Green Mountain
Chapter 126 - 93, Domestic Affairs and National Affairs

Chapter 126: 93, Domestic Affairs and National Affairs

While Chen Ji was taking a break to drink water, Bai Li quietly approached and whispered, "I just saw them secretly noting down what you were saying. Be careful not to let them steal your techniques."

As Chen Ji drank from the waterskin, he glanced over, and many of the burly men avoided his gaze.

He asked in confusion, "Commandery Princess, these people were brought by your father, aren’t you siding with your own father?"

Bai Li angrily retorted, "One thing at a time, stealing is wrong!"

Chen Ji chuckled and said to Bai Li, "Don’t worry, Commandery Princess. Look, these craftsmen are excellent at kiln work. They’re here helping out with such laborious tasks; it wouldn’t hurt for them to learn something. We shouldn’t be so petty."

Bai Li, exasperated, replied, "Though I don’t know if your skills are truly valuable, they must be, since even my father is eager to steal them. I can’t tell if you are genuinely naive or just pretending. Don’t you understand the saying ’a master starves as his apprentice thrives’? My father, on one hand, is kind to the people, but when it comes to serious matters, he is full of tactics. Would the scholars of Jiangnan have willingly given him provisions if not?"

"Well, listen to you speaking about your own father."

Bai Li rolled her eyes, "Forget it, I can’t make you understand. I’ll talk to him myself!"

Watching her leave in a huff, Chen Ji suddenly laughed.

At that moment, Feng Daban had someone bring a table and chairs from the storehouses, covered them with a rough cloth, and set up a chess board: "This kiln conversion might take a while to complete, Prince Jing, don’t just stand around. Allow me to entertain you with a few games of chess to stave off the boredom."

Prince Jing smiled and said, "Come, yesterday’s game almost shattered my spiritual peace. Playing against you today might just restore some of my confidence."

Feng Daban replied softly, "Prince, your words really spare no one’s feelings."

"Come, let’s decide who goes first."

Just as Prince Jing was about to grab a chess piece, a slender, fair hand reached out from the side, plucked the piece from his hand, and tossed it back into the bowl.

Prince Jing slowly turned his head.

There stood Bai Li, visibly upset, "Dad, what are you really doing here?"

Prince Jing earnestly explained, "Dad is here to help. It’s just that I’ve been physically weakening over these past three years and can’t engage in heavy labor anymore, otherwise I’d definitely be helping with brick moving and plastering."

Bai Li frowned, "Don’t pretend to be confused when you know better. You’re not here to help, you are obviously here to steal techniques!"

Prince Jing quickly stood up, grabbed Bai Li’s wrist, and started leading her outside the kiln factory, "How could I, the noble Prince Jing, engage in stealing techniques? Come, let’s go out for a walk. By the way, your birthday is coming up in a few months. Is there anything specific you want?"

Bai Li struggled as she was dragged out, "Dad, bribing me won’t work. Let go of me..."

Just as they reached the door, they saw a carriage slow to a halt in front of the gate, followed by several young servants riding tall horses.

The coachman placed a footstool on the muddy ground, assisting Chen Liqin as he slowly descended from the carriage.

"Prince Jing? What brings you here?" Chen Liqin was startled.

He had come looking for Chen Ji.

When he heard Chen Ji was messing around at the kiln factory, he was furious. Youth is fleeting, and one should be immersed in studies, not wasting time at a kiln factory.

But to his surprise, he encountered Prince Jing and Commandery Princess Bai Li right after stepping out of the carriage!

Seeing Chen Liqin, Prince Jing also paused briefly, "Mr. Chen, what brings you here?"

Chen Liqin bowed and said, "I had just been to the Medical Hall to finish my son’s tuition fees and had a talk with Doctor Yao. My son will no longer be an apprentice at the Medical Hall. I plan to send him to Donglin Academy next spring. After he graduates like his older brother did, I’ll put him through the civil service exams to serve our Ning Dynasty."

Bai Li gasped, "So Chen Ji won’t be at Taiping Medical Hall anymore? He’s going to Donglin Academy for three years?"

Prince Jing held onto Bai Li, saying earnestly, "I always wondered why such a bright child as Chen Ji was placed in Taiping Medical Hall. If he could take part in the civil service exams and serve the court, it would truly offer him a better future."

"Your wisdom, Prince, is commendable."

"Chen Ji is inside; let me take you to him."

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

Prince Jing laughed, "Silly girl, that’s his family matter. Can you make decisions for him?"

...

At that moment, Chen Ji was busy with Liang Mao’er, pushing a stone roller, having prepared the raw materials early. Once the kiln conversion was complete, they could immediately start producing cement.

Chen Liqin caught sight of him from afar, his face smeared with dirt, and frowned immediately, "Chen Ji!"

Chen Ji looked up bewildered, asking subconsciously, "Mr. Chen, what brings you here?"

Chen Liqin, upon hearing "Mr. Chen," immediately frowned unhappily, "I’ve already discussed with Doctor Yao, from now on you won’t need to go to Taiping Medical Hall anymore. Come home with me."

Chen Ji fell silent.

Discussed with the master?

No longer an apprentice at Taiping Medical Hall?

At the kiln factory, everyone stopped their work and looked towards Chen Ji.

Chen Ji suddenly declared firmly, "Impossible."

Chen Liqin frowned, "What is impossible?"

Chen Ji earnestly replied, "Master would never agree to your terms."

Chen Liqin was taken aback; he had originally planned to deceive Chen Ji into returning, but he hadn’t expected the other party to see through his lie. What level of trust must he hold to be so certain?

He softened his tone and said, "Chen Ji, I know you are still angry, but the servant who secretly docked your monthly salary has been executed, and the steward also received ten lashes. Even if your anger is great, it should have dissipated by now. You are not young anymore and should understand how to make choices. If you stay at Taiping Medical Hall, you will only ever be a seventh-rank Imperial Physician, but if you sit the imperial examinations, you could govern a locality in the future and the people you meet will all be distinguished, offering you a completely different view of the world."

Chen Ji suddenly asked, "Mr. Chen, at what time do the cicadas climb out of their holes after the rain?"

"Why do you ask such a thing? Don’t waste your time on these trivial matters at your young age!"

Chen Ji smiled and said, "Mr. Chen, please go back. I think being an apprentice at a medical hall is quite good. Being an official might be great, but I am not interested."

Being an official is good, but I am not interested.

The sentence carried significant weight.

Bai Li stared blankly at the young apprentice’s silhouette, broad and bold, neither servile nor overbearing.

Chen Liqin’s face finally darkened completely, "Chen Ji, you are not in charge of such a major decision, and you are too young to understand what is right. But your parents would never harm you. Someone, tie him to the carriage and take him back to the mansion!"

The next moment, Chen Ji looked innocently towards Prince Jing, "Prince, are you still interested in learning the kiln-changing techniques?"

Prince Jing was taken aback, "So you knew all along, why pretend otherwise?"

Chen Ji laughed, "The Prince is committed to the welfare of the people; no harm in learning."

Prince Jing raised an eyebrow playfully, "But we’ve pretty much learned it all now. Just go back with Mr. Chen, participate in the imperial examinations, and you can look forward to a future of great prospects."

Chen Ji’s smile deepened, "You don’t think this small inverted flame kiln can actually be used to smelt iron, do you? Where would the molten iron flow from, and where would the iron powder enter? How would the molten iron be immediately turned into refined iron once it flows out? And how would iron be carburized into steel? Surely, you haven’t learned all that too?"

The barrage of questions stumped Prince Jing. He instinctively looked towards the military craftsmen he had brought with him, only to see them at a distance, as agitated as ants on a hot pot, making frantic gestures at him to keep the young man at all costs!

Prince Jing broke into laughter, "You baited me with the art of kiln modification while hiding so much? Feng Da, I was supposed to teach this naïve young man a lesson today, but he ended up teaching me one instead. Right, he’s gotten the better of me."

Feng Da smiled, "Young Doctor Chen is indeed extraordinarily wise."

Prince Jing gestured to the military craftsmen, "Don’t let Mr. Chen take Chen Ji away, he needs to stay."

Bai Li murmured beside him, "Father, you just said this was a family matter for Chen Ji."

Prince Jing spoke in a hushed tone, now with a strong sense of justice, "It’s not just a family matter now, it’s a matter of national importance."

At that moment, the military craftsmen blocked Chen Ji’s path, pushing back Chen Mansion’s servants.

Chen Liqin looked at Prince Jing, puzzled, "Prince, this is a family matter of mine, why do you interfere?"

Prince Jing patiently explained, "There are important matters here that need Chen Ji’s attention. Mr. Chen, please go back, he cannot go with you."

"What is he doing here?"

"That’s a military secret now, I cannot tell you."

Chen Liqin inhaled deeply, his mustache trembling, unable to believe he had failed to take Chen Ji back home twice in a row.

He looked at Chen Ji, then at Prince Jing, "I still have to preside over the curtain ceremony today. I will take my leave now, but, Prince, you should not interfere too much in my family matters. We will likely cross paths again in the future."

Prince Jing waved his hand dismissively, "Go on then."

As Chen Liqin strode away, Prince Jing fixed his piercing gaze on Chen Ji, "What is this carburization into steel?"

Chen Ji turned and looked back at the inverted flame kiln behind him, "Prince, things need to be done one at a time."

Prince Jing laughed airily, playfully pointing at him through the air, "Alright, alright, let’s do it one at a time! Wang Kezhi, take your men back to work; I want to see a complete kiln by tomorrow morning!"

Wang Kezhi, the head military craftsman, saluted, "Yes!"

As the craftsmen left, Liu Quxing looked at Chen Ji with a bitter expression, "Chen Ji, you should return with your father to Chen Mansion. He’s right, the imperial examinations are a soaring route, ascending to the clouds and covering thousands of miles. Being an Imperial Physician would only leave you in Luocheng City, surrounded by sickness. If you’re unlucky, you might not even become an Imperial Physician."

Chen Ji rolled up his sleeves again, laughing heartily, "If I were to go to Donglin Academy for three years, you all might forget me! How would we drink together then?"

Suddenly, Liang Gou’er, who was lounging against the wall, sat up abruptly. He lifted the straw hat shading his face, a dried, yellow stalk of grass in his mouth, and drawled, "Young folks act without considering consequences, and you’ll understand later that being an official is indeed the best opportunity. You’ll regret it, but by the time you do, it might be too late!"

Chen Ji laughed, "Then we’ll just drink together and cry about it. You regret your marriage, and I’ll regret my future!"

Liang Gou’er cursed as he pulled the straw hat back over his face, "Your insults are a bit rough..."