[Chapter 1: My, What a Bustle]
The 14th year of the Dali era, Spring, Chang’an’s West Market.
The air was a thick mixture of the toasted aroma of Hu flatbreads, the cloyingly sweet scent of spice shops, and the fragrance of freshly brewed spring wine wafting from some unknown tavern.
In this most bustling of marketplaces, Yunyi Workshop was in a state of total chaos.
At this moment, the shop was so crowded one could barely turn around, all because of the Great Silk Competition between the East and West Markets scheduled for tomorrow.
“Make way, make way! Mind your feet!” Da Chun, a shop hand, shouldered a heavy bolt of dark-patterned satin, struggling to weave through the crowd.
“Oh, look at this luster, this thickness!” A well-dressed woman reached out to touch it, exclaiming in wonder, “This fabric would be perfect for a spring *beizi* jacket or a paneled skirt!”
Behind the counter, the manager of Yunyi Workshop, Shen Nianyi, snapped her ledger shut with a *clack*. She looked up, her almond-shaped eyes bright. “You have a keen eye, Madam. This is a newly arrived tribute satin pattern from Jiangnan. It looks substantial, yet it feels smooth and cool against the skin—absolutely ideal for spring garments. Da Chun, be careful! Don’t let the edges snag!”
Before her voice had even faded, her gaze shifted toward the door, her voice clear and ringing. “A Man! Where is that embroidered trim I sent you to fetch? The sun is already high in the sky; did you think you were traveling to the Western Heavens to fetch scriptures?”
With a crisp jingle of bells, a figure swept inside.
She was a striking Hu girl, her deep brown curls braided with gold thread and her emerald-green eyes shimmering like twin ponds.
“I’m here, I’m here! Stop hounding me,” A Man said, tossing a parcel onto the counter. “That shop that exclusively supplies the palace’s threads is acting so high and mighty. They deliberately held up the order, insisting I settle last month’s bill first.”
Shen Nianyi grabbed the parcel, her fingertips nimbly picking apart the ties. she shook out the shimmering gold trim to inspect it closely. Once satisfied, she let out a sigh of relief and tightly rolled the trim together with a semi-finished garment tucked under the counter.
Having done this, she began clacking away at her abacus, not even looking up. “Let them be arrogant. Once we take the top prize at the Great Silk Competition tomorrow, our fabrics will become tribute goods. We’ll see how they try to put on airs then!”
As she recorded the accounts, a regular customer leaned in to tease her. “Manager Shen, if you really become a royal merchant, you mustn’t hike your prices too much in the future!”
A woman nearby picking out fabric chimed in. “If you ask me, Manager Shen is the youngest manager in the West Market. When Old Master Shen fell ill three years ago, she was only sixteen, wasn’t she? And yet she managed to keep this shop standing.”
Shen Nianyi looked up from her ledger, her eyes curving into crescents. “Auntie Liu, please stop the praise. If my father heard you, he’d say my tail was wagging in the clouds!”
Her hands continued to fly across the abacus as she spoke in a crisp voice. “Don’t you two worry. No matter how far Yunyi Workshop goes, we’ll always remember that we are here because our neighbors supported us. Tribute goods or not, our best fabrics will always go to our own people first!”
Suddenly remembering something, she called out toward the back room, “Xiao Ya! Hurry and hang that newly dyed bolt of ‘Rain Over Azure Sky’ in a prominent spot by the door. Let everyone passing by have a look!”
She turned back to the two ladies with a smile. “This color took immense effort. It had to be dipped, dyed, and dried seven or eight times to achieve this shade.”
As she spoke, Shen Nianyi took a neatly folded sample cloth from a brocade box beneath the counter. With a flick of her wrist, she smoothed it out on the counter before the two women. “Look closely at this sample, ladies. This hue and texture—doesn’t it look exactly like the moment the clouds break to reveal the azure sky?”
Auntie Liu squinted at it, unable to resist stroking the fabric. “Oh, it’s so soft, too.”
Shen Nianyi nodded with a smile, then looked at Madam Wang. “This color suits you best, Madam. Imagine a high-waisted paneled skirt paired with a silver-dusted gauze wrap. Walking in it would be like carrying a piece of the clear sky with you—perfect for the season.”
Madam Wang’s eyes sparkled with affection for the cloth. “The color is indeed elegant. I’ll reserve it then. However, I still need to go to the East Market to buy a few things today. I’ll come to collect it tomorrow after the Silk Competition.”
As the two women left chatting and laughing, the bustle of the morning market gradually subsided.
Da Chun wiped his sweat and leaned against the counter. “Good heavens, there were so many people this morning I almost got squashed into a Hu flatbread.”
A Man, who was tidying a shelf that had been knocked messy, laughed at his words. “You should learn from Xiao Ya. She’s quiet and steady, but she gets just as much work done.”
Xiao Ya, who was organizing bolts of cloth by the door, turned back and gave a shy smile when she heard her name mentioned, her hands carefully smoothing out wrinkles in the fabric.
“Everyone’s worked hard!” Shen Nianyi closed her ledger, a hint of pride between her brows. “All this interest is because of the word we put out—that we’re debuting the ‘Cloud-Dream Neon-Glow Brocade’ at the competition. That’s what brought everyone here to scout us out.”
She stepped out from behind the counter and clapped her hands. “Once the big event is settled tomorrow, we’ll go to the best tavern in the West Market. I’ll treat you all to roasted mutton and sesame flatbreads—all you can eat!”
Da Chun immediately perked up. “Manager, you have to keep your word!”
A Man’s eyes lit up too. “I want to order three servings of glazed carved fruit!”
Even Xiao Ya stopped her work and happily made a gesture of agreement.
Right then—
“Oh my, Manager Shen, it’s quite lively in here.”
Manager Sun from the neighboring Caiyun Pavilion strolled in, waving a folding fan, his round face creased with a forced smile. “So many customers first thing in the morning; it really is enviable.”
The laughter in the shop died down instantly.
Da Chun straightened his back, A Man stopped smiling and lowered her head to organize fabric, and Xiao Ya silently retreated to the inner room.
This was because, while Manager Sun seemed polite on the surface, everyone knew he couldn’t stand to see others do well. He specialized in dropping by to pour cold water on people when they were happy.
Shen Nianyi forced a smile. “Manager Sun, you flatter us. We’re just a small establishment; our neighbors are just being kind. But did you come all this way just to say that?”
“I’m just here to give you a friendly warning!”
Manager Sun leaned in, lowering his voice. “I just came from the East Market, and let me tell you, it’s something else! Madam Chen of Jinxiu Workshop has really gone all out this time! I heard she got hold of some secret dye from overseas. The brocade she’s woven shimmers with seven colors in the sunlight. It’s called… called ‘Feather-Robe Brocade’!”
The shop fell silent for a moment. Da Chun and A Man pricked up their ears.
Shen Nianyi thought to herself: *Seven-colored shimmer? Does she think she’s woven a literal rainbow? Who is she trying to fool?*
Outwardly, she let out a scoff. “Manager Sun, which storyteller did you hear that nonsense from? It’s completely far-fetched.”
Manager Sun raised his voice. “Hey, I’m acting out of the goodness of my heart! Madam Chen of Jinxiu Workshop said herself that once she wins the Silk Competition, her shop will take the lion’s share of the palace’s silk procurement for the next three years! She also said… she said that certain upstarts in the West Market only know how to use vulgar colors that aren’t fit for a grand stage!”
The shop went deathly quiet.
Several walk-in customers turned their heads in unison. The ruler in Da Chun’s hand hit the floor with a *clatter*, and A Man gripped a piece of Shu brocade she had just pulled out.
The smile on Shen Nianyi’s face froze.
She hated that word—upstart—more than anything. When she took over the shop three years ago, the established old shops had mocked her both openly and secretly, saying the Shen family had just gotten lucky and that a sixteen-year-old girl wouldn’t last three months.
*Bang!*
Shen Nianyi slammed her hand onto the counter, her almond eyes wide with fury. “Manager Sun, why don’t you try calling me an upstart one more time?”
Manager Sun shrunk back, though the smirk remained on his face. “Now, now, I didn’t make it up! Those were Madam Chen’s own words! She said that for Manager Shen, being good at making money isn’t enough; this trade requires seniority and prestige…”
“What kind of rubbish are you talking!” A Man rolled up her sleeves, looking ready to pounce.
“Wait!” Shen Nianyi suddenly loosened her clenched fists, her eyes darting thoughtfully.
She walked up to Manager Sun, tilting her head as she inspected his sleeve. “Manager Sun, you’ve been wearing this outfit for at least two years, haven’t you? Look, the cuffs are pilling!”
She turned and grabbed a bolt of Hangzhou silk, handing it over with a saccharine sweet smile. “We have some new stock that would suit you perfectly! There’s even a discount if you buy now. It’s much more practical than spending your whole day sniffing around for gossip!”
Da Chun couldn’t help but snicker behind her, and A Man caught on, chiming in, “Exactly, Manager Sun really needs a change of clothes!”
Manager Sun’s face flushed between red and white. He huffed, “Ungrateful! We’ll see how you fare tomorrow!” With that, he squeezed his way out of the crowd in embarrassment.
“Good riddance!” A Man spat at his retreating back.
The smile vanished from Shen Nianyi’s face instantly. She turned to look at her staff. “You all heard that? Feather-Robe Brocade? Upstarts?”
She took a deep breath, walked to the center of the shop, and pointed at the masterpiece covered carefully with a thick cloth on the display rack—the Cloud-Dream Neon-Glow Brocade.
“A Man, go to the backyard and wipe down that high elm-wood carved table. Bring it here and cover it with that plain white Yue silk we’ve been keeping at the bottom of the chest. Place the pair of bronze incense burners on the corners and fill them with fresh Ruinao incense!”
“Da Chun, guard the entrance. No unauthorized persons—especially anyone from the East Market—are allowed near this brocade!”
Her voice was clear and carried a sharp edge of determination.
“Tomorrow, I want everyone at their best! Let those jealous fools see clearly that our silk from the West Market’s Yunyi Workshop doesn’t rely on a name passed down from ancestors, but on real skill and a real eye for beauty! We’ll let all of Chang’an know that our silk is a hundred times better than those old fossils’!”
The customers still picking fabric in the shop all laughed at this.
One regular, an older woman, teased, “Well said, Manager Shen! The silk in our West Market is much more honest than that in the East!”
The workshop was instantly filled with a joyous atmosphere, the unpleasantness from moments ago having long since evaporated.