I assure you that I will deliver the goods by August 15th."
That was five days earlier than the date on the deed.
"No!" Eunuch Wan, clearly distrustful of them, said coldly, "The goods must be delivered by the beginning of August!"
The timeframe was cut in half.
After calculating in her mind, Song Jiyun said, "As you command, sir!"
Eunuch Wan looked at her in surprise, his expression easing slightly, not as gloomy as before.
He asked, "Then who will be responsible for glazing the sacrificial white porcelain?"
The secret recipe for the Song Family Sacrificial White Porcelain consisted of two parts: the clay and the glazing.
Could the porcelain even be fired successfully without Song Li?
Song Jiyun said, "I will take responsibility for it!"
Eunuch Wan could hardly conceal his astonishment; he suddenly sat up straight and scrutinized her from head to toe, asking with skepticism, "You?"
"Yes," Song Jiyun smiled and said, "The formula for the glaze used on the sacrificial white porcelain is the lifeline of our family. Master Song at most knew how to apply the glaze, but the formula has always been in my father’s hands. While he was alive, he had me memorize the formula. The absence of Song Li makes no difference."
Eunuch Wan did not speak, his gaze sternly fixed on her eyes, as if by doing so, he could discern the truth of Song Jiyun’s words.
Song Jiyun was not afraid of his scrutiny.
Her father had told many people when he was alive that he wanted to find her a husband to inherit the family business.
Eunuch Wan had been in Liang County for so many years; he must have heard about it.
This man, having acted like an emperor in Liang County for so long, and set in his ways, how could he possibly be receptive to her words?
Better to appease him temporarily with her father’s words and wait until she had fired the Sacrificial White Porcelain.
Moreover, as she was in charge of the glazing process, she hadn’t lied.
This time, she was preparing to take on the task of firing the Sacrificial White Porcelain herself.
She lifted her head and looked at Eunuch Wan with a very sincere expression.
Eunuch Wan smiled.
But that smile didn’t reach his eyes and even seemed a bit sinister.
Song Jiyun’s heart tightened.
However, Eunuch Wan stood up abruptly, staring into her eyes, and said solemnly, "Then I will wait until the beginning of August to collect the goods!"
Song Jiyun hurriedly bent her knees to bow and replied, "Yes."
"Time to head back to the residence!" said Eunuch Wan, stepping out.
Song Jiyun quickly followed, saying, "It’s getting late, and the midday weather is hot. You could have a simple lunch with us and leave later, and it would not be too late!"
Eunuch Wan didn’t even glance at her and continued to walk out, saying, "We’ll talk about that after you’ve delivered the Sacrificial White Porcelain!"
The implication was clear: if she failed to produce the Sacrificial White Porcelain, there was no need to even acknowledge her existence.
Song Jiyun still followed Eunuch Wan’s sedan chair, escorting them to the entrance of the Kiln Factory. She watched his sedan chair sway out of sight under the harsh sun before turning with Zheng Quan and the others back to the hall.
Luo Zixing hesitated several times, and ultimately, unable to hold back, once they sat down in the hall and drank some plum juice to cool off, he said worriedly, "Miss, are you really planning to take charge of glazing the Sacrificial White Porcelain?"
Glazing might seem simple, but without a decade of practice, it’s very hard to master its thickness.
Before this, he had never heard that Song Jiyun knew how to glaze.
He said, "The Kiln Factory has several master craftsmen who are skilled in glazing, and their craftsmanship is not inferior to Song Li’s. Previously the Owner trusted Song Li, that’s why he was in charge of glazing the Sacrificial White Porcelain. Perhaps we could choose one of those craftsmen."
Song Jiyun smiled, "Without you mentioning it, I’d have asked you to recommend a few to me."
Luo Zixing and the others were somewhat stunned.
Song Jiyun teased them, "You will know when the time comes."
Luo Zixing and the others looked at each other, their hearts fluctuating like duckweed on the water, feeling bereft of a foundation.*
Shao Qing quietly snuck into the courtyard shaded by the canopy of trees to watch the excitement in the hall. As he came in, he saw their young master standing under the eaves, gazing into the neighboring bamboo forest.
He turned around, intending to sneak away quietly.
However, Yuan Yunzhong nonchalantly asked, "Has Wan Xiaoquan left?"
Realizing his sneaking around hadn’t gone unnoticed but not reprimanded, Shao Qing breathed a sigh of relief and approached with a grin, saying, "Master, nothing escapes your notice!"
Yuan Yunzhong did not reply.
Shao Qing couldn’t wait to recount what he had seen and heard in the hall, endlessly praising how clever and poised Song Jiyun was when handling people from the Yamen.
A faint smile appeared in Yuan Yunzhong’s eyes.
He had known all along.
Wasn’t it just so when she sought help from the Chief Accountant?!
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