Lu Jingxing’s expression was indifferent; he didn’t believe a word of what Mu Wan Yun said.
‘She’s probably only fawning over me because I saved her from Princess Huayang,’ he thought.
Mu Wan Yun rose onto her toes and offered him a kiss, but Lu Jingxing remained rooted to the spot, letting her try to win him over.
Seeing Lu Jingxing remain as still and lifeless as a block of wood, Mu Wan Yun’s resolve began to waver.
‘After all, I can’t bear children.
If I really became the Empress, just occupying the position without an heir wouldn’t be enough to protect myself.’
‘There was already the matter of our separation and the unresolved issues with the Mu Family between us.
Leaving him would be painful, but it’s better than us drifting further and further apart.
Better to just give up now.’
Mu Wan Yun pulled away from Lu Jingxing’s lips and dejectedly left Taiji Palace.
Lu Jingxing watched her retreating figure and scoffed inwardly.
‘Just as I thought.
She was only fawning over me because Princess Huayang threatened to take her life…’
Before Mu Wan Yun even reached the Clothing Bureau, she heard Mu Sibao from the neighboring Treasure Bureau scolding a young palace maid.
“You’re too careless!
You’re lucky you only damaged the tablecloth.
The cost of the wasted gold foil will be deducted from your monthly silver.”
The young palace maid said through her tears, “I didn’t know that placing the gold foil under something hot would make it stick to the fabric.”
Mu Sibao said, “Alright, just burn the cloth.
True gold fears no fire.
We might be able to salvage some of the gold material.”
The young palace maid placed the cloth, now fused with gold foil, on the ground and approached it with a candle.
Even from a distance, Mu Wan Yun could see the fabric glinting in the candlelight.
Suddenly, Mu Wan Yun knew how to create the “iridescent black” dress.
‘A spring breeze scatters the dark clouds, revealing a black night sky glittering with brilliant starlight.’
‘If she could apply specks of gold and silver foil to black fabric, it would shimmer with an iridescent glow under the sun’s rays.’
‘Wouldn’t that be “iridescent black”?’
Mu Wan Yun hurriedly stepped forward and bowed to Mu Sibao.
“Mu Sibao, this servant is Mu Wan Yun from the Clothing Bureau.
I just heard you say that the gold foil was fused to the fabric.
May I have a look?”
Upon hearing this, Mu Sibao had the young palace maid show the tablecloth with the fused gold foil to Mu Wan Yun.
Mu Wan Yun stepped forward and tried to scrape off the gold foil with her hand.
She had to use a great deal of force just to get a bit of gold dust off.
Mu Wan Yun then asked the young palace maid, “What method did you use to get the gold foil to press onto it like this?”
The young palace maid whispered, “A corner of the gold foil was wrinkled, so I thought I’d use a hot water bottle to smooth it out.
I forgot to put a sheet of black carbon paper underneath, and after about half an hour of heat, it was pressed right on.”
Upon hearing this, Mu Wan Yun thanked her.
“Thank you.”
Early the next morning, Mu Wan Yun went to the Weaving and Dyeing Workshop.
The workshop had very little dark gray-blue cloth, so it would have to be woven from scratch.
She placed some silver foil, which she had requested from the Treasure Bureau, onto the fabric.
She placed a hot water bottle on top and waited for half an hour.
When she lifted it, the specks of silver foil were indeed pressed into the luo cloth, but the cloth itself was ruined.
Silk fabric couldn’t withstand such high temperatures.
The young palace maid at the Treasure Bureau had pressed an entire sheet of gold foil onto the cloth, so even if the fabric underneath was ruined, it wasn’t visible.
But Mu Wan Yun wanted a scattered, star-like effect.
The pieces of gold and silver foil were as tiny as mustard seeds, so they couldn’t hide the damaged fabric.
Lin Miaoyi came to the Weaving and Dyeing Workshop to bring Mu Wan Yun her lunch.
“You never eat lunch,” she said.
“This is the last time I’m bringing it for you.”
Mu Wan Yun took the lunch and thanked her.
“Thank you.”
Watching Mu Wan Yun trying to press gold foil onto a piece of fabric, Lin Miaoyi asked, “What are you doing?”
Mu Wan Yun said, “Didn’t the Princess ask for an ‘iridescent black’ dress?
If I scatter gold and silver foil across the fabric, the way the gold and silver create a dazzling shimmer in the sunlight—isn’t that iridescent?
It’s just a shame this gold and silver foil is so difficult to press onto the fabric.”
Lin Miaoyi asked, “Can’t you just embroider it with gold thread?”
Mu Wan Yun explained, “Since Her Highness specified ‘iridescent black,’ the black itself must be the primary element.
If I embroidered it with gold and silver thread, it would just look like a black dress with two extra colors, gold and silver.”
“Tiny specks of gold and silver foil, on the other hand, are almost invisible on their own but would still reflect light, without adding distinct colors to the dress.”
Mu Wan Yun picked up her spoon to eat, but found the handle was scalding hot and immediately dropped it.
Lin Miaoyi said, “The copper spoon must have been left in the hot soup for too long.
That’s how it is with copper and iron—heat one end, and the other gets hot too.”
A brilliant idea suddenly struck Mu Wan Yun.
A hot water bottle would ruin a large area of the fabric, but what if she used a thin copper tube, heated in a brazier?
That way, the gold and silver foil could be pressed onto the fabric without ruining the luo cloth.
At that thought, Mu Wan Yun completely forgot about her lunch and went to the Treasure Bureau to find a thin copper tube.
She heated one end of the round copper tube in a brazier.
With the gold foil placed on the luo cloth below, she pressed the tube down.
In less than half a *ke*—just a few minutes—the gold foil was firmly fused to the cloth.
It took Mu Wan Yun and the palace maids of the Weaving and Dyeing Workshop three full days to cover the entire piece of luo cloth with gold and silver foil.
Once the fabric was ready, it took over ten more days to make the dress.
During this time, Mu Wan Yun was so focused on the dress that she was oblivious to everything else happening outside.
It wasn’t until it was time to deliver the dress to Princess Huayang that she learned the princess had moved back into the palace.
She had also summoned Wei Minlan, Princess Yongjia, and Bai Jingran—the granddaughter of Prime Minister Bai—to the palace to keep her company. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
Lin Miaoyi relayed the palace gossip, “Right now, the rumor everywhere is that the new Empress will be either Wei Minlan or Bai Jingran.”
“It’s a sure thing that Bai Jingran will be part of the imperial selection, and everyone says she has the better chance of becoming Empress.
Even if she isn’t chosen as Empress, she’s guaranteed to be one of the four consorts.”
Mu Wan Yun asked, “Why?”
Xiao Tang, having finished her steamed bun, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
“Bai Jingran’s grandfather is Prime Minister Bai, who was the late Emperor’s Imperial Tutor.
Her father is currently a minister in the cabinet, and they say that when Prime Minister Bai retires, her father will be the next Prime Minister.”
Mu Wan Yun said, “The Wei Family’s power and influence are no less than the Bai Family’s.
Why are Bai Jingran’s chances of becoming Empress considered higher than Wei Minlan’s?”
Xiao Tang said, “Of course, it’s not just about power.
It’s also because of Bai Jingran’s name.”
“After Your Majesty ascended the throne, many people changed their names to avoid the taboo of sharing a character with the Emperor’s given name, Jingxing.
The Bai Family was also going to change Bai Jingran’s name, but Your Majesty himself said there was no need.”
“That single exception for her name shows how highly Your Majesty thinks of Bai Jingran!”
Mu Wan Yun felt a pang of jealousy, but she knew she was in no position to criticize Lu Jingxing.
‘After all,’ she thought, ‘I was the one who failed him first.’
In the afternoon, Mu Wan Yun followed Lin Siming, Zhong Shanggong, Shi Shanggong, and the others to Wuyou Palace.
Wuyou Palace was an exceptionally magnificent residence built by the late Emperor for Princess Huayang.
Princess Huayang was playing a leaf card game with Wei Minlan and three other ladies.
Hearing that someone from the Palace Bureau had arrived to deliver the dress, Princess Huayang’s interest was piqued.
She smiled.
“Did that woman who looks just like Mu Wanruo really manage to make an ‘iridescent black’ dress?”
At the mention of Mu Wanruo’s name, Bai Jingran’s brow twitched, and her hand trembled slightly.
Mu Wan Yun entered and curtsied.
Princess Huayang raised a hand.
“You may rise.
But let me be clear: if your dress isn’t up to par, I will still have your head.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” Mu Wan Yun replied.
“I must ask Your Highness to step into the garden to view it.”
Princess Huayang frowned.
“Do I have to go outside to look at a dress?”
The moment she stepped out of the palace doors, Princess Huayang froze.
She stared at the dress on the rack, which glittered in the light.
It was a deep, dark gray-blue, but under the sun, it shone with a dazzling brilliance, like the night sky full of stars.
Mu Wan Yun stepped forward.
“Your Highness, would you like to try it on?”
“Yes!”
Mu Wan Yun and Lin Siming took the dress down and handed it to one of Princess Huayang’s palace maids.
Bai Jingran studied Mu Wan Yun’s face, a sense of panic rising within her.
‘Is she really not Mu Wanruo?
If she were just the daughter of a concubine, how could they look so alike?
How could their faces be absolutely identical!’
‘No.
Better to kill a thousand innocents than to let a single guilty one escape!’
‘I will never let Mu Wanruo take the position of Empress from me!’