After giving the cloth to Lin Dan, the eldest prince asked, "How is it, Miss Lin, are you satisfied? If you think these women are useful, I will send someone to send them to your farm tonight. But you have to keep a close eye on them, and don't let anyone find out that they are Japanese. Otherwise, you will be accused of harboring bandits and you will be in big trouble."
"I understand. Thank you, Your Highness." Lin Dan bowed gratefully. She knew that by bringing these women out, Du Rushong and the eldest prince would certainly be taking risks.
Du Ruyan was a little worried at first, but when she saw Lin Dan looked calm, she calmed down. She patted the cloth in her hands and said with a smile, "Dandan, these cloths are more beautiful than Shu brocade, and they will definitely be able to suppress Meng Zhong's arrogance."
"In Japan, this kesi technique is called Nishijin weaving, which was inherited from the prosperous Tang Dynasty hundreds of years ago. If you look closely, this is actually our own technology, but it was lost due to war. Now that it has returned to its homeland, we must carry it forward and pass it down from generation to generation. Things from our ancestors can never be lost again." In front of the eldest prince, Lin Dan didn't mind saying a few nice words.
The eldest prince was really touched and immediately assured, "Miss Lin is right. How can we let the Japanese pirates take away our ancestors' things? Just take those women back and learn their weaving skills as soon as possible. I will take care of it if anything goes wrong."
"Thank you, Your Highness." Lin Dan bowed respectfully.
Du Ruyan said quickly: "Then let's take those women away now, so as to avoid any more trouble."
"No, we have to tie them up for a few more days, and then we will release them when they are extremely desperate. Don't be too hasty in showing kindness, otherwise they won't remember and it will be difficult to discipline them in the future. The best way to tame a wild beast is with a whip and food." Lin Dan couldn't help but be stunned as soon as he finished speaking. She seemed to be very familiar with military affairs and knew how to tame prisoners. Was she a soldier in her previous life?
While she was lost in thought, she didn't notice that the eldest prince and Du Ruyan were looking at her with complicated eyes. They originally thought that Lin Dan was an honest man, but in the end they found that this honest man's methods were really cruel. It was not a deliberate act, nor was it acquired, but the kind of cruelty that penetrated into his bones and was pure and innocent.
Du Ruyan soon burst into laughter, hugged Lin Dan's arm and said, "Dandan, you are so amazing and you think things through so thoroughly! I will listen to you in everything." If those women caused trouble, she and Dandan would be the ones to take the blame, and maybe her brother and the eldest prince would also be implicated! Thinking of this, Du Ruyan lost all her sympathy.
The eldest prince, who had been somewhat worried, was now completely relaxed. Lin Dan is kind, and she is indeed kind, but when it comes to being cruel, she will not show mercy. It is undoubtedly reassuring to cooperate with such people.
"Okay, then I'll keep them locked up for a few more days. You're tired, go back to your room and rest." The eldest prince sent the two back to the side room, turned around and went to the next room, shaking his head at Du Rushong who hadn't fallen asleep yet, and said, "Rushong, you seem to have fallen in love with an extraordinary girl."
"What did Dandan do?" Du Rushong, who was unable to sleep due to the severe pain, immediately perked up.
The eldest prince recounted the previous events in detail and sighed, "I have never seen a girl who is so calm, so hard-hearted, and so decisive and courageous."
Du Rushong laughed softly and coughed, "Her father and mother are both horse thieves, so she is naturally different from other girls."
The eldest prince looked at him and sighed in his heart: Look at how proud my friend is, as if being the descendant of a horse thief is such an extraordinary origin. There is no cure, there is really no cure!
…………
Because she was busy taking care of Du Rushong, Lin Dan didn't go to the store to check for half a month. But even if both her and Du Ruyan were not there, there was nothing to worry about in the store because they had not received any orders at all, and all the business had been taken away by the Meng's Embroidery Shop across the street.
Zhang Hui was extremely anxious, so she had to bite the bullet and go to the eldest prince's mansion to look for someone. She used to be a horse thief, so she had a natural aversion to these officers and soldiers. Fortunately, Lin Dan came out with a package in her arms soon and said, "Mother, there are two pieces of clothing in here, made according to your and Third Aunt's sizes. You two don't have to do anything, just put on the clothes and go around the store when there are the most people. If anyone asks, just say that the fabrics you are wearing are custom-made by the embroidery shop, and the current production is very small, so we don't sell them. Don't tell them anything else."
Zhang Hui opened the package and took a look, and was immediately stunned.
Lin Dan patted her shoulder and asked, "Mom, did you hear that?"
"I heard it, I heard it," Zhang Hui nodded in a daze, and finally said hesitantly: "Dandan, such a beautiful dress, is it really made for me to wear?"
"Of course, I am running out of time, so I have only made two dresses. When I have time in the future, I will make another one for Fourth Aunt. Please help me explain so that she won't think too much. When Master Du recovers and can ride in a carriage, we will go back. The brother and sister have no parents. If I am not here, they will really have no one to rely on. Queen Du cannot come down the mountain casually, and she has been a little depressed in recent years and cannot stand stimulation. She still doesn't know that Master Du was injured. Mother, please help them take care of the mansion and don't let anyone in casually."
"Okay, okay, I got it." Zhang Hui nodded hurriedly, not realizing that there was anything wrong with her daughter taking care of two people who were four or five years older than her. Today, the Lin and Du families are supported by her alone.
…………
The next day, Zhang Hui and her third aunt went to inspect the store wearing new clothes. It was noon now, the sun was shining all over the earth, bringing warmth and attracting everyone to go out to enjoy this rare sunny weather. Meng's Embroidery Shop has released a new Shu brocade today, and a group of noble ladies and celebrities hurried over in horse-drawn carriages to buy it.
"Don't rush to grab it. This piece of Shu brocade has already been reserved by the governor's wife!" the shopkeeper shouted.
"How come she booked it again? How do you do business?"
"Ladies, if you want, you can place an order from me. Once the goods are shipped, we will deliver them to your door immediately. We have no choice. The boss's weaving workshop has just been established, and there are too few weavers who can weave this kind of Shu brocade, so the output cannot be increased. By the middle of the year, the imperial envoy who comes to buy cloth for the nobles in the palace will come, and I'm afraid all the Shu brocade produced by our family throughout the year will be offered to him. If the ladies want to buy them by then, we won't be able to supply them. Our boss is also in a difficult situation!" The shopkeeper sighed helplessly.
When they heard that this kind of cloth would become a tribute and would be out of stock in the future, all the ladies went on a frantic rush to buy it. They booked all the cloth for four or five months later, and the price increased several times.
Passersby were amazed and thought that the fabrics in this shop must be the best in Lin'an Prefecture, otherwise why would so many nobles rush to buy them? Once this impression is formed, the effects it brings will soon become apparent. When the well-off families in Lin'an Prefecture needed to buy cloth, the first place they would think of would undoubtedly be Meng's Embroidery Shop.
The business of several nearby shops was snatched away, but in order to get a share of the new Shu brocade business from Meng Zhong, they had to swallow their anger. Just as they were watching with envy, a carriage slowly stopped in front of Danyan Embroidery Shop. Two tall middle-aged women walked out, stopped, stroked their skirts slightly, and then stepped onto the steps. The sunlight happened to shine on their heads, causing their clothes to reflect a faint glow, instantly attracting the attention of passers-by.
One of them was wearing a bright red skirt, and the other was wearing a dark blue quju skirt, both of which were the most popular styles at the time, but the fabrics were unprecedented and very eye-catching. Both fabrics are very smooth and drapey, and will naturally fit the curves of the body when worn. They sway in the wind when you walk, like rolling waves or drifting clouds, giving off a kind of ethereal beauty.
If it were just the excellent texture, it would not be surprising, but the surprising thing is that the bright red cloth actually emits a faint golden light under the sunlight. The light is not fixed, nor is it glaring. It looks very soft and bright, and then like flowing water, it slowly flows along the folds formed by the clothes, and constantly changes its color from bright to dark as the wearer walks and the changes in light, just like the clouds that spread across the sky when dusk approaches.
However, when you walk closer to take a look, you will find that there is no golden cloud mixed in the cloth. In the backlight, it really is a piece of pure red cloth without a single flaw.
The dark blue dress was made of the same fabric. It was a solid color when backlit, but emitted a soft blue-white glow under the sun. Many shining points of light could be seen faintly, like stars in the night sky, exuding a lot of mystery and agility in the silence.
After looking at these two pieces of clothing, if you look at the new Shu brocade produced by Meng’s Embroidery Shop, you can immediately notice the difference between the two. The reason why the new Shu brocade shines is that during the weaving process, the Weaver Girl mixed a kind of gold thread into the warp and weft. It looks very beautiful from a distance, but if you look closely, you can find that this gold thread is much harder and thicker than silk, which greatly affects the texture and feel of the cloth, making it appear less smooth and less drapey.
Although it is dazzling, this brilliance is crude, and the traces of artificial weaving are too obvious. It is completely different from the cloth worn by the two women, which has a delicate feel and drapey texture. It looks pure and flawless when viewed from close up, and soft and bright when viewed from a distance. The reason why it can reflect light is not because of the rough golden thread, but because of a layer of silk woven net that is integrated into it and is so thin that it is difficult to see with the naked eye. This layer of net is completely integrated with the base cloth, and the light it shows is floating, thin and transparent, which complements the light of nature and forms a whole.
Such fine workmanship, such natural luster and color, immediately made the new Shu brocade look vulgar. Even though Zhang Hui and the third aunt were of average appearance and a bit older, they still looked radiant and charming.
The noble ladies and socialites who were busy buying Shu brocade looked over one by one and were stunned.
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