Chapter 20: The Debt of the Steamed Bun

Xiang Xiang Junzheng's face was filled with shock; he dared not make a sound and retreated to the side. Quan Quan Aoyu's gaze fell back on Jun Jun Zijin, and his cold expression instantly softened as he said:

"I have matters to discuss with the Second Young Lady; let all others who are unrelated withdraw."

Hearing this, everyone was stunned; Jun Jun Shuyan was filled with admiration, Jun Jun Zhidie's face turned gloomy, and Jun Jun Yiyi ground her teeth in secret. The two were extremely unwilling yet helpless, so they could only stomp their feet in frustration and reluctantly withdraw.

Xiang Xiang Junzheng found it even more unbelievable, his face full of shock; he never expected this wicked daughter to have gained the Crown Prince's favor, and he didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad one. He feared that this notorious wicked daughter might one day offend this killing god and bring ruin upon the entire Jun household.

Just as Xiang Xiang Junzheng had dismissed everyone in the hall, he heard the Crown Prince say:

"You withdraw as well."

The hall fell silent, and only then did Jun Jun Zijin continue speaking:

"Your Highness, the wheelchair retrieved today has been sent to my grandmother's courtyard. As she is frail, there may be much inconvenience."

"It is no trouble," he said. "I am free today and will visit the Old Lady shortly."

"..." This blockhead is indeed still thinking about her wheelchair.

A flash of inspiration struck her mind; perhaps...

Jun Jun Yiyi returned to Aoxue Courtyard in a rage. Today she had dressed up meticulously, yet the Crown Prince's gaze had not lingered on her for a single moment. Jun Jun Yiyi rushed into the room and swept the tea set off the table. The "crash" of the porcelain shattered the air, yet it still failed to quell the anger in her heart.

Her personal maid, Cui Liu, cautiously advised:

"Young Lady, do not ruin your health with anger. Perhaps the Crown Prince was momentarily bewitched by that Jun Jun Zijin."

Jun Jun Yiyi bit her lip, her eyes red, "What merit does that wretch have? How can a mere trifle attract the attention of Your Highness?"

Just then, Jun Jun Zhidie also entered Aoxue Courtyard. She let out a cold snort:

"Why is First Sister so angry? It was merely a farce today. That country bumpkin was simply lucky."

Jun Jun Yiyi glared at her, "If you had not spoken nonsense before the Crown Prince, how would I have been so humiliated?"

The two began to blame each other.

"What humiliation? You eagerly rushed forward to play the zither; everyone knows what you were thinking!" Jun Jun Zhidie secretly despised her.

Jun Jun Yiyi smashed things and cursed people, and her heart finally felt a bit better. But the moment she thought of Jun Jun Zijin, a surge of hatred rose in her heart again.

Seeing Jun Jun Yiyi calm down a bit, Jun Jun Zhidie rolled her eyes and said, "First Sister, instead of stewing in anger here, why not devise a plan to deal with that Jun Jun Zijin who knows nothing about music, chess, calligraphy, or painting? I heard she lives in a remote small courtyard and has few capable people around her."

A flash of ruthlessness passed through Jun Jun Yiyi's eyes. "Third Sister speaks truly. Just wait; in less than two days, there will be a grand spectacle."

Jun Jun Yiyi gritted her teeth: "Jun Jun Zijin, I will let you be arrogant for two more days first. This Young Lady wants to see if, in two more days, the Crown Prince will still be able to look you straight in the eye!"

The Old Lady was in particularly high spirits today; it seemed the June weather was not so hot after all. She ordered Nanny Wang to push her wheelchair around the courtyard for several laps. When the announcement came that the Crown Prince was coming to Jingzhu Courtyard, Nanny Wang was still pushing the Old Lady along the tree-lined path, chatting about daily life.

In fact, the Old Lady had once sat in a wooden wheelchair, but it was clumsy, uncomfortable, and very inconvenient to use, so later she preferred lying in bed rather than sitting in it.

The Old Lady got herself properly ready and ordered Nanny Wang to push her to the courtyard gate to welcome the guest.

When Jun Jun Zijin led Quan Quan Aoyu into Jingshan Courtyard, she saw maids and nannies kneeling all over the courtyard. The Old Lady, seated in the wheelchair and unable to perform the formal bow, respectfully said:

"This old one and the others welcome Your Highness the Crown Prince, but as this old one is truly greatly inconvenienced, please forgive us, Your Highness."

Quan Quan Aoyu raised his hand slightly, signaling everyone to rise. He politely said:

"Old Lady, there is no need for excessive courtesy. I am disturbing you today for a specific matter."

The Old Lady hurriedly said, "Your Highness is too modest. I wonder what matter Your Highness has come for?"

Quan Quan Aoyu glanced at Jun Jun Zijin beside him, then looked at the wheelchair the Old Lady was sitting in, and slowly spoke:

"I have come today to see a novel object."

The Old Lady understood immediately and hurriedly welcomed the Crown Prince to the tea hall, making arrangements.

Quan Quan Aoyu examined this object carefully; it was indeed vastly different from the wooden wheelchairs he had seen before.

This wheelchair placed greater emphasis on ergonomic design; it was lightweight and multi-functional, capable of standing, lying flat, and folding, and one could easily turn the wheels oneself to travel alone.

This wheelchair represented a huge advancement in design and function, and was even lighter; it was simply a blessing for those with disabilities.

As Quan Quan Aoyu pondered the principle, he was filled with inner astonishment.

Omitting one thousand words. After reading, Jun Jun Zijin escorted Quan Quan Aoyu out of the mansion.

Jun Jun Zijin possessed the wisdom of a modern person and naturally sensed Quan Quan Aoyu's goodwill toward her, occasionally revealing a hint of familiarity. She was not a beauty who could make fish sink and geese fall, so she certainly would not be narcissistic enough to think that merely a wheelchair could make the dignified Crown Prince of the current court look at her differently. There must be something else she did not know; since she didn't know it, she shouldn't hold back:

"Did Your Highness know me before?" She really was not used to ancient people referring to themselves as "little woman," "subject daughter," and so on with such flowery language.

"Hmm, do you remember the steamed bun... hmm, the debt of saving my life, five years ago?"

"One more hint... the back mountain, the injured youth."

Quan Quan Aoyu himself didn't realize he could talk so much, and even referred to himself as "I" instead of "I (royal)." Of course, when he did realize it, the feeling was not bad.

Jun Jun Zijin searched the original owner's memories again; indeed, there was such a thing. Five years ago, the original owner went to the back mountain to gather firewood and encountered an injured youth wearing a mask. She used her pharmacological knowledge to treat his wounds and gave him the only half of a steamed bun from her dinner. Because of this, she was beaten for returning late and went hungry all night after missing her evening meal. So it was him. "The original owner and this blockhead Crown Prince had such a... hmm, adventure."

"So it was you," Jun Jun Zijin said, somewhat happily.

"Hmm, it was me," Quan Quan Aoyu nodded.

On this matter, they did not chat much; instead, they moved on to discuss the wheelchair.

Quan Quan Aoyu felt the design was truly exquisite, but... he asked Jun Jun Zijin whether promoting the wheelchair was feasible.

Actually, Emperor Tianqi currently had wooden wheelchairs; they were not only transportation tools for the disabled but also symbols for nobles to display wealth and status. They were not affordable for ordinary common people.

Quan Quan Aoyu's idea to promote steel wheelchairs perfectly matched Jun Jun Zijin's intentions, but she could not give them away for free. Once her plan succeeded, on a large scale, it would be a leap in steelmaking technology in Emperor Tianqi and even the world; on a small scale, her purse would be filled with endless silver.

Jun Jun Zijin understood Quan Quan Aoyu's concerns. It was common knowledge that steel rusts, which was also the reason Emperor Tianqi was currently still in the era of wooden wheelchairs.

To truly promote it, improvements would still be needed in materials. Emperor Tianqi's steelmaking technology was already extremely mature; as long as improvements were made to the ingredients and techniques, stainless steel could be smelted.

The wisdom of the ancients was powerful; as long as there was a formula and a method of production, it was believed that stainless steel could definitely be successfully smelted in no time, and perhaps even aluminum alloys and titanium alloys, which only existed in the 20th century, could be developed.

The dynasty of Emperor Tianqi had never appeared in history; was it not distorting history to create these things in a historically fictional space-time? Jun Jun Zijin pondered silently.

Jun Jun Zijin happened to know the formula and manufacturing process for smelting stainless steel. Ordinary steel is mainly composed of carbon and iron; the main components of stainless steel include iron, chromium, nickel, and other elements. Stainless steel contains at least 10.5% chromium, and these elements give stainless steel its excellent corrosion resistance.

She clearly remembered the raw materials, steelmaking, ingredients, and process treatment; this was thanks to her good habit of reading extensively.

However, while this matter sounds simple, putting it into practice is indeed not easy. This is not something she, an unfavored daughter of a subject, could accomplish alone; she would still need to borrow the Crown Prince's power.

She did not immediately agree; she still needed to calculate and consider further.