Ji Yuan wrapped the glass vase in a piece of clothing and happily took it back to find Zhao Hanzhang. Fu Tinghan leisurely followed behind.

Zhao Hanzhang rode her horse back heroically, clearly having just gone out to train troops.

Ever since the estate stopped lacking grain, she had been enthusiastic about running and jumping everywhere. Since coming of age, Fu Tinghan had rarely seen Zhao Hanzhang so lively and energetic.

Seeing her like this felt like returning to high school days.

It seemed her vision really had sealed her potential.

Zhao Hanzhang jumped down from her horse, first happily greeting Fu Tinghan behind Ji Yuan, then looked at Ji Yuan’s arms, “Master Ji, what are you holding?”

Ji Yuan mysteriously pulled Zhao Hanzhang through the door. Only after entering the study did he carefully set down the vase in his arms, lifting the clothing to show her, “Sanniang, look.”

Zhao Hanzhang was shocked, “What an ugly vase!”

Fu Tinghan: “I blew it.”

Zhao Hanzhang immediately changed her tune, “Quite creative. Does this vase have any special meaning?”

Fu Tinghan asked: “What does Teacher Zhao think?”

Zhao Hanzhang pulled out her high school reading comprehension attitude and racked her brains: “A beauty bending vase? No, a beauty bowing vase?”

Fu Tinghan held back his laugh, “First time blowing, not very skilled, so I blew it poorly.”

Zhao Hanzhang silently looked at him.

Fu Tinghan finally couldn’t help laughing aloud, explaining: “I was going to smash it, but Master Ji wouldn’t let me.”

“Smash what? This vase is quite good,” Zhao Hanzhang stepped forward and picked up the vase to examine it up and down, saying seriously: “This style of vase is unique in all the world. And if you look carefully, doesn’t it have artistic appeal?”

Fu Tinghan glanced at it and looked away, only feeling it hurt his eyes. He didn’t feel any artistic appeal.

But Zhao Hanzhang looked more and more pleased, “You know what, it really does have artistic appeal. And it has significance—this is the first vase Professor Fu blew, and under such technological conditions. It’s truly too meaningful.”

Ji Yuan, who had been left aside, couldn’t help clearing his throat heavily, finally breaking the atmosphere between the two and inserting himself, “Sanniang, although the craftsmen aren’t skilled yet and can’t make good glazed products, I think given time these won’t be problems. Why don’t we think about how to conduct this business.”

“What other way is there?” Zhao Hanzhang said unconcernedly, “The gentry of Shangcai county, the wealthy and powerful of Runan commandery—all can be our customers.”

“But looking at the liquid melted today, the cost isn’t high. Production will certainly increase in the future. Such a large business, we…”

“I’ve already found one customer—Seventh Uncle-Grandfather. The goods will go out through his hands,” Zhao Hanzhang said, “Moreover, these craftsmen came from Fifth Uncle-Grandfather. Since returning to Shangcai we’ve constantly taken advantage of Fifth Uncle-Grandfather. This time we should repay him a little.”

Ji Yuan immediately understood, meeting Zhao Hanzhang’s gaze, “With a big tree to lean on, it’s good for shelter. With Zhao Family’s fortified estate backing us, no matter how envious people are of this business, they’ll have to weigh their options.”

Zhao Hanzhang nodded, “However, this is an open scheme. It can guard against wealthy merchants and gentry, but not bandits and brigands. The workshop is set up in the estate, so we must be careful. We also need to train our soldiers well. If bandits and brigands really do target the workshop, we can respond.”

They couldn’t depend on Zhao Family’s fortified estate for everything—that would be too subject to others’ control.

Ji Yuan indicated he understood, “Should I have Zhao Qianli select more able-bodied young men from the estate to join the soldiers?”

Zhao Hanzhang said: “Promote Zhao Qianli to company commander.”

Ji Yuan: …He wanted to recruit more soldiers, but didn’t say to expand so drastically. A company was at minimum one thousand men.

Currently their soldiers numbered less than two hundred, so Zhao Qianli was only a squad leader. Now she wanted to increase fivefold or more?

Ji Yuan tactfully reminded: “Sanniang, there are only about eighteen hundred people total in the estate.”

This still counted the original tenant farmers and hired workers here, plus the refugees recruited during this period.

Zhao Hanzhang waved her hand generously, “If there aren’t enough, we’ll recruit more. We have glass now, and it’s just after summer harvest. Are we afraid we can’t feed them?”

“But…” Ji Yuan still didn’t understand, “Why are you recruiting so many people?”

It sounded rather frightening. Even with so many clansmen, Zhao Family’s fortified estate only maintained just under a thousand soldiers.

One thousand—even the county garrison plus bailiffs didn’t have that many people.

Zhao Hanzhang said: “Naturally to develop the estate. Master Ji, much of my land is currently lying waste, and the per capita cultivated land is too much—all extensively farmed with extremely low yields. I think what we lack now is people.”

“Extensive cultivation?” Ji Yuan repeated this twice and grasped the meaning. Although he understood, he was still puzzled, “Sanniang, I’ve calculated—current labor is just right for working the existing land. Any more would make it very difficult to feed themselves from these fields.”

“Then there’s not enough land,” Zhao Hanzhang stroked her chin, “That’s not difficult. We’ll just buy more. Now outside there are abandoned fields everywhere. I’ll find time to submit a card to the county magistrate and buy land from him.”

Ji Yuan understood now. Zhao Hanzhang wasn’t truly recruiting people to cultivate wasteland—she was purely recruiting to expand her power. If there weren’t enough people, recruit more. If there wasn’t enough land, buy land. After buying land, recruit more people. After recruiting people, buy more land…

An endless cycle…

Ji Yuan looked deeply at Zhao Hanzhang, then turned to look at Fu Tinghan, only to see Fu Tinghan leaning against the low table with his eyes closed, looking like he was about to fall asleep.

Ji Yuan: …

He couldn’t help stepping forward to push Fu Tinghan.

Fu Tinghan opened his eyes, “Master Ji?”

Ji Yuan showed a smile, “What does Young Master Fu think of Sanniang’s idea?”

“Quite good,” he raised his head to Zhao Hanzhang, “I forgot to tell you—blowing glass is rather difficult, so I want to make some molds. This will require steel, and I plan to try smelting it soon.”

“Can the kiln reach the necessary temperature?”

“That’s the biggest problem. To avoid affecting glass production efficiency, I’ve decided to mark out another area outside the workshop to build a kiln and try bit by bit. If we can succeed, your spear head might as well be forged with steel.”

Zhao Hanzhang’s eyes brightened greatly, nodding vigorously: “Excellent!”

Fu Tinghan extended his hand to her, “So you need to prepare refined iron for me.”

This wasn’t an ordinary item—it wasn’t sold outside. Zhao Hanzhang’s first thought was still Fifth Uncle-Grandfather.

But after thinking, she shook her head, “We can’t tell Zhao Family’s fortified estate about this. We must find our own solution.”

She looked at Ji Yuan, “The weapons and farming tools in the fortified estate…”

“Were all bought back by the master.”

“There’s no source for refined iron?”

Ji Yuan: “…There is.”

Zhao Hanzhang looked at him eagerly.

Ji Yuan said helplessly: “I’ll try to contact them. The master just left, so there should still be some goodwill. But to maintain the relationship long-term, relying on Sanniang’s name alone isn’t enough—unless Zhao Family’s fortified estate is willing to step forward.”

“No,” Zhao Hanzhang shook her head, “We must carve out our own path.”

—