Chapter 165 Speculation
After chatting with Manager Sun, Xie Qi and Shen Yuanzhu walked over to Xie Boyu. Xie Boyu nodded stiffly, showing no intention of talking, so the two called him "Father" and left.
Shen Yanhuai was also there, so I naturally had to greet him.
Today, Shen Yanhuai was accompanied by a woman. The girl had a graceful figure, but her appearance was ordinary. She seemed somewhat plain at first glance, but after looking at her more, one could sense that she possessed a calm and reserved gentle demeanor.
She stood behind Shen Yanhuai and greeted Shen Yuanzhu as "Young Miss".
Shen Yuanzhu said, "Sister Yun, it's been a long time."
Mu Suiyun nodded, a faint smile revealing fine lines between her eyebrows and eyes.
She is the top embroiderer in the Shen family, with exceptional embroidery skills. She started learning the craft from her mother when she was seven or eight years old, and now she is quite famous in Suzhou.
Many families offered her large sums of money, and some even offered marriage proposals, but none of them won her favor.
For years, he has lived alone in a secluded corner of the Shen family home, devoting himself to studying embroidery techniques.
Today, Shen Yanhuai brought her here to see the other merchants' special skills.
Yuan Xu had not yet arrived. Red silk ribbons and colorful balls were hung in front of the long table in the inner hall, signifying that distinguished guests should not enter. Everyone also stood respectfully outside the red silk ribbons, observing from a distance.
When Luo Qing saw his young mistress, he also came over to exchange pleasantries with Xie Qi, while acting as if he were a complete stranger to Shen Yuanzhu.
Before long, footsteps came from outside the hall, growing louder as they approached. The laughter and chatter of the guests in the courtyard gradually faded away, and the place became quite quiet.
Yuan Xu was dressed in a light blue casual robe and wore a round-topped black gauze hat. He was followed by two constables.
He strode forward with a steady gait, his solemn expression conveying a sense of authority.
Upon seeing this, the merchants held their breath slightly and straightened their posture.
Upon arrival, Yuan Xu raised his hand and said directly, "I invited you all here today for no other reason than to let you know how much real skill each family in Suzhou Prefecture possesses."
"Today's fabric competition is not about determining who is better or worse. So the winner should not be arrogant or impatient, and the loser should not be disappointed. Each company has different focuses, and not being selected this time does not mean that the goods are not good."
"Further words are useless, guards..."
Yuan Xu waved his hand, and four minor officials carrying bamboo baskets stepped forward.
The bamboo basket contained bundles of bamboo skewers, the edges of which were tied with red thread; there weren't many of them.
Yuan Xu said, "Although the brocade used for the Empress Dowager's birthday celebration is of utmost importance, this is also an opportunity for the various businesses in Suzhou Prefecture to discuss and exchange skills."
"Therefore, today, each business can receive a bamboo stick and cast it for the brocade they think is the best in the market."
Shen Yuanzhu's heart skipped a beat as she listened.
She tugged at Xie Qi's sleeve and whispered, "This is... what I want..."
Xie Qi nodded: "If you want to select an outstanding family, you can promote them further in the future."
No wonder...
Shen Yuanzhu was slightly surprised.
No wonder Xie San Niang valued the sample cloth competition at the Prince's Mansion so much; she probably already suspected that Yuan Xu wanted to use this competition to assess future business opportunities for selecting tribute items.
Xie Qi had his own suspicions, so he made a big show of leading the Xie family's brocade around the city.
The reason he could be so presumptuous in front of Yuan Xu was because he could guess Yuan Xu's thoughts eight or nine times out of ten.
The official carrying a bamboo basket walked up to Xie Qi and his wife, and Xie Qi selected one and handed it to Shen Yuanzhu.
Shen Yuanzhu looked up at him: "Aren't you going to choose?"
Xie Qi said, "Choose the one you like."
Everyone who arrived today received a bamboo slip. Yuan Xu crossed his arms and gestured with his eyes, and the servants behind him stepped forward to remove the red silk.
The crowd filed in and examined the brocades from each shop repeatedly.
Shen Yuanzhu looked at each shop one by one, and sure enough, in the Suzhou weaving and dyeing industry, only the Xie and Shen families, as well as her Xiecuifang, came out on top.
The rest, though skilled in weaving and dyeing, or even with unique patterns that catch the eye, all have flaws to some extent.
Either the raw silk lacks luster, or the dyeing is uneven. Although techniques are used to cover it up, experts can always tell the difference at a glance.
As everyone looked at the long tables one by one from left to right, they all exclaimed in amazement when they reached the Xie family's, Jixia Manor's, and Shen family's brocade weaving workshops.
The long table of Xiecuifang was the fourth from the bottom on the right. After passing these three houses, many people felt that there was no one left to beat. However, Yuanxu was sitting in front, so he couldn't just throw out the bamboo stick in his hand. He held it and continued to turn around.
Until someone walked up to the long table in Xiecuifang and called out softly.
"Wow, this is good stuff."
This sound drew everyone's attention.
The owners or managers of these shops were all connoisseurs of objects, but they only observed them closely without ever handling them.
One of the older men bent over and almost touched the table.
"Tsk, when did Suzhou produce another talented person? The even and lustrous color, the silk refining process, and the exquisite weaving technique without any skipped stitches or missing needles—it deserves to be the best."
Upon hearing this, Xie Boyu and Shen Yanhuai also joined in.
Seeing the two of them step forward, someone made room for them. Shen Yuanzhu's heart skipped a beat, and her breath quickened slightly.
Xie Qi was holding her hand when he noticed her stiffen slightly. He asked, "Is it boring?"
"no."
She smiled and pointed to the area surrounded by the crowd: "I want to go and see too."
Xie Qi nodded and took Shen Yuanzhu's hand as they walked over.
Luo Qing stood with her hands clasped together beside the long table in Xie Cui Fang. When she saw Shen Yuanzhu walk over, she smiled happily at her.
After today, their Xiecuifang will have made a name for themselves in Suzhou Prefecture, surpassing the Xie and Shen families.
Shen Yuanzhu was also a little excited and was about to respond to Luo Qing when she saw Xie Qi standing in front of her, blocking her way.
"..."
Pushing Xie Qi away, Shen Yuanzhu moved closer to him herself.
In fact, she had never seen the complete "Longevity and Prosperity" brocade before.
There wasn't much time allotted for the sample fabric, and a lot of effort had already been wasted trying to copy the Xie family's farming and weaving patterns.
Time was of the essence, so even she only glanced at the brocade comparing it with that of the Xie family, and had not yet personally witnessed the brocade that combined the techniques of both the "Xie Family Farming and Weaving Picture" and the "Shen Family Dyeing Manual".
However, given the limited time, it could have been even better.
Shen Yuanzhu watched quietly from across the crowd, her eyes suddenly welling up with tears.
Perhaps she understood why Xie San Niang and her mother had arranged the marriage between the Xie and Chen families.
The fusion of the two families' unique skills has produced such an amazing effect.
No wonder Yuan Xu made such a big show of this "sample cloth" competition.
Such skill is enough to rival even the most skilled artisans in the palace.
No wonder Xie San Niang and her mother were willing to wait for more than ten years...
Her eyes were slightly red, and she turned her head away to hide her emotions.
In that one glance, she saw the surprise in Xie Boyu and Shen Yanhuai's eyes.
Shen Yanhuai, in particular, stood before the long table in Xiecuifang, his brows furrowed, as if he had already figured something out.
After a long while, he stood up, turned his head and looked at Shen Yuanzhu...
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