Madam Xu saw that father and daughter had something to discuss, so she said, “I’ll leave you two to talk. I’ll go check on the kitchen.”
She lifted her skirt and left. Mingxi poured tea for her father and said, “Sit down, have some tea before we talk.”
Duan Pingchang drained the cup in one go and looked at his daughter. “Did you hear something already?”
Otherwise, how could her timing be so perfect?
“Father, you’ve heard too?” Mingxi asked.
“I just came back from seeing Xu Donglin,” Duan Pingchang replied.
“What did Lord Xu say?” Mingxi had a bad feeling.
“Tong Gaozhuo, relying on his connection to the Eastern Palace, secretly issued a separate batch of orders from the Internal Weaving and Dyeing Bureau. We won’t be getting the summer orders from the palace anymore.”
“Then what about our goods?” Mingxi’s face darkened. “This is a direct conflict. Lord Xu’s orders were also from the Internal Weaving and Dyeing Bureau. Both sides have orders, but the bureau only accepts a set quantity of goods.”
She paused, then looked at her father. “So… did the palace say your goods’ patterns weren’t to the Empress’s liking?”
Duan Pingchang nodded helplessly. “They set this up in advance. We walked right into the trap.”
“I asked Consort Shu to speak to His Majesty, but he said that the Empress manages the inner palace matters,” Mingxi said heavily.
Duan Pingchang sighed, “That’s why the Empress dared to pull this off.”
Maybe she had already asked the Emperor privately and laid the groundwork, just waiting to spring the trap.
Their biggest disadvantage was the lack of eyes and ears inside the palace—they weren’t connected, so information always came too late.
Even with Consort Shu’s help, her position wouldn’t justify going too far for a merchant’s interests. Duan Pingchang knew he wasn’t that important.
Mingxi asked slowly, “What did Xu Donglin say about our goods?”
“He said they’ll have to be returned.”
“Returned how?” Mingxi asked.
Duan Pingchang looked at her. “You mean…?”
Mingxi let out a cold laugh. “Since Tong Gaozhuo secretly gave other merchants new orders and the patterns and fabrics they want are different, then our goods clearly have nothing to do with the palace anymore.”
Duan Pingchang instantly understood what she meant. He’d been too panicked to see it earlier.
Their eyes met. Duan Pingchang slapped the table. “You’re right. I’ll go see Xu Donglin now.”
“Father, wait,” Mingxi stopped him.
“What is it?”
“Return the deposit the Internal Weaving and Dyeing Bureau gave us. That way this batch of goods has absolutely no ties to the palace.”
“Right.” Duan Pingchang immediately went to the study to grab the silver note and rushed out.
This had to be done quickly, before the Eastern Palace made another move.
Supplying goods to the palace came with strict, intricate standards. If the goods didn’t meet the criteria, they were to be destroyed—never allowed to reach the market.
But Tong Gaozhuo had issued a whole new batch of orders.
That batch listed different specifications for the silk, which is how the Empress justified rejecting the Duan family’s goods in favor of another supplier.
Since that’s the case, then this batch of goods from the Duan family is completely different from the imperial satin in terms of both texture and pattern, so there’s no need to destroy it.
Moreover, the strips given by Tong Gaozhuo clash with those given by Xu Donglin. Tong Gaozhuo is using the Eastern Palace’s influence to put pressure on Xu Donglin, and Xu Donglin is definitely furious about it.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Duan Pingchang asked Xu Donglin to show some mercy, stating that this batch of goods was never intended for the Duan family. As a result, the goods on the ships could be preserved.
They wouldn’t make any money from the Internal Weaving and Dyeing Bureau, but they wouldn’t lose everything either.
However, Mingxi was naturally not satisfied with this.
The Empress and the Crown Prince had slapped her in the face—would she just let this go?
Pfft!
Dream on!
An hour later, Duan Pingchang returned, holding the official document with the seal of the Internal Weaving and Dyeing Bureau.
Mingxi took it and immediately laughed out loud.
It read that the Internal Weaving and Dyeing Bureau had chosen the Feng family to supply summer satin, and there was no connection to the Duan family.
“Where’s the strip you had?”
“Xu Donglin made a fake one and destroyed it in front of others. The real one, he carefully kept, just in case it might be useful for self-preservation,” Duan Pingchang sighed. “If it weren’t for Tong Gaozhuo’s interference, Xu Donglin wouldn’t have gone to such lengths for us.”
“With this strip, we can sell the cloth on our ships to the outside,” Mingxi said.
“Exactly.” Duan Pingchang looked at his daughter. “What are your thoughts?”
“What kind of background does the Feng family have, the one chosen by Tong Gaozhuo?” Mingxi asked.
“The Feng family has been rooted in the capital for decades and is considered a prominent family. Tong Gaozhuo chose them, so it seems the Feng family has connections with the Eastern Palace.”
“Do they deal in fabrics?” Mingxi asked.
“Yes, they also have other businesses, but none as large as their fabric trade.”
“Generally speaking, it takes at least two or three months, and sometimes even half a year or a year, to get the remaining payment after supplying the Internal Weaving and Dyeing Bureau.”
“With Tong Gaozhuo’s help, it might be faster.”
“That’s fine; we have enough time,” Mingxi smiled.
“So, what do you plan to do?”
“Father, these cloths we have are the most exquisite and beautiful; they were originally for the palace, and no other fabric shop can compare.”
“That’s true.”
“Simply selling fabric won’t make much money. Doing business with the Internal Weaving and Dyeing Bureau won’t earn us much money either. What we earn is our reputation. This time, we’ll sell this batch of fabric in style!”
Duan Pingchang didn’t understand his daughter’s meaning. “Explain it carefully.”
“In a few days, the shizi to Duke Rong’s residence will be getting married. I plan to wear a new outfit.”
“A new outfit?”
“Yes, a new pattern and style. It will definitely attract the attention of the ladies in the capital.”
“Do you plan to sell ready-made clothes instead of fabric?” Duan Pingchang asked.
“What do you think?”
“If we’re going to do that, we’ll need to open a clothing store first, and the timing is tight.”
“Our silk shop already has quite a few people, and we’ve hired expensive embroiderers,” Mingxi said decisively. “They want to see us fail with these fabrics, but I won’t let them. I’ll make a huge profit.”
Selling cooked food is always more profitable than selling raw grain, and selling ready-made clothes is more profitable than selling fabric.
Before, they found it troublesome, but now it’s not about the trouble; it’s about making a statement.
Mingxi had lunch with her parents and quickly left. When she returned to the Marquis residence, she locked herself in the study, took out paper and pens, and began to design clothes.
With her past experience and love for beauty, designing wasn’t difficult for her.
She had Li Quan run an errand to get some fabric samples. She carefully compared and designed each pattern, then drew different styles based on the fabric’s color and texture.
Mingxi stayed up all night, working until dawn. She designed five or six outfits, then selected two sets to have the embroiderers work through the night to ensure they would be ready in time for Liu Yan’s wedding day.
