"This is sweet white porcelain!" Song Jiyun had come over at some point, her smile beaming as she spoke in a gentle voice, "It’s a new type of porcelain my father had been researching when he was alive. After taking over the kiln factory, I improved part of the process and fired it into existence."
There’s a saying, "Only reveal a fraction of your thoughts to others".
Especially when it comes to these trade secrets.
She wasn’t yet ready to expose herself to everyone.
"Sweet white porcelain?!" Eunuch Wan exclaimed in a low voice, standing and holding up the bowl in his hands towards the sunlight.
The simple bowl glowed with a warm light.
"Because its glaze is as lustrous as cotton sugar, it was named sweet white porcelain," Jiyun explained to him, "It’s just a pity that time was too tight, or else I would have tried adding incised or carved decorations, which would have been very interesting."
Eunuch Wan nodded, his gaze stuck to the small bowl as if it couldn’t be torn away, murmuring his admiration: "It’s so beautiful!"
Song Jiyun pursed her lips and smiled.
But Song Daliang shuddered, suddenly coming back to his senses.
"How could this be?!" He looked at Eunuch Wan and Song Jiyun, who were conversing and laughing, his face pale as paper and his mind in turmoil.
He had arranged everything so carefully.
How could it have turned out like this?
Song Daliang blinked, hoping everything he saw was an illusion.
Yet the rudely shattered ceramic shards and the porcelain as elegant as jade constantly reminded him that it was all real.
Unable to help himself, he pushed through the crowd and charged over, only to be stopped by Luo Zixing and others guarding the kiln mouth.
"Let me through!" Song Daliang demanded with a livid face, grappling with those who were blocking him.
Eunuch Wan and Song Jiyun turned at the commotion.
Jiyun was expressionless.
Eunuch Wan hesitated for a moment before saying, "Let him in!"
With a moment’s hesitation, the men let Song Daliang past, and he threw himself onto the ashen fragments of the saggers. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
"Impossible! Impossible!" he muttered as he rummaged frantically through the pieces of cups and dishes.
The sound of porcelain clinking was fine and melodious, like a dragon’s chant or the ring of a chime, quite pleasing to the ear.
Eunuch Wan was startled, urging, "Be careful!"
Song Daliang, fixated on the newly fired porcelain, did not look back.
Annoyed, Eunuch Wan commanded his servant to restrain Song Daliang, "What do you think you’re doing? Porcelain is fragile. If you break it, who will be responsible?"
"Impossible!" Song Daliang, in a daze, cried out loudly, "The second son is still researching how to improve Jade Clay; how could new porcelain be fired? Song Jiyun, what trick are you playing? These porcelains must be something you’ve acquired from elsewhere!"
Song Jiyun let out a cold laugh, "Whose family has produced new porcelain and hasn’t gone to Lord Wan to claim credit, letting me take the limelight?"
Song Daliang continued to ramble, "You couldn’t have fired sacrificial white porcelain. Without porcelain powder, you can’t mix Jade Clay."
Jiyun listened with a flicker in her gaze, "Where did my great-uncle get his porcelain powder from then?"
"I got it from..." Song Daliang began, but as if remembering something, he immediately clamped his mouth shut, his refusal clear.
Jiyun snorted coldly, pointing at the pile of sweet white porcelain, "Lord, do you think this can be presented as sacrificial white porcelain to the palace?"
The new porcelain gleamed bright like carved jade.
But Eunuch Wan thought of his agreement with Song Daliang and his expression turned somewhat inscrutable.
For a moment, the kiln inside and out fell silent.
Wan Daliang’s hair stood on end, and he sobered up.
What was he even squabbling with Song Jiyun over, concerning new and old porcelains?
What he wanted now was to secure orders from the Imperial Kiln Factory, to take over the Song Family Kiln Factory.
"My lord!" he hastily reminded Eunuch Wan, "The porcelain we previously sent to the palace was all Sacrificial White Porcelain, not any sweet white porcelain. It might not be good to offer two types of white porcelain on the same altar, right?"
A glint of cold light flashed across Eunuch Wan’s eyes.
Song Jiyun quickly said, "My lord, I have also fired several High-Footed Offering Plates."
As she spoke, she picked out a few offering plates from the kiln and handed them over to Eunuch Wan to see: "With the Mid-Autumn Festival around the corner, they would be perfect for giving as gifts. In the autumn and winter seasons, offering something like fragrant citron or Buddha’s hand could not be better."
To promote the new porcelain, it was essential to get the nods of the eunuchs of the Imperial Supervision and Construction Department and win the favor of the scholar officials at court.
Eunuch Wan pondered, not taking them immediately.
Song Jiyun, not in the least disconcerted, still smiling, said, "This sweet white porcelain is indeed good for sacrificial porcelain, but if it were used as the base for blue-and-white or underglaze colored porcelain, it would be even better—now that the Western Region’s routes are cut off, the supply of Sumali Green Material is dwindling, and both Zhejiang green and Cobalt Blue are becoming more light and elegant. Using the original green glaze as a base tends to scatter."
Eunuch Wan and Song Daliang both listened, and their brows twitched noticeably.
If, as she described, the sweet white porcelain had such a wide range of uses, the value of this new porcelain was far greater than simply being used as sacrificial porcelain.
Eunuch Wan couldn’t help but take the offering plate and began to calculate carefully.
Song Daliang didn’t have as many considerations as Eunuch Wan; he just wanted to ensure that the porcelain he fired would become the sacrificial porcelain for the Imperial Kiln Factory.
He said, somewhat flustered, "Lord Wan, all this talk of blue-and-white, underglaze colors, it’s just talk. If it really works, let her fire a separate kiln for you in a few days. It’s not too late to see for yourself then."
But Eunuch Wan had thought of something else thanks to Song Jiyun’s words.
After all, being an eunuch, the palace was where he belonged. However, the longer he was away from the Capital City, the more estranged he became from The Twenty-Four Yamen. He wanted to return to the Capital, and just using silver wasn’t going to be enough.
The introduction of the new porcelain by the Song Family Kiln Factory was also his achievement as the Supervising Pottery Officer.
With this merit, he had a legitimate reason to request his transfer back to the Capital City.
He glanced at the anxious Song Daliang, then at the composed Song Jiyun, and gave a signal to his attendant.
The attendant immediately stepped forward to take custody of the High-Footed Offering Plates.
Song Jiyun secretly breathed a sigh of relief, the corners of her mouth tipping up ever so slightly, her voice sounding a bit more cheerful than before: "My lord, I think what my great-uncle suggested makes some sense, too. Whenever you have time, I could fire a few pieces of blue-and-white and underglaze colored porcelain for you. They’d be ready to be sent to the Capital alongside this batch of sweet white porcelain, just in time for the Mid-Autumn festival gifts."
"My lord!" Before Eunuch Wan could utter a word, Song Daliang interrupted Song Jiyun in haste, "We still don’t know if this blue-and-white, underglaze colored porcelain can be successfully fired, but we cannot delay the sacrificial white porcelain. How about I also fire a few pieces of blue-and-white or underglaze colored porcelain for you to see which is better before you make a decision?"
But Eunuch Wan had made up his mind to use the firing of the new porcelain as his stepping stone back to the Capital City.
He didn’t even give Song Daliang another glance and ordered someone by his side, "Have the treasury come to collect the goods."
Luo Zixing and the others listened, overjoyed but daring not to laugh out loud.
Song Daliang was dumbfounded.
"No!" He tried to reach out to Eunuch Wan.
The people around Eunuch Wan immediately blocked him to one side.
Song Jiyun, seizing the mood, said with a smile, "Anything else you need, my lord? Just let your people make a list, and I’ll have Wong Dahai fetch it. I also happened to acquire a painting of flowers and birds by Ma Shirong. I’m not sure if it’s genuine, so he could bring it for your appraisal."
Eunuch Wan was quite pleased with her tact and acknowledged with a "Hmm."
Seizing the moment, Song Jiyun continued with a smile, "What about the bet between me and my great-uncle, my lord?"
"In Jingde Town, no one dares to disrespect me!" Eunuch Wan, preoccupied with planning for the new porcelain and impatient, responded brusquely and waved his hand, proceeding to leave with his entourage.
Song Daliang became desperate, flustered, and at a loss.
"My lord! My lord!" He clumsily chased after Eunuch Wan’s sedan chair.
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