Chapter 44: Another dead person cries out for justice
A dreamless night.
Luo Qingling woke feeling exhausted. Her eyes in the bronze mirror were red and bloodshot, as if she had been up all night. She had clearly gone to bed early last night, so why was she in such a horrible state?
She opened her dressing table and selected a hairpin that perfectly matched her look. Her dress was simple and elegant, barely concealing her graceful figure. The weather had warmed up recently, but after noon she was always so hot that she wanted to take off her coat.
Catching a glimpse of red in his peripheral vision, Luo Qingling was a little stunned, remembering that he seemed to have had a dream last night. In the dream, a woman was wearing a costume and singing an unknown tune... The costume on the woman was this color!
A chill rose from my feet, and a fear gradually crept into my heart. The brocade cloth had a very unique color. Moreover, there were only ten bolts of it, all of which had been sold to nobles in the capital. How did the actor in the dream get it?
Could it be another person who died tragically and came to her dream to cry out for justice?
Luo Qingling's heart pounded, a bad feeling welling up in her. She walked straight to the table, picked up the brocade her aunt, Zhao Luoshi, had sent her yesterday, and examined it carefully. The fabric in her hands was a brilliant red, gleaming with gilt in the sunlight. It looked like something only the imperial palace could produce.
"Madam, the tailor we ordered last night sent someone to tell us this morning that he can only come to your house to take your measurements after noon. Do you want to change the tailor?" Aunt Zhao came in with a basin of water and saw Luo Qingling staring at the brocade. She thought that she liked the cloth too much and was anxious to have it tailored, so she suggested that Luo Qingling change the tailor.
"Who did you say made this piece of cloth yesterday?" Luo Qingling did not answer Aunt Zhao's previous question. All he could think about was the dream he had last night.
"It's Madam Hongmei from the Caiyifang. I heard that Madam Hongmei was once a lady-in-waiting in the palace's clothing department. Many of the palace's luxurious fabrics were made by her. A few years ago, after leaving the palace, Madam Hongmei bought a building in the west of the city, which is now the Caiyifang. She specializes in custom-made brocade clothes for the dignitaries in the capital. In her spare time, she would make some clothes by hand," Aunt Zhao explained. "What you are holding is Madam Hongmei's work from last year."
If Cui Susu had not been the precedent, Luo Qingling would have simply regarded the red-dressed actress last night as a nightmare, but now... the more she thought about it, the more she felt something was wrong. She hurriedly ordered Aunt Zhao to put the cloth away, and immediately prepared a horse to go to Caiyifang to find out what was going on.
*
At the same time, Caiyifang.
"Why has the material been left unattended in a warehouse on the outskirts of the city for so many days?"
Madam Hongmei lived up to her name, wearing a plum-colored dress. At the moment, she was standing in the alley with her hands on her hips, scolding loudly. A row of servants in front of her stood motionless with their heads lowered, and dared not say a word when they heard what Madam Hongmei said.
"I'm asking you a question, Wang Xiaoer!"
Mrs. Hongmei was so angry that she slammed the table, and the tea splashed out of the cup.
"I told you long ago that once the merchants from the Jiangnan area brought this fabric over by water, it should be immediately! Immediately! Delivered to the market and stored properly. Why has it taken so long? It's even getting moldy in the warehouse, wasting a whole batch of my goods! This is the birthday gown personally selected by the palace lady. How am I supposed to explain this to His Highness now?"
A few days ago, after Caiyifang sold all of this year's handmade cloth, Madam Hongmei remembered that she had ordered a batch of materials from Jiangnan Cloth Merchants in September of last year. Now it has been almost half a year and she still hasn't seen the goods. Even if it was transported by land, it should have arrived long ago, not to mention that she specifically insisted that this batch of goods be transported by water.
So Madam Hongmei sent someone to the dock this morning to inquire, and only then did she find out that the cloth had already been delivered to Caiyifang's warehouse on the outskirts of the city, but for some reason no one reported this to her.
"Who is in charge of the suburban warehouse?" Mrs. Hongmei took a deep breath, forced herself to calm down, and asked, staring at Wang Xiaoer.
"This..." Wang Xiaoer touched his head but couldn't answer. It was obvious that he was not familiar with the people in the neighborhood.
"waste!"
Mrs. Hongmei was furious and was about to get up and leave, but she saw a girl in a plain dress standing at the gate. Although she was not wearing any gold jewelry, she looked noble. She must be a passerby who came to choose fabric.
Seeing this, Madam Hongmei didn't intend to pay any attention. Finding the missing fabric was the most important thing right now. Furthermore, the fabrics in Caiyifang were expensive, comparable to gold. Their usual guests were naturally the most powerful and influential in the capital. With so many regulars, they had become familiar with each other. Now that a stranger had arrived, Madam Hongmei naturally wouldn't greet him personally.
At the door, the girl had a smile on her face, and her expression was particularly peaceful when she looked at her. Madam Hongmei couldn't help but stop and speak in a soft voice, for fear of disturbing the beauty in front of her.
"Is this lady here to choose fabric?"
"You are Madam Hongmei, right?" Luo Qingling shook her head slightly and looked at the beautiful lady in front of her. Before she showed any doubts, she hurriedly asked Aunt Zhao to take out the cloth given to her by her aunt.
"I am Luo Qingling, the daughter of General Luo of the Luo Mansion. Yesterday, I received the cloth sent by Madam Zhao, and Qingling liked it very much. I heard that this was made by Madam Hongmei herself, so I came to see if there is any other cloth that suits my taste and take it back to the mansion." Luo Qingling did not directly point out that there was a problem with the cloth.
Upon hearing this, Madam Hongmei laughed heartily. Pointing to the bolts of fabric hanging behind the screen, she spoke politely, her tone neither humble nor overbearing. "It's Madam Luo. I'm sorry I didn't recognize you just now. Madam, if it's convenient for you, you can choose the fabric yourself. I'm busy right now, so I can't entertain you. Please forgive me."
"What are you saying, Madam? How dare Qingling blame you!" Luo Qingling responded gently, "The brocade that Madam made herself is so hard to come by. Qingling also wanted to buy a few pieces of the same color, but I wonder if Madam has any more of this color?"
As she finished speaking, Madam Hongmei's smile faded. She didn't rush to answer Luo Qingling's question, but instead walked slowly towards her, staring intently at the young woman in front of her, as if trying to see into her heart. Then Madam Hongmei said, "Madam Luo, do you think there's something wrong with Hongmei's fabric?"
broken!
Luo Qingling's heart skipped a beat.
Madam Hongmei has been in business for many years, so she has naturally developed strong insight. It is impossible for a young girl like her to be fooled easily.
Looking at Madam Hongmei's reaction, she must have guessed that there was something else behind her words. Moreover, although this lady looked cheerful on the outside, she was actually very thoughtful. Such a person would certainly not like being tricked. She might as well tell the truth and save herself some trouble.
"I wonder if Madam has heard about what happened at the theatre yesterday."
Luo Qingling sighed, frowned slightly, and imitated the way the women in the family usually whispered to each other. She pulled Madam Hongmei aside and began to tell her story. The latter also listened with curiosity, and the two of them had a very pleasant conversation.
"Madam Luo, are you saying that the opera singer possessed by a ghost wore this cloth?" Madam Hongmei murmured softly, looking at the cloth in Luo Qingling's hand. "I have never supplied cloth to the opera house before. Besides, this batch of cloth only has ten bolts. It was sold to a noble in the capital at the beginning of this spring. The buyer is recorded in the book. Madam Luo, please follow me."
Luo Qingling followed Madam Hongmei through a courtyard, only to see a servant coming towards them with an account book in his hand.
No one had overheard their conversation, and it was unknown how the servant had learned that Madam Hongmei needed the account books. Just as Luo Qingling was puzzled, Madam Hongmei glanced at the servant, who immediately brought a chair and invited Luo Qingling to sit down.
I have to say that Madam Red Rose is really good at controlling her followers. She can make them understand with just a glance.
"Madam Zhao, Madam Wei from the Wei Mansion, Madam Song..."
Luo Qingling didn't need to do it himself. The servant stood in front of the two of them with the account book and read out the names of the buyers of the cloth one by one. There was indeed no theater or actor among them.
Madam Hongmei nodded and signaled the servant to leave. She picked up the teacup and poured tea for Luo Qingling herself. The tea slowly flowed into the cup, and the sound of water rang in her ears. Both of them were silent.
The water flow gradually slowed down. Madam Hongmei handed the teacup to Luo Qingling and said with a smile, "This is our first meeting, Madam Luo. Madam Hongmei offers you a cup."
Seeing this, Luo Qingling immediately understood what Madam Hongmei meant by this action - to fill the tea cup to 70% and then see the guest to the door.
It was time for her to leave.
When she came out of Caiyifang, Madam Hongmei was standing at the door waving at her with a smile on her face. Luo Qingling's ears were still ringing with Madam Hongmei's words.
"If Madam Luo really likes this fabric, I'll give it to her first after the Red Rose is made this year!"
Mrs. Hongmei was a true businesswoman, extremely tactful and careful in her dealings, never offending anyone. Luo Qingling admired her immensely. Although she hadn't inquired whether the costume worn by the possessed actor the previous day was made by Caiyifang, she at least knew that the fabric was not from the same batch as the one she had.
Maybe she was overthinking it, and maybe last night was really just a nightmare?
The carriage gradually drove away. Madam Hongmei stood at the door of the shop and looked at the carriage from afar with a serious expression on her face. She was about to turn around and give some instructions when she saw a man slowly coming down from upstairs. The moment he saw Hongmei, the man smiled with a gentle expression and a bit of love.
"lady."
Wei Fuxian walked down the last step, walked softly to the side of Madam Hongmei, and put his arms around her. Wei Fuxian buried his head in Madam Hongmei's collarbone, deeply inhaled her body fragrance, and was reluctant to let go for a long time.
Seeing this, the servant in the alley lowered his head and left as usual, leaving the two of them space to be together.
Madam Hongmei stood for a while, then raised her hand and placed it on Wei Fuxian's thin back. She whispered, "When did Fuxian wake up? You must be hungry. I'll have someone make you something to eat..."
Before he finished speaking, the head buried in his neck slowly twisted. Wei Fuxian spoke in a low voice, somewhat reluctantly: "I tossed and turned too late last night. I didn't sleep well and now I don't feel like eating."
"Madam, please play the strings with me."
Wei Fuxian raised his head, his eyes shining. He took Madam Hongmei's hand and led her towards the upstairs wing room.
Halfway through, Madam Hongmei gently tapped Wei Fuxian on the shoulder, smiled softly and said nothing.
The two figures disappeared around the corner of the second floor, and the servant was no longer surprised.
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