Madam Ji turned back into her room. Her dowry servants, Matron Li and Matron Ji, immediately stood like door gods at the entrance. Matron Ji trembled with anger. Back in Chang’an at the Xu family, even imperial clan members had come seeking to marry their young lady. Now they had to swallow their pride before a merchant family’s young master.
Ji Yaoting felt his mother had made things clear enough and made a gesture of farewell.
Zhao Xiuyuan gave Ji Yaoting a cupped-hand salute and left Ji’s residence with his two attendants.
Outside the Ji family gate, Zhao Ping carefully glanced at him. Zhao Xiuyuan said coolly, “Well done, you’ll get an extra month’s wages.”
Zhao Ping, trying to gauge his master’s thoughts, repeatedly declined: “This worthless one handled things poorly, I dare not accept the young master’s reward.”
“Take it since I’m giving it to you. Watch closely. You know what to do?”
“This servant understands. If any matchmaker comes calling, we’ll turn them away.”
“Do you know how to turn them away?”
If words don’t work, use fists and clubs. Zhao Ping and Zhao An cracked their knuckles, nodding repeatedly.
Zhao Xiuyuan looked back at the Ji family gate, his heart full of sorrow. Ji Yingying, I just wanted an explanation from you. Why did you give that handkerchief to Yang Jingyuan? You dare to do it but not admit it, and even try to fool me with talk of engagement. I spoke so loudly about it—if you had just nodded, I would have found any way possible to make the Niu family agree to give you equal wife status. Yet you remained unmoved. With your personality, if you had agreed, would you still have hidden away?
You must be desperate for me to disappear from your sight, eager to climb the Yang family’s high branch, aren’t you?
I waited for you all night. Even if you had just lit a lamp, I wouldn’t hate you like this. I waited until dawn until I lost all hope. Do you know that?
He had thought she still had feelings for him. He had deliberately gone to see her without washing or grooming himself after a sleepless night. In the past, when he had run to meet her at Zhulin Temple, sweating profusely, she would be overwhelmed with concern. But now… Zhao Xiuyuan felt foolish. He thought he understood Ji Yingying, but now he realized he was the only one who had deep feelings.
Zhao Xiuyuan walked home slowly. His grandfather had been just as mistaken as he was. Ji Yingying was like her mother, unmoved by the Zhao family’s wealth. Her feelings for him weren’t as deep as he had imagined.
He smiled bleakly, his eyes turning cold and heartless: “I was going to offer you a position as an equal wife. I thought you would agree, considering my difficulties. I never intended to demean you as a concubine. Since you’re so heartless, you can be a servant in the Zhao household instead.”
Yizhou City had a Dye House Street. Initially, a small dye house was set up there for convenient access to water. Gradually, it developed into a commercial street. All businesses there were related to dyeing. Everything needed for a dye house could be found there—equipment, furniture, dyes for silk and cloth. Cinnabar from Pengshui, red iron powder from Songzhou, mineral powders, quicklime from Zizhou… specialty products from Jiannan Circuit and neighboring prefectures all had shops there.
At the northern end of Dye House Street stood an old dye shop. Two stone drums flanked its entrance, their bases covered in a layer of green moss. The shop sign in the center read “Gathering of Colors Hall.” On either side, dark sandalwood panels were carved with a couplet. The first line read: “Gosling yellow, duck green, cockscomb purple.” The second line: “Egret white, crow blue, crane-crown red.”
In the early morning, shop assistants removed the wooden door panels one by one, opened the shop, and started dusting and wiping with feather dusters and cloths. Manager Mu, having just finished breakfast, strolled from the back courtyard to the front door, standing in the doorway squinting at the sky. A large patch of pure white clouds gathered above, tinged with the warm orange of the rising sun. He stood with his hands behind his back, in a good mood—another fine day.
“Up early, Manager Mu!” Across the street, Master Chang, who sold dye vats, was carrying ceramic vats out of his shop with his son and called out a cheerful greeting.
“Early rising brings good business!” Manager Mu responded with a smile.
Just then, an ox cart rumbled over the bluestone road and stopped in front of the Gathering of Colors Hall. The cart driver sat on the shaft wearing a straw hat and plain gray hemp clothing. Beside him sat a middle-aged man in a dark gray round-collared deep robe, with thin drooping mustaches—dressed like an accountant.
Manager Mu’s eyes lit up as he called loudly to the shop assistants: “Hurry and unload the goods!” Then he greeted the arrivals with a smile, “Master Jin has come with deliveries? This season’s accounts are ready. Let’s settle them in the back courtyard.”
“You’re too kind, Manager,” Litigation Master Jin cupped his hands in thanks and followed Manager Mu into the shop.
Master Chang glanced casually at them, just as the cart driver lifted his head. Those eyes flashed like a leopard’s, startling Master Chang into quickly lowering his head, thinking this driver looked more like a bodyguard than an ordinary carter. But what did it matter? They were delivering dyes to the Gathering of Colors Hall—it was none of his business. He quickly pushed these thoughts from his mind.
In the side room of the back courtyard, Litigation Master Jin took the main seat while Manager Mu gave him a proper deep bow, then personally washed his hands to prepare tea.
After drinking a bowl of tea, Litigation Master Jin’s whole body relaxed, and he asked in a low voice: “How are things progressing?”
Manager Mu smiled: “Sir, you’ve come at the perfect time. Eldest Young Master Ji is coming to purchase goods today.”
Litigation Master Jin habitually stroked his mustache, saying with satisfaction: “The Ji family excels at dyeing Shu red silk and Huanhua silk. They’ve always bought only top-grade Phoenix Blood cinnabar from Yu County in Pengshui. Phoenix Blood cinnabar is produced in limited quantities, but the master specifically invested heavily in Yu River to secure this year’s supply. We rushed to deliver it. Is the indigo ready?”
“We’ve reserved the finest Parrot Blue for the Ji family. The price is ten percent lower than elsewhere. The Ji family can only get it from the Gathering of Colors Hall.”
Litigation Master Jin relaxed completely, smiling: “I know you’ve worked hard these years. Once we obtain the Ji family’s secret formula, the master will credit you with the primary achievement.”
Manager Mu was extremely excited, lifting his robe to kneel facing south and kowtowing three times. When he rose, however, there was a trace of hesitation: “The Ji family borrowed plain silk from familiar weaving workshops to dye. I didn’t want to alert them, so I had people observe secretly. But they discovered something that worries me—it might ruin the master’s plan.”
“Speak.”
“Those debt notes were quietly bought up by the Zhao family from Sandayan two days ago. The weavers in Sandayan all follow the Zhao family’s lead. The Zhao family offered a hefty sum, and those weavers probably thought the Zhao family had good intentions, so they haven’t mentioned it to the Ji family yet. The Ji family likely doesn’t know that the Zhao family, holding those notes, has become Huanhua Dye House’s largest creditor.”
Many coveted the Ji family’s secret formula. The Zhao family buying those debt notes certainly wasn’t out of kindness. Litigation Master Jin’s eyes flashed with intensity as he shot up from his chair, grinding his teeth: “A vulture dares to compete with wolves for prey! Once we have these dye houses’ secret formulas, the Zhao family will be our next target.”
Manager Mu advised: “Sir, don’t worry too much. The Zhao family wants the formula, but this time they’re not after the formula.”
He then told Litigation Master Jin about the romance between Young Master Zhao and Ji Yingying.
Litigation Master Jin’s expression relaxed: “Secret formulas are passed to sons, not daughters. As long as the Zhao family doesn’t interfere with our business, they’re just adding another noose around the Ji family’s neck. Let’s wait and see.”
Seeing that he didn’t take the Zhao family’s involvement seriously, Manager Mu also relaxed. Their conversation became more casual.
Manager Mu couldn’t help but carefully ask: “This humble one still doesn’t quite understand. The master’s approach costs vast amounts of silver and takes so much time. Wouldn’t it be simpler to just kidnap them and force the information out? How could Madam Ji and her children not fear death?”
Litigation Master Jin shook his head: “We’ve obtained many top-level silk dyeing formulas from Yizhou Prefecture, lacking only the Huanhua Dye House’s Shu red silk and Huanhua silk formulas. When Old Master Ji was alive, he guarded the formula like his life. Madam Ji refused to remarry to protect the formula. The Ji mother and children would rather die than reveal it—what use would killing them serve? The master studies military texts, which say the supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting. The quality of brocade depends on the silk. Once we can dye top-grade silk and weave superior brocade, why worry about recovering the spent silver? I must go now—handle things carefully.”
Manager Mu respectfully agreed.