He had changed into a cyan-green round-collar robe, cinched at the waist with a black leather belt adorned with bronze plaques. Though the fabric was ordinary, it could not conceal his tall, lean frame, reminiscent of pine and bamboo.
Carrying a small food box, a leisurely smile gracing his face, he sauntered in.
The shop instantly fell so quiet that the camel bells from the street outside could be heard clearly.
Auntie Liu and the others, who had been examining fabrics, all froze mid-action. Three pairs of eyes widened into perfect circles, exchanging meaningful glances, their corners of their mouths uncontrollably twitching upward—this promised more entertainment than the latest military farce newly staged in Pingkang Ward!
Da Chun’s cleaning cloth slipped from his hand with a plop into the water bucket, while A Man choked on her own saliva, coughing uncontrollably as she failed to catch her breath.
Xiao Ya reacted the fastest, darting forward to close the shop door, only to be gently blocked by Pei Yanshu with the food box.
“Why close the door in broad daylight?” he said with a cheerful smile, though his gaze remained fixed on Shen Nianyi. “Is Manager Shen not welcoming customers?”
Shen Nianyi looked at the troublemaker before her, then at the eager, gossip-hungry eyes of everyone in the shop, feeling a vein throb at her temple.
“To what do we owe the honor of Young Master Pei’s visit?”
Pei Yanshu raised the food box in his hand. “I caused Manager Shen quite a fright yesterday, so I’ve specially brought some almond curd to apologize. It’s from that time-honored shop at the south gate of Pingkang Ward.”
At these words, Auntie Liu and the others grew even more excited, pinching each other’s arms—almond curd! And from the most famous shop in Pingkang Ward! If this wasn’t deliberate flattery, what was?
Seeing his feigned, pretentious demeanor and recalling the gossip she had just heard from the neighbors, Shen Nianyi felt a surge of both fresh and old grievances.
She forced a stiff smile. “Young Master Pei is too kind. Our humble establishment cannot accept such a generous gift. If this is about yesterday’s robe, Cloud Silk Atelier will compensate you at its full price.”
Pei Yanshu walked up to the counter, his peach-blossom eyes curving into crescents. “Manager Shen is indeed straightforward!”
He leisurely pulled a piece of paper from his sleeve and gently placed it on the counter.
His previously relaxed expression faded slightly, replaced by a touch of solemn sorrow. “Manager Shen, let’s speak plainly. That moon-white robe from yesterday, though seemingly plain and simple, was in fact the last garment my late mother sewed with her own hands before her passing. It has been… a personal keepsake of mine for over a decade.”
A keepsake from his late mother?!
Auntie Liu and the others were astonished; they had never heard him speak of treasuring an old garment so deeply!
“Now that this keepsake has been stained with ink, it is as good as ruined.”
Pei Yanshu sighed softly, his fingertip lightly tapping the paper. “This is the appraisal certificate stamped by the master craftsman back then, with an attached valuation slip issued last month by Huichang Pawnshop, the largest in the East Market. I won’t ask for more; just compensate me according to the amount on this slip.”
Hah.
As expected, after all this circling, it still came down to money.
Shen Nianyi mentally calculated—the Hangzhou silk fabric of that robe was worth fifteen taels at most. Adding the tailoring, twenty taels would be the absolute ceiling.
Fine. Consider it feeding a dog. The priority was to get this harbinger of misfortune out of here as quickly as possible.
“Alright,” she agreed readily, reaching out to take the paper. “I’ll compensate you. How much? I’ll have my assistant fetch the silver right away.”
She unfolded the certificate carelessly, her eyes scanning down the page—
Three thousand taels?!
Shen Nianyi’s vision darkened, her body swayed, and she quickly grabbed the counter to steady herself.
She snapped her head up, her voice cracking: “Pei Yanshu! Are you insane, or am I?! What kind of robe could possibly be worth three thousand taels?! This is outright robbery!”
“Silk from the Western Regions’ ice silkworms, with a three-year hand-embroidered hidden pattern by a Jiangnan embroiderer, and two Eastern Sea pearls adorning the cuffs. Black ink on white paper, stamped with Huichang Firm’s red seal. If Manager Shen doesn’t believe it, I can fetch the appraiser right now to verify it on the spot?”
Da Chun, standing nearby, felt his legs go weak at the mention of three thousand taels! Even if they sold the entire Cloud Silk Atelier—people and goods included—they couldn’t scrape together that amount!
Shen Nianyi clutched the piece of paper that felt light as a feather yet weighed as heavily as a thousand pounds, her fingertips trembling uncontrollably.
She had seen clearly yesterday—the robe’s fabric was fine, but it was definitely not some so-called Western Regions ice silkworm silk, let alone Eastern Sea pearls!
Yet this scoundrel had even prepared proof, clearly coming prepared…
Pei Yanshu watched her face instantly pale, then leaned in close, whispering in a voice only the two of them could hear: “Of course, if Manager Shen truly can’t afford to pay… I do have a compromise.”
He straightened up and, under the tense gazes of everyone present, declared loudly: “These three thousand taels will count as my investment in Cloud Silk Atelier. From today onward, I, Pei Six, am half-owner of this shop.”
“What?!” Even Auntie Liu, who had been watching the commotion, exclaimed in shock.
A Man was the first to jump up: “Don’t even think about it!”
But Pei Yanshu paid no mind, merely smiling as he looked at Shen Nianyi, his peach-blossom eyes gleaming with determination: “Manager Shen, choose. Pay three thousand taels now, or… let me become this shareholder?”
The shop fell dead silent.
Da Chun and A Man stared, dumbfounded.
Shen Nianyi clutched the exorbitant bill, shaking with rage.
This scoundrel was clearly extorting her! Seeking revenge! Deliberately making trouble for her!
Just as she was about to erupt, she saw Pei Yanshu gently press down on her hand holding the proof with his folding fan.
“Manager Shen, don’t be so quick to anger,” he said, lowering his voice with an almost coaxing intimacy. “Look, yesterday you publicly told me to get lost, humiliating me in front of everyone. This matter can’t just be dropped, can it?”
Shen Nianyi felt a surge of anger stuck in her chest: “You!”
“What about me?” He straightened up, his fan snapping open to cover half his face, revealing only a pair of smiling eyes. His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for the eavesdropping Auntie Liu and others to hear clearly: “I’m not particularly virtuous, but I do hold grudges and cling to people.”
He closed his fan and pointed it at Shen Nianyi, his tone lighthearted: “You told me to get lost, but I refuse. Not only will I not leave, I’m going to stick to you.”
He glanced around, meeting the stunned expressions of the onlookers, his smile growing even brighter: “Three thousand taels—you definitely can’t pay. Report me to the authorities? That’s fine too. I happen to have plenty of free time. I’ll camp outside the capital magistrate’s office every day, telling everyone that Manager Shen refuses to repay her debts and has… abandoned me after leading me on.”
“What nonsense are you spouting!” Shen Nianyi’s face flushed red with anger.
“See, you’re being mean to me again,” Pei Yanshu sighed with feigned grievance before switching back to his lazy smile. “So, I’ve thought of a perfect solution for you.”
He took a step forward, almost pressing against the counter, staring straight at Shen Nianyi as he enunciated each word clearly: “These three thousand taels will count as my investment. From today onward, I, Pei Yanshu, am part of your Cloud Silk Atelier.”
He paused, as if remembering something, and added: “Of course, if you insist on me offering myself in marriage, that’s not entirely out of the question… though it might make you seem a bit too eager.”
“Pfft—”
That really made someone spit out their drink.
A Man and Da Chun gaped, looking like two ducks with their necks pinched.
This… this person’s face must be made from the corner of a city wall, right?!
Shen Nianyi was so enraged by his twisted logic and coercive tactics that her vision darkened. She pointed at him, stammering “you” for a long time, unable to form a complete sentence.
This scoundrel! This shameless rogue! This sticky toffee that clings and won’t let go!
Pei Yanshu smiled contentedly at her flushed, speechless face and announced on his own, “It seems Manager Shen has acquiesced. Brother Da Chun, would you be so kind as to fetch me a chair? I’ll be sitting here from now on.”
Leaning against the counter, he smiled and fanned himself at the room full of petrified people:
“Neighbors, I look forward to your support in the future.”
In the workshop at the rear courtyard of Brocade Splendor Atelier, silk threads cascaded like waterfalls as looms clattered rhythmically.
Chen Wanqing—the helm of Brocade Splendor Atelier—picked up a newly arrived bundle of Huzhou raw silk and examined it carefully against the light.
Today, she wore a dark brown lianzhu duilu patterned damask long skirt, over which she draped a light gold half-sleeved jacket. In her hair was only a single rhinoceros horn comb, a stark contrast to her dazzling appearance at the silk competition, now exuding the composed and restrained demeanor of a managing lady.
Her trusted confidante, Granny Zhou, hurried over and whispered, “Madam Chen, three silk shops in the East Market want to distribute our silk on commission. They’re open to negotiation on the percentage.”
A confident smile curled at the corner of Chen Wanqing’s lips, radiating control over the situation. “Tell them we can’t even keep up with the palace orders. Let them wait.” She set down the raw silk and asked casually, “What about the West Market?”
Granny Zhou immediately wore an expression caught between laughter and tears. “Cloud Silk Atelier’s business has slowed down, but… but the rumors outside are getting ugly! They’re saying we sent people to bump into Manager Shen and splashed ink on her during the silk competition, claiming our win wasn’t honorable!”
Chen Wanqing raised an eyebrow, her face full of righteous indignation. “Nonsense! Brocade Splendor Atelier won fair and square. Why would we resort to such tricks?”
Granny Zhou leaned closer, lowering her voice further. “But Madam, those three workers really were arranged by us…”
“Shh!” Chen Wanqing quickly hushed her, glancing around before lowering her own voice with a hint of exasperation. “Keep it down! Can we admit to this?”
She straightened her sleeves, trying to regain her composure, but a shadow flickered in her eyes.
This Shen Nianyi, and that long-deceased Master Shen—they were nothing but a thorn in her side!
Seeing her gloomy expression, Granny Zhou cautiously asked, “Madam, are you still upset about what happened three years ago?”
Chen Wanqing snorted coldly. “How could I not be? Back then, when Old Man Shen fell gravely ill, everyone in the West Market said Cloud Silk Atelier was finished. I even had a price in mind for the inventory in their warehouse. And then what?”
The more she spoke, the angrier she became, her voice rising unconsciously. “That sixteen-year-old brat actually managed to keep the shop afloat and even lured away a few of our regular customers!”
This was nothing short of a slap in the face to Chen Wanqing!
Having managed Brocade Splendor Atelier for over a decade, she prided herself on her seniority, connections, and skills. How could some upstart’s daughter steal her market share and spotlight?
What gnawed at her even more was that during the last palace procurement, a female official from the Imperial Wardrobe Bureau had privately praised the elegant dyeing of Cloud Silk Atelier’s “Sky After Rain” color. Somehow, this remark had found its way to her ears.
Granny Zhou immediately chimed in with righteous indignation:
“Hmph! That’s right! That’s exactly what should be done! That little brat doesn’t know her place—she deserves a harsh lesson! So what if others say we’re despicable? So what if they say our reputation is bad? No matter how bad our reputation is, could it possibly be worse than Shen Nianyi’s? Her affair with Pei Liulang is the real joke. If we’re talking about having a bad reputation, hers is far worse than ours!”
“What nonsense are you spouting!” Chen Wanqing quickly scolded. “What do you mean ‘we’? Those three workers slipped on their own—what does that have to do with us? Remember that!”
But as she spoke, she couldn’t help finding it amusing herself. Covering her face, her shoulders trembled slightly with suppressed laughter. “Still, you’re right. Shen Nianyi is now the biggest joke in Chang’an. Getting involved with that good-for-nothing Pei Liulang—that reputation of hers is probably beyond saving!”
Seeing this, Granny Zhou held back her own laughter and chimed in, “Exactly, exactly! What we did is… what’s it called again? Upholding justice!”
“Upholding justice, my foot!” Chen Wanqing scoffed lightly, though her eyes were full of smugness. “What we did was… going with the flow! Yes, going with the flow!”
The more she thought about it, the more she felt this phrase was perfect. She paced around, waving her round fan. “Think about it—if we hadn’t gone with the flow, would Shen Nianyi have had the chance to get close to Pei Liulang? If we hadn’t ‘gone with the flow,’ would Chang’an have such an entertaining joke to laugh at?”
Granny Zhou quickly flattered, “You’re absolutely right, Madam! We’ve actually done a great deed! We’ve helped bring about a wonderful match!”
“A wonderful match?” Chen Wanqing covered her mouth with her fan and laughed. “I’m afraid when Old Master Pei hears this news, he’ll be so angry he’ll smash his teacup again. But…”
Suddenly, she put away her smile and said seriously, “All this gossip aside, we mustn’t forget the real business. Keep a close eye on Cloud Silk Atelier. See what moves they make next, especially where they source their dyes! I want to see what new tricks Shen Nianyi can come up with after taking such a big fall.”
In Chang’an’s silk business, there can only be one top player—and that’s her Chen Wanqing’s Brocade Emporium!
“Yes, Madam,” Granny Zhou quickly bowed in acknowledgment, though she couldn’t help thinking to herself: Her mistress’s ability to deceive herself was truly becoming more and more refined. Clearly, it was deliberate sabotage, yet she insisted on calling it “going with the flow.”
But… she dared not say that out loud.