Chapter 82 Locking the Wutong Tree (Fifteen) Enemies meet on a narrow road, and Wan Hongling appears again…
Just as my heart was pounding, I suddenly heard my junior brother say, "I thought the Heavenly Mystery Sect was very strict with its disciples, so this should be listed as a forbidden book."
She looked up in surprise and saw Gu Lianzhou pick up a page from the corner of the book, casually flip through a couple of pages, and then smile at her, saying, "I didn't expect that Senior Brother would be so unconcerned about this. He is truly... a man of strong character."
He spoke the last four words very lightly, like a feather brushing against his lips and teeth, yet a mischievous glint appeared in the corner of his eye.
Provoked by his words, Song Qiling felt her throat tighten and her tongue almost tied in knots: "As the ancients said, food... sex is human nature. Besides, this is a housewarming gift for you. Why are you making fun of me? If you don't like it, just give it back to me."
Before he could finish speaking, he deftly put away the book box, holding it tightly to his chest. His face had lost all trace of the earlier jest, leaving only a serene and upright demeanor: "I like it. It was a gift from my senior brother, so of course I like it very much."
Song Qiling was speechless at this gesture, and suddenly felt as if her face was on fire, and a sense of regret arose in her heart.
There are many ways to test him, but this particular method is harmful to both parties; instead of catching the snake, he gets bitten.
Wow, that really does mean you hurt the enemy by a hundred while losing three thousand of your own.
At least the storybook was finally sold.
Song Qiling secretly breathed a sigh of relief, raised her hand to cover her mouth and cleared her throat twice, her expression returning to its usual nonchalant state: "If you like it, that's fine. I still have some trivial matters to take care of today, so there's no need to wait for me to have a meal."
Upon hearing this, Gu Lianzhou's eyes flickered slightly, but he didn't say much. He simply lowered his eyelids and nodded slightly: "Be careful in everything, and come back soon."
“Okay.” Song Qiling replied, watching her junior brother turn and leave the courtyard. Then she stood by the door he had just leaned against, silently watching the weeds sprouting from the cracks in the rocks.
After staring at the tender and supple green grass for a while, I suddenly felt as if a lake of water was surging in my chest, swaying from one end to the other.
Feeling stuffy, sour, and bloated.
She hesitated and turned to look at the courtyard wall on one side, belatedly realizing that the source of this dull feeling was Gu Lianzhou.
It was truly strange. No sooner had she seen the person off than she felt agitated, as if an invisible hand had seized her heart, making it hard for her to breathe.
She raised her hand and lightly pounded her chest. Then, she turned around, went back into the house, locked the door, and took off her clothes.
Because she had previously disguised herself as "Guisheng," she wore coarse linen clothes. The fabric was so stiff it looked like it had been soaked in starch, and any movement would cause her skin to turn red. Now, as she took off her clothes, the rough edges of the garment scraped against her newly healed wounds, causing a fine, itchy sensation.
After a few days of recovery, the scabs on her shoulder had all fallen off, new flesh had grown, leaving a scar the size of a coin.
Although it's unsightly, it doesn't hinder movement. However, the wound becomes unbearably itchy on rainy days.
Song Qiling rummaged through her trunk and pulled out some clothes from the bottom of her trunk. She tidied herself up in front of the mirror before standing up, stretching out her arms, and turning around in a satisfied manner.
The finest silk fabric allows the shadows of bamboo to peek through in the sunlight. As you move, the embroidered silver lotus pattern floats like the moon reflected on a pond. The narrow sleeves and fitted waist accentuate your figure, making you look like a slender bamboo, and your face, sculpted with silver and white powder, appears even more noble.
After she finished tidying up, she took out the silver coins from the box, carefully put them into her purse, and walked outside.
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"Yunzhifang" is the best silk shop in the southern part of the city.
As soon as you step across the threshold, the coolness of the agarwood mixed with the new silk hits you. Although it is daytime, more than ten glass lamps are lit in the room, making the fabrics in the room glow.
The three-tiered halls stretched to the sky, with colorful silks cascading down from tall nanmu wood frames, like fragments of rosy clouds hanging before one's eyes.
In the center of the main hall hangs a golden plaque inscribed with "Seamless," while twelve carved screens on both sides display exquisitely crafted cloud-patterned satin. On the east side, a rosewood cabinet displays cloud-patterned gauze, and on the west wall, a whole bolt of Shu brocade is folded into the shape of a seven-colored pagoda.
Song Qiling was speechless.
The Imperial Supply workshop truly lived up to its name; its scale was so large that it resembled a weaver's workshop rather than an ordinary silk workshop.
"Young man, you look unfamiliar. Are you looking to choose fabric?" The waiter, dressed in a blue cloth shirt, approached with a smile. "We have everything here, from what the empresses in the palace use to what ordinary people wear. Would you like to have a garment made or just buy fabric?"
Song Qiling touched the nearest bolt of satin, finding it cool and smooth to the touch. She raised an eyebrow slightly and asked, "What are your best fabrics like here? Tell me about them."
Upon hearing this, the waiter quickly smiled and said, "Sir, you've come to the right place. Please come with me."
He walked quickly to the screen, picked up the fabric with both hands and shook it gently. The fabric unfolded, revealing a golden peony pattern. "This is made of ice silkworm silk from the Western Regions. This was used to make the clothes for Consort Rong's birthday banquet last year."
After saying that, he pointed to a piece of blue fabric next to him: "This is called 'Celestial Silk,' and you can see stars when you hold it up to the light. The officials of the Imperial Observatory love to use it to make robes."
Song Qiling leaned closer for a look, her eyes flickering slightly. What the waiter said was true; under the firelight, the fabric truly looked like it was studded with stars.
"These are all tribute-grade items, our shop's prized possessions," the waiter said in a low voice. "If you'd like something more affordable, sir, we also have some other items..."
Just as he was about to continue, Song Qiling reached out to interrupt him, reaching into the brocade pouch at his waist and pulling out a small piece... let's call it "scraps" for now.
The young man held up a tiny piece of material, no bigger than a fingernail, and offered it to him.
The experienced waiter, without changing his expression, leaned closer to examine the fabric. Seeing that the edges of the fabric were slightly curled as if scorched by fire, he frowned and said regretfully, "Such good material, how come there's so little left?"
Song Qiling smiled and said, "It was burned more than ten years ago. Young man, could you take a look and see if there is any similar material in Yunzhi Workshop?"
"Of course, of course. Since you're looking for materials, sir, please come with me to the second floor and let the shopkeeper take a look." The waiter didn't waste any time and led Song Qiling inside.
The two went upstairs, walked past several towering sandalwood shelves, and passed through a plain gauze screen embroidered with pine and crane patterns. Suddenly, a quiet and secluded room appeared before them.
A middle-aged man was seen leaning against the window, examining a piece of plain silk in the daylight. Hearing footsteps, he released his grip and looked up at Song Qiling and the others: "What is it?"
The waiter stepped forward, clasped his hands together, and bowed: "Manager Wan, the guest is looking for a type of fabric, but I am not good at recognizing it, so I have taken the liberty of asking you to help."
Upon hearing that even the waiter couldn't recognize the material, the man immediately perked up, propped himself up on the table, and walked towards Song Qiling.
"Let me see it quickly." He seemed quite eager, a stark contrast to his previous cold and indifferent demeanor.
Song Qiling took a half step back, clutching the tattered cloth, afraid that the man would snatch it from her. She raised her hand to stop the shopkeeper from getting any closer: "It's not a fancy piece of fabric, shopkeeper, don't be in such a hurry."
"Alright, no rush, no rush." Manager Wan stopped in front of her, a hint of embarrassment flashing across his face. "It's been a long time since I've seen fresh materials. I was just happy and I was being presumptuous."
After saying that, he asked again, "Where's the material?"
Having no other choice, Song Qiling hesitantly presented the scraps.
Manager Wan was a meticulous man. He turned around, took a handkerchief from the table, and held the piece of broken material in his palm to examine it carefully. Still feeling it wasn't enough, he moved to the window and took a closer look by the light of day.
The three of them squeezed into the secluded room and looked at each other around the handkerchief.
After a short while, Manager Wan exclaimed in amazement, "Thin as a cicada's wing, light as smoke, smooth and cool to the touch, and bluish in the light, this is..."
He looked up at Song Qiling and asked, "Where did you find this fragment of dragon silk, young master?"
"Dragon Silk!"
"Dragon silk?"
The waiter and Song Qiling spoke at the same time, but the latter was puzzled: "What is dragon silk?"
Upon hearing this, the waiter rubbed his hands together and, before the manager could finish, explained, "Legend has it that this dragon silk is no ordinary material. It is woven by deep-sea mermaids who gather moonlight and sea essence, mixing it with their unique scales and ice silkworm silk. Only kings and the extremely wealthy can afford it..."
Manager Wan raised his hand to interrupt him, saying, "That's just a legend. It's not actually true. Dragon silk is indeed unique to the royal family. It's just that the raw materials are hard to find in the world, so the production is extremely rare."
He looked down at the fragments of dragon-patterned silk on the handkerchief, his expression solemn. "If the young master wants to find a similar fabric, I can give it a try. But if you want to find an exact replica of the dragon-patterned silk, I'm afraid that's impossible."
Song Qiling frowned slightly: "The dragon silk has already disappeared?"
Manager Wan shook his head: "As far as I know, there are only two pieces of dragon silk in the world today. One is still kept in the national treasury, and the other..."
At this point, he clasped his hands together and bowed to the void, saying, "She was sent to the prince consort's residence by the emperor as part of the princess's dowry."
After saying that, without waiting for Song Qiling's response, his face suddenly turned pale, as if he had suddenly realized something, and he staggered back a step.
He hurriedly lowered his gaze, no longer daring to look directly at her, and said in a low and urgent voice, "I do not know your true identity, sir. I only told you the truth about the dragon silk as you instructed. If... if you are an official or a relative of the princess, I beg you to forgive me for my words."
The shopkeeper's reaction startled the waiter, who took a step back as if Song Qiling were some kind of monster, and blurted out, "Please forgive me, sir."
Song Qiling picked up the scraps of cloth again, stuffed them into his sachet, and said without looking up, "I am neither an official nor a member of the royal family. I only obtained this cloth by chance and found it novel and interesting, so I kept it to play with. Shopkeeper, please don't be alarmed."
Upon hearing this, the two who had been on edge finally came to their senses and looked up at the young man in front of them.
Seeing her beautiful face and extraordinary temperament, Manager Wan became even more undecided, feeling that Song Qiling was trying to trick him into revealing information. He lowered his head again and said in a muffled voice, "Young master, please don't tease me. Although I have only been in charge of this Yunzhi Workshop for five years, I have been an apprentice under my old master since I was a child. I personally witnessed those two bolts of dragon silk being presented to the palace through my master's hands. This matter is a fact and cannot be faked."
Song Qiling's heart skipped a beat, and she abruptly looked up at the other person: "Really?"
Manager Wan almost nodded in disbelief: "I guarantee with the century-old reputation of Yunzhi Workshop, this matter is absolutely true."
"I understand." Having gotten the answer she wanted, Song Qiling didn't press the matter further. Seeing the tense expressions on the two men's faces, she could only bow and say, "Please keep the matter discussed in the market today a secret and do not spread it."
Manager Wan hurriedly replied, "Of course."
Just as the man was about to leave Yunzhi Workshop, Manager Wan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly, a silvery laugh rang in his ears, and for a moment, he was so frightened that his soul almost left his body.
"Second Uncle! Has the satin I asked you for yesterday arrived? Ling'er came to pick it up herself!"
Song Qiling paused, looking up as the person jogged towards her, rapidly approaching her, the green ribbon in his hair fluttering in the wind.
Upon seeing the man's face clearly, the man also looked over, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes: "Sorcerer Song?!"
Song Qiling: "..."
Heavenly deity, what a small world! How did she end up meeting Wan Hongling here?
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