After sobering up, Chu Qingying prepared to take her leave, feeling rather embarrassed. Mingxi walked her out.
Chu Qingying first went to bid farewell at Rongan Hall, but the Old Madam was still napping, so she paid her respects outside and took her leave.
Once Chu Qingying was gone, Mingxi barely had time to catch her breath before the Third Madam came rushing over.
“Mingxi, your Third Uncle sent word that there’s an issue with a shipment from Master Duan at the Internal Weaving and Dyeing Bureau.”
Mingxi was startled and immediately stood up to leave. As she walked, she asked, “Third Aunt, what exactly happened?”
“Your Third Uncle received the news and sent it back to the residence first, asking you to check on the Duan family.”
“Thank Third Uncle for me, Third Aunt. I’ll go take a look right away.”
“Go ahead. I’ll inform the Old Madam on your behalf.”
“Thank you, Third Aunt.” Mingxi curtsied and left in a hurry.
The Third Madam’s face was full of worry. How could something go wrong with the Duan family’s business? It was most likely sabotage.
Mingxi had no time to concern herself with the affairs of Deqing Marquis’s household. She got into a carriage and headed for the Duan residence. Madam Xu was in the courtyard sewing. Seeing Mingxi return, she looked pleasantly surprised. “Xixi, why are you back?”
Noticing her mother’s cheerful demeanor, Mingxi suppressed her emotions and maintained a calm expression. “I happened to be out and thought I’d stop by for a drink of water.”
Madam Xu quickly called for a maid to prepare tea and pulled her daughter inside. Once seated, she began asking after Mingxi’s well-being. Mingxi patiently answered her questions one by one.
If her mother had known about the business issue, she certainly wouldn’t be smiling so brightly. Madam Xu wasn’t one to keep things bottled up—she couldn’t even fake calmness without showing cracks.
Since her mother was unaware, Mingxi didn’t bring it up either. She shared a cup of tea with her, chatted for a while, and then found an excuse to leave.
Madam Xu happily saw her off and reminded her to take care. “Don’t worry about me all the time—just take care of yourself.”
Mingxi gently held her mother’s hand and said softly, “Mother, you should go back too. I only stopped by because I was passing through. It won’t delay anything.”
Madam Xu refused to leave first, seeing her daughter off until the carriage had gone far before returning home.
Mingxi lowered the curtain and, once the carriage turned the corner, instructed, “To Longhu.”
The Duan family had a shop near Longhu. Her Second Uncle was also there. After the dragon boat race last time, Mingxi had purchased a few shops under the name of the Marquis’ residence. Now, with little else to do, Second Master Duan was managing the estate and the shops, keeping himself busy.
She first sought out Second Master Duan, only to find he had gone to the estate. The greenhouses there, staffed with retired soldiers introduced by Wu Qian, were progressing quickly, so Second Master Duan often shuttled between locations.
Mingxi then went to the Duan family’s shop, where the manager immediately greeted her warmly.
“Miss, what brings you here?” The manager beamed as he welcomed her inside and offered her tea in the inner room.
Once seated, Mingxi asked directly, “What’s going on with the business at the Imperial Internal Weaving and Dyeing Bureau?”
The manager froze for a moment before replying, “So you know, Miss? I told them this couldn’t be kept from you. The Master didn’t want you to worry and insisted on keeping it a secret.”
Mingxi calmly took a sip of tea, then placed the cup down and said unhurriedly, “Tell me everything in detail.”
The manager smiled. “With you handling it, Miss, this will be much easier to resolve.”
From his tone, Mingxi could tell that someone was deliberately causing trouble. Her father must have kept her in the dark to prevent her from leveraging her status to solve the issue.
Business had its own rules. Having a strong backing didn’t always mean things would go smoothly.
Every trade had its own pathways and etiquette—rats had their ways, and cats had theirs.
The manager collected his thoughts and began to explain. “This year, the Master took on a large order from the Internal Weaving and Dyeing Bureau, which attracted the attention of many in the capital. There had been minor underhanded tactics before, but the Master managed to handle them.”
Mingxi listened intently. Such matters were common.
As the saying goes, even a powerful dragon can’t suppress a local snake. For Jiangcheng’s wealthiest merchant to enter the capital and make a name for himself so quickly, how could the local elites take it lightly?
Yet her father had paved the way with five hundred thousand taels of silver, securing a direct route to the Internal Weaving and Dyeing Bureau.
Many local merchants who had long coveted this opportunity but couldn’t obtain it were naturally displeased when an outsider claimed it.
“The palace ordered autumn clothing. Silks and satins had to be delivered to the Internal Weaving and Dyeing Bureau three months in advance for inspection, allocation, and tailoring before being sent to the palace. However, when some of the southern silks were opened, they were stained in large patches and completely unusable.”
Duan Mingxi’s expression turned serious. Fabrics are especially vulnerable to stains, and some, due to their rarity and delicacy, cannot be washed or treated with water.
South brocade was one such fabric.
“How many boxes of South brocade are there in total?”
“Eighty-eight boxes. This material is rare, and it’s impossible to replenish the stock quickly.”
The intricate craftsmanship of South brocade and the fact that most of the embroiderers are based in the south made replenishment incredibly challenging. The culprit had not only acted maliciously but with calculated cruelty.
“How many boxes are stained? Whoever did this wouldn’t dare ruin the entire stock.”
Anything sent to the palace, even with the intention to sabotage, wouldn’t be completely destroyed—no one would risk their life over it.
If all eighty-eight boxes were ruined, the Internal Weaving and Dyeing Bureau would be unable to explain it to the palace, triggering a thorough investigation. And once that happened, the mastermind would undoubtedly be exposed.
“Ten boxes.”
Duan Mingxi sneered, “Just enough to exceed the expected loss by two boxes?”
Except for extremely rare items, most deliveries include an allowance for wastage.
This surplus was interesting—it served dual purposes. In normal circumstances, the extras would be absorbed by the bureau for internal use. But if an issue arose, the surplus could cover any shortfall.
This was one reason why so many people tried to claw their way into one of the twenty-four bureaus.
The opportunities for personal gain were enormous, with surplus allowances being just one of many.
“Exactly, two extra boxes. But even so, Miss, we don’t have two boxes of South brocade to spare,” the shopkeeper said with a worried expression.
“What pattern is it?” Mingxi asked.
“These are all the newest patterns from the southern region this year, recently approved by the palace.”
What a precise strike—like hitting a snake at its vital point. This move was a chokehold.
“Do you have pattern books here?”
“Yes.” The shopkeeper nodded eagerly. “I’ll fetch them right away for you, Miss.”
The shopkeeper quickly brought over the sample fabrics. Mingxi reached out to take them. Glancing at them, she remarked, “Baishi Ruyi?”
“Miss, your eyes are sharp. That’s precisely the Baishi Ruyi pattern. However, because it uses brocade weaving techniques, and this year’s version has undergone some changes, it’s even more intricate than the previous Baishi Ruyi. Take a closer look—these edges are woven with gold and silver threads. Just sourcing the gold and silver threads is no easy task.”
Mingxi’s expression grew serious. The enemy was well-prepared.
To have planned everything so meticulously showed that this trap had been laid long ago—for her father specifically.
Such detailed and thorough arrangements, with their side only discovering the issue after it surfaced, left no doubt as to who was behind it. Other than that venomous figure in the Eastern Palace, who else could it be?
After all, this pattern had been designed by the empress’s personal embroiderers. Mingxi had seen it in her past life!
It was now evident—crippling the crown prince by exposing Fu Hongxiao’s matter was far too lenient!
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