Chapter 127 Tapestry
"let go."
Shen Yuanzhu raised her leg and struggled, but fortunately Xie Qi did not persist this time and gently released her ankle.
A light, ticklish sensation ran down her ankle. Shen Yuanzhu glared at him, then turned and got off the ground.
But as soon as she passed the dressing table, she couldn't help but take a few steps back in surprise.
In the gleaming bronze mirror, a grinning little girl with long, disheveled hair stares blankly at herself.
Looking down, she saw that beneath the open, soft nightgown, her jawline and shoulders were covered with dense red marks.
"..."
Looking back at Xie Qi, Xie Qi snorted coldly and turned his back to her.
Where she couldn't see, Xie Qi kept his eyes tightly shut, determined not to speak no matter what she asked him.
Fortunately, Shen Yuanzhu didn't say anything that would make him feel ashamed or even more embarrassed.
"Miss……"
"Um?"
With half a silver thread roll in her mouth, Chen Yuanzhu looked away, seemingly forgetting to eat what was in her mouth.
Seeing this, Luo asked worriedly, "Has something happened to the shop?"
Shen Yuanzhu shook her head.
Luo frowned and glanced at Xie Qi, who was sitting upright in front of the small couch with a wandering gaze.
She lowered her voice: "So you're with the son-in-law..."
As she spoke, Shen Yuanzhu took a bite out of half of the silver thread roll, her face contorted with a slightly ferocious expression as she chewed.
"Did your son-in-law make you angry?"
"..."
She was held and gnawed on like a bone all night. It didn't hurt, it didn't itch, and she wasn't angry, but Shen Yuanzhu was just...
that is……
Watching Xie Qi's retreating figure, Shen Yuanzhu turned her head and snorted.
Seeing this, Luo understood.
She understands the young couple's romantic feelings; she understands everything.
After An Sheng finished breakfast, Shen Yuanzhu washed her hands and rinsed her mouth before suddenly saying, "Nanny, do you remember when I was little, there was a family across the street who had a grandson who was three years old but still couldn't recognize people or speak?"
"Yes, I remember. Why do you ask, Miss?"
Shen Yuanzhu pursed her lips: "I remember that his family found a traveling doctor back then, who gave the child a few doses of medicine, and soon the child recognized his parents and could even call out to people?"
"This old servant remembers that everyone said that the child was born without a soul or spirit. To put it bluntly, that family gave birth to a stupid baby."
Luo asked, puzzled, "Why did you suddenly bring this up, Miss?"
Shen Yuanzhu gave a muffled "hmm": "I want to find that itinerant doctor..."
Have Xie Qi's brain checked.
The incident involving the removal of the red cloth shows that Xie Qi has some business acumen.
Just being good at business isn't enough; you can't be too...
Shen Yuanzhu's face was contorted with worry, her expression scrunched up in a frown.
After a long silence, she finally sighed, "Never mind, never mind."
Thinking of the dense scars on his wrists and arms that she had seen yesterday, Shen Yuanzhu said helplessly, "Please prepare some wound medicine and hemostatic powder for me today."
"Miss, are you injured?"
Shen Yuanzhu shook her head, unwilling to say more.
Seeing this, Luo agreed.
The mistress and servant whispered among themselves. Xie Qi couldn't hear them and didn't dare to eavesdrop. He simply carefully arranged the beads that had been strung together the day before and placed them in Shen Yuanzhu's dressing case.
Last night...
His face flushed red, and he hurriedly stopped thinking about it.
Feeling guilty, he didn't dare face Shen Yuanzhu and quickly made an excuse to leave.
As soon as he stepped out of the courtyard, Wei Hu said, "Master, this morning, the Textile and Dyeing Bureau issued an official document."
"What's up?"
"It is said that the old Consort Xian's birthday is in two months, and a batch of brocade is needed. The Weaving and Dyeing Bureau asked each household to prepare fabric samples and send them over within ten days."
"If the fabric sample passes the eyes of the weaving master and the steward of the Prince's mansion, then the goods from whichever family will be used for the old Consort Xian's birthday celebration."
Consort Xian was the mother of Prince Kangping, and if I remember correctly, she was already in her seventies or eighties. Therefore, the brocade pattern not only had to be auspicious, but its colors also had to be festive.
Prince Kangping was of noble status, so the silk thread used in the brocade weaving could not be ordinary.
At the very least, it must be woven using Hangzhou silk as the warp and Huzhou silk as the weft.
Putting aside the patterns and colors, the plain brocade alone is not something that ordinary merchants can afford to accept.
After thinking for a moment, Xie Qi asked, "Did you say how many bolts of cloth we would need if the sample was approved?"
"The textile and dyeing bureau said there were at least five hundred cases."
"so much?"
Wei Hu nodded: "They say the Prince of Kangping's residence wants to use it to wrap trees and make tables. The textile and dyeing bureau will probably take some kickbacks too..."
Xie Qi frowned deeply.
This deal won't earn much money, but if we can successfully land it, we'll be the first among the merchants in Suzhou Prefecture.
If one could receive a few words of praise at the old Consort Xian's birthday celebration, and also establish a connection with the steward of the Prince's residence...
Xie Qi raised an eyebrow as he mentally calculated the amount of silver in Jixia Manor's accounts.
Let alone five hundred bolts of high-quality brocade, he couldn't even afford five hundred spools of fine silk from Huzhou right now...
"What's wrong, sir?"
Xie Qi said, "Originally, we had enough money, but now..."
Ninety percent of his wealth was swindled away by others. Although he now owns a shop on Wanbao Street, which gives Jixia Manor a veneer of prestige, his inner pockets have long been emptied.
The timing of Consort Xian's birthday celebration is truly unfortunate.
Seeing his predicament, Wei Hu said, "How about we just not take this order?"
"Not answering?"
Xie Qi clicked his tongue: "Do you think you can refuse?"
Just a few days ago, Yuan Xu praised him in front of everyone in the Suzhou Chamber of Commerce, clearly showing that he regarded him as one of his own.
If Jixia Manor doesn't participate this time, outsiders will only think there's something seriously wrong with this deal.
At that time, one by one they would find excuses not to hand over the sample fabric, leaving Yuan Xu, the newly appointed supervisor of textiles, unable to produce brocade for the old Consort Xian's birthday...
Yuan Xu, won't you skin him alive?
Even if everyone tries to cover it up, how is he supposed to explain it to Yuan Xu?
If he fails once or twice, he'll probably have to crawl on his knees in Suzhou Prefecture from now on.
"ah……"
Wei Hu looked worried: "What should we do?"
"What's there to be afraid of?"
Xie Qi sneered: "I have my own way of doing things."
If he can't afford the silk from Jili Lake, can't others afford it?
He can't weave high-quality brocade, but there are plenty of people in Suzhou who can.
As for dyeing, there's even less to worry about.
He already had a choice in mind for the shop that could secure this deal.
Xie Qi patted Wei Hu on the shoulder and went to Jixia Manor.
As long as the goods are ultimately delivered under the name of Jixiazhuang, does it really matter who the goods came from?
He strode away, and not long after, Luo Qing sent a message to Shen Yuanzhu.
Shen Yuanzhu sat in the shade of the courtyard, and upon hearing this, her hand holding the round fan paused slightly.
She looked up at Madam Luo and exclaimed, "The birthday celebration of the Dowager Princess of the Prince's Mansion? This is a business opportunity worth taking on. If we can deliver our Cui Cui Fang's goods to the Prince's Mansion, it will certainly make a name for ourselves in Suzhou Prefecture."
"If you want to become a royal merchant in the future, you can't miss this deal."
Although she possessed the best dyeing techniques, her brocade weaving skills were not among the best in Suzhou Prefecture.
After a while, Shen Yuanzhu's eyes lit up and she had an idea.
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