The Azure Mountain

Chapter 92: Heirs

The morning rooster announced the dawn.

A crow by the bed gently pecked at Old Yao's hair.

Old Yao slowly opened his eyes, listening to the gentle splashing sound of water in the courtyard. He draped on his cotton-padded jacket, held Wu Yun, and exited the door.

In the courtyard, he saw Chen Ji with his sleeves rolled up, currently carrying a carrying pole and walking out.

Old Yao laughed mockingly: "It seems you still weren't tired enough yesterday. If you're truly not tired, open a door in the courtyard wall first, saving the Prince Heir and Bai Li from flipping over the wall every day."

Chen Ji smiled and explained: "Last night we used too much water washing off the dust on our bodies, so I got up early to fill the water vat so we won't be without water when cooking. Did I disturb your rest? Next time I will make my movements even lighter."

"No need." Old Yao sighed. He noticed the red apricot tree in the courtyard that had changed its appearance and sighed with emotion: "Next spring when the apricot tree blooms white flowers, it should look very beautiful. When you are young, being able to do things together with friends is truly wonderful. At the time you might be covered in dirt and dust, but when recalling it decades later, it's as if those old friends glow with light..."

Chen Ji was astonished.

Old Yao looked at him: "Are there any more red cloths?"

Chen Ji froze for a moment, hurriedly fetching the unused red cloth strips from last night, then went to the counter in the main hall to fetch a writing brush and handed them to his Master.In his impression, Old Yao always had an indifferent appearance; he was never sentimental and couldn't stand sentimentality either.

Yet today, the other party suddenly became sentimental.

Old Yao was seen taking the writing brush and gently writing his wish on the red cloth: "Little bastards come cause trouble for this old man less."

Chen Ji's face was expressionless as he slowly turned his head to look at his Master: "..."

Old Yao said unhurriedly: "No need to hang it on the apricot tree, hang it on your forehead; you can help me fulfill this wish."

Chen Ji said in annoyance: "You're just using me for amusement this early in the morning, right?"

While tying the red cloth strip onto the lowest branch of the apricot tree, Old Yao said with an indifferent tone: "Yesterday evening, Jin Zhu came to the clinic looking for you, but you were not here."

"Did he say what it was about?"

With his hands behind his back, Old Yao turned and walked towards the clinic's main hall: "He didn't say. How could matters of the Secret Spy Division be told casually to an imperial physician? But I know why he came looking for you."

Carrying the carrying pole, Chen Ji followed behind his Master: "Why?"

"The Secret Spy Division failed to catch that Jing Dynasty rebel who used firearms, so they plan to return to the clue regarding the Golden Workshop and the Imperial Workshop. Yesterday, they went to the Canal Transport Guild and arrested quite a few people. Perhaps there's a new clue that needs you to decipher... Did you run to Liu Family Village to hide from him? Once you enter the Secret Spy Division there is no turning back, where did you think you could hide?"

Chen Ji said softly: "I suspect Consort Yun is planning to push the Prince Heir and Commandery Princess into the vortex, so I simply took them far away from the trouble. Now that Prince Jing has returned, perhaps no one will dare to arbitrarily frame them anymore, but hiding for a day is a day won."

Old Yao raised his eyebrows: "Consort Yun wants to harm her own children?"

After hesitating for a moment, Chen Ji still voiced his deductions: "Master, that day the Jing Dynasty had already known in advance the news of the Trouble-Resolving Guard surrounding the Golden Workshop in Red Clothe Lane. The person in charge of the Golden Workshop fled in advance, yet someone deliberately lured the Prince Heir and Commandery Princess over there. Other than Consort Yun, right now there is no one else who would do this. I'm guessing she wants her own child to inherit the position of Prince Jing."

However, Chen Ji was also somewhat puzzled: "But I can't figure it out, Consort Yun doesn't have a son under her knees either, why would she need to do this?"

"You're asking me? I'm not a secret spy!"

Chen Ji thought it over again and again, always feeling that a crucial piece of information was missing, like a building missing the most crucial wooden mortise in its mortise-and-tenon structure before being built.

"Master, has Consort Yun ever had a child die prematurely in these past years?"

"No, Bai Li is her only child."

"Have any other children died prematurely in Prince Jing's Estate?"

"Including the one of Consort Jing that died prematurely a few days ago, two. The previous one was also Consort Jing's child."

Chen Ji was astonished: "Master, is Consort Yun unwell?"

Old Yao said plainly: "I've taken her pulse for her, there is no illness."

Chen Ji still had a doubt in his heart: Right now Consort Yun had no heirs to inherit the position of Prince Jing, why would she strike a lethal blow without hesitation against the Prince Heir and Bai Li? If she wanted to strike, it should also be after having an heir.

Could his judgment be wrong?

"Wait," Chen Ji looked at Old Yao: "Master, how long has it been since Prince Jing spent the night at Flying Cloud Courtyard? Uncle Crow can communicate with birds, you definitely know this matter."

Old Yao laughed disdainfully: "What kind of person do you take me for? Would I do this sort of eavesdropping thing?"

Chen Ji said earnestly: "Master, this is very important."

Old Yao stroked his beard: "In the three years I've been in Luo City, Prince Jing has never spent the night at Flying Cloud Courtyard, he has always lived alone in Mingzheng Pavilion."

Chen Ji fell silent. As the last wooden mortise was filled in, he seemed to understand why Consort Yun had to do this. The ones the other party wanted to kill were probably not just the Prince Heir and Bai Li, but also Consort Jing.

...

...

While thinking, a rustling sound came from outside the wall. Chen Ji and Old Yao walked back to the backyard in suspicion.

The next moment, they saw the Prince Heir's head peek out from over the wall: "Chen Ji!"

Chen Ji was astonished: "Prince Heir, why are you here so early? Being so enthusiastic about working isn't like you."

The Prince Heir's expression changed: "What kind of words are you saying? Was I not diligent when working yesterday? Chen Ji, you must speak based on your conscience!"

"Diligent, extremely diligent!"

The Prince Heir's expression softened: "I have a matter to discuss with you. Yesterday you said you needed manpower to modify the kiln together, I found a few helpers for you."

Chen Ji responded with a smile: "Having helpers is a good thing."

The Prince Heir hesitated slightly: "The identity of this helper is a bit special. But you don't need to feel pressured, he's mainly just curious about what we're doing..."

The more Chen Ji listened, the more he felt something was amiss.

The next moment, someone set up a ladder on the other side of the courtyard wall, and a figure appeared over the wall eaves.

Chen Ji's expression changed: "Your Highness?!"

Inviting people to help, how did he end up inviting Prince Jing over?!

Yet Prince Jing was still wearing patched-up clothes. After flipping into the clinic, he said with a smile: "Flipping over one's own courtyard wall is actually quite thrilling; no wonder Yunxi and Bai Li don't walk through the main doors."

The Prince Heir lay on the wall eaves and chuckled happily: "Right?"

Chen Ji hurriedly gave the Prince Heir a meaningful look and whispered: "The Prince is mocking you, can't you hear it?"

The Prince Heir's smile gradually disappeared.

Prince Jing slowly walked to the apricot tree, raised his hand to pinch a red cloth strip, and silently read the wish written on it: "Are these all written by you guys? It's really been a long time since I've seen such simple wishes. Usually, what I see most is pleading for official positions and pleading for wealth."

Chen Ji set down the carrying pole on his shoulders and asked curiously: "Your Highness is going to help us?"

Prince Jing smiled and said: "With my body's constitution, doing manual labor is definitely out of the question, but I also called other helpers for you. They are on their way and should arrive right away."

Just as his voice fell, there was a knock on the clinic's door, and someone shouted through the door crack: "Your Highness, we have arrived."

Prince Jing raised his hand and pointed, saying to Eunuch Feng who had just flipped into the courtyard: "Open the door for them."

Taking advantage of the time Eunuch Feng went to open the door, Chen Ji whispered to the Prince Heir: "Prince Heir, what did you say to the Prince?"

Prince Jing was an extremely pragmatic person; the Prince Heir must have mentioned something he was interested in for him to rush over so early in the morning.

The Prince Heir also lowered his voice and said: "After morning class today, Father asked me what I did yesterday. I used your words to brag to him, saying how the earth kiln was hard to use, how we looked down on the local snakes who could only modify a half-downdraft kiln, and how today we are going to stack a full downdraft kiln."

Chen Ji was thoughtful: "What did the Prince say?"

The Prince Heir shrugged: "He asked me what a full downdraft kiln was, where the chimney should be placed, how the air inlet and fire spray holes should be left, where the combustion chamber should be positioned, and how high the fire baffle wall should be... How would I know all that? I said it was all confidential and couldn't be told to him."

Chen Ji froze.

Prince Jing was this professional?

The fundamental differences between the so-called updraft kilns, flat-draft kilns, half-downdraft kilns, and full downdraft kilns were how the flames flowed inside the kiln. Ordinary people's impression of firing kilns was just a 'dirt mound'; very few people paid attention to the internal structure of the firing kilns.

For a powerful regional prince to understand this matter so well, and even make a special trip to join in the fun?

At this moment, the Taiping Medical Clinic's main door opened, and more than ten men were seen entering in single file like fish. The men had dark skin, and the muscles all over their bodies knotted and bulged, possessing great strength.

The leading man cupped his fists in salute to Prince Jing: "Your Highness, I've brought the people, they are all experts at stacking kilns."

Prince Jing nodded, then half-turned to look at Chen Ji: "Then let us go? Ox carts have already been prepared at the door."

Chen Ji froze for a moment: "You're taking an ox cart too?"

Prince Jing laughed heartily: "We are going to work, if we don't take ox carts, what should we take?"

After exiting the door, Bai Li subconsciously was about to sit on Chen Ji's ox cart, but was called back by Prince Jing: "Where are you going? Come sit here."

"Oh..." Bai Li lowered her head and slowly sat cross-legged beside Prince Jing.

The three ox carts slowly set off, making creaking sounds as the wooden wheels turned.

With Prince Jing beside them, everyone on Chen Ji's ox cart was extremely constrained.

On the two ox carts on Prince Jing's side, the sturdy men all had solemn expressions and were unsmiling, lowering their heads to gnaw on flatbreads.

Upon arriving at the kiln factory, the men got off the carts and started working, first cleaning up the messy kiln factory to be impeccably clean.

Chen Ji fetched a tree branch and drew the construction blueprint on the ground: "First dig out a foundation, leave positions for combustion chambers on both sides..."

As he was drawing, Prince Jing suddenly interrupted: "The interior is actually vertical walls going up and down, and vertical fire spray holes? If it's like this, wouldn't the flame flow all spray onto the dome? Can the temperature at the bottom of the furnace go up?"

Chen Ji explained: "The cross-section of the fire spray holes must be small, this way the flame flow speed is extremely fast. As long as the dome is a reasonable circular arch, the flame flow will roll back downwards inside the furnace. Additionally, holes must be left on the fire baffle wall, this is also to make the temperature more even."

Another man asked in confusion: "Why leave two combustion cabins?"

Chen Ji continued explaining: "It's also for the convection of the flame flow, changing the flame flow from a half-downdraft state to a full downdraft state, allowing the temperature to rise another two-tenths."

Prince Jing was surprised: "Rise that much? Do you know what a two-tenths rise in temperature means? So many artisans rack their brains trying to raise the temperature by one-tenth yet cannot achieve it, but you say it can rise by two-tenths and it rises by two-tenths?"

Chen Ji pondered for a moment: "It should be no problem."

Prince Jing pondered deeply for a moment, then turned to look at the men he brought: "Do you think it's feasible?"

The leading man hesitated: "Your Highness, allow us to discuss it a bit."

The more than ten men were seen gathering together whispering privately. Ultimately, one person said: "We'll try it, we'll know once we try it. As long as the drawing is correct, building a kiln this small, one day is sufficient."

Eunuch Feng found a barely usable chair from within the kiln factory. After wiping it clean, he laid a piece of coarse cloth on it for Prince Jing: "Your Highness, sit down and rest, your body cannot stand for long."

Prince Jing raised his hand to stop him: "No matter, let's watch a bit first."

Chen Ji led the Prince Heir and the others forward to stack the kiln, but unexpectedly, after watching them stack for a while, the leading man simply said: "Prince Heir, step back. Just passing bricks and yellow mud from the side is enough, we will handle the rest."

The Prince Heir muttered softly: "We were looked down upon."

Liu Quxing said softly: "What should we do, do we want to prove that we aren't any worse than them?"

Watching the agility with which these men worked, the Prince Heir thought for a moment and said: "No need, I allow them to look down on me."

(End of Chapter)