Chapter 93 Stealing Masters
In the Taiping Clinic, only Old Man Yao was left standing behind the counter, fiddling with an abacus.

As he was dialing the phone, he suddenly stopped and looked at the bustling crowd outside the door.

In the past, I used to dislike the group of little bastards making noise in the clinic, but today it suddenly became deserted and I felt empty inside.

Old man Yao took out six copper coins from his sleeve and threw them on the counter. While interpreting the hexagram, he muttered, "Not coming back tonight? Oh, that saves me from having to save dinner for them."

There was a cat's meow from the backyard. He walked slowly to the backyard and saw Wuyun squatting obediently on the eaves, with more than twenty tabby cats around it.

Old man Yao smiled and said, "Please wait a moment."

As he said this, he went into the house and took out the snack box from Zheng Xinzhai. He opened the drawer and held the snacks in his palms. The tabby cats lined up and jumped off the eaves one by one, taking the snacks away politely.

When it was Wuyun's turn, Old Man Yao simply opened the box and said, "Pick whatever you want to eat."

Wuyun didn't eat it, but looked up at him.

Old man Yao was amused. He touched Wuyun's head and said, "You still remember to think of me eating first? I can't eat anymore."

The dark clouds are puzzled.

Old Man Yao smiled and explained, "Everyone is born, grows old, gets sick and dies. Once you can't eat anymore, it's time for you to die. I used to be dissatisfied, but later I came to terms with it. I can live to be 92 years old, so what's there to be dissatisfied about?"

At this time, a voice came from the main hall of the clinic: "Doctor Yao?"

Old man Yao raised his eyebrows and walked to the main hall with his hands behind his back, only to see that the clinic was crowded with people, led by Chen Liqin, who was dressed in a blue official robe.

Behind Chen Liqin, the Chen family servants were carrying eight boxes of gifts. Neighbors gathered outside the door and poked their heads in to watch the fun.

When Old Man Yao came out, a servant immediately said loudly, "The Chen Mansion has prepared eight kinds of gifts for Chen Ji today: two jars of fine wine, ten pieces of bacon, one pork hind leg, two lambs, one snack, ten silver ingots, two pieces of silk, and a silver ruler."

Old man Yao sneered, "What are you yelling about? Do you want the neighbors to know that your Chen family is wealthy, or do you want them to know that you don't know the rules and only offer tuition after two years of apprenticeship? Master Chen is so powerful that he comes to my small clinic wearing his official robes."

Chen Liqin looked a little embarrassed, and quickly clasped his fists and said, "I have to attend the Autumn Examination Banquet at noon, so I went out in my official robes. Doctor Yao, please forgive me. I came to your house today to express my apologies and make up for the lack of courtesy in my Chen Mansion."

"Okay, just put your things down and go," Old Man Yao waved his hand.

Chen Liqin did not leave. He hesitated for a moment and said, "I heard that my son has reformed. I wonder how he behaves here with you?"

"How is your performance?" Old Man Yao thought for a moment and said, "Every morning, you get up early to fetch water, sweep the floor, and clean the table. It makes me restless."

Chen Liqin asked again: "Did he continue gambling?"

Old Man Yao stroked his beard and shook his head, saying, "Many people said that he was a gambling addict, but he never gambled even for a single day when he came to my clinic."

Chen Liqin breathed a sigh of relief: "I came to the clinic today because I actually have something else I want to discuss with you."

"What's the matter?"

Chen Liqin said, "Chen Ji has been very smart since he was young. I was too busy with official business to take care of him these years, so he grew up in a wrong way. Now that he has reformed, I am thinking of taking him back to my house and sending him to Donglin Academy to study for three years next spring."

"read?"

"That's right. Chen Ji is only seventeen years old this year. It's still in time for him to study for three years and take the imperial examination."

In the clinic, Old Man Yao looked at the huge crowd of Chen family members in front of him, his face gradually darkened: "If you teach them badly, you will abandon them to Taiping Clinic, and if they learn well, you will take them back? Is there such a good thing in the world? Don't teach your descendants in the future, send them all to me."

Chen Liqin said sincerely: "Dr. Yao, you also understand that studying for the imperial examination is the right path. I used to think he was hopeless, but now that he has turned back from his wrong path, I, as a father, naturally have to think about his future. If you also love him, you will naturally hope that he will have a better future, right?"

Old Man Yao said sarcastically, "I don't agree with this. Take back all the gifts you sent me. I don't want them. I said yesterday that from now on, you don't have to pay for his studies. I will take him in as my apprentice, and I will provide him with food and drink. He will take care of me until the end of my life."

Chen Liqin's face also became solemn. "Dr. Yao, why are you being unreasonable? I didn't promise you yesterday. If I learn from you, I can become a seventh-rank doctor at best. If I take the imperial examination, I can serve as a shepherd and benefit more people in the future. As for Chen Ji, let him decide for himself. I believe he knows what to choose."

Old Man Yao raised his eyebrows: "He is not in the clinic."

Chen Liqin frowned and said, "It's useless for you to delay like this."

Old Man Yao sneered, "He is at the kiln factory in Liujiatun. If you want to ask him, go there! If he wants to go back to Chen Mansion with you, I won't stop him!"

Chen Liqin was puzzled: "He doesn't study in this clinic, but goes to that dirty kiln factory and works with dirty bricklayers? Doctor Yao, why don't you restrain him?"

Old Man Yao rolled his eyes: "My apprentice can do whatever he wants, why do you care?"

Chen Liqin bowed and said, "Now I feel that Chen Ji should go back to the mansion with me. Goodbye. If he is willing to go back to the Chen Mansion with me, please do not stop him."

After saying that, Chen Liqin went out, got on the carriage, and headed for Liujiatun in the south of the city.

Old man Yao looked at the gift of tuition left in the main hall and remained silent for a long time.

Wuyun jumped lightly onto the counter and rubbed the back of his hand with his head.

Old man Yao looked at Wuyun and asked slowly, "He has been taught the ways of being an official, and I don't have anything else to teach him. On one side is the old man from the Imperial Medical Clinic and the bitter smell of medicinal herbs in the room, and on the other side is the huge Chen family who is the Minister of Revenue of the current dynasty. What do you think he will choose?" Wuyun did not answer.

……

……

In the kiln factory, Prince Jing stood with his hands behind his back, silently watching the inverted draft kiln that was taking shape in front of him, as quiet as the mountains.

Feng Daban stood beside him and reminded him softly, "Your Highness, today is the day of the Autumn Examination. According to convention, the Luocheng government will host a banquet for the inner and outer curtain officials at Yingxian Tower at noon. You should leave for the banquet. On such an important day, the officials may feel uneasy if you are not present."

According to custom, a "curtain-entering and horse-mounting banquet" is held before the autumn examination begins.

After the banquet, the examiners for the Autumn Examination were divided into inner curtain officials and outer curtain officials. The inner curtain officials were responsible for marking the papers, while the outer curtain officials were responsible for supervising the examination room. They did not see each other.

The banquet is usually hosted by the most prestigious person in the area.

Prince Jing said calmly: "We will not go to the Shangma Banquet today. Things here are more important."

Feng Daban asked in confusion, "Your Highness, you heard a few words from the Crown Prince early in the morning, and immediately sent someone to the Artisan's Office to summon the most capable military craftsman. Now you are absent from the banquet... It's just a kiln for firing porcelain, and I have never seen you care so much about porcelain in the past. If you like the kiln, I will send someone to Jingdezhen to select it. Why do you have to fire it yourself?"

Prince Jing pointed at the kiln that was being built and asked with a smile, "Porcelain? Porcelain is not something that would make me rush here."

Feng Daban was even more confused: "Is the prince here for what Doctor Chen said about the thing that can replace the glutinous rice mortar?"

"Yes and no," Prince Jing said slowly, "Now the annual iron production of the imperial court is stretched to the limit. If more is allocated to the border troops, even the price of iron pots will soar among the people. But if more quotas are given to the states, the border troops will suffer. Which general who returns from the border town does not complain about the shortage of military equipment?"

He continued, "Feng Daban, do you know what it would mean if the temperature of this inverted flame kiln could be raised by another 20%?"

Feng Daban bowed his hands and lowered his eyes: "I am just a eunuch. I only know how to serve and protect the prince. I don't need to know anything else. If I know too much, my heart will be confused."

Prince Jing smiled and said, "Feng Daban is still so cautious."

Feng Daban also laughed: "Please enlighten me, Your Majesty, why do you care so much about this kiln?"

Prince Jing explained slowly, "If this downdraft kiln can raise the temperature by another 20%, it means that the iron ore can be directly turned into molten iron. By then, our Ning Dynasty border troops will no longer have to repair some broken weapons, and can even look forward to the style of heavy cavalry."

Feng Daban looked as if he had realized something. "This is a national policy. Compared to it, the Autumn Examination in Luocheng is really nothing. But the prince has always been cautious in his actions. Why would he place such a heavy bet on a young man? What if he is just boasting?"

Prince Jing smiled and said, "Do you believe in divination?"

"Hmm?" Feng Daban didn't understand, but Prince Jing didn't explain any more.

Prince Jing changed the subject and said jokingly, "Although Chen Ji is smart, he is still inexperienced. He only wanted to make something to replace the glutinous rice mortar, but he never thought that the kiln modification technology is the real pearl."

Feng Daban was puzzled: "Your Majesty wants to buy this kiln modification technology?"

Prince Jing laughed and said, "Buy? Let's teach this young man a lesson first."

At the gate of the kiln factory, Chen Ji was driving a ox cart back from outside. The cart was loaded with high piles of blue bricks. Liang Maoer and the prince were pushing the cart from behind.

A man came up to me and said, "Doctor Chen, I have a question. Can you answer it for me?"

Chen Ji called She Dengke to lead the ox, and he patted the dust off his palms, smiled and said: "Okay, let's go to the kiln and talk about it. What do you want to ask?"

But Chen Ji was seen standing in front of the kiln, pointing at various places and explaining to the man.

"Doctor Chen, why should the main flue be buried directly under the kiln? Shouldn't a chimney be erected behind it?"

"The fire-absorbing hole must be buried directly below to allow the flame flow to form a reverse curl in the kiln."

"Doctor Chen, why must the size of the flame hole be 20% of the grate?"

"Because if it's any bigger, it'll burn the grate."

Chen Ji and a man stood side by side in front of the kiln. Behind them, a man silently took out a small notebook from his arms and wrote down Chen Ji's explanation with a charcoal pencil.

After Chen Ji finished answering, he pretended as if nothing had happened, stuffed the notebook back into his arms, and continued to work.

Bai Li silently stared at Chen Ji's straight and thin back, and felt that the other party did not look like an apprentice in a clinic at this moment.

No matter how disheveled he looks with dust all over his face and messy hair, as long as he brushes off the dust on his body, he will look like a gentle and calm teacher who is teaching and answering questions.

This gentle boy and the killer whose knife broke that night seemed to be two separate people, alternating naturally like day and night.

But she suddenly noticed the military craftsman's little move, and walked towards Chen Ji to report it.

(End of this chapter)