Chapter 591 - 585_1
"Now that you have already arrived, and things have been settled, let it be and make yourself at home. Although I don’t claim to possess great skills, anyone with the ability to achieve success will be handsomely rewarded; I will definitely not let you down! Compared to living in the palace, always cautious and trembling with fear, I believe most people would prefer to have a stable income and live their lives comfortably, right? Of course, if you still wish to leave, I can send you back to the palace. After all, I do not want anyone who is reluctant."
People dispatched by Princess Yongle could naturally not be sent back else they would face dire consequences. By saying this, Lin Yue appeared to be asking for their opinion, implying she did not want to force them, but in reality, she was warning and intimidating them against taking her service lightly and staying with the Zhao family with such an attitude. After all, even if these people stayed, they would not work earnestly. It would be better to dismiss them right away. Anyone clever would know what to do in the future, especially since Princess Yongle, for Lin Yue’s sake, had handed all their servitude contracts to Lin Yue to hold. What tricks could they possibly play?
The ones who came out of the palace and managed to survive to this day were not fools. Even those less bright knew enough to gauge the mood and follow the reactions of the others. Not a single person spoke up about leaving or raised any objections after Lin Yue’s words, all behaving obediently, with several showing both understanding and the willingness to pledge their loyalty.
"Since I have been given to Madam by Princess Yongle, I am Madam’s person from now on. I will surely listen to Madam’s instructions and not entertain any thoughts of betrayal," the Servant said.
"Very well, since you are willing to stay, from now on you will follow my assignments. As for your future lives, I believe you will be satisfied. The treatment here will not be any less favorable than in the palace. However, no place is without rules. The palace has its rules, and so does my household. Soon, someone will explain all the rules here to you, and I hope everyone will abide by them."
"We shall follow Madam’s instructions thoroughly," they replied.
Lin Yue nodded in satisfaction and had someone lead them down to be arranged individually. Although these people had pledged their loyalty, it was only superficial, and she would have to observe them closely in secret to see which of them were truly dependable.
After dismissing everyone, Lin Yue left only Master Xue and his apprentices behind. "Master Xue, you’ve seen the recipe for the glass. In truth, the process of making glass is much easier than making colored glaze, and there are many similarities that can be learned from. That’s why I went to great lengths to have you brought here. That’s why I wanted to ask, how confident are you about successfully making glass?"
"I’d say about fifty to sixty percent confident, but we do need time. After all, this is just a recipe. To actually produce the glass, we’ll need to run repeated experiments. If anything is slightly off, it could fail. And while I can make colored glaze, I’ve never made glass before. There will be differences that we need to slowly figure out. Even with making colored glaze, which I’ve practiced for over twenty years, I still can’t guarantee success every time," Master Xue humbly stated.