Chapter 564: The Porcin Competition


    Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions


    At this point, it was already midnight.


    After killing the enemies and exhausting himself out, Third Master Lu fainted.


    Tang Jinghong sheathed his sword and helped Third Master Lu up. He then said to Third Master Lu’s survivingrades, “Let’s go back to the general’s mansion to tend to your injuries.”


    “Thank you, General Tang.”


    In the morning.


    The Chu family members woke up early, freshened up, had breakfast, and joined Li Zhenzong and others. They all arrived at Xilin Garden together.


    Xinlin Garden was the venue for the annual porcinpetition. Many people interested in porcin had already gathered there, making it a lively scene with peopleing and going.


    Outside the main gate, stalls selling breakfast items lined the streets, and vendors were continuously shouting their food, creating a bustling atmosphere.


    Chu Xuyuan took a sniff and remarked, “If only we had breakfast here, it smells so good.”


    Chu Xuyao agreed, “The porcinpetitionsts for two days, so we cane early tomorrow to have breakfast.”


    Chu Xuyuan looked at Chu Xuyao, “How do you know itsts for two days? Sixth Sister didn’t mention it.”


    “She didn’t mention it, but I asked,” Chu Xuyao said, thinking that his seventh brother wasn’t very sharp. When he heard about the porcinpetition, he asked all the details.


    The porcinpetition was held on the nth and 12th of September at Xilin Garden.


    It was organized by the Daling Dynasty’s number one porcin merchant, the Cai family. The person in charge was Cai Yuting, the Cai family’s First Master.


    The Cai Family had been an imperial merchant for many years. Ever since Old Master Cai passed away, the Cai Family had been in charge of First Master Cai. However, First Master Cai was not good at doing business, and the family was on the decline.


    Despite their family facing a period of decline, the Cai family was still a family to be reckoned with.


    Many porcin merchants were secretly eyeing the Cai family’s position as the Imperial Merchant. If the Cai family failed to win thispetition, their position as the Imperial Merchant would be in jeopardy.


    Currently, two families were most likely to challenge the Cai family for the position of Imperial Merchant: the Zhang family and the Yang family.


    Both of them were former Imperial Merchants who had once thrived butter declined. However, their younger generations had disyed great talent, leading their families back to prosperity.


    There were many porcin merchants in the Daling Dynasty. Each porcin merchant could nominate three people to participate in the porcinpetition.


    The three nominees from the Li family were Chu Qingshuang, Li Zhenzong’s eldest disciple, Li Shaoya, and Li Zhenzong’s third disciple, Xue Yigang.


    Hearing Chu Xuyao’s words, everyone looked at him with appreciative gazes. This little guy had a knack for gathering information.


    Chu Xuyao calmly epted the attention of everyone.


    At this moment, members of the Yan family approached. The Yan family and the Li family exchanged greetings, and the Chu family members stepped aside since it had nothing to do with them.


    Yan Yanrong pointed at Chu Qingshuang and said to her elder brother, Yan Helin, “Big Brother, she is Chu Qingshuang.”


    Yan Helin frowned. Yan Yanrong had told him that Chu Qingshuang always used her talent to mock and ridicule her. She looked like a very obedient person, but in reality, she was very narrow-minded.


    “I heard that you’re the best porcin maker in the Li family?”


    Chu family members felt ufortable listening to this, and Li Qingyu was about to defend her daughter, but Chu Qingzhi stopped her, “Mother, let Qingshuang handle it herself for now.”


    As one climbed higher, the obstacles became greater. They had to learn to grow independently; if others lifted them up, the chances of falling were much higher.


    Li Zhenzong was engrossed in a conversation with the Yan family members and didn’t notice the undercurrents among the younger generation.


    Chu Qingshuang nced at Yan Yanrong, who coldly snorted and turned her face away.


    “I think you must have heard wrongly. No matter how smug I am, 1 wouldn’t dare to say such things. But 1 should have said that…” Chu Qingshuang pointed at Yan Yanrong. “I’m better than her!”


    Yan Helin thought to himself that it was indeed not easy to deal with this girl. His frown deepened. “Yanrong is a rich youngdy, unlike you, a vige girl. Before you went to the Li family, you had never touched porcin. Your hands did farm work every day, so they are naturally more flexible.”


    Chu Qingshuang nodded. “That’s right. Is it a very honorable thing for a rich youngdy to be inferior to a vige girl? Is it worth your special mention?”


    Yan Yanrong scolded, “You have a glib tongue, Chu Qingshuang. In the Li family, Master spoils you, but outside, no one spoils you.”


    Chu Qingshuang said with a cold expression, “I’ll return these words to you, Yan Yanrong. You,cking in skill, resort to bringing your elder brother to confront me. You truly are a wonderful sister.”


    Yan Yanrong pointed at Chu Qingshuang. “You…”


    Chu Qingshuang turned her head, ignoring Yan Yanrong. She then said to Yan Helin, “I understand that you want to protect your sister. If you have the ability, win against me in thepetition. Don’t keep chattering in front of me. It’s annoying.”


    Yan Helin didn’t know what to say.


    The Chu Family lowered their heads andughed. Qingshuang, this girl, had quite the sharp tongue.


    After Li Zhenzong finished talking, he walked over to his three participants, gave them some final advice, and then led them into Xilin Garden.


    The others followed suit and entered Xinlin Garden together.


    Yan Yanrong clenched her fist, “Big brother, you must win against Chu Qingshuang and dampen her spirits.”


    Yan Helin nced at Yan Yanrong, “Let’s go.”


    Yan Yanrong stomped her foot and followed, Chu Qingshuang was really not easy to deal with.


    After entering Xilin Garden, the spectators went to the left, and thepetitors to the right, all in an orderly manner.


    Chu Qingshuang and her twopanions arrived at the ce to pick up their number tes and each received a wooden board engraved withrge numbers.


    To ensure fairness, thepetitors would be anonymous.


    After receiving their number tes, thepetitors put them away carefully, not to be seen by others. If caught cheating, they would be announced during thepetition and permanently banned from participating again, which was very strict.


    After getting the number tes, they queued up.


    Eachpetition only registered a hundred porcin businesses, totaling three hundredpetitors, with seventy-fivepeting at the same time in one round, and a total of four rounds, two in the morning and two in the afternoon.


    After shaping the porcin nks, specialized personnel would take them for firing. The next day, ten judges, all prestigious seniors in the porcin industry, would evaluate them.


    Xilin Garden had a special square for shaping porcin nks. After receiving their number tes, Chu Qingshuang and herpanions went to the square to queue up.


    There were four queues in total, with participants free to choose which one to join.


    The first queue was for the first group ofpetitors, the second queue for the second group, and so on.


    The three members of the Yan family participating in thepetition, along with Chu Qingshuang and her group, were all in the second queue, as the first queue was already full.


    Once all four queues were full, a person in charge came to where everyone was lined up, “The first group, please go to the square to participate in thepetition, timing one hour. Please manage your time well.”


    Those who came to participate in the porcinpetition were all experienced, and they walked to the square steadily upon hearing the instructions of the person in charge..