Triumph in Her Rise and Love-Chapter 346 - 342

Officials from the Three Departments had gathered together as if by prior agreement.

Fortunately, the kiln mouth was safely sealed, and no incidents occurred.

Prince Ning yawned, leaning on the shoulder of the Junior Eunuch. "Finally, we can leave! I’ll see you all in five days."

As he spoke, he waved to the officials of the Three Departments without giving Song Jiyun a second glance and left.

The officials from the Three Departments all heaved a sigh of relief. The Chief Judge from the Ministry of Punishments admonished the government officials assigned to the night watch, "You had better keep your eyes wide open. If anything happens, none of you will escape."

The government officials from the Ministry of Punishments respectfully responded with "Yes."

An official bowed to the Chief Judges of the Three Departments, "Your Honor, shall we also disperse and return in five days?"

The Chief Judges from the Three Departments responded in turn, "Let’s disperse, then!"

"With that, we shall take our leave first." The officials from the Three Departments greeted each other and left in small groups, surrounding and escorting their superiors.

Song Jiyun and Song Tao couldn’t leave.

They were involved in the case, and with the case unresolved, they could not depart. However, they were not taken into custody; instead, an area within the Glazed Factory was demarcated especially for them.

Song Jiyun said to Zheng Quan, "Light the lanterns at night; it’s best to keep them burning all night. Let everyone see that the case is still ongoing, and someone is keeping watch here..."

The evening curfew in the Capital City was strictly enforced, but at this time, most people used oil lamps that glowed like beans, and most places were pitch black by night. If their location were to be lit up, it would be visible to many.

Sitting at home and discussing was also a form of publicity.

But before she could finish her sentence, someone called out to her from behind: "Song Jiyun!"

She turned around, and it was Song Tao.

Against the backdrop of the sunset, Song Tao raised her eyebrows in her direction, her expression tinged with a faint trace of mockery, "I wonder when I will be able to drink your wedding wine?"

Song Jiyun usually ignored her because it wasn’t worth it, but now that she was being splattered with spittle, she didn’t mind stabbing a knife into Song Tao’s chest.

"I’m just afraid that by that time, you’ll be squatting in jail serving your sentence, without such an opportunity," said Song Jiyun, smiling brightly.

"You!" Song Tao’s face immediately darkened, but then, as if she remembered something amusing, she reined in her anger and said, "Be careful that your big words don’t trip up your tongue."

As she spoke, she looked her up and down with a mocking smile, "However, I didn’t see your Young Master Yuan today. Wasn’t he so impassioned for your sake that he dared to provoke Prince Ning and even lodge a complaint against the Shandong Administrative Commissioner? How come he didn’t show up to support you today during such an important time? Could it be that all the so-called deep affection and sentiment were fake?"

Song Jiyun felt that Song Tao had some brains in the past, but how had she seemed as if her brains had been eaten by a dog after not seeing her for a few months?

Could it be that she was not having an easy time, and in her desperation, she started spouting nonsense without rhyme or reason?

But who made her enjoy watching the little people squirm?

She looked down at Song Tao with a lofty gaze, "Look at you, knowing nothing at all! Now that you’re under Prince Ning’s protection, he shouldn’t have kept you in the dark about everything, should he?"

After she finished speaking, she waved her hand dismissively and said, "Forget it, ignorance is bliss. I’m too lazy to waste my words on you anymore. Think whatever you want; I certainly don’t have the time to play guessing games with you, so do as you please!"

Then she turned and walked away.

"Song Jiyun, what do you mean?" Song Tao’s face changed drastically as she chased after her, reaching out to grab her.

Zheng Quan immediately stepped in front of Song Jiyun, warning Song Tao in a low voice, "What are you trying to do? Be careful or I’ll call the government official on duty over."

But Song Tao ignored him completely, pushing past Zheng Quan to continue chasing Song Jiyun, "Explain yourself to me!"

Suddenly, a night-patrolling government official noticed the dispute and ran over, calling out from afar, "What’s going on? What’s happening?"

This was a case personally overseen by the Emperor; if anything went wrong, their good days would be over.

"It’s nothing, it’s nothing," Song Jiyun’s eyes flickered as she said, "We were just speaking a bit loudly. Please excuse us, gentlemen." She then signaled Zheng Quan to pass a few red envelopes.

The officials looked at Song Jiyun, then at Song Tao, and said, "If you continue to make trouble, no amount of stuffing will help next time."

"Understood, understood!" Zheng Quan replied as he saw the officials off.

Song Tao, perhaps having regained her senses, stood silently to the side without a word, her gaze complex and impenetrable, fixated on Song Jiyun.

Song Jiyun smiled fearlessly at her, just about to turn away, when Wang Hua ran over in small steps, "Miss, Miss! The young master has come. He said that the Ministry of Punishments’ funding is limited, and the meal they provide definitely won’t be palatable. Seeing that you’re about to Seal the Kiln, he personally went to the Jinghua Building to get your dinner. Hurry and go eat!"

Song Jiyun and the others couldn’t help but look in the direction he came from.

They saw Yuan Yunzhong, dressed in a sky-blue fine cloth Taoist robe, with a composed and elegant demeanor, standing there solid as a pine or cypress, walking over with a big red, gold-trimmed food box in hand.

"Do you have any other business here?" His gaze fell directly on Song Jiyun, as he spoke gently, "You’ve worked on three hundred porcelain blanks today; I’ve also scheduled a famous female physician from the Capital City to give you a shoulder massage."

His eyes and heart were full of Song Jiyun, oblivious to others: "If you still have things to take care of here, I’ll have someone hold off on opening the food box to prevent the dishes from cooling."

Song Jiyun hadn’t expected Yuan Yunzhong to bring her dinner. Surprised but also warmed by the gesture, she had no desire to pay attention to Song Tao any longer.

She walked up to him and said, "It’s nothing important. Just a few words exchanged. Have you eaten yet? Is it okay for you to come here like this?"

Yuan Yunzhong and Song Jiyun headed to the Ministry of Punishments to arrange a place for her: "What’s the big deal? Even if it’s prison, that doesn’t mean you can’t have food delivered. Moreover, this isn’t prison. I just didn’t consider everything; I only remembered the closest and most famous place from here is the Jinghua Building, forgetting that Jinghua Building’s specialty is Huaiyang Cuisine, and you like your food a little spicy."

"It’s no problem," Song Jiyun smiled, "The weather’s getting hotter, and it’s good to eat something light."

Yuan Yunzhong laughed, "But I’ve already told the manager of Jinghua Building to find a chef who can make Jiangxi dishes tomorrow. Today, no matter how it tastes, you’ll just have to make do with what you get. Tomorrow will be better."

"You make it sound like I can’t be happy without spicy food," Song Jiyun retorted playfully, "I like all kinds of tasty food, no matter the place or cuisine."

"All right then," Yuan Yunzhong and Song Jiyun chatted and laughed as they gradually walked away, their affectionate conversation intermittently carried by the wind.

Song Tao stood alone in front of the Glass Factory, with passersby in a hurry to get home on the nearby street.

She lowered her head and stared blankly at the extending shadows at her feet, motionless for a long time.