Chapter 440 - 229: Seemingly an Emperor

Chapter 440: Chapter 229: Seemingly an Emperor

The West Market was the largest marketplace in Daqian, covering nearly two thousand acres and housing over thirty thousand shops of all sizes.

Yan Jiji, who had recently been honored with the Celestial Artisan Imperial Gold Medal and was already known as the "World’s Number One Craftsman," had his "Lucky Iron Shop" located right here.

Rows of red-brick chimneys stood tall, with pillars of thick smoke rising straight into the air.

Buckets of honeycomb coal were poured into the furnaces as if they were free. Well-built craftsmen, bare-chested and sweating buckets, bustled about the workshop with fiery enthusiasm.

In a corner of the workshop, Yan Jiji and several other craftsmen gathered in a circle, their expressions grave as they stared at the blueprints spread across a table.

The blueprints depicted strangely shaped mechanisms—some large, some small, some with gear-like teeth. Besides Yan Jiji, the other craftsmen guessed they were either weapons or perhaps wall decorations.

"Stop guessing. This is an order from the Ministry of War, so get fired up! No more dilly-dallying!" Yan Jiji’s eyes flashed as he shouted, halting the craftsmen’s speculation. He slammed a hand on the blueprints and lowered his voice. "Some things are better left unknown."

The other craftsmen might not have seen it, but Yan Jiji had noticed the clues. When assembled, these "parts" seemed to form some kind of never-before-seen Siege Equipment.

’The Ministry of War must have some true masters,’ Yan Jiji thought.

"You got it!"

"That’s just how Old Yan is. When he gets to work, he forgets everyone and everything."

"He probably still has to acknowledge Master Zheng, though."

"Hey! We have to call him Prince Zheng now!"

"Right, right, we have to call him Prince Zheng!"

The workshop erupted in roaring laughter.

Ever since Zheng Xiu was enfeoffed as the "Red King," Yan Jiji’s workshop had transformed from the property of the Richest Person into the property of a Prince, and orders came rolling in. Case in point: the Yan family workshop, which had never before touched military armaments, had just received an unprecedented order from the Ministry of War.

"Oh, right," said a sharp young lad named Xiaotong, an apprentice who had studied under Yan Jiji for five years. He glanced at a pile of crates in the corner—an order placed by Prince Zheng last month—and casually asked, "Master Yan, that batch of unsharpened sword blanks the Prince ordered is ready. Should we deliver them to the Prince’s Mansion?"

"Alright. You can deliver them to the Prince."

Yan Jiji didn’t even look up, still pondering the "Siege Equipment," and had Xiaotong take a cart to make the delivery.

Soon, several perfectly sealed crates of weapons were loaded onto the cart, and Xiaotong personally drove it to the Prince’s Mansion.

After Xiaotong left, Yan Jiji clapped his hands to get the attention of the hundred-odd craftsmen, ordering them to temporarily halt their work as he made a loud announcement.

"Everyone, listen up! For now, we’re putting all other orders on hold. We’re going to give it our all to rush the Ministry of War’s order! This is our top priority. Once this is done well, our Prince will gain face before the Holy Emperor!"

"Alright!"

The hundred-odd craftsmen replied in unison, their shouts shaking the rafters.

The Lucky Iron Shop once again descended into a flurry of activity.

A short while later, Xiaotong, who had gone out for the delivery, came scampering back happily.

"Master, Master! I brought back a new order for you!"

Xiaotong said with a cheerful grin.

DING! DING! DING!

Yan Jiji was frantically swinging his hammer, striking a red-hot piece of iron. Without looking up, he replied, "What order did you take?"

"He said to make a cat house and a batch of small Copper Mirrors."

"What? A cat house? Copper Mirrors?" Hearing this, Yan Jiji flared up. "I just said we’re rushing the Ministry of War’s order for the next two months! All other jobs get pushed back! Besides, what the hell is a cat house? And Copper Mirrors? Even you can make those. Why would I need to get involved?"

"...It’s an order from Prince Zheng. He said, ’Please have Old Yan come to the mansion.’ But since you’re busy, Master..."

"Xiaomeng, Xiaozuo..." Yan Jiji rattled off the names of a dozen or so craftsmen. With a final strike, he knocked the red-hot iron block into a trough of water, which let out a sharp "CHHHH!" Tucking his small hammer into his belt, Yan Jiji said just one word: "Let’s go!"

Xiaotong was stunned. "Master, didn’t you say the Ministry of War’s order..."

"What’s the damn rush!" Yan Jiji huffed, leading his group of elite craftsmen out in a great hurry. As he walked, he said, "Whose order could possibly be more urgent than the Prince’s?"

...

Yan Jiji and his entourage hurried to the Red King Mansion, carrying bags and toolkits of all sizes.

After being announced, Yan Jiji went straight to the rear courtyard.

The moment he arrived, his eyes went wide at the strange scene before him.

The newly appointed Red King, Prince Zheng—a man second only to the Emperor and above all others—was sitting in the garden, cradling an Orange Cat. He was gently grooming its fur, scratching its back and giving it scritches.

"My Prince, didn’t you say there was a rush order? Why are you busy petting this damn cat that looks neither like a dog nor a tiger?"

The Orange Cat lifted its head coolly, its expression completely deadpan.

"Shh! Shh! Shh!"

Zheng Xiu quickly raised a finger to his lips. Ignoring Yan Jiji, he looked down at the Orange Cat and said, "Little Feng Miao, don’t mind him. My man doesn’t know any better."

Yan Jiji and his group of elite craftsmen were all completely baffled. "?"

"Meow."

The Orange Cat lowered its head again, settling onto Zheng Xiu’s lap and closing its eyes to enjoy the Prince’s affection.

Zheng Xiu continued to soothe it in a low voice, as if he were having a conversation with the cat.

Yan Jiji’s expression grew even more bewildered.

’The Prince’s behavior... it’s as if he can understand what the cat is saying?’

’Besides, the way the Prince treats this cat is so bizarre, like he’s waiting on his own father.’

After a moment, Yan Jiji lamented to himself that once a man becomes a prince, he has to be different and utterly incomprehensible to ordinary people.

「A while later.」

Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Zheng Xiu led Yan Jiji to the main wing.

"Old Yan, I need you to build a cat house here."

"A cat house? For that... thing?" Yan Jiji’s eyes bulged and his beard bristled.

Zheng Xiu quickly clamped a hand over Yan Jiji’s mouth. He knew Yan Jiji was proud and arrogant, so he quickly gave an ambiguous explanation. "Old Yan, there are some things you wouldn’t understand even if I told you, and you might not believe them even if you understood. Little Feng Miao is no ordinary Orange Cat. In any case, don’t say anything unnecessary. Just build me the most magnificent cat house you can."