The Book of Later Han lavishly praised Chengdu’s Shu brocade, noting that “the handiwork of women clothes the entire realm”—describing how everyone under heaven could wear Shu brocade during the Han dynasty. The business was truly prosperous.
During the Three Kingdoms period, when Shu Han sought to establish a tripartite rule with Wei and Wu, Prime Minister Zhuge Liang declared, “Now that our people are poor and the state coffers empty, we must rely on brocade alone for our war funds.” To this end, Zhuge Liang personally planted eight hundred mulberry trees to encourage people to cultivate silkworms—the state was impoverished, and everyone needed to weave and sell brocade to fund their campaign for supremacy.
From then on, mulberry fields became ubiquitous in Shu territory, and sericulture became a defining feature of the landscape.
In the early Tang dynasty, official salaries weren’t paid in silver but in silk fabrics and rice. Of course, it’s difficult for us now to imagine paying for a bag of rice or a chicken not with money, but by tearing off half or one chi of fabric. However, at that time, brocade was, in a sense, money.
Yizhou Prefecture had countless silk workshops, dye houses, and weaving facilities, forming a complete industrial chain through various specialized collaborations.
The Zhao family was a major brocade producer, owning over two thousand looms and thousands of weavers. Like all major brocade households, they had shops in Yizhou Prefecture, Jiangnan, and Chang’an. Their silk and brocade products were sold worldwide, westward along the Silk Road, and southward across the oceans through merchants.
As a major brocade household, the Zhao family owned mulberry groves and fields, along with their own silk workshops and dye houses. When their own silk production couldn’t meet demand, they purchased from neighboring workshops and various prefectures throughout the Jiannan Circuit.
Every spring and summer, the queue of people carrying silk to sell to the Zhao family would stretch from their purchasing shop to the banks of Huanhua Stream.
That’s how wealthy the Zhao family was.
Though the Huanhua Dye House was famous in Yizhou Prefecture for several unique silk thread colors, it remained a lower-middle-tier small dye house. They earned their silver from dyeing silk and cloth. The raw silk and fabrics were provided by merchant customers. If they ruined the dyeing, they had to compensate the full amount plus interest.
The Ji family had invested all their capital in dyes. Their profits came from what remained after deducting the costs of dyes and labor.
The difference between the Zhao and Ji families was like comparing someone who earned ten million taels to someone who earned one hundred thousand.
Ji Yaoting and Ji Yingying were extremely close siblings. He knew something of his sister’s childhood friendship and mutual affection with Second Young Master Zhao. If his sister could marry into the Zhao family, it would be a fortunate match above their station.
Zhao Xiuyuan was the eldest legitimate son. According to current customs, legitimate sons began learning painting at age three and started practicing family brocade-weaving techniques on personally crafted small looms at age five. He was qualified to compete with other legitimate sons for the position of family head and inheritance.
If Huanhua Dye House were a large operation with hundreds of workers, it could have been an asset to Zhao Xiuyuan. But given their current circumstances, why would the Zhao family look favorably upon a daughter-in-law from a small dye house? Unless they offered the Ji family’s secret formula as dowry, allowing the Zhao family to monopolize the supply of the finest Shu red silk.
That was impossible.
So Ji Yaoting shook his head as he walked. He held no hope for his sister’s marriage prospects with Zhao Xiuyuan.
Ji Yaoting stepped into the Zhao family’s silk shop in the city.
“Oh my, Young Master Ji has arrived!” The shopkeeper emerged from behind the counter with a broad smile. “I heard you’re approaching your happy day—are you looking for new fabric?”
This was indeed Ji Yaoting’s pretense, and he cupped his hands in greeting: “Thank you for your trouble, Old Shopkeeper. Please come drink a cup of wedding wine when the time comes.”
“Certainly, certainly. This way, please.” The old shopkeeper led Ji Yaoting to an inner room, personally brewed tea, and called for apprentices to bring out newly stocked fabric samples.
“The auspicious ‘Many Sons’ small floral pattern red brocade that Young Master Ji ordered last year will be completed in two months. These new pieces have extremely favorable meanings, perfect for wearing during happy occasions.”
Ji Yaoting slowly browsed through them, pretending to consider the shopkeeper’s recommendations, then asked in a low voice, “Is Second Young Master not at the shop today? I wanted to ask him to help design a pattern for rush-ordering some fabric.”
Seeing the shopkeeper’s confusion, Ji Yaoting lowered his voice further and said sheepishly, “Women’s fabric.”
The shopkeeper suddenly understood, praising Ji Yaoting’s thoughtfulness: “Having such a considerate husband is Young Lady Zhang’s fortune! But I’m afraid this might delay your happy occasion. To be honest, our young masters have recently been confined by the Old Master, busy preparing for the brocade competition on the ninth of the tenth month. I’m afraid they won’t have time. After the ninth, the Second Young Master can help you with the design, but it would be too late for weaving.”
A skilled weaver could only produce two inches of brocade per day. One piece took four to five months at the fastest, or up to a year or several years to complete.
Ji Yaoting smiled, “Could I see him if I went to the mansion now? If we have the design, we should be able to weave some handkerchiefs in time.”
The shopkeeper considered Ji Yaoting’s request to see Zhao Xiuyuan and replied, “This humble one cannot say for certain. Young Master Ji might as well inquire at the mansion.”
After selecting pieces of fabric for his mother and sister, Ji Yaoting took his leave.
He could fulfill his duty by returning home to tell Ji Yingying that Second Young Master Zhao was busy preparing for the brocade competition and couldn’t go out. However, his sister’s attitude made Ji Yaoting hesitate to return home.
He wanted to gauge Zhao Xiuyuan’s intentions. His sister was sixteen now, and since her coming-of-age ceremony, several families of equal status had proposed marriage. Another family had come just days ago. Their mother understood her daughter’s feelings and was willing to wait for the Zhao family. If Second Young Master Zhao couldn’t marry Yingying, their mother could arrange her marriage sooner.
Having made up his mind, Ji Yaoting bought four types of pastries and headed to the Zhao mansion across the street.
The Zhao family’s business was substantial, having started weaving brocade centuries ago. As generations of descendants multiplied, the ancestral home expanded sideways. Over time, the Zhao clan’s main and branch families came to occupy an entire deep locust tree lane.
Some generation of the Zhao family, after winning the title of Brocade King, had built a tall entrance gate at the lane’s mouth. Looking in from the gate, one could see a deep alley formed by two stone walls. Ancient trees grew thick behind the walls, partially concealing countless white walls and black tiles. Locals had come to refer to Locust Tree Lane by the Zhao family gate instead.
Every time Ji Yaoting visited the Zhao family gate, he was struck by the vast difference in status between their families. Compared to the Zhao clan’s compound spanning hundreds of mu, the Ji family was just a small household with three courtyards and a dye house in the back.
Carrying the pastries, he walked into the lane. After two hundred paces, he finally reached the main entrance of the family head’s residence.
Two imposing man-high stone lions flanked the black-lacquered main gate, exuding magnificence. Years of standing guard had given them an ancient air.
A side door stood open, with two servants sitting on a bench keeping watch.
Ji Yaoting was familiar to them for delivering goods and collecting payment for the Ji family. Seeing him arrive with pastries for a visit, they invited him to rest in the gatehouse while one went to announce him.
Soon word returned that the lady of the house would receive him.
Entering the front courtyard, a servant led him to sit in the flower hall. Shortly after, Ji Yaoting heard laughter. He stood as Madam Zhao Shen entered with her maids and servants.
“Young Master Ji need not stand on ceremony, please sit,” said Madam Zhao Shen, who was in her early forties and wore a deep red brocade with woven peony patterns. The peonies were in full bloom, their petals outlined in gold thread. As she moved, the flowers were particularly dazzling. This type of fabric was known as “gilding the lily,” adding embroidered beauty to already magnificent brocade.
Not all brocade-weaving families could wear such finery. Ji Yaoting himself owned only a few brocade garments. He and Ji Yingying mostly wore cotton silk clothing, with some light fabric for everyday wear. Glancing at the well-dressed matron beside Madam Zhao Shen, he noticed her blue floral brocade was similar to the blue lotus brocade his mother had recently started wearing. Once again, he was struck by the Zhao family’s luxury.
After presenting his gift and taking a seat, he said, “A few days ago, your household manager ordered ten jin of bright red silk and twenty jin of Huanhua silk from our dye house, saying it was urgently needed within ten days. The dye house has checked inventory, and one type of dye isn’t of the highest quality. Mother specifically asked me to seek Madam’s opinion about extending the deadline by one day.”
“Our families are neighbors and long-term business partners. A one-day delay is no matter,” Madam Zhao Shen replied with a spring-like smile, showing no sign of difficulty.
Ji Yaoting naturally expressed great gratitude and then seized the opportunity to request a meeting with Zhao Xiuyuan.
“It’s not that I won’t allow Second Young Master to receive guests. The Old Master has confined all his sons to prepare for the brocade competition in the tenth month. By the way, I heard Young Master Ji is getting married at year’s end. Has Young Miss Ji, being sixteen now, found a match?”
Madam Zhao Shen’s expression was full of curiosity as if making casual conversation.
Ji Yaoting understood the Zhao family’s position.