FID – Chapter 395

Chapter 395: The Formular, Perhaps Fake?

  ”I know, ah, click-click-click, so I only eat in front of you, click-click-click——-” After swallowing a mouthful, Feng Mohan tossed another piece in. It was fragrant and chewy, and crunchy when bitten down. “Imperial Uncle, in front of you, I don’t need to pay attention to my image, click-click-click——”

  The veins in Feng Qingbai’s head throbbed.

  He was driven beyond forbearance.

  He pushed the memorials in front of him aside and went away.

  ”Imperial Uncle, where are you going? Ka-ka-ka, you haven’t finished reviewing the memorials yet, ka-ka-ka-ka.”

  Feng Qingbai’s strides stretched longer.

  Review memorials? He had more of an urge to chop someone at the moment.

  It was only when the man was far away did Feng Mohan let out a breath and patted his small chest.

  The resentment in his Imperial Uncle scared him to death.

  He could hardly retain his composure and was extra grumpy; it must be related to Aunt Liu.

  Uncle Zhixia probably returned to the capital and did not bring something from Aunt Liu, so his Imperial Uncle was upset.

  What is this called?

  Present life karma, ah.

  Last time, he racked his brains in his desire to go to Xiangshan and be responsible for disaster relief so as to see the grandparents, too. However, he forbade him to go. It left him scratching his heart and lungs for days.

  Now it’s your turn. Have you tasted it, huh?

  Feng Shui is a cycle.

  ”Your Majesty, the head of the Shangyi Bureau requests for an audience outside the main hall,” a eunuch outside the door entered and reported.

  ”The head of the Shangyi Workshop? Why?”

  ”He said it is related to selecting special fabrics. The general selection of ladies will be in two months’ time. When the nobles entered the palace at that time, good fabrics are needed for the tailoring of clothes. With the influx of people, the Shangyi Workshop is understaffed and needs external resources. That’s been the practice throughout the years.”

  This had always been the case before, but after the young Emperor came to power, the harem was almost empty, and the external suppliers were temporarily cut off to save money.

  ”Why is he seeking me for this kind of thing? Hasn’t Concubine Liu always been presiding over the harem? Let the head find her, I can’t meet him and do it on her behalf.”

  ”Understood.”

  The eunuch retreated, and Feng Mohan continued to chew cakes, relaxed and leisurely.

  He had never cared about the trivial matters related to the harem in the palace. Why would they ask him what style or how to cut a garment? How else could he deal with state affairs?

  Could it be that the Emperor also needed to manage the fire, rice, oil and salt in the palace? 

  The only advantage for having Consort Liu in the palace was that she kept the harem in order.

  Of course, this kind of task could be done by any person as long as they were in the seat of honor.

  Once there was a good candidate to use in the future, that old witch could be removed.

  Lest she kept on being so powerful and forgetting that she was only a Concubine Dowager.

  His Imperial Grandpa had been dead for so many years, but why was she still jumping around?

  The next day, news spread from the palace.

  The Shangyi Workshop was going to select fabric merchants on February 26 to supply the palace with varieties of high-quality dyed fabrics .

  All fabric merchants could apply for the screening.

  All merchants in the capital who were engaged in this business all fist-pumped and urgently ordered their workshops to produce newly dyed fabrics immediately. These would be used for the competition.

  Everyone who had some confidence in their own fabrics applied; no one was willing to miss this opportunity.

  If they could be selected, the identity of a special fabric supplier in the palace alone could bring them incomparably rich benefits.

  Previously, supplying special fabrics had always been in the bag of the Fu family in the capital.

  After the death of the previous Emperor, the palace cut off the special supply of fabrics, and the Fu family had retired. Even so, the Fu family’s reputation in the  cloth industry in the capital had also been established, steadily occupying the top spot.

  Now that the new Emperor was on the throne, the selection process resumed. The Fu family would definitely be there, but that didn’t mean others wouldn’t have a chance at all.

  What if good luck knocked on their doors, and they won the quota? By then, it would be equivalent to getting ahead in the industry. Catching up with the Fu family would no longer be an impossibility.

  Even if they were not selected, it would be no loss to them. They would just revert to their original position.

  The Fu family also went to register.

  But compared to the excitement, anticipation and apprehension of other cloth merchants’, the Fu family showed confidence and calmness, without being disrupted by this.

  Their family had a relationship with the Liu family. They received the news that the palace needed to select cloth merchants to provide special fabrics earlier than other merchants, so they began to prepare for this day early on.

  While other merchants were busy and rushing to produce new fabrics, their family’s fabric for the selection was already produced and laid out in front of the head of the Fu family.

  Silk woven golden cloth, dyed in cardamom red. When the cloth was unfolded, facing the light, it reflected indistinct brilliant lights and vibrant colors. The entire cloth looked alive, with golden light flowing.

  ”It took me nearly four months of work on this piece of fabric. Finally, my hard work didn’t end up in vain.” Smiles were dripping off the corners of Fu Shuyuan’s eyes.

  For this piece of fabric, he mobilized the best old weaving artists in Nanling and personally blended the dyes for the color.

  It was just a piece of cloth, but it cost a fortune.

  ”With this piece of fabric, this year’s selection will definitely be in our Fu family’s pocket again. I’m here to congratulate you.” Mrs. Fu smiled lightly and beautifully.

  ”May Madam’s words come true. By then, our Fu family’s position in the cloth industry will be even more solid.” They would also climb even higher.

  Even if it wasn’t as good as the Liu family, they could step up from their current level.

  The more prominent the family was, the higher the status of the Fu family would be. One day, he, Fu Shuyuan, would bring the Fu family to its most glorious moment.

  Fu Yuxian also bowed, sweetly saying  her congratulations. When she saw her father and mother’s complacent looks, she then stirred the conversation to another direction, “Father, Mother, I heard that Younger Sister Yuzheng has also signed up for this selection. On the day of the selection, will she also compete against Father at court?”

  ”Her? How long has she been dyeing cloth, yet she wants to compete with our decade-old Fu family’s old craftsmanship? She really can’t recognize the immensity of heaven and earth until she’s badly battered!” Fu Shuyuan felt nothing but disgust for this daughter.

  ”Father, although she is just a novice in the capital cloth industry, we can not take her lightly. Our family has reached our status today, relying on the secret formulas. Father, are you sure that she has not learned them?” When it came to the formula thing, all the three present knew everything by heart.

  Fu Shuyuan frowned upon Fu Yuxian’s reminder: “So what if she learned it? She has been working in Nanling King’s manor all these years and served people all day long. How can she have time to hone her craft? Dyeing cloth is not like others. It’s all about craftsmanship. Without a thousand refinements, do you think you can compete in the selection with just a recipe? That’s just asking for the moon!”

  Fu Yuxian lowered her eyes and said softly, “What if the formula she gave you, Father, is fake from the very start?”

  Fu Shuyuan stood up with a fury. Even Madam Fu was startled. “Xian’er, don’t talk nonsense about this!”

  ”Father, Mother, I’m not talking nonsense, and we have to be prepared for this. Sister Yuzheng has misunderstood the both of you for so many years, thinking that you were the ones who killed her mother and brother. She has never dispelled that thought for a day, so it’s highly possible for her to take out a fake formula. Look at her now. She’s merely a fledgling, yet she’s so confident to compete. Isn’t it perhaps because she has something to rely on? Sister Yuzheng isn’t stupid at all.”

  Had she been stupid, she wouldn’t have used the formula for a way out.