A Good Country Wife-Chapter 591 - 585_1

"Now that you have already arrived, and things have been settled, let it be and make yourself at home. Although I don’t claim to possess great skills, anyone with the ability to achieve success will be handsomely rewarded; I will definitely not let you down! Compared to living in the palace, always cautious and trembling with fear, I believe most people would prefer to have a stable income and live their lives comfortably, right? Of course, if you still wish to leave, I can send you back to the palace. After all, I do not want anyone who is reluctant."

People dispatched by Princess Yongle could naturally not be sent back else they would face dire consequences. By saying this, Lin Yue appeared to be asking for their opinion, implying she did not want to force them, but in reality, she was warning and intimidating them against taking her service lightly and staying with the Zhao family with such an attitude. After all, even if these people stayed, they would not work earnestly. It would be better to dismiss them right away. Anyone clever would know what to do in the future, especially since Princess Yongle, for Lin Yue’s sake, had handed all their servitude contracts to Lin Yue to hold. What tricks could they possibly play?

The ones who came out of the palace and managed to survive to this day were not fools. Even those less bright knew enough to gauge the mood and follow the reactions of the others. Not a single person spoke up about leaving or raised any objections after Lin Yue’s words, all behaving obediently, with several showing both understanding and the willingness to pledge their loyalty.

"Since I have been given to Madam by Princess Yongle, I am Madam’s person from now on. I will surely listen to Madam’s instructions and not entertain any thoughts of betrayal," the Servant said. frёeωebɳovel.com

"Very well, since you are willing to stay, from now on you will follow my assignments. As for your future lives, I believe you will be satisfied. The treatment here will not be any less favorable than in the palace. However, no place is without rules. The palace has its rules, and so does my household. Soon, someone will explain all the rules here to you, and I hope everyone will abide by them."

"We shall follow Madam’s instructions thoroughly," they replied.

Lin Yue nodded in satisfaction and had someone lead them down to be arranged individually. Although these people had pledged their loyalty, it was only superficial, and she would have to observe them closely in secret to see which of them were truly dependable.

After dismissing everyone, Lin Yue left only Master Xue and his apprentices behind. "Master Xue, you’ve seen the recipe for the glass. In truth, the process of making glass is much easier than making colored glaze, and there are many similarities that can be learned from. That’s why I went to great lengths to have you brought here. That’s why I wanted to ask, how confident are you about successfully making glass?"

"I’d say about fifty to sixty percent confident, but we do need time. After all, this is just a recipe. To actually produce the glass, we’ll need to run repeated experiments. If anything is slightly off, it could fail. And while I can make colored glaze, I’ve never made glass before. There will be differences that we need to slowly figure out. Even with making colored glaze, which I’ve practiced for over twenty years, I still can’t guarantee success every time," Master Xue humbly stated.

Master Xue’s modesty was evident. Hearing Lin Yue’s explanation, he had become somewhat assured, but as he had never tried it before and worried about overpromising and then failing, which would disappoint his new mistress, he remained cautious and careful in his words and deeds, a habit from his long time in the palace that he hadn’t managed to shake off even after coming to the Zhao family.

"I understand this principle. It’s easy to talk about things, much harder to do them. Having fifty to sixty percent confidence is good. Master Xue, proceed as you need. Whatever your requirements, I will do my utmost to meet them." Lin Yue didn’t doubt Master Xue’s words. What she had said was all theoretical, merely transferred from paper with no practical application, and she wasn’t actually sure it would succeed. Since Master Xue, a professional, expressed a level of confidence, it reassured Lin Yue. To ensure the success of making glass, she would fully support any request from Master Xue.

Even Master Xue could see how much Lin Yue was looking forward to producing glass. He felt the same way. Not to mention anything else, just the sheer profits from producing glass, if it could significantly reduce costs as compared to making glazed ware as his lady said, were almost too much for Master Xue to contemplate.

"Do not worry, Madam. I will do my very best," he promised.

"Upon success, you shall be richly rewarded. However, there’s one more thing I need to mention, Master Xue. I do not want word of this glass-making venture to spread. Even to the outsiders, I will maintain the pretense that you continue to make colored glaze. Otherwise..." Lin Yue didn’t finish her sentence, but her meaning was clear, and her aura suddenly shifted, intimidating Master Xue for the first time. It made him realize that his new master was not as gentle as he had imagined and had moments of severity.

"I understand, Servant will never let this secret out," Master Xue answered with gravity, well aware of what was at stake. If they could indeed produce glass, it would be an extraordinary achievement. Even the Emperor would not simply sit by and would take action. And now his loyalty was to Lin Yue. Master Xue was an honest and upright man and could not do anything to betray his master. It was because of his nature that he had lost the position of Manager to a rival. In terms of skills in making colored glaze, the two were equally matched.

Anxious in her heart, Lin Yue knew Master Xue was also eager to start experimenting with the recipe she had given him. No sooner had they arrived at the Zhao residence than after just one day of rest, Master Xue plunged into work, immersing himself in the workshop almost to the point of neglecting sleep and food.

As for the materials required for making glass, Lin Yue had prepared them all and handled as much as possible upfront, grinding whatever needed to be powdered. This would allow Master Xue to immediately start experimenting with the recipe when he began, saving a lot of effort and time. Nonetheless, it was their first attempt at making glass, and although the process was not as difficult as making colored glaze, being novices, they could easily err and ruin everything and have to start all over again.

A week passed, and Master Xue was still only getting the hang of it, having not yet succeeded in creating glass. Lin Yue, who had been closely monitoring the process, felt a sense of frustration but also understood that she had been too impatient. Even if making glass was easier than making colored glaze, it was no simple feat.

As she waited, Lin Yue gradually became more patient, acknowledging that the findings Master Xue was making through his multiple experiments proved that the recipe she had was genuine and capable of producing glass. It wasn’t a fake one concocted by an author of some novel she had read, who had likely found the information through Baidu rather than making it up. She hadn’t been misled after all.

"Madam, Madam, it’s a success!"