At the banquet in Duke Rong Mansion, Mingxi’s new outfit stole the spotlight and garnered the attention of many young ladies. The newly opened Yunshang ready-made clothing shop of the Duan family quickly became famous.
“The embroidered seamstresses at the ready-made clothing shop are in short supply, so the production is low. If we just make clothes that are fit to wear like other shops, then all the fabric we’ve shipped will go to waste.”
“That’s what the young lady says,” the shopkeeper, Qian Donglai, smiled and replied. “So, what does the young lady mean?”
“Things are more valuable when they are rare. When there’s less of something, it’s sold in a way that reflects that,” Mingxi looked at Qian Donglai.
Qian Donglai immediately understood the young lady’s intention. As a businessman, he knew exactly how things worked. He quickly said, “Young lady, don’t worry, I know what to do. How should we price it?”
“Divide the fabric into three tiers based on its quality. The cheapest is ten taels of silver, then thirty, fifty.”
Qian Donglai was taken aback. The price difference was so large—could this really work?
But the young lady had given her instructions, and as the new shopkeeper, he didn’t dare to disagree.
After the young lady left, he immediately went to see Master Duan and explained the situation.
Duan Pingchang shot a glance at Qian Donglai and said, “Just do as the young lady says, you’ll understand when the time comes.”
Qian Donglai didn’t dare to say anything else, thinking to himself that a fifty-tael outfit would be unaffordable for ordinary families. He guessed that the ten-tael ones would sell the fastest.
Even the ten-tael outfits were not cheap in the capital.
The fabric allocated for the fifty-tael outfits was the best and the most abundant. He worried that they might not sell.
Qian Donglai, having previously worked as a shopkeeper in Jiangcheng, was cautious in everything now that he was in the capital. He didn’t dare to make any mistakes.
Mingxi didn’t mind that Qian Donglai went to speak with her father. It only showed that he didn’t understand the importance of maintaining the face of noble families.
Mingxi began to appear frequently at various banquets. Each time, her attire was different, new, and of exceptional quality. Paired with her tall, graceful figure and bright, beautiful face, she looked like a flower-like peacock, stealing the attention of everyone around her.
And she was kind and sincere to everyone. Whenever anyone asked about her clothes, she would answer in detail, her words meaningful and her conversation witty.
After this frequent exposure, people started to forget the old impression of Mingxi’s aggressive nature and almost completely erased it from their minds.
Yunshang had already made it clear that the craftsmanship of the clothes was complicated, and the fabric was rare, so they took longer to make. Each day’s output was limited, which made hesitant buyers act quickly.
Good fabric, limited quantity, exquisite craftsmanship—it was now or never. If you didn’t act fast, you might miss out.
The cheapest ten-tael outfits?
Who are you looking down on?
Just order the fifty-tael ones, and get three sets!
What? You can only order one set per person because there are too many waiting customers?
They’re missing out on earning money! Crazy!
Yunshang’s ready-made clothing shop became an instant sensation in the capital, becoming the hottest clothing shop in the city.
Queueing?
Of course!
The quickest to place their orders, like Yao Yunyi and Liu Yunhua, were already flaunting their outfits around the city. That feeling of “I’ve got something you don’t” was amazing!
Xu Nanxi was stunned. Could this really work?
As Yunshang’s shop gained popularity, many other clothing stores in the capital tried to copy their model, but none could get their hands on Yunshang’s fabric. Whether in quality or design, their fabric just had a special feel.
The news quickly spread to the Eastern Palace. The Crown Prince had people keeping an eye on Mingxi and had a set of clothing specially made. When he saw it, he was immediately furious, laughing in disbelief.
He immediately sent word to Tong Gaozhuo, telling him to go find trouble with Duan Pingchang.
This batch of fabric was supposed to be delivered to the palace. How could it be sold outside?
Tong Gaozhuo angrily went to confront Duan Pingchang, who presented the official document from the Internal Weaving and Dyeing Bureau. It clearly stated that the supplies for the summer were assigned to the Feng family, and the Duan family had nothing to do with it.
Since the Duan family wasn’t involved, they were free to do whatever they wanted with the fabric.
At first, the Crown Prince had used the Feng family to pressure the Duan family, but now the tables had turned, and it had backfired on him.
The Crown Prince, furious, scolded Tong Gaozhuo. Tong Gaozhuo, feeling guilty, thought back to the orders from above. He had been told to lock up the Duan family’s shipments, but subconsciously, he had never imagined that Duan Pingchang would actually sell the fabric.
But Duan Pingchang had done it, and worse, he had the official document to back him up.
To quell the Crown Prince’s rage, Tong Gaozhuo dragged Xu Donglin into the matter. If it wasn’t for Xu Donglin’s document, Duan Pingchang wouldn’t have dared to be so bold.
Xu Donglin, who had been in charge for many years, wasn’t intimidated by Tong Gaozhuo’s tactics.
The document from the Feng family came through without my involvement. And now you’re bringing up the Duan family’s matter?
Xu Donglin had always followed the rules and procedures. If the Duan family’s goods were not needed, then they should settle their accounts. Where was the problem?
But Tong Gaozhuo had no answer for how the Feng family’s order had been issued. If the Eastern Palace wanted to pursue the matter, Xu Donglin was prepared to take it to the Emperor himself.
Now, Tong Gaozhuo was left in a difficult position.
The whole affair with the Internal Weaving and Dyeing Bureau had been orchestrated by the Eastern Palace to target the Duan family, but it couldn’t withstand close scrutiny.
The example of the Imperial Horse Bureau was still fresh in everyone’s mind. Xu Donglin wasn’t going to follow in Huang Shao’s footsteps. If anyone was going to get into trouble, it definitely wasn’t going to be him!
When Duan Pingchang heard about the situation, he felt a mix of relief and fear.
If it hadn’t been for his daughter’s reminder, and if he hadn’t immediately gone to the Internal Weaving and Dyeing Bureau to get the official document, it was likely that he and his daughter would have been burned at the stake.
Now, not only had they avoided a loss, but with the current situation, they would profit. The fabric they sold could bring in twice the amount they would have received from sending it to the Internal Weaving and Dyeing Bureau.
Duan Pingchang knew that the noble families in the capital loved luxury and extravagance, but he had never imagined that silk and satin could be such a profitable business. This realization opened his mind.
He decided to position Yunshang as a high-end custom clothing shop for the capital’s noblewomen. With the unique fabrics and materials they used, he had to carefully consider his next steps.
Only with exclusive sources of goods could he maintain his current advantage.
Mingxi, after meeting with her father, agreed that this was a good idea. The father and daughter discussed it for a while and decided to open a weaving workshop. They would produce their own fabrics, dye them, and design their own patterns, which would then be made into garments.
This way, they could protect their secrets and create a unique supply chain.
The Huayong Weaving Workshop was quietly established. Duan Pingchang bought two poorly run workshops from Jiangcheng, brought over a group of craftsmen, and signed contracts with them, the minimum being ten years.
The workshop was set up in a manor next to a hot spring. Mingxi bought the neighboring property and asked Wu Tongzhi to hire some retired soldiers to guard the area. This would provide extra security and help the two estates watch over each other.
Anyone wanting to sneak into the manor would find it very difficult, let alone gather any secrets.
At this moment, You Sanping returned from Yuxiang City, urgently bringing a letter from Duan Wang.
When Mingxi saw him, she didn’t recognize him at first.
