Chapter 236 Scale Patterns
Lord Liang watched as the fabric in his hand slowly changed color in his palm, the vermilion fading and turning into orange.
"This is?"
Lord Liang raised his hand and brought the fabric to his eyes, examining it carefully.
He clenched his fist lightly, and soon scratches appeared on the fabric, but the scratches changed color.
Seeing this, the official in charge of weaving and dyeing who was next to Lord Liang stepped forward, picked up the cotton cloth that had been rinsed, and wiped it on the vermilion cloth again and again. However, no matter how many times he did it, there was still no fading on the cotton cloth.
He looked on in surprise and couldn't help but grab the fabric and stick it to his arm.
Soon after, the fabric gradually changed color, which was quite magical.
"Exquisite craftsmanship, how was this done?"
Lord Liang stared intently at Yun Zheng, who said, "The dyeing of this fabric was truly an accident. Previously, my family..."
At this point, Yun Zheng paused: "Previously, I wanted to dye a piece of material that looked like it had been quenched, so I tried every possible method and also consulted many ancient recipes."
"But with the help of an old gentleman, I discovered Western fire marrow stone and a plant called red grass."
"The juice of this red herb can change color with temperature; it will show completely different colors when placed near a stove and in an ordinary place."
After Yun Zheng finished speaking, he picked up the fabric again and placed it in front of his colleagues to demonstrate it to them.
A chorus of gasps rose and fell in the arena, and Shen Yuanzhu sighed as she watched.
Upon seeing this, the scholar on the stage stood up and said, "Such a rare material is as precious as a priceless treasure."
He stepped off the stage, stuck the cloth to his hand, and watched the color fade away little by little. He exclaimed repeatedly, "The color is vibrant and not stiff. It changes with body temperature, just like fire following the body. What a wonderful thing!"
"Only a craftsman who can dye something like this can be called a master craftsman."
He touched the fabric with his finger, and soon a faint orange glow appeared under his fingertip.
The scholar exclaimed, "The fingertips glow with a rosy light, and the skin is warm and radiant; it can truly be called a rare treasure of the world."
After saying this, the scholar turned to Lord Liang and asked, "Sir, could you please have someone fetch a basin of boiling water?"
Lord Liang nodded, and the scholar took out a sheep-hair brush from his pocket, dipped it in boiling water, and danced wildly on the cloth.
He then asked the dyeing and weaving bureau official to help him lift up the cloth.
The scholar had inscribed the words, "Who in the world can rival its fame? This object truly deserves to be the crown of heroes."
Upon hearing this, even Shen Yuanzhu's expression changed color.
This is clearly saying that the material from Jixia Manor is destined to be the best of the day.
Before Shen Yuanzhu could even get angry, the scholar said to Yun Zheng, "Manager Yun, has your dye shop been named yet?"
Yun Zheng smiled slightly: "It hasn't been named yet."
The scholar said, "How about I do it for you?"
"Please go ahead."
The scholar laughed heartily: "In my opinion, the name 'Guan Qun Ying' is quite good."
Yun Zheng quickly waved his hand: "No, no, this name is far too presumptuous."
The scholar pressed his hand down and said frankly, "Manager Yun, this miraculous prescription deserves this title, so please don't refuse it so much."
“Where in the world is there a more amazing prescription than Guan Qunying’s? You have transformed an inanimate object, giving it a spirit. You no longer need to be modest.”
After the scholar finished speaking, he addressed the numerous shop owners and craftsmen, saying, "Everyone, do you think Jixia Manor's recipe deserves the name 'Heroes of the World'?"
For a moment, everyone's expression turned somewhat grim.
Champions...
Aren't they the ones who won the crown?
But at this point, who can step forward and say that Jixia Manor is not worthy?
This isn't just talk; we need to actually come up with something even more impressive than Jixia Manor.
Since he couldn't offer anything, he didn't want people to accuse him of being a sore loser. After a few people nodded in approval, Yun Zheng crossed his arms and bowed to the crowd.
"Thank you all for your kind words and for giving Jixia Manor such an honor. I am truly unworthy of it."
"But I couldn't refuse such a kind offer, so I had no choice but to accept the title..."
"You truly deserve it..."
The two began their performance on stage, exchanging blows, while Shen Yuanzhu watched with silent disdain.
Hypocritical! Utterly hypocritical!
Yun Zheng didn't care what everyone was thinking. He had already started planning to spread the word about everyone's reaction today and his reputation as "the best among heroes".
This material must be made into the signature item of Jixia Manor.
Shen Yuanzhu looked at Luo Qing, who was still several people behind her, and felt nervous.
After waiting for a while, one person was eliminated because the color faded, and two others were eliminated because they used rare raw materials but only produced ordinary tea green dye. After discussion between Lord Liang and several officials from the Textile and Dyeing Bureau, they were eliminated.
With Shen Yanhuai's Ice Tear Pattern ahead and Jixia Manor's "Crown of Heroes" behind, people had lost all hope for the other businesses. Even the once-famous Xiecuifang was now being whispered about, with some wondering if it would be relegated to third place.
Fortunately, Luo Qing was not affected. When it was Xie Cui Fang's turn, he walked calmly and hung up his own fabric.
The scale pattern of the Shenyuan Pearl is dyed with a lapis lazuli base, and when it is laid flat on the long table, it does not look special at all.
But once hung on the wooden frame, under the light and shadow, the layers of "scales" seem to move as if fish are entering the water, appearing to "swim" suddenly under the halo of light.
That's a paste called "star sand" made by grinding up clam shells and adding scale glue.
Under the sunlight and in the breeze, the overlapping, shimmering scales resembled stars fallen into the sea, dazzling and radiant.
The faint, shimmering light seemed to cast a veil of pearly clouds before my eyes, and the ordinary blue-gold base was infused with vitality by the sunlight, instantly becoming lively.
Shen Yuanzhu watched anxiously.
The intricate patterns on these scales are difficult to discern from a distance; only by observing them up close can one discover their hidden secrets.
Lord Liang carefully rubbed the fabric repeatedly, and Shen Yuanzhu knew what he was doing.
Because the scale pattern is made from mineral powder and then drawn little by little on the fabric, if not handled properly, the fabric will become stiff and prickly, losing its comfort.
Furthermore, since the minerals were drawn on, Lord Liang was also worried about the possibility of discoloration.
But Shen Yuanzhu was not afraid of his inspection. After the scale pattern was dyed and dried in the shade, she used a smooth agate stone to polish it for a long time, making the fabric soft and light.
Furthermore, the scales have become smooth and even.
More importantly, after being polished by hand with agate stones, the fabric will have a layer of luster, which is very rare.
That sheen comes from the scales and glue.
Before her, Shen Yuanzhu had never seen anyone use scale glue in dyeing formulas.
Sure enough, after rubbing it and wiping it with a white cotton handkerchief for a long time, Lord Liang found nothing wrong with it.
He looked up at the scale-patterned dye from Xiecui Workshop for a long time before finally calling the bailiff beside him to have Yuan Xu and Eunuch Li get up and come to examine it.
After Yuan Xu and the palace attendant stepped down, Shen Yuanzhu unconsciously became nervous...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
