Chapter 94 Family and State Affairs

While Chen Ji was resting and drinking water, Bai Li quietly approached him and whispered, "I just saw them secretly writing down what you said. You better be careful and don't let them steal your skills."

While drinking the water from the cowhide water bag, Chen Ji looked around. Wherever his eyes fell, many men with thick eyebrows and big eyes avoided his gaze.

He asked doubtfully, "Princess, this is someone your father has sent for. Aren't you on your father's side?"

Bai Li said angrily: "Let's put it this way. Stealing is wrong!"

Chen Ji smiled and said to Bai Li: "It's okay, Princess. You see, these craftsmen are all good at kiln construction. It's so tiring for them to come and help. It's okay to learn something. Don't be so stingy."

Bai Li was very disappointed: "Although I don't know whether your skills are valuable or not, my father probably rushed to learn from you, so it must be good. I don't know if you are really confused or just pretending to be confused. Don't you understand that teaching your apprentice will make you starve to death? My father is a kind person, but he has many tricks to do things. If he didn't have some tricks, would the gentry in Jiangnan give him food and grass obediently?"

"Well, you say that about your father."

Bai Li rolled his eyes: "Forget it, I can't explain it to you clearly, I'll go talk to him!"

Chen Ji looked at her back as she left angrily and suddenly laughed.

At this time, Feng Daban ordered people to find tables and chairs from the village, spread them with coarse cloth, and set up a chessboard: "I'm afraid this kiln renovation will not be completed in a short time. Your Majesty, please don't stand there. I will play a few games with you to avoid being bored."

Prince Jing said with a smile: "Come on, I almost lost my faith in Taoism yesterday when I played chess with that kid. Today I play chess with you, just to regain some confidence."

Feng Daban said softly, "Your Majesty is really ruthless in his words."

"Come on, guess first."

Just as Prince Jing grabbed the chess piece and put it in his palm, he suddenly saw a slender white hand reaching out from the side, taking the chess piece out of his palm and throwing it back into the chess basket.

Prince Jing turned his head slowly.

Bai Li stood aside angrily: "Dad, why are you here?"

Prince Jing explained sincerely, "Dad is here to help, but Dad's health has been getting worse over the past three years and he can't do heavy work anymore. Otherwise, Dad would definitely help me move bricks and paste mud right now."

Bai Li frowned and said, "Don't pretend to be ignorant when you know the truth. You are not here to help, you are here to learn from me!"

Prince Jing stood up quickly, pulled Bai Li's wrist and walked out of the kiln factory: "How could I, the great Prince Jing, do such a thing as stealing someone's skills? Come on, let daddy take you out for a walk. By the way, your birthday is in a few months, do you have any gifts you want?"

Bai Li struggled and was dragged out: "Dad, your bribery is useless, please let me go..."

Just as I reached the door, I saw a carriage slowly stop in front of the door, followed by several servants and guards riding tall horses.

The driver took down the footstool and placed it in the mud, then helped Chen Liqin slowly get off the carriage.

"Your Highness? Why are you here?" Chen Liqin was stunned.

He came to look for traces.

When he heard that Chen Ji came to the kiln to mess around, he was furious. Young people should study hard as time flies. How could he come to this kiln to waste time?

But he didn't expect to see Prince Jing and Princess Baili as soon as he got off the carriage!

When Prince Jing saw Chen Liqin, he was also startled: "Why is Lord Chen here?"

Chen Liqin bowed and said, "I just went to the clinic to make up for my son's tuition, and I have also discussed with Doctor Yao that my son will no longer be an apprentice in the clinic. I plan to send him to Donglin Academy in the spring of next year. When he returns after completing his studies like his brother, I will send him to take the imperial examination and serve our Ning Dynasty."

Bai Li exclaimed, "Will Chen Ji no longer be at Taiping Clinic? Will he go to Donglin Academy for three years?"

Prince Jing held Bai Li and said seriously, "I was wondering why such a smart child like Chen Ji was placed in Taiping Medical Clinic. If he can take the imperial examination and serve the court in the future, he will have a better future."

"Your Majesty is wise."

"Chen Ji is in there. I'll take you to find him."

Bai Li whispered, "Dad, Chen Ji doesn't want to go back to the Chen Mansion."

Prince Jing smiled and said, "Little fool, that's his family affair, can you make a decision for him?"

……

……

At this time, Chen Ji and Liang Maoer were pushing the stone mill together and had prepared the raw materials early. Once the kiln modification was completed, they could start burning cement immediately.

Chen Liqin saw his dusty face from afar and immediately frowned: "Chen Ji!"

Chen Ji looked up in astonishment and asked subconsciously, "Why is Lord Chen here?"

When Chen Liqin heard the address of 'Master Chen', he immediately said in displeasure: "I have already discussed with Imperial Physician Yao. From now on, you don't have to go to Taiping Clinic. Come home with me."

Chen Ji was silent.

Have you discussed this with Master?

No longer an apprentice at Taiping Medical Clinic?
Inside the kiln factory, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at Chen Ji. Chen Ji suddenly said with certainty, "Impossible."

Chen Liqin frowned: "What's impossible?"

Chen Ji said seriously: "Master will never agree to you."

Chen Liqin was startled. He had originally wanted to trick Chen Ji back, but he had not expected that the other party would expose his lie. What kind of trust did he have to be so sure?

He slowed down his tone and said, "Chen Ji, I know you are still angry, but the servant who secretly deducted your monthly salary has been beaten to death, and the housekeeper was also beaten with ten boards. No matter how angry you are, you should calm down. Now you are not a child anymore, you should understand the two paths to choose. If you stay in Taiping Medical Clinic, you will only be a seventh-rank imperial physician when you are old, but if you take the imperial examination, you will be a shepherd in the future, and the people who come and go will be all romantic figures, and you will see a completely different world."

Chen Ji suddenly asked, "Master Chen, when will the summer cicadas crawl out of their holes after the rain?"

"Why are you asking this? Don't waste your time on these meaningless things when you are young!"

Chen Ji smiled and said, "Master Chen, please go back. I think it's good to be an apprentice in a clinic. Maybe it's good to be an official, but I don't want to."

It’s good to be an official, but I don’t want to.

Really loud.

Bai Li stared at the figure of the young apprentice, who was open and aboveboard, neither humble nor arrogant.

Chen Liqin's expression finally became completely gloomy: "Chen Ji, such a big matter is not up to you to decide. Now you are young and ignorant, and you think you are right, but your parents will never harm you. Come, tie him to the carriage and go back home!"

The next moment, Chen Ji looked at Prince Jing innocently: "Prince, are you still going to learn the technology of modifying the kiln?"

Prince Jing was startled: "So you have already discovered it, why are you pretending not to know?"

Chen Ji smiled and said, "Your Highness is devoted to the people, so it doesn't matter if he learns from you."

Prince Jing raised his eyebrows and said jokingly, "But we have learned almost everything now. You can go back to the palace with Master Chen. You can take the imperial examination in the future and become a general or a prime minister."

Chen Ji smiled even more: "Your Highness, you don't think this small downdraft kiln can really be used to smelt iron, do you? Where does the molten iron flow out, and where does the iron powder come in? How can the molten iron be fried into wrought iron immediately after it flows out? How can iron be carbonized into steel? Could it be that Your Highness has learned all these?"

Prince Jing was stumped by a series of questions. He subconsciously looked at the military craftsmen he brought with him, but saw that they were very far away. They were as anxious as ants on a hot pan, gesturing at him with their claws and teeth, insisting that they must keep this kid!

Prince Jing was amused: "You used the kiln modification technique to lure me, but you hid so many things? Feng Daban, today I said I would teach this young man a lesson, but he taught me a lesson instead. Well, I was taken advantage of by him."

Feng Daban smiled and said, "Dr. Chen is indeed very smart."

The military craftsman of King Jing waved his hand and said, "Don't let Lord Chen take Chen Ji away. He has to stay."

Bai Li whispered to the side: "Dad, you just said that this is Chen Ji's family affair."

Prince Jing lowered his voice and said righteously: "This is not a family matter now, it is a state matter."

At this time, a group of military craftsmen blocked Chen Ji and pushed the servants and guards of Chen's mansion back.

Chen Liqin looked at Prince Jing and asked in confusion: "Prince, this is my family affair, why are you interfering?"

Prince Jing patiently explained, "Chen Ji is needed here to do something important. Sir Chen, please go back. He cannot go back with you."

"What is he doing here?"

"This is a military secret, and I cannot tell you yet."

Chen Liqin was breathing heavily and his beard was shaking. He didn't expect that he had failed twice in a row in trying to bring Chen Ji back home.

He looked at Chen Ji, then at Prince Jing: "I still have to host the curtain banquet, so I will take my leave today. But Your Majesty should not interfere too much in my family affairs. I will definitely bother you again in the future."

Prince Jing waved his hand and said, "Go ahead."

Seeing Chen Liqin walking away in big strides, he looked at Chen Ji with sharp eyes and asked, "What is carburizing steel?"

Chen Ji turned around and looked at the inverted flame kiln behind him: "Your Majesty, things have to be done one by one."

Prince Jing laughed angrily and pointed at him with his finger in the air: "Okay, okay, then do it one by one! Wang Kezhi, take your people back to speed up the work. I want to see the complete kiln tomorrow morning!"

The leading military craftsman Wang Kezhi clasped his fists and said, "Yes!"

After the military craftsmen left, Liu Quxing looked at Chen Ji and said bitterly, "Chen Ji, you should go back to the Chen Mansion with your father. He is right. The imperial examination is a road to heaven. You can rise straight to the sky and soar thousands of miles. If you are a royal doctor, you can only be with patients in Luocheng. If you are unlucky, you may not even be a royal doctor."

Chen Ji rolled up his sleeves again and said with a cheerful smile: "If I go to Donglin Academy for three years, won't you forget about me? How can we drink then!"

Liang Gou'er, who was lazing by the wall, suddenly came back to life. He lifted up the straw hat that was blocking his face, held a withered grass stem in his mouth, and said slowly: "Young people do things without considering the consequences. You will understand in the future that being an official is the best way out in this world. You will regret it, but by the time you regret it, it will be too late!"

Chen Ji smiled and said, "Then we will drink together and cry bitterly. You will regret your marriage, and I will regret my future!"

Liang Gou'er cursed and covered his face with his straw hat again: "You curse a little dirty..."

(End of this chapter)