Chapter 36
On a cold day, Chu Hong held a jade-boned folding fan in his hand, not opening it, but twirling it for fun. Seeing Yuli, he quickly glanced at her.
He didn’t introduce himself but smiled at Yuli and said, “Madam Song has good taste.”
Yuli didn’t know what he meant and was taken aback.
Chu Hong: “This outfit has a good balance of light and dark colors. It’s simple and elegant, yet not without luxury. Even though it’s men’s clothing, it can still bring out the Mistress’s gentle and pure temperament.”
Yuli broke into a smile and also sized him up. “This…”
“The young master’s surname is Chu, with a single given name of Hong,” Shopkeeper Liu introduced respectfully.
Yuli: “Young Master Chu is young and promising, with an extraordinary air. I have searched all over the capital for silk threads of such rich colors, and I have only seen them at Wanse Fang. To have Young Master Chu grace us with his presence is truly an honor.”
Although the other party was a supplier, a little business flattery was never wrong.
“The Mistress overpraises me,” Chu Hong said with a smile. “But many people say so.”
Yuli gave a dry laugh. He was a difficult supplier to deal with. There was no hope of bargaining.
After Chu Hong finished speaking, he ignored Yuli’s expression and wandered around the shop by himself. Yuli stood in place and watched him go from east to west.
Seeing the decoration in her shop, he nodded and said, “Not bad.”
Seeing her velvet flowers, he said “not bad” twice. Seeing her line of employees, he reluctantly said “not bad.”
After a round, Chu Hong had said “not bad” four or five times, as if he were not a supplier, but a big boss inspecting a branch store.
Seeing the smile on his lips and his relaxed brow, he didn’t seem to have any ill intentions. Yuli just took it as genuine appreciation.
Anyway, he was not the one handling the specific cooperation. A little politeness was enough to keep up appearances.
Chu Hong looked around and, before leaving, looked at Yuli and smiled. “The Mistress looks quite young. Are you really married?”
Yuli: “Of course. I have a husband at home.”
“Do you have any children?”
Yuli was taken aback for a moment, but maintained her smile. “Young Master Chu is young and promising. You must already have a group of wives and concubines, and a house full of children and grandchildren, right?”
Sensing Yuli’s displeasure, Chu Hong laughed twice. “No offense intended. The Mistress must not be angry.”
Hearing his slow and deliberate laugh and his light and casual apology, Yuli felt that she had overreacted.
In this time and place, there were many people her age who had children. But Yuli was still repulsed by someone asking such a personal question on their first meeting. She was not applying to be an employee of his Wanse Fang; she was the client.
Yuli didn’t answer his question and talked business. “Young Master Chu has also seen what my shop is like. Are you here today to give me a discount?”
Chu Hong smiled mysteriously, raised his hand, and waved his folding fan. Shopkeeper Liu raised his hand and clapped, looking outside.
Two young servants came in, carrying a half-man-high embroidered screen, and placed it on the counter.
“I have come to congratulate your esteemed shop on its opening. I hope that your esteemed shop can, as Madam Song has planned, make a name for itself in the capital and earn a fortune every day.”
Yuli looked at the exquisitely embroidered flowers on the screen, and then at the four large characters “日进斗金”(May Your Profits Flow in Daily) beside it. It was a bit of a mood killer, but it was also a good wish.
Yuli thanked him and accepted it. She had Jingyu temporarily put on a velvet flower that matched Chu Hong’s robe as a return gift.
When Jingyu handed the box to Chu Hong, he lightly raised his folding fan, and Shopkeeper Liu stepped forward to accept it.
“Madam Song, we will meet again,” he said, and bowed slightly to Yuli.
Before Yuli could reply, Chu Hong turned around and, after a few steps, said, “No need to see me out.”
Yuli and the others, who had not intended to take a single step, stood in place: …
Yuli just treated Chu Hong’s arrival as a small interlude. The Lantern Festival was approaching, and she still had many things to take care of. For now, the cooperation with Wanse Fang was stable. With a professional like Shopkeeper Liu handling it, she probably wouldn’t see Chu Hong many times in the future.
Yuli quickly put Chu Hong out of her mind.
But a certain someone had him investigated thoroughly that very day.
Imperial Palace, Zichen Hall.
“He is the legitimate grandson of the current head of the Chu clan, a textile aristocratic family in Jiangnan. He is the second son, aged twenty, unmarried, and skilled in weaving and dyeing. Last year, not long after Master became the regent, the Chu clan contacted the Vice Minister of Revenue and gave up half of their family fortune to save their lives. Now is the time when they are greatly weakened. This second Chu is young and arrogant, dissatisfied with his grandfather’s actions. He used his connection with the Vice Minister of Revenue, took the family’s old shopkeeper, and came to the capital to open a silk thread shop.
“His weaving and dyeing skills are superb, and the colors of the silk threads he dyes are unique, which happens to meet the Mistress’s needs for making flowers. Before, all the purchases of silk threads were handled by Shopkeeper Liu. Today was the first time the Mistress had met him,” Song He said in one breath.
Xie Yao was silent.
Song He said again, “Since the Mistress has admitted that she has a husband at home and does not talk about private matters with him, she should have no good feelings for him.”
Xie Yao sneered. “I hope he is sensible.”
It seemed he didn’t mind. Song He was relieved.
“By the way, send this screen to Huayan Fang,” Xie Yao said, pointing to the screen in the Imperial Study that separated it from the back hall. It was painted with the rising sun, high mountains and great rivers, and flowing streams.
Song He paused.
Xie Yao glanced at it. It was not very suitable.
He then said, “Have the court painters paint a few pictures and send them over. Paint what she likes: ladies, cats, and camellias.”
Song He’s eyes lit up, and he immediately had someone go.
Not long after, he heard him say again, “Send two tall shadow guards to Huayan Fang to guard the door. If that second Chu comes again, he can enter, but if he touches her, chop off his hands.”
Song He did not make a sound.
Xie Yao looked up at him.
Song He’s scalp tingled, but he still said, “When the Mistress is out, there will always be times when she has unintentional physical contact with people. As long as it is not intentional, Song He feels that there is no need to see blood, otherwise it will frighten the Mistress.”
Xie Yao chuckled. “If it’s intentional, he should be ground to dust.”
Song He was speechless.
Xie Yao paused. “Just deal with it behind her back.”
Only then did Song He take his order.
After the Lantern Festival, the Southern Garrison would be going on an expedition. Xie Yao arranged for Yuli’s affairs and summoned Cui Chengbi.
For military secrets, even Song He was not allowed to listen. He and the servants withdrew silently.
The Southern Garrison was doomed to die on this expedition, but Xie Yao had a more important purpose for this battle. He had sent some of the Shenwu Army’s troops, making up a total of ten thousand men. The two generals leading the troops were of equal rank, one from the old aristocratic Wei clan, and the other a trusted direct subordinate of Xie Yao.
The two of them were bound to be at odds. But he had no intention of winning this battle.
He had personally summoned the two generals and encouraged the Wei clan, “If the Shenwu Army were to fight in this battle, victory would be as easy as turning over one’s hand. But your Southern Garrison has a fierce will to fight, and I am willing to give you a chance. Back then, your Wei clan turned against us on the battlefield. I have not yet seen the true combat power of the Southern Garrison. You must do your best in this battle, pacify the barbarians, bring peace to the people of the northern border, and restore some of your reputation, so that the world will not say that your Wei clan is a slave of two families, which would also bring shame to my face.”
The Wei clan knelt on one knee and cupped their fists. “I will not disappoint Your Highness.”
Xie Yao turned to his trusted direct subordinate, Du Ling. “In this battle, General Wei will be the commander. You will advise him from the side and listen to his command.”
Just this one sentence, and that was it.
Du Ling was silent for a moment, looked at his master, and blinked his big eyes a few times.
Cui Chengbi secretly kicked him in the back of the knee from behind. “Still not taking your order.”
Du Ling knelt on one knee and took his order. “Yes, this subject will definitely assist General Wei, execute the barbarians, and pacify the northern border.”
After Du Ling and the Wei clan had left, Cui Chengbi mentioned, “This Du Ling fellow, this subject quite likes him.”
Xie Yao did not raise his eyelids. “If he comes back alive, I will promote him. If he can’t even figure this out and can’t bring his life back, then he’s not much.”
Cui Chengbi said no more.
Since ancient times, who among those who have achieved great things has not been ruthless?
Huayan Fang had been open for nearly ten days, and it finally had some popularity.
But because Yuli had positioned the velvet flowers as high-end, most of the customers who came in just looked, let out a few exclamations of amazement, and then left. And the clerks who greeted them just watched blankly, unable to keep them.
Yuli could not go to greet the customers herself and could only be anxious. Seeing that the Lantern Festival was in two days, she had to find a suitable shopkeeper.
She put up a recruitment notice, specifying that she wanted a female shopkeeper. Very few people came to apply. Even if they did, they were only talented enough to be clerks and could not oversee all the affairs of Huayan Fang. She had to go and find one herself.
Yuli first went to the small jewelry shops to poach people, but she found that the shopkeepers of the small shops were also mostly men. She lowered her standards a little and went to the street vendors to look.
There were many female vendors, most of whom were selling their embroidery to supplement their family income. They knew how to greet people and read their expressions, but when they saw Yuli, they were either extremely solicitous or indifferent, none of whom met Yuli’s criteria for a shop manager.
After wandering for half a day, she had a candidate in mind who was not very satisfactory but would do. She stopped at a soup and noodle stall for lunch.
As soon as Yuli sat down, she saw a silk flower and embroidered handkerchief stall next to her that was unmanned.
Just as she was about to ask the soup and noodle stall owner, she heard a woman’s panting voice, “Fourth Aunt, thank you for your trouble. My mother has arrived, and that little brat’s illness is also a little better. These are the persimmon cakes my mother brought from the countryside. She washed them clean and hung them up herself. Please have a taste.”
Yuli looked over and saw a woman with red lips and white teeth, her clothes slightly old but clean and neat, smiling and talking to the stall owner. As she spoke, she placed several persimmon cakes wrapped in a handkerchief in a bowl.
After quickly doing this, she keenly sensed Yuli’s gaze, came over, nodded and smiled, and at the same time, listening to Fourth Aunt’s reply, turned back. “This doesn’t sell for much. It’s not a big deal. You’ve helped me more. Don’t say such polite words. I’m going to watch my stall.”
The woman walked a few steps to her stall, counted the goods sold while she was away, sat down, picked up her embroidery frame, and began to embroider without looking up.
Not long after, someone came to patronize. The woman stood up to greet them, her smile like a spring breeze. Her eyes would sometimes dart to the customer’s face, and sometimes to where the customer’s gaze fell.
In just a few words back and forth, the woman had made a sale.
Yuli felt that the person she was looking for had appeared. She didn’t even eat her soup and noodles, but stood up and walked over.
Jiang Lizhen had noticed Yuli long ago. Seeing her approach, she smiled and greeted, “What is the noble lady looking at?”
Yuli casually glanced at the things on her stall and only paused at a blue sachet.
Lizhen immediately picked up the sachet, but seeing that Yuli’s gaze had already turned to her and she had no intention of buying, she smiled. “The fabric and embroidery of this sachet are both average and really not worthy of the noble lady. This is a copy of a large embroidery workshop’s style. If the noble lady likes it, you should go there to buy it.”
But Yuli still didn’t leave and was still looking around her stall.
Lizhen picked up a self-created handkerchief. “This is a persimmon from my hometown, embroidered by this humble girl. It’s unique in this market, with a bit of rustic charm. The noble lady can take it back to use for fun.”
Yuli looked at the orange-red persimmon. It was quite lovely. The fabric was cotton, which was more absorbent than silk. She really wanted to buy it.
Lizhen saw her gaze fall on the handkerchief, quickly folded it, and handed it to Yuli. “Noble lady, please feel it and see if you are comfortable with this fabric.”
Yuli took it. The deal was almost done. Lizhen didn’t even quote a price, certain that Yuli was not short of money. Her cotton handkerchief, with not the most exquisite embroidery, was not worth much to her. For someone dressed like her, with two maids in silk and satin behind her, buying things was just for fun.
Yuli was really happy. The woman before her was meticulous and worldly-wise. It seemed that her life was not easy, but there was no bitterness on her face. She was short of money, but she was calm and did not force a sale, always looking to the next one.
She was just like the sales champions in the modern era, who were always full of energy and confidence.
“I want to hire you to be the shopkeeper of a jewelry shop. Are you willing?”
Lizhen was taken aback for a moment, then quickly recovered her smile. “The noble lady overestimates me. I can only do small business and can’t handle a bigger place.”
Yuli felt that her judgment of people was quite accurate. She was clearly very confident and also wanted to improve.
Yuli thought of what she had just heard and asked, “Are you worried about your child at home?”
Lizhen was a little surprised and nodded. “I have a sick child at home and cannot be too far from here. I have let the noble lady down.”
“Don’t call me noble lady. My name is Song Yuli. You can call me Madam Song like the others. No matter what your family situation is, I can advance you your salary. My shop is spacious, and you can also bring your child with you. I can set aside a room for you and your child to live in alone. But I need you to start tomorrow. How about it?”
After Jiang Lizhen heard this, she pursed her lips, didn’t think for long, and immediately nodded in agreement.
Yuli smiled. Great. Her team was finally complete.
Every one of them was so satisfactory, every one of them a treasure.
The next morning, Lizhen came to Huayan Fang. She was alone, without her child.
Lizhen was wearing a more decent set of clothes that she only used for festivals, but when she entered Huayan Fang, she still felt too shabby.
The shop was much larger than she had imagined, with two floors and a spacious backyard. Speckled-bamboo-colored gauze curtains hung from the ceiling, straightened by scrolls, reaching down to her calves. The hems of skirts could be seen moving back and forth. The lobby on the first floor was divided into several spaces by these curtains. The gauze curtains were semi-transparent, hazy and soft, with a mysterious attraction that made people want to wander in and explore.
Lizhen was full of confidence when she came, but seeing this scene, she became a little awkward, pinched her embroidered cuffs, took a deep breath, and walked over with a spring-breeze-like smile.
“What is the customer looking for?” a little girl came up to ask.
Lizhen nodded. “I’m not a customer. I’m here to find Madam Song, to apply for the position of shopkeeper.”
The little girl smiled happily. “You must be Shopkeeper Jiang. Follow me. The Mistress is waiting for you.”
Lizhen was led around two gauze curtains, through the back hall, and into the backyard.
“Mistress, Shopkeeper Jiang is here!” the little girl called out loudly, startling Lizhen.
Lizhen followed the maid quickly. Before she reached Yuli’s room, she saw two men in black standing with their arms crossed at the door of the north room in the backyard. They were tall and strong, with no expression on their faces, as hard as stone, but a piercing, sharp light flashed in their eyes. Lizhen’s startled heart, which had not yet calmed down, began to pound again.