Yutai Bi

Chapter 186 Winter Solstice
Cen Sanniang smiled and said: "Madam has good eyesight. This is not silk floss, but it is as thin and warm as silk floss. A piece of silk floss is made of ordinary cloth and costs three or four taels of silver. A piece of silk floss with fine embroidery and fine fabric is available in the brocade workshop." It needs to be sold for more than two or thirty taels of silver. A small jacket like this is made of high-quality satin and embroidered with flowers. If it only sells for five taels of silver, does Madam think there is a market for it?"

Mrs. Xu laughed: "I don't know how the cost compares to Si Mian?"

Cen Sanniang thought for a while and said, "Not counting the fabric, just counting the material of a jacket, it's less than two renminbi."

"So cheap?" Mrs. Xu was a little surprised.

Cen Sanniang said sincerely: "Although we can get [-]% of the shares in Jinzhifang, the Duke's Mansion cannot rely entirely on the sky. There is no shop in the mansion, so I want to borrow Brocadefang to consign. I wonder if Madam is willing to help with this?"

Mrs. Xu looked at her and sighed secretly.Five taels of silver for a jacket, five embroiderers rushed to make it, but only produced two to three pieces a day, and one hundred pieces a month, which was only 500 taels of silver.Excluding the cost of labor, earn 400 taels of silver.Winter jackets are only sold for one season.The 5000% stake in the brocade workshop is just an argument. What the prince means is that no matter how much profit the brocade workshop makes, it will send 3000 taels of silver to the Duke's Mansion every year.Why did she bother to earn those two or three thousand taels of silver.

"Young Madam, the concubine has to take it back for a test before I can return to you." Madam Xu didn't know much about the fluffy little jacket.She only knew that as long as Cen Sanniang was short of money, even if the brocade workshop had bought [-] pieces and hoarded them, she would continue.

Cen Sanniang's face lit up: "It's natural. Most of this winter is over, but it's just trying to sell. I thought that ordinary people can't afford fine silk cotton jackets, so they can buy this kind of down jackets. Jinzhifang They sell high-end clothes, and they want to sell this kind to ordinary people. If it works, Mingdong can recruit more embroiderers to make a large number of them."

Mrs. Xu put the jacket into her bag with a smile, asked the little girl who came to carry it, and took out another 5000 taels of silver note from her sleeve: "The profit of the brocade workshop this year is not bad. The accounts are settled twice a year. .This is [-]% of the profit at the end of the year, the young lady will keep it."

Cen Sanniang was not polite.Du Yansui has done so many things for King Teng.If you don't accept money, you have to help, why not accept it?She accepted it with a smile: "Ma'am, I'm sorry."

Mrs. Xu got up and said goodbye and went back.Pick up three small jackets and look closely.Disassembled one by hand.The outside is made of dark purple satin with clusters of flowers, and the inside is a layer of tightly woven fine Gebu.A corner that was removed revealed a white and light down feather.She rubbed it with her hands and looked at it carefully, and took a light breath, and the down feathers fluttered.

"What a clever Cen Sanniang, it's a pity that as long as someone buys one piece and disassembles it, it can be imitated. After all, it's still younger." Mrs. Xu sighed softly, and sewed it up as it was with a needle and thread.I kept one for myself to wear, and gave the other two to the girls who served me, and said: "I changed your silk cotton jackets, and try wearing this one to see if it keeps warm and is comfortable to wear."

"Your servant understands." Brocade Pavilion tried on new ready-to-wear, and Chang first tried it on himself.The girls went back to the room and changed without saying a word.

After three days, Mrs. Xu came to the door in person and brought a contract.The general content is that the jacket made by the Duke's Mansion will be consigned to the Brocade Pavilion for sale.The fabrics are provided by Brocade Pavilion, and each style is made into large, medium and small sizes.The price is set by the Brocade Pavilion, and after deducting the cost of the fabric, the Brocade Pavilion will take [-]% of the price.Cen Sanniang signed without hesitation.Turning around, I asked Mr. Du to find a duck farmer and signed an exclusive agreement for the supply of down.

Mrs. Xu was about to remind her, but Cen Sanniang smiled and said, "Madam should already know what I use instead of silk floss. Don't worry about the materials. The large duck farmers near Chang'an have signed an exclusive supply agreement."

Mrs. Xu just laughed.Although Cen Sanniang is young, she already has the awareness of doing business.After thinking for a while, he said: "The Brocade Pavilion receives goods in many places, why not order me to go down and collect them for you, and send them along with the goods from the Brocade Pavilion."

Cen Sanniang was overjoyed: "Thank you so much."

This girl, doesn't she know that she is short of money, so how can the prince just sit idly by.Mrs. Xu sighed again when she remembered that year she was sent by the prince to open a shop in Longzhou just for Cen Sanniang.

As soon as Mrs. Xu left, Cen Sanniang thought of the Zou family.Brocade Pavilion, which only deals in fabrics and garments, is a small company, while the Zou family is a comprehensive business group.Thinking of Yan Wan who had gone home, she pursed her lips and smiled.It's inconvenient to visit Zou's house while serving Daxiao.She wrote a letter with a pen, called Mr. Du, and took the post to Zou's house.

Director Du came back with a letter, which he said was written by Zou Dalang himself.

Cen Sanniang deliberately refused to dismantle it, and went to find Du Yanwan: "I was thinking about collecting duck down only in Chang'an. If they imitate it and collect it in other places, they will steal our business. Thinking that Zou's business is all over the country, I asked them to buy it in Chang'an." The branches in various places bought it on their behalf, and returned to Chang'an with the shipment of the Zou family. This saves travel expenses, and is not afraid that others will collect large quantities of duck down to make jackets. The Zou family wrote back, and I don't know if they agree. Take a look."

Hearing that it was the Zou family, Du Yanwan hesitated a bit: "Sister-in-law is in charge of this matter."

Cen Sanniang said solemnly: "Yan Wan, you can't give up halfway. Since you participated, there is no reason to quit halfway. I am in good health, and I want to make winter clothes for your brother. How can I have time?"

Du Yanwan had no choice but to accept the letter and opened it to read.

Cen Sanniang stretched her neck and watched from the side, Zou Dalang agreed immediately, and would ship it back when he collected a certain amount, and went with his family's caravan, it didn't cost much, just money.Seeing the last sentence of the letter: "...Ms. Du returned home safely, I am very relieved. I hope my wife persuades me that the deceased is already dead, so don't be sad for long." Puffy laughed out loud.

"Sister-in-law!" Du Yanwan quickly accepted the letter, and said with a stern face, "Who is he to me? Why should I ask in the letter! Sister-in-law can't tell him again. This... what kind of talk is this!"

Cen Sanniang nodded like a chicken pecking rice: "I see. Yeah, it's been almost a month. I don't know if your brother has a letter. I'll go and tell the manager." Turned around and left.

Du Yanwan looked at her back, glanced at the letter in her hand, and murmured: "It's a good handwriting!"

It has been almost a month since Du Yansui left.No news.Cen Sanniang was so busy that she had nothing to do, she unconsciously remembered the dream when she was ill.I hurriedly made a down jacket, and specially sewed a layer of cooked cowhide in on the chest.The package was handed over to Hei Qi: "I know that my husband told you to stay, and I was afraid that something might happen to the mansion. But now that the second girl is back, the Duke's mansion is closed to live. But there is no news from the man. Hurry up alone, Hurry up to Jiangnan Road, send some clothes, and inquire about the news by the way."

This live black seven didn't complain at all, he took the burden and set off: "Young Madam, don't worry, I will come back as soon as possible."

Hei Qi was sent away, and the winter solstice was just around the corner.

The winter solstice is a big festival, comparable to the New Year.The ancients said that the winter solstice is: the arrival of the cathode, the beginning of Yang Qi, the arrival of the south, the arrival of the shortest day, and the arrival of the longest shadow, so it is called "winter solstice".After the winter solstice, the days will become longer and the nights will be shorter.After the winter solstice, it will be the coldest period of the year.

On the day of the winter solstice, it seems that Zhongqiu pays attention to the family reunion.Everyone in the family gets together to make dumplings and stew mutton and dog soup.

The mansion was not short of envoys of money, Cen Sanniang ordered to buy four sheep, stew them in a big pot, and the whole family drank soup and ate dumplings.

The palace is no exception.The emperor summoned all the clansmen, concubines, and princes and princesses in Chang'an for a winter solstice banquet.

Empress Cui sat next to the emperor, wearing a yellow gown embroidered with di bird, luan and phoenix, and a flower crown of nine trees and nine dies.The long skirt resembles the tail feathers of a di bird, spreading lightly on the ground, as beautiful as a nine-day fairy.

She raised her chin slightly, proudly looking down at the concubines who bowed and bowed to her.All the concubines are unwilling to dress more brightly and luxuriously than the queen.Among the concubines, the queen saw Wu Zhaoyi at a glance, and she couldn't restrain her hatred in her heart.

Wu Zhaoyi did not wear court clothes.Wearing a red peony embroidered satin shirt with large sleeves.The edges of the blossoming peony petals are embroidered with gold and silver thread, and the skirt and cuffs are trimmed with black fox fur.The same color skirt with a low cut and waist, revealing a creamy breast.Wearing a high bun, one of the bright yellow big Dui Sagong flowers is matched with two buds.The long chain hung down to her ears, and after kowtowing, she got up, and the dazzling light swayed gently on her cheeks, with a softness in her beauty.

Empress Cui looked at the emperor subconsciously, and saw that his face was full of surprise, and that gaze met Wu Zhaoyi's.Empress Cui's heart was instantly sour, as if she had chewed a green apricot.Since she was a child, she has been a beautiful girl in the mouth of her family. How is she worse than Wu Zhaoyi?In the eyes of the emperor, he regarded himself as a piece of wood.The well-dressed makeup didn't even get him the slightest admiration.

The emperor called Pingshen, gave him a seat, and opened the table.

The palace music started, and a group of maiko danced to add to the fun.

The mutton soup that came was lukewarm.Seats were placed on the concubine's table at the back, and patches of cold oil even condensed on the surface of the soup.Palace banquets have always been like this.Before the concubines come to the banquet, they will eat something on their own.

In addition to the mutton soup, there is also a small pot with charcoal fire on the table for the empress, where mutton scorpions are boiled.After drinking with his concubines, Gaozong said softly to Hu Gonggong: "Give this pot to Zhaoyi."

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the emperor did not hesitate to dote on Wu Zhaoyi.Empress Cui was furious, and she saw Cen Meiren sitting behind: "Your Majesty, today is a family feast. I've been tired of watching the dances performed by maikos in the palace. There are many concubines who are proficient in this way. You have been doing it for a long time. I haven’t enjoyed it before, how about asking the concubines to perform dances for fun?”

(End of this chapter)