Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 586 Envy
Near the coal kiln, there were openly a dozen or so guards, working in three shifts daily. Everyone entering or leaving had to be checked. If anyone was watching the coal kiln, they had to find a way to deal with these guards.

In fact, Xie Yuyan had already arranged for Yang Xiaoshan to plant spies around the Wu family before they even arrived in Bianjing, to keep an eye on their every move.

Su Man said in a low voice, "They've arrived. We received the news early this morning. However, these people are very cautious. They only left a few people around, while the rest of their forces remained in the mountains."

Xie Yuyan said, "If they see Wu Qian, they will try to make a move."

Even with the utmost caution, they must find a way to rescue Wu Qian. Now that Wu Qian has finally escaped the city, this is the best opportunity, and the Wu family won't let it slip by.

Su Man responded.

Xie Yuyan said, "Arrange for Wu Qian to move the porcelain, and let him come and go as he pleases, just like everyone else."

These past few days, Wu Qian has been living in fear, his mind on edge. Even if he were given the chance to escape now, he might not dare to take that step.

After giving these instructions, Xie Yuyan walked into the porcelain kiln.

Xie Zishao washed himself clean early in the morning, changed into a brand-new robe, and looked refreshed. He moved among the merchants and kiln owners, arranging affairs in an orderly manner, clearly very adept. Having always kept his talents hidden in the Xie family, he could finally put them to use, and he couldn't have been happier.

Upon seeing Xie Yuyan arrive, Xie Zishao immediately stepped forward: "These clothes that my tenth sister gave me fit me perfectly, and even the shoes are the same... They are more comfortable than what I wore before."

"It's different when your sister cares about you."

Xie Yuyan was already used to Xie Zishao's glib tongue. She did indeed buy the clothes, but she didn't touch a single stitch. She only picked out the fabric at Ciyun Nunnery. As for the style, her mother and Zhang Shi put more thought into it.

"Look how well these stitches are done..."

"And this style looks so luxurious."

Xie Yuyan nodded: "If you like it, I'll ask which embroiderer made it."

Xie Zishao's smile vanished instantly, replaced by a look of disappointment. But he quickly smiled again: "At least the cloth was chosen by my tenth sister herself."

With that alone, he can go around showing off. Perhaps some people will be so envious they won't be able to sleep all night.

The two exchanged a few jokes and then went inside to talk.

Xie Zishao said, "I went to see when the craftsmen opened the kiln just now, and they did indeed fire several beautiful pieces of porcelain. If they hadn't been wary of each other, they might have revealed their own skills. This time, they might have even fired some decorative porcelain."

The firing process for decorative porcelain is even more rigorous. The clay and glaze must be carefully selected. Each kiln is just testing the temperature of the coal kiln, so naturally they will not use their best materials.

Even if the craftsmen did their best, they would still need to fire at least ten or eight kilns. The surprise they see now is simply because the coal fire produced a different glaze color.

If you really want to use porcelain from the coal kiln for display purposes, you'll need to put in more effort.

Xie Zishao continued, "The craftsmen themselves supervise the porcelain as it is placed into the saggars, and they do not delegate the task to others when it is taken out of the kiln. The craftsmen of each kiln have reached a consensus that no one will touch another's saggars."

"What we do is arrange the fire masters and control the fire."

It sounds simple, but each kiln has a different glaze formula, uses different clay, and therefore requires different firing temperatures.

Even the placement of porcelain had to be carefully considered—whether it was on the sides or in the middle, near the fire or far away—each outcome would result in a different outcome.

Xie Zishao put a lot of thought into arranging these things, but he also learned a lot from it.

“Many porcelain pieces need to be refired,” Xie Zishao said. “This actually highlights the advantages of the coal kiln.” Some craftsmen would come to him at night and simply leave him the saggars containing the porcelain so he could help them put them in for refiring. Their sneaky behavior was quite amusing, but it also proved that the craftsmen and the kilns trusted them more and more.

Xie Yuyan nodded: "Have you kept good records of the coal and labor used for firing the kiln these days?" Xie Zishao called over the accountant and handed Xie Yuyan a book of accounts.

Xie Yuyan said, "Let's go to the main room and wait for them."

As the two walked outside, they heard someone shout in surprise.

Of course, someone produced fine porcelain.

Where there is joy, there is sorrow.

Although it was a trial run of the coal kiln, some people got good results, while others might get nothing at all.

Craftsmen from various porcelain kilns came to try out the coal kilns. The first firing cost no money. Because of this, some kiln owners instructed their craftsmen to be cautious and careful, preferring not to produce good porcelain rather than reveal any of their skills.

Being too conservative and cautious might mean making a wasted trip.

Xie Yuyan didn't care about any of that; as long as someone could produce good porcelain, her goal would be achieved.

If others can succeed, why can't I? As long as I'm not willing to give up, I'll try again.

Xie Yuyan sat in the main room for a while, and then someone rushed in.

“Madam,” a kiln owner bowed to Xie Yuyan, “thank you, Master Xing, for enabling us to produce new porcelain.”

He and his son placed a plum vase on the table, their eyes fixed on the porcelain with lingering affection, as if afraid that if they didn't look at it for a moment, it would be gone.

A red-glazed plum vase, its color exceptionally vibrant.

The kiln owner came from Yuzhou. His family originally worked with others to fire porcelain, but later had a disagreement with them and simply left to return to their hometown and start their own business.

It has only been about ten years since the kiln was opened. Because it is a kiln that was opened in recent years, it is not very famous. When they heard about the Shitan Kiln, the kiln owner and his son discussed it and felt that it was an opportunity. So they simply came to Bianjing together, determined to make good porcelain.

The kiln wasn't famous, so no one bothered them. The two of them didn't have to spend their energy on defense, and they actually managed to produce some good pieces.

Xie Yuyan was also surprised when she saw the plum vase. She stood up and walked over to take a closer look: "This is Begonia Red."

The kiln owner smiled and said, "Now that you mention it, it's true. To be honest, this is the first time we've ever fired such a color." In his opinion, this porcelain would definitely sell very well, because there was no such glaze on the market.

Xie Yuyan looked at the kiln owner: "Where did you come from?"

The kiln owner immediately replied, "My father and I are from the Duan family of Yuzhou, not from any famous kiln."

Xie Yuyan pondered for a moment: "Yuzhou Juntai?"

Duan Shirong was stunned: "Master Xing knows?"

"I've only heard about it," Xie Yuyan said with a smile, "but seeing it today, this porcelain is indeed quite good." In a few years, the porcelain fired at Juntai will be selected by the imperial court for display.

Duan Shirong bowed to Xie Yuyan and said, "Thank you for your help, Elder Xing. Although our kiln is small, we will do our best to fire porcelain now that we have a coal kiln."

As the Duan father and son were talking, another kiln owner walked in. When they saw the plum vase on the table, they all showed envious expressions.

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(End of this chapter)