Chapter 16 Layout
Dai Li asked, "Sister Yun, I plan to leave the manor at 1:00 PM. Would you like to come with me?"
"Going out again? Didn't you just leave the manor yesterday?" Yunrong hesitated. She was more than ten years older than Daili and had four sons in her early years. In addition, she had been worried about her drunken husband yesterday and hadn't slept well all night. Today, she was in a very low spirits.
Dai Li ignored her and only complained, "Yesterday was just a short stroll, and we haven't even finished exploring Nankang County. If I don't take advantage of this time to relax, once we start marching, I'll have to endure the miserable days of being stuck in the carriage every day again."
Yunrong was initially reluctant, but then she thought back to yesterday when they went sightseeing together. She had heard that Yunrong was going to a dilapidated temple in the east of the city. Yunrong was unwilling to go to such a dirty and chaotic place. However, as the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining, which led to Yunrong losing her skills and Yunrong doing Yunrong a favor.
Alright, let's go out then. Who knows, we might encounter another opportunity this time.
The side gate of the prefectural governor's mansion opened again, and the carriage slowly drove out.
This time, Yan San was not among the accompanying guards, and several of Qin Shaozongfang's guards were also missing, leaving only one person. When Yun Rong casually asked why, Dai Li only said that she was still angry last night, so much so that she was annoyed by the sight of the Marquis's soldiers and did not allow so many of them to come.
The carriage, bearing the "Jiang" sign of the Prefectural Governor's Office, slowly entered the bustling city as its wheels turned. Many commoners automatically made way for it as it passed.
“Sister Yun, we didn’t really look at Ruixiang Silk Shop properly yesterday, how about we go again today?” Dai Li started making requests again.
What could Yunrong do but agree?
Nowadays, most fabric shops and silk stores only sell raw materials. Merchants display fabrics of various colors on shelves and sell them in bulk, without including the garment-making process, because the rest is the work of embroiderers.
High-end silk shops are an exception. These shops, which cater to the powerful and wealthy, are not short of money. They will spend a lot of money to hire skilled embroiderers to make several sample garments. These sample garments can be tried on by customers. Whether the size is right or not is secondary. The main purpose is to allow distinguished customers to fully experience the comfort and color of the fabric.
Ruixiang Silk Shop is a leader in this field.
The journey there was smooth, and Dai Li was no longer swayed by gossip.
However, Yun Rong hadn't expected that this concubine of the lord was far more shrewd than she had imagined. Watching Dai Li try on clothes one after another, her face radiating curiosity and greed, she secretly rolled her eyes.
Ah, she really hasn't been by Qin Junhou's side for long, and has only seen a limited number of good things. It's not enough for her to develop a composed demeanor.
At first, Yunrong was willing to wait, but seeing that Daili took a long time each time, and considering that she herself was not in good spirits, Yunrong moved to a resting area in a corner while waiting.
There were soft chairs and round tables there, maids fanning and serving tea, and snacks provided by Ruixiang Silk Shop. Why would she, the dignified wife of the Prefect, sit and wait instead of idly waiting at the dressing room door?
"Crunch."
The fitting room door opened again.
Dai Li came out and tossed the dress in her hand to the maidservant accompanying her from the silk shop. She quickly glanced at the rest area out of the corner of her eye and said, "Tao Xiang and Ding Xiang, you two go and serve Sister Yun. They are enough for me here. Don't stand here and get in the way."
The two women exchanged glances, and considering the various precedents they had witnessed, they ultimately remained silent and obeyed the order.
After they left, Dai Li selected a silk shop maid to accompany her inside, leaving the other person outside.
"Crunch."
The wooden door closed again.
Dai Li turned to the person beside her and whispered, "I have a business deal to discuss with you. This matter must not be made public. I will give you three taels of silver after it is done."
Nowadays, a cow is worth four thousand coins, which is two taels of silver. Don't think this number is small; you should know that an adult laborer's daily wage is only twenty coins.
For ordinary people, this is a huge fortune.
The maid was clearly stunned.
"The reason I'm telling you this instead of asking my maid is because I was recently favored by a nobleman and taken as his concubine. I have no one else available, so I can only ask you, someone I have no connection with and who doesn't stand out," Dai Li said calmly.
Seeing the maid hesitate, she added fuel to the fire, "This matter is not complicated. I just need you to buy a few things and act as an errand runner twice, delivering the items to different post stations. It doesn't involve any shady dealings."
The maidservant's hesitation vanished upon hearing this; earning three taels of silver just by running errands was an incredible opportunity: "Please tell me!"
Dai Li spoke of the post stations she passed by on her way out of the manor yesterday, "You know Mingyue Residence and Youlan Courtyard, right?"
The maid nodded. She knew this was a top-notch inn in Nankang County, not something an ordinary person could afford.
"Prepare a package and go to Mingyue Residence at the end of Shenshi (3-5 PM) today. Give it to the manager and tell him that it was left here by Madam Dai and that she will pick it up no later than the day she checks out. Tell him to keep it safe. Tomorrow, do the same thing at the same time, prepare the same package, but this time deliver the package to Youlan Courtyard and tell the manager of Youlan Courtyard the same words."
Dai Li took out some silver from her small purse and handed it to her, saying, "This is a deposit. I'll give you the rest after everything is done."
The maidservant hurriedly took it with both hands, her eyes glued to it. Seeing this, Dai Li asked, "What did I just say? Repeat it."
Since it concerned money, the maid had listened very attentively before, and now she could repeat it without any pressure.
Dai Li nodded and said, "First to Mingyue Residence, then to Youlan Courtyard. Remember, the order is crucial. Also, the package must be deposited at the end of Shen Shi (3-5 PM), absolutely not earlier. As for the contents of this package, it should contain two sets of old, dark gray ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) worn by ordinary women, a small jar of rice flour, charcoal blocks, and black ointment..."
After saying that, Dai Li added, "Remember to wear your veil when you deposit your package. If you can't deposit it at Youlan Courtyard tomorrow, don't force it. Just leave with the package. I will come to Ruixiang Silk Shop again tomorrow afternoon. If it's successful today, just nod to me. You don't need to come up to me."
...
"Crunch."
The wooden door to the fitting room opened.
Dai Li walked out nonchalantly and took another set of clothes inside. After trying on two more outfits, Dai Li finished fitting and headed towards the rest area.
"Sister Yun, I've finished trying them out, and I plan to buy all the fabrics I just tried." The concubine of the Marquis was very extravagant, spending money like water.
Yun Rong was not surprised at all.
The most basic indicator of whether a man is interested in a woman is whether he is stingy with money.
Given how much Lord Qin dotes on Lady Dai, let alone if she only wanted to buy a few bolts of fine fabric, she probably wouldn't even blink an eye if she wanted to buy the entire Ruixiang Silk Shop.
Dai Li glanced down at the small purse tied to her waist, couldn't help but pick at it with her finger, and after feeling its weight, she smiled with satisfaction.
Whether it was the deposit given to the maid or the money spent on buying fine fabrics, it all came from Qin Shaozong. The only difference was whether she gave it to her personally or whether the accompanying servants paid for it.
Dai Li not only spent the money without a care in the world, but even hid some of it to fund her upcoming trip south. After all, she was now an actress putting on an act, working hard and putting in the effort; it was only right that she deserved some pay.
Dai Li felt no psychological burden whatsoever.
After leaving the silk shop, the two continued their stroll, visiting a teahouse, a rouge shop, and the jewelry store Jinshizhai. Upon leaving Jinshizhai, Daili simply pulled Yunrong along on foot, no longer even taking a carriage.
Yunrong was so tired that she felt dizzy and her face turned pale. Several times she wanted to shout "Go back to the mansion!" but she held back in the end.
She was only there to keep the guests company, so how could she speak up if they weren't having enough fun? Besides, this ancestor was always unruly, and if she spoiled her mood now, the relationship she had worked so hard to build might be ruined. Oh well, she'd better just endure it a little longer.
When Yunrong finally managed to calm herself down, she suddenly heard someone beside her say, "Sister Yun, I'm a little tired. How about we rest at Mingyue Residence? The place is clean, and the servants are well-dressed. It seems like a good place to stay."
Without exaggeration, Yunrong immediately felt as if the clouds had parted and the sun was shining through, and the dark clouds hanging over her head quickly dispersed.
This ancestor must be exhausted!
Why bother going to Mingyue Residence? Let's just head back home.
Yunrong hurriedly said, "Sister, we've been to quite a few places today, we've seen enough, so why don't we..."
“Who said we’ve had enough shopping?” Dai Li interrupted her.
As if she hadn't noticed the incredulous look on her face, Dai Li continued, "We're going to the West Market later. Just now at Jinshizhai, I heard someone say that there were merchants from the Western Regions selling raccoons in the West Market. Those raccoons had long, dense fur and large, bushy tails, quite different from the raccoons we have here. I want to go and take a look."
Yunrong's vision went black, and she felt the dark clouds that had dispersed halfway above her head slowly closing in again.
"Let's go, let's rest for a while at Mingyue Residence, have some snacks, and then set off again in a little while." Dai Li pulled her inside.
The inn provides accommodation and meals for travelers.
High-end inns like Mingyue Residence offer food that far surpasses that of ordinary eateries, and may even rival many restaurants. However, these upscale inns have their own rules: meals are not sold individually.
If you're coming to stay, I can cook for you. But if you're just here for a meal, then I'm sorry, we cannot accommodate you.
This move won the favor of many powerful and wealthy businessmen. Everyone wants their place to live to be quiet, and turning the first floor into a noisy canteen that anyone can come to would be detrimental to them.
Dai Li first ordered a room for one night, and only after obtaining the right to dine did she order food. After tasting it, she was amazed by the deliciousness. She simply waved her hand and continued to throw money around, ordering several more nights' worth of rooms to Yun Rong's astonishment.
Yun Rong: "..."
Want to book for a few more days?
Could it be that she's planning to go out and wander around the manor tomorrow and the day after?!
A note from the author:
Combining this chapter and the next one would flow better, but that would exceed the word limit, making it difficult to manage the later rankings. So, we have to keep them separate. Please bear with it, darling. [Chin resting on hand]
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