Chapter 33: The Toilet’s Prestige

“Yes, my good sir,” came the reply.

Shen Shi invited Cao You into his home. Fourteen, dressed as a young page, brought in the tea. As soon as Cao You laid eyes on her, his gaze became transfixed. He paid no attention to the surroundings, his eyes riveted on Fourteen.

“Excellent, excellent! Lips like rosy petals without rouge, brows like emerald without paint, a face like a silver basin, eyes limpid as apricot water...”

Some of the compliments Shen Shi could understand, but... “a face like a silver basin”? Was that a compliment or an insult?

A girl with a face as broad as a basin—wasn’t that a slight? Even for a man, a face that wide could hardly be considered praise.

“My good sir, my good sir...” Shen Shi thought for a moment, comparing ancient standards of beauty, and chose not to pursue the matter. Instead, he tried to redirect the man’s attention to himself.

“What brings you here?” he asked.

As Fourteen quietly withdrew, Cao You’s gaze lingered on her with reluctance, though even he could not have explained why. In truth, it was due to the natural allure of the fox clan. Whether male or female, they were born with an enchanting quality.

Yet Fourteen hailed from the Qingqiu lineage, and was especially disciplined in restraining this charm. Kind-hearted as she was, she never used her allure deliberately. To others, she appeared striking, but not bewitching.

Boys like Gongsun Ce and Kong Xueli, pure and upright, would not spare her a second glance—they were not, after all, of the rumored “boy-loving” sort.

Only a seasoned old hand like Cao You could see at a glance that the “page” was, in fact, a girl in disguise.

“You’re a fortunate young man! So young, and already with a bed-warmer at your side.”

Having seen through the disguise, Cao You felt all the more that this youth was truly gifted—how had he never thought of such a thing himself?

To put it plainly, this old goat, after years of experience and countless beauties, was now positively delighted to meet a girl dressed as a boy.

“By the Boundless Lord, I am a practitioner of the Dao. She is but my page,” Shen Shi said flatly. He was not trying to spoil the mood, merely stating the truth; at this stage, he truly was cultivating the Dao.

“You practice the Dao as well? What a coincidence!” Cao You laughed heartily, then asked, “But what made you think to have her dress as a boy?”

...Were they really this close?

This imperial uncle was surprisingly familiar.

At that moment, workers arrived, carrying in a porcelain commode for installation.

“What kind of porcelain is this? Why is it so white and fine?” Cao You exclaimed, leaping up in surprise.

Porcelain wares of substantial size did exist in the Song dynasty, but the larger the vessel, the harder it was to fire successfully. More importantly, Song porcelain—even the white pieces—tended toward a grayish or bluish hue. True milk-white porcelain simply did not exist.

Cao You, evidently a connoisseur, recognized this at once.

“This is my family’s porcelain commode,” Shen Shi said with no small pride, seeing Cao You’s astonishment.

Such was the advantage of working for a state-owned enterprise. Despite their many flaws, such enterprises had a saying: “A small company, but a big community.” In other words, the larger the enterprise, the more comprehensive its manufacturing capacity—from raising pigs and firing bricks to making clothes and building houses, there was nothing outside their purview.

For example, at the dormitories where Shen Shi worked, everything from rebar and cement down to toothbrushes and commodes was produced in-house.

This commode was one of Shen Shi’s modest innovations. The wet-casting method might not be ubiquitous in later generations, but it was by far the most reliable technique, adaptable to whatever equipment or kiln was available.

If you had a kiln, you used it; if not, you dug a pit and fired there.

In truth, Shen Shi had hoped to establish a business, so he could bring his old friend, the “Sleeping Dragon of the Princes,” out of prison to live out his days in peace. But the old man refused, especially after learning Shen Shi’s military background.

Still, Shen Shi hadn’t given up. He believed one day he would be able to bring the old man out with his head held high. That was why he’d begun telling people he cultivated the Dao, hoping to downplay his connection to the military.

“A porcelain... commode?” Cao You stammered, barely able to keep his composure. He felt he had come to exactly the right place today.

First, the page turned out to be a girl. Now, they were using porcelain as a commode—and such a large, dazzlingly white piece at that.

Even Cao You had to admit he couldn’t match such “refined taste.”

“Young master, how should this be installed?”

“Very well! Listen to my instructions.”

Shen Shi ignored Cao You, turning to direct the workers.

They dug into the floor and laid a bamboo pipe, hollowed through and as thick as a man’s thigh, for the waste outflow. The water inlet was similar, but only two fingers thick.

With a rush of water, the installation was complete. Watching the demonstration, Cao You’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.

“Can this truly bear a person’s weight?” he asked.

Such immaculate porcelain, once acquired, would be cherished by anyone—handled with utmost care, never allowed to fall. To sit upon it? What extravagance!

“Of course. That’s precisely what a commode is for.”

The sit-down commode was not, in fact, a novelty in China. They had existed as far back as the Han dynasty, where the court used “tiger stools” carved from jade, carried by attendants so the emperor could relieve himself at will. These “tiger stools” were the predecessors to later commodes and chamber pots.

Shen Shi’s invention, though not made of jade, was porcelain. Could it truly bear one’s weight without shattering? Wasn’t porcelain fragile?

It wasn’t until he had Cao You try sitting on it himself that the man was finally convinced the porcelain would not break.

His worldview was thoroughly shaken.

“Excellent! Such a fine thing! Men, take it up—we’ll send it to my brother-in-law in the capital!”

Truly, the Imperial Uncle was famed for currying favor with his royal brother-in-law; on encountering any novelty, he immediately thought of him.

Shen Shi, exasperated, reminded him, “If you want one, I can fire another. This one’s already installed—let’s not disturb it.”

“What? You can make another?” Cao You was astonished.

Large vessels were rare in ancient times—a craftsman might spend his entire life and produce only one. That was why Cao You wanted to take this one to the capital.

“Of course I can. How else would it have come to be here?” Shen Shi replied, unmoved by the novelty. To a modern man, a commode was hardly cause for excitement.

But to Cao You, it was nothing short of miraculous. “But such a large piece—are you truly able to fire another?”

“Naturally. Didn’t I tell you? I am a practitioner of the Dao,” Shen Shi replied, clearly in good spirits.

“What has that to do with the Dao?” asked Cao You, puzzled.

“How could it not? Daoist cultivation encompasses the taming of beasts, the forging of artifacts, internal and external alchemy...”

“So many branches to Daoist practice?”

“Indeed. Let me tell you: cultivation is also called ‘seeking the truth.’ The ultimate goal is to achieve perfection and ascend to the heavens. There are eleven stages—Aperture Opening, Spirit Void, Grain Avoidance, Heart Movement, Elemental Transformation, Infant Form, Union, Emptiness, Extinction, Great Perfection, and Tribulation Crossing. Each stage is divided into three parts—early, middle, and late. Altogether, there are four great realms and twelve levels...”

And thus, the discourse on cultivation began.