Inside the Taiping dical Hall, only Old Yao was left standing alone behind the counter, fiddling with the abacus.
Tapping away, he suddenly stopped and looked at the bustling crowd outside the door.
In the past, he complained about the noisy group of little brats in the dical Hall, but today, with the sudden quiet, it felt empty and desolate inside.
Old Yao took out six copper coins from his sleeve and threw them on the counter, muttering to himself as he interpreted the divination, "Not coming back tonight? Ha, at least I don’t have to save their dinner."
There ca a ow from the backyard, and he slowly made his way there, only to see Wu Yun squatting obediently on the eaves, surrounded by more than twenty Li Hua cats.
Old Yao said with a smile, "Just wait a mont."
With that, he went inside to fetch a dessert box from Zhengxin House, opened the drawer, and took a dessert in his palm for each Li Hua cat. They lined up politely, one by one, jumping down from the eaves and courteously taking the desserts away.
When it was Wu Yun’s turn, Old Yao simply opened the box wide, "Choose whichever you want."
Wu Yun didn’t eat, but instead looked up at him.
Old Yao laughed, patting Wu Yun on the head, "Do you rember it’s my turn to eat first? I can’t eat anymore."
Wu Yun looked puzzled.
Old Yao explained with a smile, "Everyone goes through birth, aging, sickness, and death. Once you can’t eat, it’s ti to go. I resisted it at first, but eventually, I ca to terms with it. Being able to live to ninety-two, what else could I ask for?"
At this mont, a voice ca from the main hall of the dical Hall, "Doctor Yao?"
Old Yao raised an eyebrow, walked back into the main hall with his hands behind his back, only to find it packed with people, with Chen Liqin at the forefront, dressed in a blue official robe.
Behind Chen Liqin, Chen family’s servants carried eight boxes of gifts. Neighbors from the street gathered outside peering in to catch the excitent.
Upon seeing Old Yao erge, a servant spoke loudly, "Today the Chen Mansion provides Chen Ji with a complete eight-item teacher’s greeting ceremony. The gifts include two jars of fine wine, ten strips of cured at, one pig leg, two lambs, a piece of pastry, ten silver ingots, two bolts of silk, and a silver ring ruler."
Old Yao gave a sneer, "What’s with the shouting? Are you trying to show off the Chen family’s wealth to the neighbors, or make it known you don’t understand the rules, sending the gifts two years after starting an apprenticeship? Mr. Chen carries quite the authority, wearing your official robe to my modest dical Hall."
Chen Liqin’s expression turned slightly embarrassed, and he quickly clasped his hands in a salute, "I have midday banquet for the Autumn Imperial Examination candidates, so I wore the official robe when I left the house. Doctor Yao, please forgive . My visit today is truly to express an apology and make ands for the lack of propriety on the part of my Chen family."
"Well, leave the gifts and be off," Old Yao waved his hand.
Chen Liqin didn’t leave. After a pause, he said, "I’ve heard that the boy has nded his ways. How has he been behaving under your watch?"
"How has he behaved?" Old Yao thought for a mont, "Every morning he was up early to carry water, sweep, and wipe tables, making so much noise I couldn’t have any peace."
Chen Liqin asked again, "Has he continued gambling?"
Old Yao stroked his beard and shook his head, "Many people said he was hopelessly addicted to gambling, but since he ca to my dical Hall, he hasn’t gambled for even a day."
Chen Liqin sighed in relief, "Actually, there’s another matter I wish to discuss with you."
"What is it?"
Chen Liqin said, "Chen Ji has been intelligent since childhood. These years, busy with official duties, I haven’t had the ti to look after him properly, which let him go astray. Now that he has repented, I thought of taking him back ho, and co next spring, sending him to Donglin Academy for three years."
"Study?"
"Yes. Chen Ji is only seventeen this year. Studying for three years before the civil service examination is entirely feasible."
In the dical Hall, Old Yao looked at the throng of Chen family mbers and his expression grew solemn, "You bring up your own bad seed, dump him on the Taiping dical Hall when he goes wrong, and take him back when he turns good? Does the world work like that? In the future, the Chen family should just stop raising your own children and send them all here."
Chen Liqin earnestly said, "Doctor Yao, you understand, pursuing academia and the civil service exam is the proper path. I thought him beyond saving before, but now that he has found his way back, as his father, it’s natural to think about his future. If you care for him, you’d want him to achieve greater things too, wouldn’t you?"
Old Yao said mockingly, "I don’t agree with this. Take back your gifts as well, I don’t need them. I told you yesterday, from now on the Chen family doesn’t need to pay tuition. I’ve accepted him as my child disciple; I will provide for him, and he will take care of in my old age."
Chen Liqin’s expression also grew solemn, "Why be unreasonable, Doctor Yao? I never agreed to your terms yesterday. Studying under your tutelage, at best he’ll beco a seventh-grade Imperial Physician. If he takes the civil service examination, he could govern and benefit more people. Let Chen Ji decide for himself; I believe he knows how to choose."
Old Yao raised an eyebrow, "He is not in the dical Hall."
Chen Liqin’s brows furrowed, "Delaying won’t help."
Old Yao sneered, "He’s at the Liu Family Village kiln factory. If you want to ask him, go there! If he wants to go back with you to the Chen Mansion, I won’t stop him!"
Chen Liqin, puzzled, "He doesn’t study here at the dical Hall, but runs to a dirty kiln factory to mingle with filthy brickworkers? Doctor Yao, why don’t you control him?"
Old Yao rolled his eyes, "My disciple can do whatever he wants, what business is it of yours?"
Chen Liqin bowed, "Now I am more convinced that Chen Ji should return with . If he’s willing to go back to the Chen Mansion, I hope you won’t obstruct."
After saying that, Chen Liqin exited and got into the carriage, heading toward Liu Family Village to the south of the city.
Old Yao watched him leave, gazing at the neglected Teacher’s Greeting Ceremony gifts in the central hall, remaining silent for a long ti.
Wu Yun lightly leaped onto the counter and nuzzled his hand with her head.
Old Yao looked towards Wu Yun and slowly asked, "I have taught him all about the Official Gateway, and I don’t have anything else to teach him. On one hand, there’s the bitter and fishy sll of this room full of dicinal herbs and the crotchety old n of the Imperial dical Hall; on the other hand, there’s the vast Chen Family, led by the current Minister of Revenue. Which one do you think he’ll choose?"
Wu Yun did not reply.
...
...
In the kiln factory, Prince Jing stood with his hands behind his back, silently staring at the inverted fla kiln that was taking shape before him.
Feng Daban stood by his side and gently reminded him, "Your Highness, today is the day of the Autumn Imperial Examination curtain-raising. As usual, the Luocheng City Governnt will host a banquet at Yingxian Building for the inner and outer curtain officials at noon. You should set off for the banquet, as your absence on such an important day could cause unrest in the hearts of the officials."
As custom dictated, there was a ’Teacher’s Greeting Ceremony’ before the start of the Autumn Imperial Examination.
After the banquet, the examination officials were divided into the inner and outer curtain officials, with the forr being responsible for marking the papers and the latter for supervising the examination hall, without any contact between them.
The Teacher’s Greeting Ceremony was generally presided over by the most prestigious person in the area.
Prince Jing calmly said, "I won’t be attending the Teacher’s Greeting Ceremony today; the matters here are more important."
Feng Daban expressed his puzzlent, "Your Highness, after hearing a few words from the Princely Heir this morning, you imdiately sent soone to the Craftsmanship Supervisor to summon the most capable military craftsman. And now, you are skipping the curtain-raising banquet... It’s just a kiln for firing porcelain, and I’ve never seen you so concerned about porcelain before. If you like kilns so much, I can send soone to Jingde Town to pick out one for you. Why fire your own?"
Prince Jing pointed towards the kiln being built and asked with a smile, "Porcelain? Porcelain alone wouldn’t be enough to make rush here."
Feng Daban beca even more puzzled, "Is your Highness interested in what Dr. Chen ntioned about finding a substitute for the glutinous rice mortar?"
"Yes, but not exactly," Prince Jing slowly said, "The yearly production of court iron is barely enough to et demands; when the border army gets more, the price for a simple iron pot skyrockets in civilian areas. But if we allot more to the states, the border army will suffer. Which commander returning from the border town doesn’t complain about the shortage of military equipnt?"
He continued, "Feng Daban, do you realize what it would an if the temperature in this inverted fla kiln could be raised by another twenty percent?"
Feng Daban bowed and lowered his eyes, "I am but an eunuch, knowing only how to serve and protect your Highness well. I need not know anything else; knowing too much can make my heart restless."
Prince Jing smiled, "Feng Daban is still so cautious."
Feng Daban also smiled, "Please enlighten , Your Highness. Why are you so concerned about this kiln?"
Prince Jing explained slowly, "If the temperature in this inverted fla kiln can indeed be raised by another twenty percent, it would an that iron ore could be directly lted into iron. Then our Ning Dynasty border army no longer has to patch up broken weapons, and we could even dare to dream of the splendor of Heavy Cavalry."
Feng Daban looked enlightened, "This concerns national policies, and indeed makes the Luocheng Autumn Imperial Examination seem insignificant in comparison. But Your Highness has always been prudent in handling affairs; why put such a heavy bet on a young man? What if he has rely boasted grandly without substance?"
Prince Jing smiled, "Do you believe in divination?"
"Hm?" Feng Daban did not understand, but Prince Jing did not explain further.
Prince Jing changed the subject and teased, "Chen Ji may be clever, but he’s still naive. He’s only focused on creating that substitute for glutinous rice mortar, not realizing that it’s the kiln improvent technology that’s the real pearl."
Feng Daban was puzzled, "Your Highness intends to buy this kiln improvent technology?"
Prince Jing laughed heartily, "Buy? First, I shall teach this naive youngster a lesson."
At the entrance to the kiln factory, Chen Ji was hurrying a bullock cart back from outside, loaded with stacks of green bricks, with Liang Mao’er and the Princely Heir pushing the cart from behind.
A man approached, "Dr. Chen, I have so questions, may I ask for your guidance?"
Chen Ji called She Dengke over to lead the bullock, then he himself dusted off the ash from his palms and said with a smile, "Sure, let’s talk by the kiln. What do you want to ask?"
Then, Chen Ji stood in front of the kiln, casually pointing out various parts to the man as he explained.
"Dr. Chen, why does the main flue need to be buried right underneath the kiln? Shouldn’t it be behind the kiln with a vertical chimney?"
"By burying the Fire Absorption Hole underneath, we can create a reverse flow of flas within the kiln."
"Dr. Chen, why do the fire holes have to be just twenty percent the size of the stove grate?"
"Because any larger would damage the grate."
Chen Ji stood side by side with a man in front of the kiln, explaining. anwhile, another man behind them silently pulled a small notebook from his pocket and jotted down Dr. Chen’s words with a charcoal pencil.
After Chen Ji finished answering questions, the man casually tucked the notebook back into his pocket and continued with his work as if nothing had happened.
Bai Li silently watched Chen Ji’s tall, lean figure, feeling that he did not seem like a dical Hall apprentice at the mont.
Despite the disheveled and filthy hair, the man would simply need to dust off his clothes to appear like a master who taught with ease and calmness, gentle and composed.
This gentle youth and the assassin with the broken knife from that night seed like two separate beings, naturally alternating like day and night.
But she suddenly noticed the military craftsman’s little trick, and swiftly walked towards Chen Ji to inform on him.
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