The Duchess naturally had a discerning eye. Such fine materials could be found in Qianjin Square in the capital, but they were not always readily available. Every time a batch arrived, it was not much in quantity and almost immediately snapped up by the rich ladies and young missies of the capital.
Now, the ten sets of ready-made clothes and ten bolts of cloth displayed in front of them were of diverse and intricate design, shimmering silkily. If these materials were taken out, they would be snatched up in an instant.
Although the Duke Residence was well-established and had accumulated wealth over several generations, it was a martial family that often provided for ageing, disabled, and injured soldiers. Therefore, their daily spending habits were not very extravagant, not because they couldn’t afford it, but because everyone in the household did not care much for extravagance.
However, there were plenty of extravagant royal residences in the capital, hence such rare materials were highly sought after.
The Duchess fell into silence for a moment before turning to glare at Zhou Gu.
Feeling guilty under her glare, Zhou Gu wanted to leave, unwilling to be scolded by his mother, but he didn’t dare to. Moreover, he wanted to know how much Su Rong had spent on these materials.
The Duchess pointed out in turn, "These nine sets of ready-made clothes, as well as the one Zhou Gu is wearing, make a total of ten sets. Among them, the most expensive material used is the elaborate gold threaded brocade on Zhou Gu, costing thousands of gold for each of the three sets. This kind of material is not typically sold in ordinary stores and is difficult to procure. In the Capital City, only Qianjin Square can provide such material. The grade slightly below the brocade is Shucian silk, of which there are also three sets, priced around nine hundred taels. Then, there is the plain silk garment, of which there is one, priced about seven hundred taels. Plus, there are two sets made of Yunling brocade, costing approximately five hundred taels. Lastly, there is a piece made of ancient fragrant satin, which is the only cheap one, costing around a hundred taels."
Zhou Gu gasped. Even the cheapest set cost a few thousand taels of silver.
The Duchess glanced at Zhou Gu then continued, "Of the cloth bolts, there are two of the same gold-threaded brocade as the one Zhou Gu is wearing. One bolt can make two sets of clothes, and the price is roughly two thousand gold per bolt. There are three bolts of Shucian silk, even though it is a lower-grade silk, but the pattern and craftsmanship are of a high caliber, therefore the price can even compete with that of brocade, summing up to two thousand gold. Ah? There is a bolt of fragrant cloud satin. Although it’s a lesser quality than brocade, the embroidery on it is extraordinary— if I’m not mistaken, it’s embroidered with a lifelike flying eagle. The only one capable of such work would be Master Embroiderer Mrs. Lu Qiniang from Nanling. Doesn’t our sister-in-law live in Nanling? A few years ago, when our father-in-law and mother-in-law celebrated their sixtieth birthday, our sister-in-law gifted her exquisite longevity and blessings embroidery pieces as presents."
Princess Sheng An affirmed, "Yes, you’re right. This particular embroidery is indeed performed by her."
"This bolt of fragrant cloud satin would probably be around six hundred gold, wouldn’t it? There are also two bolts of Tuoling silk, which is about six hundred gold because of its fine texture and gorgeous color. Additionally, there’s this weave of Fragrant Weave fabric, which is an excellent material and should be around two hundred gold. The last bolt is Lavender Silk, which should also be about two hundred gold." The Duchess finished and scowled at Zhou Gu, "You mendacious child, do the math yourself, how much gold in total is that?"
Zhou Gu had already done the calculations, "Eighteen thousand and five hundred gold."
The Duchess scolded him, "Converted to silver, it’s at least one hundred and eighty thousand taels! How could you, you dare take so much from that poor girl?"
One hundred and eighty thousand taels - ordinary people couldn’t even spend that much in three lifetimes.
Zhou Gu was left speechless and could only whisper, "Even if I were to be sold, I wouldn’t fetch the price of these clothes!"
The Duchess Snorted, "At least you’re aware of that."
Princess Sheng An laughed, "Considering my grandson’s appearance, he is indeed worth this money."
She returned to her seat and questioned Zhou Gu, "Tell me in detail how it happened that you accepted such expensive gifts?"
Zhou Gu didn’t dare to hide anything and told her about meeting Xie Lin, and hearing Su Rong’s suggestion to choose clothes. He agreed due to wanting to make Xie Lin jealous. However, when they arrived at the Brocade Pavilion, Su Rong took control of the situation. He didn’t agree at first, but Su Rong coaxed and insisted, and he, he accepted in the end.
When he finished, the Duchess and Princess Sheng An exchanged glances and neither said a word for a moment.
Zhou Gu felt goosebumps crawling on his scalp, "I’ve said everything, that’s exactly what happened."
Princess Sheng An finally spoke, she nodded and ordered Zhou Xi, "Take these away. Have them stored properly for your Fourth Young Master, ensure they’re well preserved and not damaged by insects."
Zhou Xi agreed immediately and very carefully wrapped them all up, and with his men just like when they came they carefully carried everything away.
Princess Sheng An then addressed Zhou Gu, "Since the Su Family’s Miss is willing to spend so much on you and give you all these clothes, it’s clear she’s very satisfied with you. And judging by how you accepted her gifts without any hesitation, it seems as though you’re pleased with the Miss, and didn’t see her as an outsider?"
Zhou Gu thought about his interactions with Su Rong. She never seemed to say anything to indicate dissatisfaction. He nodded, "Well, I guess so, yes?"
"Make up your mind, is it or not?" The Duchess seemed discontented.
"I don’t know. Before I left the Capital City, I asked her if she wanted to get married as soon as possible? She said she wasn’t in a hurry." Zhou Gu added after a pause, "She said at the time, I’m only sixteen, she’s only fifteen."
The Duchess thought to herself, indeed, that did seem like she wasn’t in a hurry.
Princess Sheng An nodded, "Indeed, you are young, but there are many people getting married at your age. Have you talked to your grandfather? What did he say?"
Zhou Gu briefly recounted what he discussed with the old Duke.
Princess Sheng An didn’t expect her grandson to have the idea of travelling, she was taken aback, "I see. What your grandfather said was right. The exam is only two months away, concentrate on that! After your exams, accompany your mother to Jiangning. Then, discuss the marriage with the Su Family in detail. Even if you want to travel, you have to get their consent first, right?"
Zhou Gu nodded, that’s exactly what he thought as well.
Princess Sheng An felt quite reassured, Zhou Gu was quite unwilling about this marriage before he left, but he changed his mind within a month. No matter how you look at it, these two children seem quite compatible.
Perhaps too compatible!
With gifts worth as much as eighteen hundred tael of silver, honestly, even when she was the princess, she had never been so generous with the old Duke. She had only given him clothes she made herself. The materials were indeed good, but not as lavish as Fragrant Cloud Silk. She was afraid his rough ways would ruin good clothes.
That girl of the Su Family, she was certainly willing to send generous gifts.
Too generous indeed!
She hadn’t met the girl, so she couldn’t judge. She wondered what the girl of the Su Family was thinking, why would she give Zhou Gu such a lavish gift? She wasn’t afraid of scaring him?
After mulling it over, the Duchess decided to put this matter aside for now, and asked Zhou Gu, "Why did Xie Lin follow you to Jiangning County?"
Zhou Gu replied: "The day I left the capital, I met him accompanying the Rui’an Queen on her pilgrimage. He said he was bored in the capital, so after the queen finished her prayers, he took a trip to Jiangning."
"He was planning to go to Jiangning to fight you?" The Duchess wondered, it wasn’t impossible. Jiangning was far from the capital. If they fought, no one could stop them, so they could fight till their hearts’ content.
"No, I made peace with him the day I left the capital." A fight was not possible.
"Huh?" The Duchess looked at her son in surprise, "How did you reconcile so quickly after such a fight?"
"Oh, mother, it’s not like we had a bitter grudge. It was just a momentary slip of mine. I apologized to him, and he forgave me." Zhou Gu suddenly felt that Xie Lin was quite easy to placate. After he apologized, even though Xie Lin was still upset, he made peace with him.
The Duchess nodded, thinking that the girl Qin Luan seemed to be of no great consequence in their hearts. Her son casually mentioned that it was just a momentary lapse of reason, it seemed he didn’t like her that much; otherwise, given his character, how could he let go so easily? And Xie Lin, if he really liked Qin Luan and didn’t get her because Zhou Gu interfered, he would probably hold a grudge and refuse to let go.
But she didn’t want to talk more about Qin Luan and changed the subject.
The Duchess asked again, "Did Duanhua run into any trouble when she went to Jiangning?"
"No." Zhou Gu’s face darkened as he mentioned Duanhua, "What was she going to Jiangning for? It was clearly for trouble. After I got the message, I sent someone to intercept her on the way."
The Duchess looked at him, "But she didn’t return to the capital."
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