Upon hearing this, Shopkeeper Wu feared that the great young master might change his mind again. Without much consideration, he busily excused himself to borrow pen, ink, paper, and inkstone from the innkeeper.
Only Wang Yongzhu and Ninth Young Master Lee remained in the room.
The door of the private room was open, with Ninth Young Master Lee’s young servant standing at the doorway. The noisy sounds from the hall below drifted up, making the silence in the private room even more awkward.
Ninth Young Master Lee cleared his throat and, after several thoughts swirling in his mind, finally spoke, "Miss Wang’s personal dyeing technique and her recipe truly leave me in awe! Especially the dyed valves—truly a work of ingenious craftsmanship! When those few pieces were sent to the Capital City, they were immediately presented to the palace."
"After this fabric entered the palace, there were noble patrons who failed to recognize its value, thinking that it was not silk and would demean their status if worn! However, it was Consort De, who was still Consort De Pin at the time, who was the most virtuous and genteel and took a liking to this fabric. She claimed both pieces for her own palace—the dresses made from them shone bright at the palace feast and even earned a compliment from the current Emperor..."
Listening to Ninth Young Master Lee’s words, Wang Yongzhu finally understood that it was Consort De who appreciated the fabric she had dyed.
In Ninth Young Master’s account, Consort De was not only beautiful but also possessed exemplary character and compassion. He said that, as a palace consort blessed with imperial favor, she was already extremely fortunate.
To her surprise, upon entering the palace, she found the expenses to be extravagantly lavish, with everyone, high and low, dressed in silk and satin. Specially, those silken garments lost their color unevenly with a single wash, and after two washes, they looked unsightly and had to be remade—truly a waste.
Since discovering that the fabric dyed by Wang Yongzhu didn’t fade, Consort De took the lead in her palace; from top to bottom, everyone wore cotton clothes. This was not only cost-saving but also practical since the cotton garments were warm and thick in winter, and in summer, they were sweat-absorbing and breathable.
Moreover, with colors that remained bright and beautiful even after several washes—while other consorts thought wearing cotton lowered their status, the chamberlains and palace maids started to follow the trend of wearing cotton clothes.
The Lee Family, with the help of Consort De’s influence, successfully included their fabric in the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ purchasing list.
Then, by the end of the season, the expenditure on the clothing of chamberlains and palace maids was nearly halved.
This news reached the Emperor, who was greatly pleased. Not only did he promote Consort De Pin to Consort De, but he also entrusted her with the management of palace affairs.
Consort De suddenly became the most favored and most powerful consort in the palace.
She even eclipsed the previous Noble Consort and Consort Xian.
With Consort De’s favor, what was trendy at the top soon became a trend among the ladies of the Capital City—dressing in clothes made from Auspicious Fabric.
After hearing this, Wang Yongzhu had a clear understanding in her heart. As long as Consort De remained favored, the Auspicious Fabric would likely stand firm.
And the most crucial factor was Wang Yongzhu’s dyeing recipe.
Leaving other matters aside, in order to connect with Consort De, the Auspicious Dye Workshop must produce even more unprecedented colors to borrow Consort De’s influence.
Otherwise, with the sudden rise of the Auspicious Dye Workshop, other dye workshops—especially those silk fabric merchants—were probably seething with envy at this moment.
If the Auspicious Dye Workshop made a single misstep, these merchants would pounce and swallow it whole.
With this in mind, Wang Yongzhu felt more at ease. The current situation, after all, was more to her advantage.
For she was the one in control of the technology. Without the Auspicious Dye Workshop, Wang Yongzhu wouldn’t lose much, but the Lee Family would certainly suffer!
Thinking of this, Wang Yongzhu couldn’t help but give Ninth Young Master Lee another glance. This eldest young master had made a very arrogant entrance, looking down on everyone. Then there was a moment of foolishness as he fought over a teacup with her and ended up splashed with tea all across his face, which probably sobered him up? After changing his clothes, he became unexpectedly accommodating.
This time, he had easily divulged information that the Lee Family had desperately wanted to keep secret. Wasn’t this giving her an opportunity to challenge the Lee Family?
Based on the Lee Family’s past behavior, they would have never shared such disadvantageous information with her, lest she blackmail them.
Yet with Ninth Young Master Lee’s unpredictable actions, Wang Yongzhu really couldn’t figure him out.
After pondering for a moment, Wang Yongzhu directly asked, "Why tell me all this? Ninth Young Master must know that by telling me this information, I am now qualified to challenge the Lee Family and the Auspicious Dye Workshop. As long as I have the dyeing recipe, I could make some excessive demands, and it is likely that the Auspicious Dye Workshop would have to agree to them. Ninth Young Master’s actions seem self-defeating, so why do it?"
"Because you..." Ninth Young Master Lee had the words on the tip of his tongue, but he twisted them around: "Because of your craftsmanship! Since we are to cooperate, we must be honest. Miss Wang can come up with strategies for the future of Auspicious Fabric without any personal agenda! How could I, Lee, be so petty?"
"Moreover, I know that Miss Wang is of high moral integrity and would absolutely not stoop to such petty behavior!"
Ninth Young Master Lee spoke with finality, and Wang Yongzhu felt a twinge of guilt. Although she was a principled person, what if there was a temptation she couldn’t resist? Well, cough cough...
However, Ninth Young Master Lee’s flattery was indeed quite pleasing, and Wang Yongzhu’s expression softened a bit. She felt that although Ninth Young Master Lee was not her type, he did say very pleasing things.
Noticing that Wang Yongzhu’s expression had relaxed, a weight lifted off Ninth Young Master Lee’s heart.
He was not foolish, in fact, he was very intelligent. From a young age, following his birth father around everywhere, reading people’s expressions had practically become second nature to him.
Otherwise, as the youngest son of the Lee Family and a son by concubine, how could he have received his father’s attention and trust to manage all of Qingzhou Prefecture’s business?
Of course, it was because Lee Changnan was known to have the capability.
Therefore, after the cold tea had spilled on him, Ninth Young Master Lee had immediately regained his composure, and although he still felt somewhat unexplainable when seeing the Wang Family Young Lady again, he would not foolishly repeat such an embarrassing incident.
He knew the role that the Auspicious Dye Workshop played for the Lee Family at present and could feel the substantial help that Wang Yongzhu’s suggestions provided for both Auspicious Fabric and the Lee Family.
What is needed in business? It’s about seizing an opportunity and not letting go!
Once Ninth Young Master Lee perceived an opportunity, he naturally intended to grasp it firmly.
Moreover, he quickly realized that to have a pleasant and long-term cooperation with someone like Wang Yongzhu, who had an exceptional business acumen, he had to be sincere and lay out his family’s earnestness.
After all, there are no impervious walls under the heavens, not to mention, those archenemies would be more than happy to cause trouble for the Lee Family by telling Wang Yongzhu themselves.
Once Wang Yongzhu became alienated from both the Auspicious Dye Workshop and the Lee Family, it was quite possible that the Auspicious Dye Workshop would face imminent danger.
Ninth Young Master Lee made his decision promptly, and now, it seemed that his decision could not have been more correct.
He distinctly felt Wang Yongzhu’s relaxation, and there was none of the wariness and dislike she had shown upon first entering the room.