The Hall of Mental Cultivation in the Forbidden City
The candlelight flickered gently on the jade lampstand, casting Emperor Yongzheng's profile onto the window lattice like a sharp silhouette.
He twirled the secret report presented by the guard between his fingers, his gaze sweeping over the five vermilion lines outlining the process diagrams in the Lin family workshop, and suddenly chuckled.
"What a brilliant idea of 'making the shuttle fly by itself'." The vermilion imperial brush hovered over the memorial for a moment before suddenly turning to the blank Xuan paper on the side of the desk.
As ink splattered, the six departments' work processes were reorganized—drafting invoices, copying, verifying, stamping, archiving, and supervising, with each step meshing like gears.
As the last stroke was made, Yongzheng looked at the meticulously crafted flowchart, which resembled a brocade, and felt a sense of relief wash over him, as if the pent-up emotions that had been building up in his chest for many years had been cleared away.
"Issue the decree." The emperor stroked the still-wet ink on the Xuan paper, his voice as sharp as shattering ice.
"From this day forward, all memorials to the throne shall be circulated in accordance with this procedure." Zhang Tingyu, who was standing to the side, took the blueprint and glanced at the six small characters "Lin's Division of Work Method" in the corner. His pupils suddenly contracted.
I had heard His Majesty mention the Lin family before, but I never imagined they would be so extraordinary that their influence would reach the ears of the Emperor.
This is incredible! I'll have my wife inquire about their background another day.
The next morning at court, the officials looked at each other in bewilderment as they held the newly issued "Memorial on Governance"—those few thin pages had shattered the cumbersome procedures that had lasted for a century.
The Minister of Personnel, holding the "verification" assignment he had been given, was moved to tears: "Your Majesty is wise! This old minister no longer has to be worn out by those slacking-off memorials from the Ministry of Rites!"
This flattery was so blatant that it drew sidelong glances from the courtiers.
Shangyang County, Lin's Backyard
Lin Yun held the newly sent visiting card from the Xie family, her fingertips repeatedly stroking the gold-embossed cloud pattern.
Morning dew rolled down the banana leaves and landed right on the two characters for "cooperation," causing the ink to smudge and spread into a strange claw shape.
"Miss, this young master Xie has repeatedly..." Xiao Tao brought over a glass of chilled plum juice, but was interrupted before she could finish speaking.
"Prepare the sedan chair." Lin Yun suddenly stood up, her skirt sweeping across the still-damp dew on the stone steps. "To Linglong Pavilion."
She made her decision to cooperate with Xie Yu. Xie Yu had deep roots, and there was no harm in getting on his side. However, she absolutely could not let him know the secret of her spiritual spring.
Linglong Pavilion is a jewelry shop under the Xie family. It has three stories with flying eaves and copper bells hanging from them. When the wind blows, the tinkling sound can be heard halfway across the street.
Lin Yun stood in front of the antique shelf, her gaze sweeping over the gold hairpins inlaid with filigree and jewels—the craftsmanship was exquisite, but the patterns were all old-fashioned peonies and phoenixes.
She casually picked up a filigree butterfly hairpin, and found that the joints of the butterfly wings were somewhat stiff.
"Young lady, you have a good eye." Xie Yu's voice drifted down from the second-floor stairwell, her indigo robes brushing against the carved railings.
"This is a masterpiece of the Yangzhou master craftsman, but unfortunately..." He paced closer, suddenly grabbed Lin Yun's wrist and pushed it upwards. The butterfly wings snapped open, revealing a pearl hidden deep within. "The mechanism isn't clever enough."
Lin Yun's pulse was throbbing under the other person's thumb.
She subtly withdrew her hand, the pearl gleaming coldly in her palm: "Young Master Xie, do you know why the Hundred Butterflies Woven into Flowers pattern never falters?"
"I would like to hear the details."
"Because butterflies always come in pairs." She pointed to the joint of a butterfly's wing, "If we changed this to a bamboo knot, and then adorned it with silkworm silk and pearls..." Suddenly she fell silent. She had said too much.
In fact, she had already studied the ancient patterns of these jewelry pieces in major art galleries and libraries, including jewelry and clothing patterns in museums abroad. It can be said that she knew them all by heart.
Xie Yu suddenly clapped his hands, startling the copper bells under the eaves.
A maid brought over a black lacquered box with gold trim. When she opened it, the box was full of unset gemstones—pigeon-blood red spinel, peacock blue turquoise, and a few rare gold beads, which flowed like a rainbow on the brocade.
"Thirty percent profit." He tapped the box lid lightly with his index finger. "The young lady provides the design, and Linglong Pavilion supplies the materials."
Lin Yun gazed at the gems. They resembled the color of a spiritual spring under the moonlight.
"I want 50%," she said calmly.
The entire pavilion was silent. The shopkeeper's gasp was clearly audible. Xie Yu, however, smiled, his folding fan snapping open to reveal the newly inscribed four characters: "Extreme wisdom inevitably leads to harm." "Does the young lady know that these jewels are enough to buy half of Vermilion Bird Street?"
"Then, Young Master Xie, do you know..." Lin Yun shook out a silk handkerchief from her sleeve, embroidered with a floral pattern that changed color with the light, "...that kind of pattern is enough to triple the price of Linglong Pavilion's hairpins and rings?"
Gems and silk handkerchiefs stood silently facing each other in the sunlight. A bead of sweat slid down Xiao Tao's neck and into her collar. She saw the shadow cast on her young mistress's face by her eyelashes, a beauty that seemed unreal.
Xie Yu stared at Lin Yun's face, momentarily lost in thought. "Forty-six." Xie Yu suddenly closed her fan. "But I want exclusive designs, at least ten new designs every month."
"Deal." Lin Yun covered the gem box with a silk handkerchief. "I'll deliver the first batch of goods in half a month."
Seeing that they had reached an agreement, the shopkeeper smiled and invited them to sit down and serve tea, preparing for the contract matters, and then left.
Lin Yun suddenly spoke up, "Chen Yu's cloth shop was destroyed by fire the other day." She stared intently at Xie Yu's suddenly clenched knuckles, "Coincidentally, someone saw Xie's carriage parked three streets away that night."
Xie Yu suddenly snapped open her fan: "Does the young lady know that the thugs Chen Yu hired plotted to smuggle disfiguring poison into your clothes at your tasting event?"
Seeing Lin Yun's pupils shrink suddenly, he sneered, "What's even more coincidental is that his cloth shop's account book was just delivered to my study last night—it records the expenses for poisoning your father."
The porcelain cup clattered to the ground. Lin Yun's hands gripped her sleeves tightly. She knew the business world was treacherous, but she never expected it to be so ruthless!
Return Journey - Inside the Carriage
Xiao Tao, who had been holding back for a while, finally exploded: "Miss, how could Chen Yu be so vicious?"
"That's why we need to cooperate with Xie Yu." Lin Yun lifted the carriage curtain.
As dusk fell, the same indigo carriage still trailed far behind, but this time the driver was the Xie family's steward.
"He both secretly sent people to protect us and allowed Chen Yu to provoke us..." His fingertips unconsciously traced the accumulated spiritual spring porcelain bottle in his sleeve. "Why not tie ourselves to the same boat?"
What she didn't know was that there was another person who was truly protecting her.
Dark alleys in the south of the city
When the night watchman struck the third watch, Chen Yu was staring at the tattered account book with eyes blazing with fury.
"Investigate! Find out for me!" He kicked the kneeling new manager to the ground. "Who are those masked men...?"
Before he could finish speaking, a cold sensation suddenly pressed against his throat. A man wearing a bronze mask slowly emerged from the shadows, the jade bells hanging from his sword tassels tinkling.
"Is the fire at Young Master Chen's house still warm?" The newcomer's sword flashed, flicking open the jade pendant at his waist. "Next time you send spies into Miss Lin's backyard again..." The jade pendant snapped in two with a "crack," "and it won't just be the loom that gets burned."
Amidst the hooting of owls, Chen Yu slumped amidst the mess on the ground, finally making out the character "谢" (Xie, meaning "thank you") engraved on the hilt of the man's sword.
It was Xie Yu! That son of a bitch, I'll never forgive him!
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