Triumph in Her Rise and Love-Chapter 239 - 237

"Lord Yuan!" Just now, Lord Wang, who had been pressing Song Jiyun aggressively, was stunned for a moment before regaining his composure.

Meanwhile, a group of people who had been sitting properly in front of the statue of the Wind and Fire Immortal Lord on the Taishi Chair immediately all stood up.

"Lord Yuan!"

"We pay our respects to Lord Yuan!"

They all paid their respects to Yuan Yunzhong.

Commander-in-Chief Xu even squeezed his way to the front of Lord Wang and Lord Huang, respectfully paying his respects to Yuan Yunzhong, and said, "This subordinate, Xu Guangzeng, younger brother of the Duke of Ding, arrived in Jiangxi for my duties two months ago. The Inspector General has been busy with official duties, traveling all around, and I have not had the chance to meet you yet. Please forgive me!"

Yuan Yunzhong nodded coldly.

The hall then erupted like a pile of wild grass ignited, sending a swarm of bugs flying out tumultuously.

"My goodness! That lord said, Young Master Yuan is the Inspector General, did I hear that wrong? Pinch me!"

"I, I too heard him say that! It should, it should be right, right?"

"But Boss Song’s fiancé becoming the Inspector General? Even opera doesn’t play out like this!"

They whispered among themselves, their eyes full of panic, doubt, and uncertainty, all falling upon Song Jiyun.

Song Jiyun stood there dumbfounded, her mind blank, completely unaware of what she was thinking.

Yuan Yunzhong, she knew he must be someone of extraordinary identity.

But the Inspector General... he was so young, how could he be the Inspector General!

No, that’s not right!

The position of the Inspector General isn’t a permanent appointment, usually only appointed by the emperor when necessary. But those who are appointed must be confidants of the emperor.

That he, at such a young age, had become a confidant of the emperor’s was quite impressive.

Song Jiyun’s mouth twisted in a bitter smile.

He, it seemed, had a far more promising future than she had imagined!

Song Jiyun sighed softly.

Yuan Yunzhong had already been respectfully invited by a few lords to take the seat of honor.

Lord Wang was respectfully vying with Inspector General Lord Huang over who would sit in the more prestigious left seat.

Unexpectedly, Commander-in-Chief Xu jumped out, quite sycophantically saying, "Lord Yuan is an envoy of the emperor, representing the imperial authority. Among the common folk, that’s akin to wielding the Imperial Sword. I will not take a seat; I shall stand by Lord Yuan’s side."

He left both Lord Wang and Lord Huang in a position where neither sitting nor standing felt appropriate.

Song Jiyun watched, almost bursting out laughing.

Yuan Yunzhong paid no heed to these matters; his gaze fell directly on Song Jiyun, lingering on her arm that was tightly grasped by someone else.

His originally indifferent face suddenly turned extremely ugly, as if there were rolling dark clouds churning in the depths of his eyes.

"Can someone tell me what crime Miss Song has committed?" His voice was neither high nor low, and even seemed somewhat rigid, yet it carried an ominous, thunderous might, making everyone in the hall tremble with fear, so much so that the hands of the two people who had been holding onto Song Jiyun trembled and hastily let go.

Lord Wang’s face immediately turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

But he folded his hands behind his back and said nothing.

Upon seeing this, Eunuch Wan’s face showed a fluctuating expression, but after only a few moments, he gritted his teeth, knelt down with a "plop" in front of Yuan Yunzhong, and said, "Sir, you have been investigating the porcelain smuggling case for some time now and must have heard of Miss Song.

"Miss Song, although extremely skilled in porcelain-making, is stubborn and arrogant, thinking that no one in Jingde Town is her equal, thus she is unruly and disrespectful. Not only does she refuse to participate in the Imperial Kiln Factory’s bidding, but she also, for personal gain, sends the sweet white porcelain that should be presented to the Imperial Court to Nanjing to seek exorbitant profits. She even incites the kiln workers of Jingde Town to oppose the Imperial Kiln Factory.

"Fearing it might provoke riots, I especially asked Lord Wang and other dignitaries to come and testify on my behalf to avoid harming the innocent and tarnishing the reputation of the Imperial Court."

He directly took the blame onto himself.

The expression on Lord Wang’s face slightly cleared up.

Commander-in-Chief Xu’s eyes rolled around, and he eagerly leaned towards Yuan Yunzhong, smiling concernedly, "Didn’t you go to Lake Entrance? How come you returned so soon? Did something happen there?"

Yuan Yunzhong coldly said, "If I hadn’t gone to Lake Entrance, how would I know that the Chief Secretary of State has started managing the affairs of The Twenty-Four Yamen? Even The Twenty-Four Yamen need the support of the Chief Secretary of State, don’t they?"

His words were pointed and sparing none of the dignitaries’ faces, especially not Lord Wang’s.

Lord Wang’s brows tightened, unable to suppress the anger in his heart any longer.

After all, he and Yuan Yunzhong’s older cousin Yuan Jingnian were of the same year, and they even had a good relationship. Logically, having already given way, Yuan Yunzhong ought to have offered him some face. Unexpectedly, Yuan Yunzhong pursued relentlessly, seemingly determined to use him as a stepping stone to assert his authority.

Even a clay figurine has its limits of tolerance.

Moreover, Yuan Yunzhong’s words indirectly accused him of colluding with the Eunuch Party. If he continued to back down, others might think he was afraid of the Yuan Family, afraid of Yuan Yunzhong, and the upstanding reputation he had built over many years might be ruined overnight.

"Lord Yuan, you are too young, there are some things you still don’t understand," he said in a gentle tone, seeming to defend himself, but in reality, he was reprimanding Yuan Yunzhong, "Whether it’s Liang County or Jingde Town, they are all under my jurisdiction. However, as the Imperial Kiln Factory involves Imperial Family affairs, the position of Supervising Pottery Officer was created to better meet the needs of the palace.

"In earlier years, the Supervising Pottery Officer was appointed by the Imperial Court officials from the Ministry of Personnel. In recent years, as tasks at the Manufacturing Office have increased, personnel from The Twenty-Four Yamen took over. Ultimately, it’s all about sharing the Emperor’s burdens and solving the Emperor’s worries. So why can’t the Chief Secretary of State manage the affairs of the Imperial Kiln Factory?"

The two immortals started clashing.

The people below immediately shrank their heads like quails, trembling.

Yuan Yunzhong burst into laughter out of sheer anger and said, "So, the ’Ceramic Firing Quota System’ implemented by Lord Wan was also approved by Lord Wang?"

Lord Wang was choked up.

"Ridiculous!" Yuan Yunzhong slammed his palm onto the tea table, causing the tea cups to ring out with a tingling sound, "Throughout history, there has never been such a thing as limits on porcelain firing."

He questioned Lord Wang, "Does Lord Wang know how many pieces of porcelain a kiln can fire? Under what circumstances can more porcelain be produced? Under what circumstances can not even a single piece of porcelain be fired? How long does it take to fire one Dragon Jar? How many kilns? How long does it take to fire a foot-tall Plum Vase? How many kilns?"

Of course, Lord Wang couldn’t answer.

Yuan Yunzhong sneered, "Then can Lord Wang tell me, what is the ’Ceramic Firing Quota System’ based on? And how does it ensure that the items presented to the Emperor are of the best quality?"

Lord Wang’s face turned a shade of pale green, but he couldn’t answer a single word.

Yuan Yunzhong then kicked Eunuch Wan in the chest, scolding, "Maggot, the reputation of the Imperial Court is ruined by people like you!"

Lord Wang and the others felt as if they had been harshly slapped, their faces burning.

Meanwhile, Eunuch Wan, his face deathly pale, clutched his chest, not daring to utter another word.

Inside and outside the great hall, there was dead silence.