Liang Xiao quickly responded, "I didn't bully her, Senior. Please listen to my sophistry first... oh no, listen to my explanation!"
"Don't listen to his sophistry, he bullies her every day! Master, you must champion your disciple~" Jian Qinwan coquettishly pleaded, not forgetting to cast a triumphant glance at Liang Xiao.
Her good master treated her no differently than her own daughter, Xiaoyu. She was sure she could handle him!
Gongsun Jing showed a rare expression of surprise, "You bully her every day?"
"Mm~ Your disciple is so pitifully bullied by him, Master, please champion your disciple~" Jian Qinwan became even more coquettish, almost forcing tears out of her eyes.
Gongsun Jing quickly asked, "Then have you conceived his child yet? Quickly, let your master feel your pulse!"
Everyone: ???
Jian Qinwan's face instantly turned red, she felt choked.
"Senior..." cold sweat was already beading on Liang Xiao's forehead.
Gongsun Jing then realized, "Oh, I'm sorry, this old woman misunderstood unintentionally."
Everyone: ...
"Master..." Jian Qinwan was both embarrassed and annoyed, looking resentfully at Liang Xiao.
That gaze seemed to say: It's all your fault!
Liang Xiao almost suffocated.
This female Rakshasa truly had a soul-capturing gaze...
The scene became awkward.
Gongsun Jing noticed the small box in Gongsun Yu's hand and quickly changed the subject, "Xiaoyu, what are you holding?"
Gongsun Yu responded obediently, "Mother, it's the ghost-carved ball that my brother-in-law gave me~"
"Ghost-carved ball? I've never heard of it!" Gongsun Jing looked curious.
Gongsun Yu took the ghost-carved ball out of the box and played with it. Gongsun Jing couldn't help but exclaim, "Is it made of ceramics? How can such a divine object of exquisite craftsmanship exist in this world!"
"It's not exactly exquisite craftsmanship..." Liang Xiao said with a dry laugh.
The technique Liang Xiao used was not direct carving. After all, it was an extremely difficult craft, and he couldn't have learned it completely from a ghost-carved ball master.
He offered a practical and verifiable special accelerated method.
Take the clay specifically for firing ceramics, make a layer of carved mud ball, wrap it in paper, then make another layer of carved mud ball, and wrap it in paper again. Layer by layer. When fired, the paper would burn to ashes and fall out, leaving only the mud ball, thus firing a ceramic ghost-carved ball with independently rotatable interiors!
However, the ceramic craftsmanship in the Great Gan Kingdom was not mature enough, so it needed improvement. Currently, they could make a six-layer ghost-carved ball without collapse or disintegration.
The real ghost-carved balls used precious materials like ivory. Liang Xiao naturally wouldn't go for ivory...
The most crucial point was that this craftsmanship could not directly benefit the people of the Great Gan Kingdom. Stirring up a trend of hunting elephants might gradually damage the existing ecological environment, which could be a suicidal act.
The reason why the ancient Western Regions city of Loulan disappeared was partly due to the destruction of forests, leading to severe desertification.
However, ceramic ghost-carved balls were something they could play with. Before that, they could earn money from the wealthy and powerful, or export them abroad.
What the Great Gan Kingdom lacked the least, besides the poor, were the wealthy and powerful...
"Young Master Liang, can this craft be promoted?" Qin Jiu finally couldn't help but ask, seeing that her master, the Zither Saint, was amazed.
Gongsun Jing added, "Liang Xiao, Qin Jiu and I are master and servant in name, but sisters in spirit. You can discuss other matters with her with confidence, and she will report to my old man for processing."
The "old man" Gongsun Jing referred to was naturally the old Marquis of Dingguo, Gongsun Ye, the current Prefect of Taizhou, concurrently serving as General Zhennan. In military rank, he was Liang Xiao's equal, but Gongsun Ye's actual position was no less than that of General Wei.
Liang Xiao asked, "Does the Marquis of Dingguo's mansion have the capability to ensure that the artisans do not leak the craftsmanship?"
Qin Jiu nodded, "Yes! And we can put your name on it."
"Then let's do it, but without the name, lest those aristocratic families refuse to purchase it and affect your business. My workshop in the capital is also recruiting ceramic firing artisans, and we'll be doing it soon." Liang Xiao said, taking out several blueprints from his chest and handing them to Qin Jiu.
"So Young Master Liang has long intended to cooperate... Rest assured, according to the old rules, the net profit will be split with you fifty-fifty!" Qin Jiu smiled.
Gongsun Jing also smiled with relief, "Full of sincerity, worthy of being my future son-in-law!"
"Master..." Jian Qinwan blushed even more.
"I have always treated you as my daughter, so calling him my son-in-law is no problem, isn't it?" Gongsun Jing said earnestly, then affectionately pinched Jian Qinwan's cheek.
Jian Qinwan was speechless, she had to admire her master's comprehension.
Was that the point her master was trying to make?
On the other hand, Liang Xiao's face was not red, his breathing was steady, and he wore a calm smile. Jian Qinwan felt even more shy and annoyed.
Gongsun Jing invited everyone inside and personally boiled water to make tea.
"Little Qinwan tells me you can not only play the zither, but you also have a hidden swordsmanship?"
Liang Xiao was stunned and looked at Jian Qinwan, who had already turned her head away.
As expected, this female Rakshasa reported everything, no matter how small, to her master in her letters, including how he saw her bathing and touched her chest...
This injustice will not be avenged by a true gentleman!
"It's alright," Liang Xiao replied calmly.
"I also heard that General Tian protects you and even manifested on you..." Gongsun Jing appraised Liang Xiao again, her bright eyes piercing as if she could see through him.
A brief silence fell upon the room.
After a long while, Gongsun Jing sighed, "Let's set aside these matters for now and talk about my disciple and you first..."
Jian Qinwan then anxiously said, "Master~ It's all Qin Jiu's fault! Now everyone on Mount Tianqin knows about me and this Casanova..."
After speaking, Jian Qinwan couldn't help but glance at Qin Jiu, who looked wronged.
Gongsun Jing calmly replied, "Qin Jiu is busy with chores, she wouldn't have the time to talk about you."
"Huh?" Jian Qinwan looked puzzled.
"It was I who told everyone," Gongsun Jing said with a smile.
"Master!!" Jian Qinwan instantly collapsed into Gongsun Jing's embrace.
"How is it? Doesn't your master dote on you?" Gongsun Jing said dotingly, patting Jian Qinwan's shoulder.
Jian Qinwan didn't dare to respond, burying her head in Gongsun Jing's embrace, not daring to look at Liang Xiao, who was stifling a laugh.
Another "backer" has fallen!
This time, even Yue Lian covered her mouth and chuckled, unable to hold it in any longer.
Gongsun Jing stopped teasing Jian Qinwan and played a piece of music on the spot. The music was elegant and natural, earning everyone's applause.
"Liang Xiao, can you discern the music?" Gongsun Jing asked.
Liang Xiao replied, "In terms of skill, I don't know how the ancient people's zither skills were, but at least in this era, you are unmatched! It's just a pity that the excessive sorrow inevitably affects the state of mind. A heart ailment requires a heart cure."
Jian Qinwan and Qin Jiu fell silent simultaneously.
A wry smile appeared on Gongsun Jing's face, "You indeed have some skill... Indeed, the gap in my heart is related to the affairs between the Three Sages of Great Gan. However, it is all my own doing, and I cannot blame her parents."
Jian Qinwan looked up at Gongsun Jing in confusion, only to see two lines of tears streaming down Gongsun Jing's face. She immediately and tenderly wiped away her tears.
Gongsun Jing regained her senses and resumed her smile, "Very good! Liang Xiao, you discuss matters with Qin Jiu here for about an hour. I will personally bathe and dress my disciple."
Saying this, Gongsun Jing took the bewildered Jian Qinwan and walked towards the depths of the bamboo forest.
Liang Xiao discussed the matters of the bookshop and the ghost-carved ball in detail with Qin Jiu.
About half an hour later.
In a fragrant and elegant room, Jian Qinwan sat in front of a bronze mirror and murmured, "Why did Master suddenly want to bathe and dress me..."
"Silly child, close your eyes. You are absolutely not allowed to open them without my permission. I must give you a surprise."