"Your Highness, the broken porcelain pieces, furnace slag ash, and quicklime you asked for are all here. Please give us your instructions," Master Tian said, pointing at a pile of discarded "waste" drying under the eaves.
Li Jingyun took a look around. There was quite a lot of stuff they had collected, piled up neatly.
"Next, you need to wash the porcelain pieces clean and bury them in a big pit. Build a fire under the pit. The stronger the fire, the faster they'll dry," Li Jingyun felt that just talking wasn't clear enough, so she gestured while speaking, drawing a big circle in the air.
Fortunately, Master Tian was an experienced man. From Li Jingyun's exaggerated big circle, he understood what she meant.
It meant burying them in the fire pit after washing them clean and then calcining them with a big fire. But exactly how big the fire should be, they'd have to figure it out themselves.
It was already quite good for the little princess to explain things this clearly.
"After burning, collect all of them and grind them together into a fine powder, just like tea leaves," Li Jingyun said. "Okay, that's all. If you have any questions, just ask."
Seeing Li Jingyun acting like this, Li Yin and Li Mingda beside her almost burst out laughing.
The last sentence was exactly the same as what their father used to say when scolding the court ministers. They never thought Li Jingyun would use it in this situation.
Li Jingyun looked calm on the surface, but actually she was secretly asking the system, "Immortal Master, are you there? How did I do?"
System: It's perfectly fine.
It wasn't that Li Jingyun's explanation was fine, but that these craftsmen were capable.
Master Tian immediately gathered the workers to start working. Everyone got busy and it was a bustling scene. Hearing Li Jingyun talk so confidently, he was still a bit skeptical in his heart. Could they really make cement?
If he said they could, cement was indeed a very miraculous thing and he had never heard of it before.
If he said they couldn't, the princess spoke so convincingly and it seemed that the difficulty wasn't high, just the process was complicated.
The room was indeed tidied up neatly. There were only a few beds, a big table, and nothing else. Master Tian followed beside and introduced, "These furnishings were brought from our own homes. They're a bit crude. Please don't mind, Your Highness."
"It's okay. I see there are still five rooms left. They should have a place to stay when they come," Li Jingyun calculated.
It should be no problem to accommodate seven people in five rooms.
"Your Highness, are there still more craftsmen coming?" Master Tian was completely confused. Weren't their twenty people enough to make this cement?
Did they still need to add more workers?
Li Jingyun nodded. "I also promised Father that I'd make paper. Those people will probably arrive soon."
"Make paper?"
What was this all about?
Wasn't making cement complicated enough? Why was there also paper - making?
Each process was more complicated than the last!
The little princess was young but had big ambitions.
Was she trying to set up a paper - making workshop?
Master Tian didn't know Li Jingyun's grand aspirations yet, that she wanted to make the royal family the family with the most books and build a great hall to store the books for people to read for free.
If he knew, he'd surely be so surprised that his mouth could fit an egg.
"The conditions here are not good and the weather is so hot. You still have to build fires. How about having someone make a bowl of mung bean soup for you every day?" Li Jingyun said.
That's what they did in the palace too. When the weather was hot, the palace servants would have mung bean soup to relieve the heat and quench their thirst.
"Thank you, Your Highness," Master Tian said. As he spoke, he weighed the fifty copper coins in his arms.
Although the little princess had some wild ideas, she was generous and never stingy with them. They had only worked for two days and already got fifty copper coins and mung bean soup. This was much better than having nothing.
"Go back to work," Li Jingyun said with a smile, watching Master Tian go back to work.
The three siblings watched the craftsmen work for a while. Since they found it boring, Li Yin took his two sisters hunting in the back mountain.
The forest here was dense. It was obvious that there would be game.
Li Yin was only seven years old this year, but he was already very proficient in archery. He also wanted to show off in front of his two sisters.
"See that grass? We'll have something delicious soon!"
"Great! Great!"
His two sisters looked at him with starry eyes, which made Li Yin extremely proud.
He nocked an arrow, aimed at the rustling grass and shot two arrows in succession. The commotion in the grass got even louder. A snake over a meter long came out, yellow and black相间, with blood oozing out from time to time.
The two arrows were shot skillfully. One arrow pierced through the snake's vital spot and the other hit just below its head, pinning the snake firmly to the ground. No matter how it struggled, it couldn't break free.
"Ah!" Li Mingda exclaimed.
She was a bit scared and tightly grabbed Li Jingyun's hand. The two of them hid behind Li Yin together.
Li Jingyun coaxed and urged Li Mingda, saying all kinds of nice things. Finally, Li Mingda summoned up the courage to peek out from behind Li Yin and take a look at the snake.
A few guards had already come over and dealt with the snake, putting it into a bag. Even though it had no head, the snake's body was still wriggling.
"We're in for a treat today. I'll make turtle and snake soup for everyone!"
The person who spoke was a craftsman working here. He was tall and thin, with dark skin. Judging from his accent, he wasn't a native of Chang'an.
The craftsman introduced himself. "My surname is Zeng. My ancestral home is in Lingnan. My family moved to Chang'an because of a family incident. My ancestors were very good at cooking snakes."
"Then it's up to you. Make sure it tastes delicious," Li Jingyun said.
"Yes. Your Highness, please rest assured. I guarantee the soup will be thick and the snake meat will be tender. Once you take a sip, you won't be able to stop," Master Zeng said.
Master Zeng took the snake and went to the kitchen. Soon, a delicious smell wafted out. From time to time, the craftsmen working in the front yard would come over under the pretext of discussing things, but actually just to see how the turtle and snake soup was coming along.
Master Tian told Li Jingyun that Master Zeng was the best cook among them. It was his excellent cooking skills that won his wife's heart and made her willing to marry him.
"Brother, your archery skills are so great. I want to learn too! Will you teach me, brother?" Li Jingyun pulled Li Yin's arm and coquettishly said.
Li Yin quickly waved his hand. "If Father and Mother find out that I secretly taught you archery, my happy days will be over. You're a princess. What do you need to learn these for?"
His sister was a precious princess raised in the deep palace. She was a delicate flower. Why did she need to learn archery?
Could it be that the impression left by Duan Jia on his sister?
During the draft yesterday, Duan Jia, the eldest daughter of the Duke of Fan, performed a spear dance in the Zhaoqing Hall and won the applause of everyone. People praised her highly.
Some even said that Duan Jia was a natural female general and forcibly paired her with Chai Zhewei, the eldest son of Princess Pingyangzhao.
"If you won't teach me, I'll go ask Father!" Li Jingyun couldn't guess what Li Yin was thinking. Her mind was full of the scene of Li Yin shooting a snake with two arrows just now.
If she could learn it too, wouldn't she be able to hunt any game she wanted?
Thinking about how happy Father and the others would be if she hunted a wild deer or a wild chicken!
Li Yin held one sister's hand in each hand and complained to Li Mingda, "Sizi, look at Hongxuan. Does she act like a girl at all?"
Li Mingda thought for a while and seriously said to Li Yin, "Sixth brother, if you won't teach Hongxuan, can you teach me? Maybe I won't be afraid anymore if I shoot one myself."
Li Yin: You two are really sisters. You think alike.