Song Jiyun looked at Song Daliang’s retreating figure, her mouth twisting into a mocking sneer.
"Miss, are we just going to let this go?" Zheng Quan said, unable to hide his dissatisfaction. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞
"Of course, we’re not letting this go!" Song Jiyun scoffed coldly. "Since he wishes to challenge me in the world of business, then we shall meet on that very battlefield. As for the bet, don’t we still have Eunuch Wan and the Eleventh Grand Master? What are you anxious about?"
Zheng Quan could understand Eunuch Wan being a witness, but the Eleventh Grand Master?
Song Jiyun smiled at him, saying, "After all the turmoil, it’s time to see which side the clan elders of the Song Clan really stand on!"
Zheng Quan was still somewhat worried.
Laughter echoed from the direction of the kiln.
Song Jiyun’s smile lost some of its coldness and became more cheerful.
"Let’s go!" she invited Zheng Quan. "We’ll go and see them unloading the kiln. Besides the Sacrificial Porcelain, I’ve also fired some fine porcelain for the common folk, and in a few days, I’ll send Zhou Zheng to Suzhou and Hangzhou with it. Also, when Wong Dahai arrives later, accompany him to the Imperial Kiln Factory to meet Eunuch Wan and retrieve the storage list."
She also thought of Yuan Yunzhong.
She wondered if he had awakened.
She had fired two Seal Paste Boxes for him.
Song Jiyun briskly made her way to the laughter-filled kiln of Sacrificial White Porcelain.
Her top priority was to safely and smoothly deliver this batch of porcelain to the Imperial Kiln Factory; to convince Eunuch Wan that with the merit of firing sweet white porcelain, he could get promoted and return to Capital City.
By the time Song Daliang returned home, weary and hurried, the drum for the four night watches had already been beaten.
The large red lanterns under the eaves illuminated the joyous atmosphere of the estate.
Madam Wang, wearing a phoenix head hairpin and donned in a date-red brocaded Beizi vest, welcomed him with a beaming smile, followed by several maidservants: "My lord, you’ve finally returned! You’ve been busy all day, you must be exhausted! Quickly, come rest in your room! I had the kitchen prepare a table full of delicious dishes, waiting just for you, ready to be served."
The accessories atop her head glittered in the lamplight.
Song Daliang’s gaze became fixed, slowly turning towards Madam Wang.
Madam Wang didn’t notice anything amiss, her face full of joy, and she signaled the maidservants to assist Song Daliang.
"How did the day’s work go?" she asked excitedly. "Since Eunuch Wan has accepted our five thousand taels of silver, the Imperial Kiln Factory’s order should be a sure thing, right?"
To "persuade" Eunuch Wan, she had sold several of the shops that came as part of her dowry.
Song Daliang’s face suddenly twisted into a snarl, and he kicked the approaching maidservant, sending her sprawling onto the ground: "Get out! All of you, get out!"
Madam Wang’s expression changed drastically, and she quickly moved aside with the maidservants, timid as quail.
Looking dazed, Song Daliang stumbled forward.
A servant boy ran in, saying, "Great Master, the Eleventh Grand Master and some clan elders have come. They say they have urgent matters to discuss with you."
Song Daliang paused in his steps, as if snapping to his senses, he stood still for a moment, then followed the servant boy to the front hall where guests were received.
Madam Wang immediately sent someone to summon one of Song Daliang’s close attendants to inquire about the day’s events.
When she learned that Song Jiyun had created a new type of porcelain called "sweet white" and that it had been designated as an Imperial Product by Eunuch Wan, whereas Song Daliang not only failed to gain Eunuch Wan’s support but was also scorned by him, having run around fruitlessly all afternoon and unable to meet with Eunuch Wan again, she felt a sharp pain in her chest, nearly fainting.
"Quick, call the Third Miss over!" she ordered, while the maidservants supported her onto the beauty couch. "Tell her there’s big trouble at the kiln factory!"
The maidservant ran all the way to fetch Song Tao.
"Mother!" She had already learned from the maidservant what had transpired and, despite keeping a stern face upon seeing her mother, still conveyed a sense of stability and reliability.
Madam Wang, who was being attended by a maidservant and sipping on ginseng tea, immediately burst into tears when she saw her and, clutching her hand, choked out, "I said that secret recipe was unreliable. But your father said, they let him fire the porcelain first, then pay. Now look, your uncle already has a new recipe, and this ’Jade Clay’ fired Sacrificial White Porcelain has long been discarded by them. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have leaked out!"
Song Tao bit her lip and comforted her mother in a deep voice, "Don’t worry, if Dad hadn’t spent that money on the secret recipe, he would have squandered it all on eating, drinking, prostituting, and gambling anyway. What’s more, it’s so late and the Eleventh Grand Master has come to see Dad; we must find out what he wants."
Madam Wang, agitated again, urged her maidservant to go and inquire.
But Song Tao said, "I’ve already sent Ding Xiang. Let’s wait for the news here. As for what happened with Eunuch Wan, let that attendant come in; I want to question him myself."
Madam Wang, having lost any sense of what to do, had someone call for the attendant, allowing Song Tao to interrogate him thoroughly.
However, before they could finish, Ding Xiang rushed in, panicked.
"Third Miss, Great Madam," she said, pale-faced, "Trouble has occurred. The Eleventh Grand Master has demanded that the Great Master initiate a Clan division, saying that the Great Master lost a bet to Miss Yun and must give Eunuch Wan an explanation."
Madam Wang felt darkness closing in, and she grasped the table beside her tightly to keep from falling.
"A bet? What kind of bet?" she demanded, focusing on Song Daliang’s attendant, "What on earth is going on here?"
The attendant, on the verge of tears, recounted the whole incident and said while wiping the corners of his eyes, "Such a significant matter as leaving the clan, we all thought it was just talk, who knew it would come to pass?"
Upon hearing this, Madam Wang began to wail, slapping her thighs, "What sins did I commit in my past life to have married such an unreliable man! He’s never accomplished a single thing in his life..."
Song Tao criticized inwardly.
You’re just realizing this now!
She calmly tried to console Madam Wang, "Mother, splitting off from the clan isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Our relationship with Cousin Yun’s family is already like this, and if Dad still wants to run a Kiln Factory in the future, where profit conflicts arise, even if we don’t fall out today, it’s bound to happen eventually."
"But your dad is useless. Without the clan’s support, we probably won’t even have food to eat!" cried Madam Wang.
Song Tao could only continue to reassure her mother, "I’ll have Ding Xiang inquire again. If the Clan elders still have some compassion, they might let Dad propose the clan split himself rather than being expelled, and we can still associate with the Song Clan relatives."
As she said this, a notion struck her and she hesitated, "The only issue is if the second branch intends to adopt an heir. In terms of closeness, our family wouldn’t even compare to the Eleventh Grand Master’s Family..."
Madam Wang instantly grasped the crux of the matter.
She gripped her daughter’s hand, "Could this be Song Jiyun’s goal?"
She couldn’t help but show her disgust, "She really is venomous."
Yet she felt relieved, "At least I wasn’t planning on adopting your brother out to anyone!"
But her father wanted her brother to shoulder both branches of the family.
Song Tao, lost in thought, urged Ding Xiang, "Go back to the hall and see. If there’s any news, let us know in time."
Ding Xiang ran off like a wisp of smoke.
In her heart, Song Tao thought about the past, how Song Jiyun, too, had been expelled from the clan.
Without the burden of the clan, Song Jiyun, having nothing to hold her back, spread her wings and achieved great success. Afterward, the clan even sought her return to the family fold.
All else was false, only money and power were real.
She couldn’t help but stretch her limbs, feeling her breath flow more freely.
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