In Song Daliang’s study.
The asparagus fern on the tea table was frail and struggling, as if it could barely support its leaves.
Yet, Song Daliang, with hands clasped behind his back, paced back and forth in the room.
His personal servant, Da Fu, gasped for air as he ran inside and urgently said, "Great Master, I’ve found out everything. The Kiln Factory fired up the kiln, but out of two hundred pieces of Sacrificial White Porcelain, only five survived. Most cracked due to uneven heating. The experienced craftsmen said it’s because the eagle pecked Luo Zixing’s eye, causing a mishap."
"Good, good, good!" Song Daliang danced with joy upon hearing this and leapt onto the Taishi Chair, eagerly asking, "What else? What else is there?"
Da Fu took a deep breath and continued, "There are only six days left until the delivery, and Miss Yun is extremely anxious. She’s offering high prices for the porcelain clay everywhere and even had someone come back to ask Second Madam to open the chests and bring several calligraphy pieces over. Everyone is whispering that it’s for greasing Eunuch Wan’s palm."
"Very good, very good!" Song Daliang beamed with joy, stood up again, and paced a few steps around the room before suddenly stopping to instruct Da Fu, "Go, prepare my carriage, I’m going to visit my wonderful niece!"
Da Fu hurriedly prepared the carriage for Song Daliang.
Song Daliang hummed a tune all the way to the Kiln Factory.
He was stopped at the entrance of the Kiln Factory.
Song Daliang wasn’t irritated. He got off the mule cart and strolled around. By the time Jiyun came to greet him, he still managed to casually complain, "Why is everything so dusty here?"
As he spoke, he plucked a leaf from the large tree: "Can’t you wash it down with water? Is this how you manage things? When your father was here, the Kiln Factory wasn’t this shabby."
Jiyun couldn’t be bothered with him and led him into the hall.
He picked apart the furnishings of the hall, "Look at this curio shelf. Who still uses black lacquer these days? Everyone uses gold and red lacquer now. And this Cheng Chen, still showcasing the Arhat Painting from ten years ago - can’t you change it..."
Jiyun stayed silent, sitting beside him, letting him ramble.
It wasn’t until the tea and snacks were served that he finally sat down, sipping tea, and speaking to Jiyun, "I heard you managed a kiln firing, and the results were unusable, all smashed?"
Jiyun didn’t specifically hide this information.
She said, "It’s alright! We’ve found the reason, and the next batch should be fine."
"The next batch?!" Song Daliang laughed heartily, "Niece, are you sure you can fire another kiln?"
"Uncle, what do you mean by that?" Jiyun, with a slight contraction of her pupils, said.
Song Daliang flinched, but soon straightened his chest, with his small eyes revealing a hint of greed, "Niece, I think, you should hand over the Imperial Kiln Factory order to me! You might not know this since you’ve been busy with the kiln these days, but I’ve started a kiln factory!"
Jiyun was utterly surprised.
Her uncle, ever since squandering the family fortune, would rather seek help from her father than find a proper job. How could he suddenly have started a kiln factory?
And he was blatantly trying to snatch the Imperial Kiln Factory’s order from her!
Currently, the White Porcelain they were making for the Imperial Kiln Factory used her father’s secret formula!
What made him think he could produce White Porcelain by taking the order from her?
Jiyun reassessed her uncle.
"The White Porcelain clay on the market, you bought it all!" she said, "And the kiln workers who left my factory, they’ve gone to yours!"
As Song Daliang was scrutinized by her, he proudly replied, "Niece, business is business. My ability to buy up all the White Porcelain clay and attract your kiln workers to join me shows my capability. It’s really your father,"
he paused at this point and continued, "who always liked making mysteries out of nothing. Special clay? It’s just the Jade Clay from Dehua, Fujian! We’ve all been fooled by your father!"
"Now, after your father has passed, and with no son to continue the family business, isn’t this fact well known?
"Niece, this is about fate!
"Your father didn’t have the fate, nor do you. The Song Family’s Kiln Factory is rightfully mine to grow and flourish, reaching new heights!"
His face was glowing with self-satisfaction.
Song Jiyun looked at him coldly.
As soon as she heard the words "Jade Clay," she knew that Song Daliang had obtained the secret formula for the Sacrificial White Porcelain from her father.
Because no such clay called "Jade Clay" actually existed in the world.
It was a name her father had concocted for their own Sacrificial White Porcelain clay, used privately within the workshop.
It was a tactic her father used to protect the secret formula by creating confusion.
People outside were completely unaware that her father had named the porcelain clay this.
But how did he obtain the secret recipe?
Her father hadn’t even told her.
She had deduced it based on her knowledge from future experiences.
Song Jiyun stared unblinkingly into Song Daliang’s eyes.
Song Daliang smiled faintly as he faced her, saying, "A young lady should just stay home to learn embroidery and cooking, managing a kiln factory is simply improper and disgraceful!"
"Is that so?" Song Jiyun confronted him, "But this Jade Clay is my father’s secret recipe, so where did great uncle get it from?"
Song Daliang shamelessly said, "Isn’t it just our Song Family’s formula?"
Song Jiyun smirked, "It doesn’t matter if Great Uncle doesn’t admit it. As for the Imperial Kiln Factory’s orders, I won’t swallow it down, and don’t you hope to lay your hands on it either!"
She shouted loudly, "Zheng Quan," "Show the guest out!"
Song Daliang suddenly felt blood rush to his head.
He sprang up abruptly and barked, "Song Jiyun, don’t refuse the wine only to be forced to drink the penalty wine! Without Jade Clay, I will see how you can make Sacrificial White Porcelain!"
Song Jiyun acted as if she heard nothing, and picked up her tea.
Zheng Quan led people in and carried him out.
"Song Jiyun, if you’re heartless, don’t blame me for being unrighteous!" Song Daliang, still being dragged out, continued to rant, "When the time comes, even if you come crying and yelling for help, don’t expect me to care!"
Someone gagged Song Daliang’s mouth.
The hall finally quieted down.
Yet Song Daliang’s words still affected everyone’s mood.
Zheng Quan even whispered softly, "Miss, I’ll make a trip to the Great Master’s kiln factory tonight. Even if he sleeps hugged to the clay, I have a way to steal a piece out."
Song Jiyun narrowed her eyes upon hearing this and sneered, "First, help me investigate his kiln factory."
It was to see if the situation was as she had expected. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶
Zheng Quan promptly left to do so.
But Song Daliang’s words spread around the kiln factory.
The people at the Sacrificial White Porcelain Workshop were fine; however, the workers at the other workshops began to feel uneasy, and even some blamed the masters and relatives of those who had resigned: "Shameless! To use the skills learned against your owner, how will you show your face once this gets out!"
Jingde Town wasn’t big, and the kiln workers were all intricately connected.
The matter soon spread throughout all the major kiln factories.
People reacted differently, with all kinds of opinions.
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