Ancestral Craftsmanship

"T-Teaching!?" Both Jonathan King and Samuel King stared at Chancellor Evans in disbelief. Samuel tugged his own ear a few times, pointed to his nose, and stammered, "Chancellor Evans, I've been studying for years, but my grades are always terrible. I couldn't even pass the entrance exam for scholars. Someone like me, a teacher? And even a Grand Academician? You're not just joking about us, are you?"

Jonathan King was just as stunned by this windfall, nodding along with his son. "Exactly! Chancellor Evans, teachers are so respected, so esteemed. Only truly learned people deserve that position. I'm just a porcelain maker—I barely know a handful of characters. How could I possibly be qualified to teach?"

Seeing the King father and son so flustered, Chancellor Evans smiled. "You two are too modest. Both of you are master porcelain artisans, inheritors of the King Family Ancestral Craft. With your porcelain-making skills, you've more than earned the title 'teacher.' However, if you wish to teach at the Comprehensive University, you must teach your ancestral craft to students without holding anything back—no keeping secrets. The court will not shortchange you: you'll be granted the rank of Grand Academician, receive an official salary, and if you wish to continue running your porcelain workshop, the academy will support you as long as it doesn't interfere with teaching. So, what do you say?"

Chancellor Evans was laying out all the terms upfront: if you want to be a teacher, you can have the honor of a Grand Academician, eat at the emperor’s table, and keep your shop open.

But you must share your skills completely, no holding back, and it mustn’t interfere with teaching the students.

Jonathan King hesitated at this. These techniques were passed down from their ancestors, handed down generation after generation, and only King sons were allowed to learn them.

Now, having to hand it over without reservation to outsiders—Jonathan King found it hard to accept.

But Samuel King was quick-witted. He tugged at Jonathan’s sleeve and whispered, "Dad, this is such a good deal—let’s agree right away!"

"But this craft is our family’s legacy…" Jonathan King hesitated.

Samuel said, "Dad, think about it—why did our ancestors pass this craft down to us?"

Jonathan was stumped. "Why?"

Samuel said, "Dad, think about it. Our ancestors gave us this craft so we’d have a skill to rely on, so we could earn a living. That’s for making money. And you sent me to school all these years—why? So I could earn a title, become an official, bring glory to our family. That’s for fame and fortune. Now, if we agree to Chancellor Evans’s offer, once we’re teachers, not only will we eat at the emperor’s table like officials, but we’ll have the Grand Academician title, bring glory to our ancestors, and have both fame and fortune! Isn’t that better than clinging to our craft and running a shabby workshop? Plus, Chancellor Evans isn’t stopping us from running our shop—we can keep doing business as we like. This is pure luck for us! If we don’t agree, there are plenty of porcelain families in Kingston with ancestral crafts. If we miss out, the good fortune will go to someone else! Then they’ll be Grand Academicians, eating at the government’s table, while we’re just small businessmen, looked down on and bullied. Dad, isn’t that the truth?"

Jonathan King’s eyes widened in sudden realization. He slapped his forehead and exclaimed, "You’re right! This is the kind of good fortune that only comes once in a lifetime! Let’s accept before someone else snatches it away!"