Chapter 84 Chapter 84 June 18th...
Early morning of June 18th, Fulai Inn.
Jiang Wan had just finished the breakfast provided by the inn and returned to his room to take a look at the financial reports provided by the major branches.
Before I could even warm up the bench, there was a knock on the door.
"Wanwan! Wanwan! Are you in there?" It was Hua Qingzhi's voice.
Jiang Wan put down his pen and ink and smiled slightly. He hadn't expected her to come so early. He had been planning to visit her in the afternoon.
When I stood up and opened the door, I was met with Hua Qingzhi's bright smile. She was wearing a lotus-pink casual dress today, and in her hand was a plain invitation.
"Wanwan, the date for the Hundred Flowers Banquet has been set. It's on June 21st, just like every year. The invitations have been sent to my house. Why don't you come with me?" She walked straight into Jiang Wan's room and sat down on the stool that was still not warm.
Jiang Wan sat across from her, poured her a cup of tea, and then poured himself a cup. "What's the theme for the Empress's Hundred Flowers Banquet this year?"
"This year it's orchids," Hua Qingzhi said. "You went to last year's Hundred Flowers Banquet with Miss He, so I'll just keep it brief. This Hundred Flowers Banquet is held every year in the Empress's Changle Palace, and all female relatives of officials of the fourth rank and above are welcome to attend."
"Before the banquet, the Empress would select a flower as the theme for the Hundred Flowers Banquet. The decorations and food would all be related to this flower. The gifts presented to the Empress by the ladies, as well as the performances, poetry, music, and dances during the banquet, would all be based on this flower."
"The Hundred Flowers Banquet has always been a prime opportunity for noble ladies to showcase their talents and for wives to choose their wives. Therefore, any noble lady hoping to gain a reputation for her talent or find a good husband vie for attention. This year, it's especially true. It's said that the Empress has specifically summoned the Third Prince, intending to select a concubine for him at the Hundred Flowers Banquet."
Hua Qingzhi lowered her voice mysteriously and approached Jiang Wan, "The Third Prince is very powerful, and his wife might even be the future Empress. This year, the competition among the noble ladies will probably be even more intense. It will be a good show to watch."
Jiang Wan chuckled and adjusted Hua Qingzhi's hair tie with his index finger. "I don't understand what you're saying, but I can help you think of a gift for the Empress."
"Really?" Hua Qingzhi's eyes lit up and she hugged her. "I was just wondering what to prepare. You have the most ideas. Please help me think of one."
Jiang Wan: "What kind of gift are you planning to give? What's the price range? Do you have any requirements?"
Hua Qingzhi thought for a moment, "Historically, gifts from noble ladies fall into three categories: the first is embroidery, calligraphy, and painting, often made by hand to showcase talent and show respect. But I'm not good at these and can't make them. The second is small handicrafts, such as wood carvings, stone carvings, flower baskets, and bracelets. I can make these, but if I can't make them unique, they will seem petty. The third is antiques, such as ceramics and jade jewelry, which are also not about being expensive but about being unique. I received the invitation yesterday and thought for a long time but couldn't come up with any ideas, so I had to come to you."
"You want to be lazy, let me make some porcelain for you." Jiang Wan chuckled with her hands covering her mouth.
"How can this be called laziness? This is called leveraging," Hua Qingzhi pinched her. "Besides, I took you along because I wanted to use this opportunity to promote our porcelain. I'm not good at anything, so I don't seek fame. I don't expect to marry into a wealthy family either. As long as our porcelain can be recognized by those famous families, the business will take off, and I can make a little money, that's all."
Jiang Wan was moved by what he heard, but couldn't help asking, "You want to take me there? Have you asked Uncle about this?"
She hadn't originally planned to attend the Hundred Flowers Banquet. The plan they'd made a few days ago had been a cover-up; she had more important things to attend to. Furthermore, every step forward was incredibly risky, and she didn't want to implicate Hua Qingzhi too much.
"I know what you're worried about." Hua Qingzhi said seriously, "I can guess what you've been busy with lately without asking. Dad said that loyalty lies in the heart, and I think so too."
The Fulai Inn was peaceful in the early morning, and the early summer sun shone through the window paper onto her face. Though her face was young and immature, it now appeared radiant and radiant.
Jiang Wan paused holding the teacup, then adjusted his sitting position and sat facing Hua Qingzhi properly.
"Loyalty lies in the heart." She raised the teacup above her head and said solemnly, "I'll use tea instead of wine to toast you."
She drank the entire cup of tea in one gulp. "If I could enter the palace, it would indeed be much more convenient for me. As for the Earl, please thank him for me. After this is over, I will definitely come to thank him in person. From now on, if there is anything that needs to be done in the Earl's Mansion, Jiang Wan will definitely help with everything he has. I will prepare the gifts, you just have to wait for the Hundred Flowers Banquet."
After bidding farewell to Hua Qingzhi, Jiang Wan messaged Wen Shen with the revised plan, then took out a pen and paper and began to conceive the porcelain to be presented as a gift.
It was related to orchids. The porcelain was presented to the queen, and it had to be unique but not expensive... Jiang Wan roughly thought of the outlines of several types of porcelain, and then planned to go to the nearby Qingjiangju branch to learn about the popular porcelain patterns among princes and nobles.
The original owner's knowledge of popular patterns was still stuck in the autumn of last year, and Jiang Wan had been following the affordable porcelain route for the past six months. It was not until after the Qingjiangju name-changing ceremony that she began to study expensive porcelain. Therefore, her understanding of aristocratic porcelain was not as good as those of the old shopkeepers.
Jiang Wan left as soon as he said he would. A quarter of an hour later, his carriage stopped in front of Qingjiangju. Qingjiangju was now renovated, clean and tidy, with goods neatly arranged by category and decorated with plants such as green baskets and orchids. Customers streamed in continuously, and the shopkeeper and his staff were busy with their work, maintaining an orderly atmosphere.
Jiang Wan nodded in satisfaction and glanced around the shop, but didn't see the girl with pigtails. Chen Xi's embroidery skills had been improving, and her work was in high demand. Her embroidery techniques were different from those of ordinary embroiderers. To hire an embroiderer, not only did the applicant have to have a solid understanding of embroidery and be willing to adapt their techniques, but they also had to undergo a period of training before they could begin work.
Therefore, Chen Xi is very busy. Every day she is either making embroidery, interviewing embroiderers, or training employees. She stays in the embroidery room almost the entire day.
Jiang Wan felt both distressed and lonely. Just as she was about to enter the shop, she noticed a man in blue at the embroidery counter. Women usually bought embroidery, and even when men occasionally came, they were usually gentle, family-oriented types. But the man before her was about forty years old, his face sharp and expressionless, with a winding scar at the corner of his left eye and thick calluses on his palms. He was clearly a long-time martial artist.
The man gently stroked the embroidery, as if missing something that had passed away.
Jiang Wan walked forward curiously and asked, "Big Brother, do you like this embroidery? I see you've been standing here for quite a while."
The man looked up and saw a girl in gorgeous clothes and wearing a hairpin and a ring on her head. He quickly stepped aside and said apologetically: "I'm just looking, not buying. I'm sorry for blocking you from choosing things."
Jiang Wan shook her head amiably. "It's alright, I'm just browsing. It's rare to see men looking at embroidery, so I'm just curious. Are you picking out embroidery for your wife? Those in front of you look like they're for unmarried girls."
"No, no, I just think the style of these embroidery is very similar to a friend of mine from the past, and I miss him a little bit," said the man.
"Your friend doesn't embroider anymore?"
The man lowered his head, his eyes dimming a little: "She...she passed away a long time ago."
"Ah... sorry." Jiang Wan was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect to get such an answer. He bowed with some guilt.
The man smiled bitterly, shook his head, and turned away.
Jiang Wan paused in front of the celadon shelf for a while, and the shop owner saw her and walked over quickly.
"Boss, how come you have time to come here?" he asked. "Our shop has been completely renovated according to your requirements, and business is much better than before. Do you want to check the account books?"
Jiang Wan shook her head. "No, no. I want to make a piece of porcelain, but I'm still short of inspiration, so I came here to look for it. Shopkeeper Zhou, you're a veteran shopkeeper in Lin'an City. Can you tell me what kind of porcelain is popular among aristocratic families these days?"
"Well...every prominent family has different preferences. But these days, the richer the family, the more they prefer soft curves over sharp straight lines." Shopkeeper Zhou thought for a moment and said, "Boss, could you tell me who this is made for?"
"It's for the imperial concubines. I can't go into details," Jiang Wan said. This inn has a lot of customers. If someone with ulterior motives spreads the news and speculates about it at the Hundred Flowers Banquet, it could affect their plans. Furthermore, after the incident at the Jing'an Marquis' Mansion, their opponents are extremely vigilant. She'd better be cautious.
"You still have a list from the palace?" Shopkeeper Zhou was surprised for a moment, but didn't ask any further. "The things for the imperial concubines must be strictly regulated by rank and cannot be overstepped. For example, you can't use bright red or yellow, you can't use peonies, and you can't use dragon and phoenix patterns, otherwise it will clash with the emperor and empress. For concubines of lower rank, you must also be careful not to clash with the colors of higher-ranking concubines. Also, you can't use completely plain clothes, nor can you use anything too elaborate or gaudy..."
After explaining the whole thing, Shopkeeper Zhou concluded, "In short, it's best to stick to standard colors and patterns. I don't recommend any innovation here. If you want to be more unique, you should focus on the shape, comfort, and functionality."
Jiang Wan nodded: "What do you think of the porcelain pillow?"
"Very suitable!" Shopkeeper Zhou's eyes lit up. "Although the boss has been away from Beijing for half a year, his sharpness remains undiminished."
Despite being praised so highly by the shopkeeper, Jiang Wan wasn't happy. The women in the harem sought the emperor's favor and children. Therefore, the most common gifts were items for beauty and health, or bedside items like quilts, curtains, and pillows.
It was refined into the color of jade and sold to the imperial family.
Thinking of this poem at this moment, Jiang Wan couldn't help but sigh and ended the topic.
"Okay, thank you, Manager Zhou. I'll give you the design tomorrow. Please find a few skilled craftsmen to finish it, and try to get it ready before the evening of the 20th."
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