Exile after Divorce? Empty the Scumbag Husband First!-Chapter 221 - 218: Sister Mianmian, Don’t Worry—I’m Confident About This
Lisi’s eyebrows were nearly knitted together, and it took her a long time to calm her thoughts.
"Sister Mianmian, I trust you, I’ll help you."
"But now we should probably find out where the General’s real daughter is first."
Ruan Mian reassured her, "There’s no rush, I have my own arrangements. For now, Lisi, you just need to continue with your normal duties. If I need your help, I’ll contact you."
"Just keep an eye on her in the meantime. If there’s anything unusual, let me know. But... make sure to take care of yourself too, and don’t let her find out."
"Rest assured, Sister Mianmian, I’m confident in this area."
She would not do anything to alert the enemy before finding evidence.
Seeing that the hour was almost up, she remembered she had something to attend to later and invited Ruan Mian to come along.
"If Sister is not busy, I can take you to see the Heir Mansion that the Prince is building for the Princely Heir and Nabuhui."
Ruan Mian wasn’t aware of this matter yet and did not know they would move into the new Heir Mansion after marriage.
When they arrived there, Ruan Mian was stunned for a moment.
Because this so-called Heir Mansion was excessively luxurious.
Even though it wasn’t completed yet, it was already taking shape.
The vermilion glazed tiles were magnificently grand, and the area it covered was unimaginable, as they couldn’t see how large the mansion was from where they stood at the front.
They could only see that the walls stretched endlessly.
Lisi marveled, "Nabuhui asked me to check if the glazed colored tiles for the mansion could be made according to her requirements. This was what the Prince promised her, knowing that she loves glazed tiles. To show the sincerity of the Prince Mansion, they agreed to renovate the Heir Mansion according to her preferences."
"But..."
What lay before them were not the glazed colored tiles; the tiles that were completed were merely the most common vermilion glazed tiles.
Though beautiful, they were not much different from those of the Prince Mansion.
Lisi also noticed this issue and sought out a constable to inquire further. The constable, troubled, stammered in his explanation.
"Miss, the craftsmanship of glazed colored tiles is an ancestral skill of the Ye Family in the Capital City. It’s too far from here, and we can’t possibly transport them in time."
"Could you please inform the Prince Mansion of the situation? Would it be acceptable to use these vermilion glazed tiles instead?"
He trembled slightly, and seeing Lisi’s troubled frown, the constable immediately knelt down.
"Please spare us, miss, on behalf of the craftsmen’s hard work. We truly cannot produce those glazed colored tiles. If this delays the mansion’s completion, it might also hold up the Princely Heir’s wedding."
Lisi couldn’t make the decision without informing Nabuhui.
"It’s not that I won’t spare you, I just need to..."
"Elder, perhaps I can help you with those glazed tiles, but I have one condition."
Ruan Mian suddenly interrupted, stepping forward to speak.
Both the constable and Lisi looked at her, not knowing what solution she had.
Her condition was quite simple.
Ruan Mian asked the constable to take her to their kiln location. After some investigation, she sat in front of the constable and stated clearly.
"Elder, I can indeed make the glazed tiles you want, but today it’s inconvenient to gather materials. Give me one day, and by tomorrow morning, I’ll bring the materials. You’ll see for yourself."
"Not only can they be made in colors like indigo, moon-white, but also glazed yellow, sky blue, and many others. The most elegant glaze combinations, in my view, are green, red, and yellow."
The elder, upon hearing this, looked skeptical, "Miss, do you really have such skills?"
"You should know that the technique for coloring glazed tiles is known only to the Ye Family in the entire Da Jing. They’re wind and rain resistant and won’t fade over time. If you truly had such great skills, why would you be here?"
"Whether I have the skills, you’ll see for yourself tomorrow, Elder."
"If I can truly make them, I can teach you how to mix them, but you must agree to increase the price tenfold for each tile. Those with craftsmanship designs should be doubled again."
"Such precious technology, if not priced high, how can it highlight the nobility of the Heir Mansion? How can it demonstrate the Prince’s respect for General Hu Lie?"
The elder found this reasoning quite sound, and thought Ruan Mian was just interested in silver.
As long as the matter could be settled, he would certainly raise the price. The Prince Mansion would definitely not be stingy with silver to slight General Hu Lie’s daughter.
After reaching an agreement, Ruan Mian and Lisi departed.
Lisi was very curious about how she planned to proceed, but Ruan Mian kept her in suspense. Before returning, she found a secluded spot and touched the Jade Bracelet.
Such a significant golden finger should be put to use when needed.
Last time, at Longchang Mountain, she discovered numerous mineral resources, besides those gold and iron mines, there were many abundant rare minerals.
She had collected and stored a considerable amount in her space, forming a small mountain.
Ruan Mian realized that the glazed tile technology of this era wasn’t very advanced, much like their gunpowder.
They probably hadn’t widely unlocked various glaze color combinations.
Those glazed tiles were generally just vermilion, with single colors.
She only needed to include different metal oxides in the glaze to fire various colors.
Iron oxide could fire yellow glazed tiles, copper oxide could fire green ones, cobalt oxide could fire blue glazed tiles, and so on.
The mineral resources in her space were sufficient to refine these oxides.
So, she planned to package this as something rare and precious, and it would surely earn her good profit from the Prince Mansion!
She also understood that such a luxurious building of the Heir Mansion definitely had King Yan’s influence behind it.
As in the original story, his life was always extravagant.
Considerable wealth and assets were amassed by exploiting the common people through various channels.
And she could use her identity as a glazed tile artisan to enter the Prince Mansion.
It was logical and involved the least risk.
After handling the mineral resources matter, she returned to the temporary lodging by nightfall.
The room was lit by a single oil lamp, and Xie Huai’an sat quietly beneath it, perusing stack after stack of documents.
Deeply engrossed, Ruan Mian didn’t disturb him, gently closing the door.
But after turning around, she saw tears shimmering in Xie Huai’an’s gentle eyes.
She paused slightly, as Xie Huai’an met her gaze, appearing somewhat flustered, lowering his eyes and wiping the corners before feigning calmness, "Mianmian, you’re back."
Ruan Mian approached him, her gaze falling on those documents.
The pages were filled with one article after another, written with vigorous and magnificent brushstrokes, the calligraphy elegant and formal, the handwritten characters extremely meticulous and pleasing.
Except for the letter in his hand, which was hastily and carelessly revised.
Upon closer examination, the content left Ruan Mian deeply shocked.
It seemed to be a "farewell letter" from Elder Zhang to Xie Huai’an, the trembling strokes revealing a plot involving the Princess capturing Xie Huai’an and his students together under charges of collusion in fraud.
