"After this incident, Tan 'er will feel better. Let's … consummate our marriage …"
In the rainy night, Su Tan 'er choked out these words. Not long after, Ning Yi nodded.
"Uh … cough, I didn't mean that, but …" He smiled. "En."
Her words were drowned in the curtain of rain in the middle of the night. When the breeze blew in, the candlelight swayed. It took a lot of courage for Su Tan 'er to express herself like this. She lay there in silence for a while. Originally, a large part of her illness was due to psychological factors. After saying this, the pressure in her heart would probably be reduced a lot. But after a moment, perhaps because of something, she bit her lower lip gently.
"If … if this incident can't be resolved, will Husband … will Husband …"
"Will he do what?"
"Will he …" Su Tan 'er was a little embarrassed. Then she finally shook her head. "Forget it, I won't say it."
"Spoilsport …" Ning Yi looked at her and thought for a while. Then he probably guessed some of her thoughts. He shook his head. "I'm not saying this for the Su family. Whether it can be resolved or not, it's between us. Anyway, let's just leave it like this … and it's actually easy to resolve this incident."
Su Tan 'er nodded. She looked a little relaxed. After a moment, she smiled awkwardly because of the second half of Ning Yi's sentence. "This incident … Husband doesn't know …"
"He knows." Ning Yi looked back and said, "I've roughly checked the accounts for the past three years. The Su family's foundation is still stable. No matter who the opponent is, it's true that they're vicious after stabbing someone in the back. However, the only thing that matters is not the customer's side. The Su family's business is spread all over the country. No one will really talk about the character of the boss in Jiangning before entering the shop. The effect is nothing more than the closer partners and suppliers. The Su family will be shaken in this aspect. But compared to this method, it won't have much effect. With the foundation of the Su family, it's difficult to directly collapse because of some links. At most, they will lose a small part. The real effect is mainly in the vicinity of Jiangning. In the near future, the biggest impact will be on the imperial business. After the incident is confirmed, the government will consider the relationship with the reputation and not cooperate with the Su family … "
"It's the royal merchant …" Su Tan 'er murmured.
"So … the most important thing is to solve the imperial business."
"Husband doesn't understand …" She looked into the bed and repeated in a low voice, not letting Ning Yi see her expression. Ning Yi sighed. He took out the piece of cloth and put it in her hand. "Don't understand the imperial business, or don't you understand this piece of cloth?"
Su Tan 'er turned back and looked at the cloth in her hand. Then she looked at Ning Yi. "Husband … already knows?"
"To be honest, I'm not very clear," Ning Yi shook his head. "Xing 'er is a little embarrassed. It's not easy for her to say it, so I didn't force her."
Su Tan 'er held the piece of cloth in her hand and looked at it for a while. Occasionally, she looked to the side and thought about something. When she looked at Ning Yi again, there was a slight smile on her face, but her eyes looked sad. Obviously, she often looked like she was about to cry when she thought about this, or she had secretly cried more than once. "Husband, I can't be the imperial business anymore … I've been thinking about this for three years.
"Husband, I can't be an imperial merchant anymore … I've been thinking about this since three years ago. I secretly prepared it for three years. It's such a beautiful color. I thought it would definitely be done well, but in the end, it turned out like this … It's like we were tricked by someone. We didn't add Tue Huang, but used a new method. We used cinnabar, madder, alum, gardenia … This is definitely a recipe that no one has used before. Two months ago, I thought it would shock everyone when I took it out, but in the end … in the end, it …"
She sniffed and bit her lip. Ning Yi thought for a while. "When did the color start to fade?"
"Almost two months ago. I don't know why." Su Tan 'er shook her head. "After it was made, we tried many things. Sunbathing, roasting, and washing it with water over and over again. Nothing happened, and it was still so beautiful. There should be no problem at all, but in the end … it faded. I don't know what to do. After Father collapsed, the other side finally couldn't help but say that it might not be able to solve it. I asked them to continue trying, but I also know that there's no other way …"
"This kind of color is very difficult to mix. There are very few materials that use yellow. If the formula is slightly wrong, the color will be very different. We don't know where to adjust it. It's on the formula that we found by accident. There's a bright yellow color …" She paused for a moment, tears in her eyes. "There's no other way. Husband … we can't get it …"
The weaving industry had developed for so many years. In fact, it had its own method to determine the color fastness in modern times. However, there was obviously a problem with the formula that Su Tan 'er found. Perhaps it was some kind of chemical reaction that produced the bright yellow color. Of course, with his current knowledge of chemistry, he definitely couldn't solve this problem from a technical level.
Su Tan 'er wasn't someone who would easily admit defeat. However, when three years of hard work was judged to be meaningless in the end, she suddenly lost hope for the imperial merchants. Coupled with the combination of fatigue, pressure, and cold, it was no longer strange that she suddenly collapsed. This was the state of mind of a person. One moment, you were at the peak. Even if your father collapsed, as long as you could get the imperial merchants, the crisis would naturally be over. The next moment, you realized that you had no bargaining chips. When you were suddenly knocked down from the peak, everything would explode even more violently.
However, at this time, Ning Yi was still looking at the piece of cloth with great interest. He picked it up from Su Tan 'er's hand. "Isn't there still the improvement on the loom? I saw that you withdrew money from the account … "
"I can't change much. It was originally prepared to deal with the imperial merchants. However, in this aspect, a lot of money has to be invested, and the profit isn't much. If I only get the Chinese New Year's coins, it will be a burden. The weaving bureau will only treat people as coolies … "
"This is enough. In the end, we still have to solve the imperial merchants …"
"But it can't be solved … Husband …" Su Tan 'er said. Then, she was stunned. She looked at Ning Yi's expression that wasn't affected by her. "Hmm?"
"It may be difficult to get, but it doesn't mean that it can't be solved." Ning Yi smiled. "There is a solution to not fading, and there is also a solution to fading. As for how to use it, I still have to think about it …"
Su Tan 'er thought for a moment. "Husband … could it be that you want to say that fading is good? No way … "
After all, she was a smart person. She knew that sometimes, things could be done through words and propaganda. Ning Yi was also known as a gifted scholar. She thought that he wanted to promote fading as a characteristic of the cloth. This could work under certain circumstances, but in this case, it was just making a fool out of the imperial family. Ning Yi shook his head. "That's not the way to do it. There are still some things that I'm not clear about. The main thing is that the officials from the weaving bureau are involved in the imperial merchants. Each family wants to fight for the imperial merchants' bargaining chips. What exactly have we done? To what extent have we improved the loom … If you still have the energy, you can tell me now. I'll tell you the solution later, but … "
He looked down at the piece of cloth. "The imperial merchants are the key to this matter. No matter who our opponents are, whether they show up or not, we can use this to lure them out and capture them all. So, no matter what, we still have to fight for the imperial merchants … "
*****
"… Why? Because we have the ability! "
In the morning, it was still raining. In the room in the courtyard next door used for discussions, Ning Yi was talking to a group of shopkeepers and stewards. To be honest, this was the first time he spoke in such a high-profile manner in a 'formal' setting since he came to the Su family. However, the green robe and silk scarf still looked presentable. It seemed that he did indeed have the demeanor of someone who was in danger. At least … he seemed to be trying his best.
At this moment, he was holding a fan and knocking it, looking around.
"… Settle the imperial merchants' matter, the schemes of the clowns outside, and the various discussions in our family will all be settled once and for all. As for who is watching us from the inside and outside, we don't need to worry about it. Someone else will take care of this matter. The Grand Elder Guild will take care of this matter while we do our own thing, stabilize the situation, and obtain the imperial merchant's share by hook or by crook. "
"So, in the next month or so, I will take over this matter. Of course, I know I have no experience in this area. I will discuss the important matters with Tan'Er. The shopkeepers are more experienced in this area than I am. When the time comes, I will ask for your guidance. I hope that Manager Liao and everyone else can teach me … "
Ning Yi cupped his fists respectfully and then smiled.
"However, we will start to open up the imperial merchants' matter. I'm a scholar, so I've never come into contact with the business world. However, there are some things that are common in this world, and I understand the simple rules. For example, last year during Chinese New Year, I guessed something and casually said something to help the He family settle the business. Hehe … So, I roughly know that there's one thing that's right. "
"Good stuff!" He knocked the folding fan on the table and enunciated each word clearly. "It must be good stuff! It will be everywhere! "
"Just like us scholars, talented people will shine wherever we go. Others will always know about us. So, when we have to sell ourselves, we don't need to be low-key. Manager Liao and Shopkeeper Nie have recently taken over the business with the leaders of the weaving bureau. We have made it clear, and everyone knows about it. However, I feel that it is not enough … "
"We only made it clear that we want to take the imperial merchants' position. The Xue family and the Wu Family have seen it, but we did not make our chips clear. I hope that from now on, whether it is when you are treating people to a meal or discussing the next step of the business, you can clearly tell others that we have been preparing for this for several years! We will not fight a battle that we are not confident of winning! We already have the best cloth! This is strength, and no one can match up to it! "
"Nowadays, the situation between Great Wu and Great Liao is very tense. There will definitely be problems with the Chinese New Year coins and friction. Every time there is such a change, it is a business opportunity. In the past … it was like the Xue family and the Wu Family. They treated the imperial merchants' business as a dangerous path, but when they saw that the situation was about to change and that we were about to fight for it, they wanted to fight for it. But we are different. We have been preparing for this for several years, and now we can tell everyone! "
"Just tell them about the Xue family, the Wu Family, and us. Although we can't put all our chips on the table for the time being, we can publicize it like this. Let everyone know that we came prepared. Let the leaders of the weaving bureau know that we are the best and most well-prepared. We already have the method to improve the loom, and the efficiency will increase a lot. We can guarantee that it will not affect our business or the imperial merchants. We have the best cloth … Oh, next is something that needs to be kept secret, but I think we can show it to everyone. Juan'er, bring the box over. "
The little maid Juan'er, who was standing at the side, nodded. She turned around and placed a box on the table. Ning Yi stretched out his hand and pressed on the box, "I repeat, please keep what you see next a secret … Of course, everyone here is a member of the Su family, and you know these things better than me. Ah, I have said too much …"
After saying that, he slowly opened the rectangular box with a smile, and a bright yellow silk appeared in front of everyone's eyes. When a few of them frowned in surprise, Ning Yi generously pushed it forward, then picked up a knife, and somewhat clumsily cut off a section.
It was still raining, and the door was closed. Ning Yi's voice came from inside.
"Fire-resistant … washable … sun-resistant … color-resistant … we made the finished product two months ago … I wanted to keep a low profile, but with the current situation, I don't think there's any other way … Once this is done, all the problems will be solved … Who has such good cloth? This color … Why are you all panicking? With this color, if the imperial merchants don't belong to us, then who does it belong to … Although I am a scholar, I know this will definitely work. It's not us asking those lords, but those lords coming to beg us … Oh, don't say this out loud, but in short … if we have benefits, they will also have benefits. Their benefits are even greater than ours, it's obvious … Alright, in the next month, I will complete this matter with everyone … "
The rain was still falling. In the bedroom, Su Tan'er looked at the curtain of rain and looked in the direction of the room in the neighboring courtyard. She seemed to be able to hear something, but naturally, it was only the sound of the rain. Xiaochan entered the room and chatted with her by the bedside. After a while, she said, "I wonder what Husband is like now …"
"Just now, Sister Xing'er came over and said that the son-in-law was talking, and that he was very impressive. Those shopkeepers were all convinced by the son-in-law's words. Hmm, the son-in-law's words make sense … "
"Hmm, really …" Su Tan'er smiled, imagining what those "very reasonable" words would sound like. Not long after, the discussion over there ended, and the sound of the shopkeepers leaving could be heard. Of course, it was only the sound of their footsteps and movement. If she could go out at this time, she would probably be able to hear some whispers of the shopkeepers in the rain.
"That's really a scholar's view …"
"Some of it does make sense …"
"It's not that simple."
"But … that cloth is really …"
"There's no other way. Old Master and Second Miss have both collapsed. Some things can only be handled by the son-in-law. As long as he watches from the side and doesn't point fingers, there will be no big problems …"
"The son-in-law is a smart person, he still knows some things …"
"But after all, he's just a scholar. The business world is too complicated …"
Such discussions gradually faded away and disappeared in the rain. Ning Yi returned to the small building and clapped his hands. He stood by the window and watched the figures of these people leaving in the rain. Then, he turned around and went downstairs to see the sick Su Tan'er.
Another day passed. When Su Tan'er's high fever gradually subsided, Ning Yi also began to take her place. Every day, he drove the carriage out of the mansion and imitated Su Tan'er's previous behavior. He began to "point fingers" at the Su family's business with the attitude of a diligent and naive young man …
*****
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