Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 328 Advice
Xu En should not take credit for this, as it was not really his responsibility.

On the contrary, he also benefited from it, since both the left and right classes now have pottery bottles to use, and his recommendation deserves credit.

The Emperor naturally knew of Lady Xie; her name had been mentioned frequently ever since Wang Yan entered the capital.

The emperor looked at Wang Yan: "That woman came to the capital with you, so why has she disappeared without a trace?"

After the fire had burned out, the official rode his horse to see the situation in person. From a distance, all that could be seen was a ball of fire, but only when he got closer could he clearly see that the area was charred black.

The Emperor remained expressionless, but the joy in his eyes intensified, which pleased the chief eunuch of the Imperial Household Department standing nearby. The Emperor had been ill for so long and worried about the case in Daming Prefecture, but today he finally smiled.

Wang Yan happened to come over and said, "Your Majesty, I was unaware of this; there are probably other arrangements."

The Emperor was in a good mood today and talked a lot. He glanced at Wang Yan and said, "I already knew. It was because someone attacked the inn at night, and that woman dared not travel with you anymore."

Wang Yan responded, "This case has not been investigated, and I dare not speak recklessly."

That makes sense. From the inn to the carriage, although they have captured people, interrogating them is not easy. Those people are different from ordinary assassins; they make wild guesses, and it is impossible to know which of their statements are true.

Ordinary torture is useless; we need to devise a more comprehensive plan.

Therefore, Wang Yan did not assert outright that those people were targeting Xie Yuyan.

After the Prince of Huai cleared away the blackened area, the result of the pottery bottle exploding became clearly visible.

The Prince of Huai said, "The person who made the pottery bottle is truly skilled. With this pottery bottle and black oil, it will be of great use in war."

Some things, once said, will be met with disagreement.

In particular, the black oil and the pottery bottle were both attributed to Madam Xie.

Wang Yan said, "The pottery bottle was made by Madam Xie, but the black oil inside was because when I was trapped, I saw the people of the demon cult using black oil, and I had some insights, so I told Xu Duzhi about it."

Xie Yuyan should not be associated with cults.

Xu En also said, "That's right. That very night, I tried it with Lord Wang, but we didn't succeed the first time." As he said this, he thought of his pottery bottle.

He used the green-glazed pottery bottle to test the black oil. Although he later asked Madam Xie to fire another kiln of pottery bottles, the pottery bottle he received was the same as everyone else's.

Sigh, he still feels a little heartache even now.

Such a beautiful ceramic vase, gone!

Now he only hopes to help Madam Xie, and then ask for a green-glazed bottle.

“It was my fault for not explaining clearly,” Prince Huai immediately made amends. “The pottery bottle was fired just right, otherwise we wouldn’t have been able to get such a firearm.”

"There's another reason why the pottery bottle is made in this shape," Wang Yan said, looking at Xu En.

After Xu En used the ceramic bottles on the left and right sides, he told the official what he thought of them.

“The earthenware bottles made this way are easy to use for fetching water and storing grain. They can be carried on your back or on horseback, and they are really useful on a ship. All you need to do is build a row of wooden frames to keep the earthenware bottles stable.”

"Because it uses a coal kiln, the cost of firing is low, and using it in the military can save a lot of military funds."

The official said, "In that case, the Xie family has indeed made a contribution."

Xu En nodded.

The Emperor continued, "Then let the Ministry of State Affairs carefully examine the new porcelain they have brought. If there are no problems, send it to the market."

Xu En agreed; for a merchant, this was all the reward he could receive. The official stroked his beard and instructed Xu En, "Throw it a few more times and see how far it can go."

If the emperor wants to see it again, Xu En is naturally happy to do so.

Wang Yan and the Prince of Huai stood on either side of the official, watching as the burning pottery vases were thrown out one by one.

The official said, "Is black oil used by the demonic cult? I never expected that we would be picking up scraps from someone else's work."

Upon hearing this, Prince Huai interrupted Wang Yan and said, "The Demon Sect has somehow discovered black oil. Now that they know it's useful, the court can try it out slowly and will surely be able to create better firearms."

The emperor nodded in agreement.

After another round of throwing pottery vases, Xu En quickly returned to the official's side, waiting for the fire to burn out before taking a closer look.

Wang Yan said, “Your Majesty, the trouble at the armory this time was due to the court’s inadequate supervision. The armory workshops outside the court were too scattered and lacked government supervision and improvement of weapons. I believe that we should establish more armory bureaus, employ people who are knowledgeable in weapon manufacturing to supervise the production of weapons, recruit craftsmen, standardize the process, and conduct strict inspections to prevent inferior products from being mixed in.”

Upon hearing Wang Yan speak, something flashed through Xu En's mind. He tentatively said, "What Lord Wang said reminds me of the clay furnace in Daming Prefecture."

The authorities made no attempt to stop it.

Xu En then continued chatting idly.

"The Xie family of Daming Prefecture ordered craftsmen to inspect pottery and porcelain. Any pottery with defects was smashed on the spot. All pottery kilns that wanted to fire clay kilns in Daming Prefecture had to be inspected by craftsmen. In addition, the Xie family also compiled a list of craftsmen, which detailed their experiences. All pottery and porcelain kilns that dealt with her used this list to determine the wages of the craftsmen."

"Thanks to her efforts, the clay stoves of Daming Prefecture are now extremely famous. When I was in Daming Prefecture, the market only recognized this kind of clay stove, and all the imitations could not be sold."

"Yesterday, I also saw clay kilns from Daming Prefecture in Bianjing, but they were all sold out in no time."

"What I mean is that this regulatory measure did not originate from the Xie family. If such a small clay furnace requires such a big fuss, then the Armory that Lord Wang mentioned... I think it might be able to sweep away the ills of arms regulation."

This is not the place to discuss politics, and the Emperor is unlikely to agree to it so easily. It will require several rounds of discussion between the two Grand Secretaries and the Hanlin Academy members before a decision can be made.

However, Wang Yan and Xu En's words were a well-timed piece of advice to the emperor, and they also spoke well of the Xie family of Daming Prefecture.

The Prince of Huai secretly curved his lips into a smile. Xu En was a member of the Palace Guard, wholeheartedly loyal to the Emperor, and he was also willing to speak up for Wang Yan; it was truly remarkable.

Wang Yan... was even more interesting. He deliberately tested the waters by vaguely mentioning the woman who made porcelain. Wang Yan immediately tried to salvage the situation, as he didn't want any rumors to fall on the woman.

Where exactly is that woman? Will she cause a commotion when she appears? This secrecy must mean she's hiding something, just like when he searched for Xie Wenjing back then. Otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered investigating her background. Prince Huai suddenly felt an urge to investigate Xie's background thoroughly. He loved secrets, because controlling them meant he could use them to his advantage.

The emperor could not linger outside the palace for too long. After testing the pottery jar, he immediately led everyone back to the imperial city.

The emperor's health had not fully recovered, and he felt somewhat tired, so he dismissed Wang Yan and the others.

Xu En still had duties to perform, while Wang Yan and the Prince of Huai walked out of the palace gate together.

“Brother Wang,” said the Prince of Huai, “you must come to the banquet at home tomorrow. They are all people we often see, as well as the two elder brothers of Privy Councilor Xie.”

Upon hearing Xie Shumi's words, Wang Yan looked at the Prince of Huai and asked, "You haven't even gotten married yet, and you've already acknowledged your elder brother?"

The Prince of Huai smiled broadly: "Wenjing and I have set a wedding date in two years. It's bound to happen sooner or later anyway, so it's only right to get used to it sooner."

Wang Yan nodded: "I will definitely prepare a congratulatory gift and go."

For a moment, the Prince of Huai seemed to see a smile in Wang Yan's eyes.

After the two separated, Sang Dian stepped forward and said, "My lord, Xu Huaiyi was stopped when he left the yamen. Our spies heard the commotion and the person was traveling by boat on the Bian River."

I'll be taking care of the kids during winter break, so I won't be able to stay up late at night. Therefore, I'll adjust my schedule and update one chapter during the day.