Afternoon in Cuiyun Alley.
A white horse slowly came to a stop in front of the Chen residence.
Chen Wenzong dismounted gracefully, and as soon as his feet touched the ground, a servant from the household stepped forward to take the reins and whip from his hands.
Without a word, Chen Wenzong lifted the hem of his robe slightly and stepped over the high threshold, walking deeper into the crimson gates of the mansion.
A sturdy servant approached with a gleaming copper basin.
"Young Master, please wipe your face."
The basin was filled with warm water, and a white cloth was draped over its edge.
Chen Wenzong picked up the cloth, dipped it into the water, and wiped his face from forehead to chin twice, feeling refreshed.
He folded the cloth neatly and placed it back on the edge of the basin, then asked softly, "Where is my father?"
The servant replied in a low voice, "After ordering the execution of the servant who embezzled money, the master had a carriage prepared and went to the government office. It seems he still has official business to attend to."
"And my mother?"
"The mistress has gone with Lady Zhang to the tailor's shop to select some silk."
"What about Wenzong?"
The servant continued, "The second young master has gone out with friends. He said they were going to the East Market for some fun."
Chen Wenzong felt a moment of disorientation.
A servant had died in the household today, yet it seemed as though no one in the mansion was affected.
Life went on as usual.
"And the steward?"
"After receiving his punishment, the steward was carried back to his room to rest."
"I'll go see him," Chen Wenzong said, passing through the long crimson corridors to the servants' quarters at the back of the mansion.
As soon as he entered the courtyard, he heard the steward cursing, "That little brat has grown wings now that he's attached himself to the prince's household. He even dared to complain about me in front of the master... Ah, be gentle with the medicine!"
A sharp slap echoed from the steward's room, followed by a servant's panicked voice, "I'll be more careful."
Chen Wenzong frowned.
The steward's tone was completely different from what he was used to hearing.
It was as if he were a different person.
He walked forward and lifted the cotton curtain, only to see the steward lying face down on the bed, his bare bottom exposed as a servant applied medicine.
A plate of dried fruits and pastries sat on the bedside table.
Catching sight of Chen Wenzong out of the corner of his eye, the steward quickly pulled up his pants and said with tearful gratitude, "Young Master, why have you come to this filthy place where the servants live? This is no place for someone of your status."
Chen Wenzong spoke softly, "You took quite a beating with those ten lashes. You must rest well... I went to look for Chen Ji earlier, but I couldn't bring him back."
The steward's voice grew serious, "Young Master, why did you go looking for him? Don't be fooled by his act. He's just trying to play the victim to gain the master's sympathy. If you and the master ignore him, he'll find a way to come crawling back to the Chen mansion in a few days."
"Why do you say that?"
The steward spoke confidently, "Do you really think he can give up the wealth and status of the Chen family? Our family has been nobility for generations, and the current head of the household, Chen Luchi, is the Minister of Revenue. Who could possibly walk away from such a prestigious family?"
But Chen Wenzong recalled the expression on Chen Ji's face when he had seen him earlier.
It had been calm and resolute, as if he truly intended to sever all ties with the Chen family.
After a long silence, Chen Wenzong said, "Rest well, Steward. I'm going to study. Tell the kitchen not to prepare dinner for me tonight."
"Yes, Young Master."
Chen Wenzong left the room and walked through the deep courtyard back to his own quarters.
He sat at his desk, intending to review some classical texts, but after flipping through a few pages, he found he couldn't concentrate.
The imperial examinations were just two days away.
He smoothed out a sheet of paper with a black jade paperweight, intending to write an essay, but his brush, loaded with ink, hovered over the paper without making a mark.
Chen Wenzong's mind was filled with the princess's reproach and the laughter he had heard on the oxcart earlier.
He couldn't calm down.
After a moment, he stood up and walked out, instructing the servant waiting at the door, "Prepare my horse."
Chen Wenzong hurried to the front gate and mounted his horse.
With a gentle squeeze of his legs, he urged the horse into a gallop, heading south toward the city outskirts.
He wanted to sincerely apologize to Chen Ji.
His younger brother had been injured, and he, as the elder brother, had failed to show any concern.
He felt he had failed the teachings of the sages.
...
The road after the snowmelt was muddy and uneven, and as he approached Liujiatun, the ground grew darker, littered with coal dust that had fallen from passing oxcarts.
Liujiatun was not as quiet as he had imagined.
At the entrance to the village, merchants and oxcarts came and went in a steady stream, some carrying clay into the village, others hauling out porcelain.
The village was dotted with chimneys, continuously belching white smoke into the sky.
Laborers, dressed in thin clothes despite the cold, worked busily in straw sandals, loading and unloading goods.
The entire village of Liujiatun was one giant porcelain workshop.
Chen Wenzong, still on horseback, waved to a laborer and asked politely, "Excuse me... have you seen the prince and princess?"
The laborer looked confused.
"Why would the prince and princess come to a place like this? You must be mistaken, young master."
Chen Wenzong fell silent for a moment.
He had thought he might be in the wrong place, but Chen Ji had clearly said Liujiatun in front of the clinic.
He asked again, "Then have you seen a group of eight people arrive in Liujiatun? There was a monk among them."
The laborer suddenly understood.
"Ah, you mean them! They just used a gold hairpin to buy the old Zhou family's abandoned kiln. It's the third house on the left after you turn."
"Thank you," Chen Wenzong said, tossing two copper coins to the laborer before urging his horse forward through the mud.
The laborers, seeing his tall horse and dignified bearing, quickly made way for him.
After a short distance, he heard Chen Ji's laughter in the distance.
"Make sure to cover your noses and mouths with cloth! If you breathe in the dust, you'll be miserable for hours."
Chen Wenzong reined in his horse at the entrance to the kiln.
He looked down at the muddy road and his clean black boots, hesitating for a moment before dismounting.
He looked up to see the kiln's gates wide open, the courtyard filled with gray dust.
Chen Ji and the others were covered in grime, their faces wrapped in cloth as they pushed a massive stone roller, grinding shards of porcelain into powder.
This was not what Chen Wenzong had expected.
He had thought the prince and princess were out enjoying the snow and looking for plum blossoms.
Instead, they were here in this dilapidated kiln, doing dirty, exhausting work.
The Zhou family kiln covered about two acres.
To the left was a row of low earthen houses with broken tiles.
In the center stood a large flat kiln, currently unlit.
To the left were piles of defective porcelain as high as mountains, along with a massive stone roller.
Liang Gou'er lay under the eaves of one of the earthen houses, a dried tobacco leaf covering his face as he snored loudly.
The little monk sat cross-legged on the ground, chanting sutras with his eyes closed.
Chen Ji and the others pushed the heavy stone roller, grinding the porcelain shards into dust.
Bai Li, the princess, held a short broom, sweeping the ground dust into bamboo baskets for later use.
As a cloud of dust rose, Bai Li's face was covered in a layer of gray.
The prince, who was pushing the roller, said with concern, "Come here, let me wipe your face."
Bai Li lifted her face, but instead of wiping it, the prince drew a character on her forehead with his finger.
The prince laughed.
"Now you look like a little tiger!"
Bai Li, furious, chased after him with her broom.
The two of them ran around the stone roller, laughing as the others continued to push the heavy roller, joining in the laughter.
Liu Quxing turned to She Dengke.
"Should I wipe your face too?"
She Dengke sneered.
"Get lost! Don't think I don't know what you're up to, you sly devil!"
Chen Wenzong sat on his horse, watching silently.
He couldn't understand why these people, covered in dust and pushing a heavy roller, could be so happy.
Were they finding joy in hardship?
But why would the prince and princess, with their noble status, do such laborious work like common laborers?
After much hesitation, Chen Wenzong finally dismounted.
As soon as his feet touched the ground, his black boots were splattered with mud.
He didn't announce his presence but quietly entered the kiln courtyard, observing silently.
Then he heard Chen Ji say, "Alright, let's grind this much for now. I need to see the results before I can adjust the next steps. We need to be prepared for a long haul."
Chen Ji's knowledge of cement came from the widely circulated "two grinds, one burn" method.
It sounded simple: mix lime and clay in a 75:25 ratio after calcination.
While it couldn't compare to modern cement, it would be more than sufficient for this era.
The kiln was filled with mountains of broken porcelain, leftovers from previous firings that could be used as pre-burned clay.
As for quicklime, known as "ehuai" in the Ning Dynasty, it was already widely used in many fields and could be purchased ready-made.
With the raw materials at hand, it seemed all that was left was to grind and mix.
But Chen Ji knew that, like the method of removing color from sugar with yellow mud, many things sounded simple but were difficult in practice.
Making cement was easy; making good cement was hard.
At that moment, no one noticed Chen Wenzong's arrival.
He stood silently, watching to see what the prince and the others were up to.
Chen Ji poured the ground ehuai and porcelain dust onto an open area in the kiln, then added water in the same proportion, mixing the powder into a paste.
After thoroughly mixing it, he spread the cement onto a brick and set it aside to dry.
The group, still covered in dust, squatted nearby, waiting.
The prince, squatting with his knees hugged to his chest, asked quietly, "Chen Ji, how long do we have to wait?"
Chen Ji thought for a moment.
"Initial setting takes at least three quarters of an hour, and final setting should be within three hours. Only then will it be considered合格 (合格 means qualified)."
"Three hours? That long?"
Chen Ji said seriously, "Patience. Great things require patience!"
"Alright... Should we play some cards while we wait?"
"Did you bring any cards?"
"No, we'll bring some tomorrow."
"Fine."
Bai Li laughed.
"Even though I don't know if this cement will be as strong as Chen Ji says, working here feels much more interesting than studying in the academy. It's fulfilling."
Chen Ji smiled.
"Princess, this is just a novelty for you. If you had to do this every day like those laborers, you wouldn't find it so enjoyable."
At this, Bai Li's expression darkened.
"I used to always ask Xibing and Xitang about life outside the mansion, wanting to know how common people lived. Back then, just hearing about it made me think their lives were hard. But today, seeing those laborers wearing straw sandals in winter, I realize their suffering is beyond imagination."
Chen Ji was silent for a moment before saying, "You and the prince were born into wealth, so you can't truly understand the hardships of making a living. But the fact that you're willing to learn about it is already commendable."
The prince pouted.
"We should bring those high officials in the court here to see how the people they govern are living."
Chen Wenzong, who had been watching silently, suddenly spoke up from behind them.
"The officials in the court also care deeply for the nation. They work tirelessly every day to enact policies that save the people from suffering. If there's anyone to blame, it's the constant wars between the Jing Dynasty and our Ning Dynasty, which have left the people in dire straits. The prince and princess, as members of the royal family, should not be wasting their time in the countryside, nor should they be speaking ill of the court officials."
The group, still squatting, turned to look at him in unison.
"Huh? When did you get here?!"
Chen Wenzong didn't answer the question, instead saying earnestly, "Prince, Princess, you should return to your studies. In the future, you can bring prosperity to the people."
The prince, still squatting, said casually, "We're working on a major military strategy here. You bookworms wouldn't understand!"
Chen Wenzong's breath hitched.
"How can you possibly be working on a military strategy in this dirty, chaotic Liujiatun?"
The prince chuckled.
"Even if I told you, you wouldn't get it."
Chen Wenzong said seriously, "If you don't explain, how can I understand?"
The prince hesitated. "... Well, to be honest, I don't really get it either."
Chen Wenzong muttered, "At least you're honest."
Chen Ji, who had been silent, glanced at him.
"Brother, if you want to watch, then stand aside and watch. Don't distract us. And don't look down on what we're doing here. The ultimate goal of learning is to apply it for the benefit of the people. Empty talk only harms the nation."
Chen Wenzong felt a surge of anger.
According to Confucian teachings, brothers should respect and care for each other, but Chen Ji seemed to have no regard for such etiquette, treating him, the elder brother, with no respect.
But remembering the purpose of his visit, he held his temper.
He didn't want to squat on the ground like these people, sullying his dignity, so he stood to the side, waiting to see what they were up to.
However...
Chen Wenzong asked, puzzled, "From what I heard earlier, it seems Chen Ji is in charge here?"
The group exchanged glances, unsure how to answer.
After a moment, the prince asked, "Isn't that obvious?"
Chen Wenzong was stunned.
The steward had always said that Chen Ji was groveling to the prince and princess, but from what he saw now, the steward was completely wrong!
Bai Li tugged at the prince's sleeve.
"Brother, ignore him. Let's not play with him."
Chen Wenzong: "..."
They waited for what felt like an eternity—perhaps two hours, perhaps three.
When their legs grew numb from squatting, they brought out wooden chairs from the house and continued to wait.
As the sun began to set, Chen Ji suddenly said, "It should be ready now. The initial and final setting times are合格 (qualified), but I'm not sure if it's strong enough."
The prince leaned in to inspect the brick, where the cement paste had hardened and bonded with the brick.
His eyes lit up as he turned to Chen Ji.
"How long does regular糯米砂浆 (糯米砂浆 refers to traditional lime mortar made with sticky rice) take to set?"
Chen Ji replied, "Ten days."
The prince asked again, "If this stuff can really replace糯米砂浆, my father won't have to worry anymore. Ehuai and clay are everywhere, so the people won't have to go hungry because of糯米 (糯米 refers to glutinous rice) requisitions!"
Chen Ji picked up the brick, examining the structure of the hardened cement.
Suddenly, he said, "Don't celebrate too soon."
With that, he rubbed the cement with his thumb, and the supposedly solid material crumbled like豆腐渣 (豆腐渣 means tofu dregs, implying something weak and crumbly).
If this cement were used to build fortifications at the border, the walls would collapse before the Jing Dynasty even attacked.
In that case, the prince and Bai Li might be fine, but Chen Ji would likely lose his head...
Where had they gone wrong?
Chen Ji enjoyed reading popular science, so he had a broad knowledge base.
But broad knowledge often meant only a superficial understanding of each topic, without depth.
He could talk about theories all day, but putting them into practice was a different story.
Chen Ji sighed.
"This definitely won't work as it is."
The prince asked, "What should we do?"
Chen Ji thought for a moment.
"We need to grind the porcelain dust finer. Princess, take She Dengke and Brother Mao to the village and see if you can find a finer sieve. Prince, you and Senior Brother Liu, along with the little monk, go buy more ehuai..."
Chen Ji still felt something was off.
He seemed to have missed a crucial step.
Chen Wenzong watched Chen Ji's focused expression and felt that his younger brother was a complete stranger.
Back at the Chen mansion, Chen Ji had lived in a separate courtyard, ate alone, slept alone, and even attended a different school from him and Wenzong.
Their mother often used Chen Ji's mischievousness as an excuse to keep them apart.
Though they were brothers living under the same roof, it was as if they inhabited different worlds.
Only now did Chen Wenzong realize that he had never truly understood his younger brother.
At that moment, Chen Ji suddenly looked up at the large earthen kiln in the center of the courtyard.
"No, it's the kiln that's the problem. No wonder the owner was so evasive when we bought this place!"
With that, he picked up a stick and drew a葫芦 (葫芦 means gourd) shape on the ground.
"This is a升焰窑 (升焰窑 refers to an updraft kiln), and it can't reach the temperatures needed to烧制 (烧制 means fire or bake) cement. We need to change it to a葫芦窑 or馒头窑 (馒头窑 refers to a dome-shaped kiln), so the火焰 (火焰 means flame) flows downward instead of upward. Prince, go gather the laborers from Liujiatun."
The prince asked curiously, "What are you going to do?"
Chen Ji said with determination, "I'm going to rebuild the kiln!"
(End of Chapter)