Chapter 45
At noon, Shen You was browsing food delivery apps, still undecided between several restaurants she wanted to try, when her phone received a payment notification from the auction company – the proceeds after commission deduction.
It matched her previous calculations closely, however she hadn’t expected the payment to arrive so quickly, considering the contract stated three business days.
Sure enough, Jiang He sent a message, tactfully explaining that she had urged the finance department to settle this payment first.
Shen You naturally didn’t reject her goodwill, and so chatted briefly with her before ending the conversation.
Then after receiving her food delivery and closing the door again, she opened the [Great Qi] antique shop.
That afternoon, her regular customer Miss Zhao arrived with an elegantly refined lady.
“Mother, look, I wasn’t lying! There really is a shop here that sells Western Region items!”
Miss Zhao looked excitedly at the courtyard before her – she had finally gotten inside!
When she came a few days ago, she saw the “temporarily closed” sign, and later the shop had completely disappeared. She felt like half her world had collapsed.
Those beautiful hairpins, the lip rouge and face powder that made all the noble ladies and wives in the capital envious – none of it could be purchased anymore.
Her makeup and styling at the last banquet had even attracted His Highness the Crown Prince’s attention.
What’s more countless people had tried to imitate her look, but without the same cosmetics, how could they possibly replicate it?
Every time she thought of this, she felt immensely pleased. However, when a consort in the palace also asked about the rouge, she had no choice but to reluctantly gift an unused box of rouge and a bottle of perfume she had been saving.
She could only come to buy more.
Madam Zhao, however, looked around warily. It was indeed as her daughter had described.
None of the accompanying maids and servants could enter with them.
“You are the precious daughter of a distinguished marquis household, invaluable and noble. How can you casually come to such a strange place? What if something goes wrong…”
“Mother, nothing will happen. I’ve been here twice already.” Zhao Wanyi held Madam Zhao’s arm reassuringly.
“Where is the shopkeeper then? Why isn’t he coming out to greet us?” Madam Zhao put on airs.
Zhao Wanyi whispered, “The shopkeeper of this establishment is just like this.”
Madam Zhao paused, unable to accept such cold treatment for a moment. However thinking of the items her daughter had brought home, she reluctantly entered on her own.
“Miss Zhao has arrived.” Shen You remained seated at the counter without moving.
Zhao Wanyi was accustomed to this.
When she saw the “temporarily closed” sign, she had sent servants to knock on the door repeatedly, but they couldn’t get it open. She knew there was no dealing with the people in this shop, so she had accepted it.
Madam Zhao, visiting for the first time, couldn’t adapt to this. She was a county princess who had lived her entire life surrounded by attendants. So having herself stand while a merchant woman sat created such a bizarre scene that her mind couldn’t process it for quite some time.
However, she was soon captivated by the items in the shop.
“Do you still have lip rouge and face powder? And those perfumes?” Zhao Wanyi had just finished asking when she noticed the bracelets displayed on the shelf, along with two pink crystal petal hairpins.
“I want this one!”
What beautiful bracelets – one displayed an overall pink color with very artistic natural patterns. While the other showed an ocean-like blue color, with what appeared to be starlight flickering inside when rotated.
Even the imperial palace had never seen such precious bracelets.
“I still have two boxes of what you mentioned, but these two bracelets are… quite expensive.” Shen You deliberately hesitated.
Zhao Wanyi laughed dismissively and said arrogantly, “There’s nothing in the capital I can’t afford.”
Perfect! This was exactly what she was waiting to hear.
Shen You knew well that when items became too common, they lost their value, so she planned to sell only these two pieces – which meant she could definitely charge a high price.
“I want fire-proof cloth, jewelry worth a thousand taels, plus one precious ornamental piece, and one palace-minted silver ingot.”
Zhao Wanyi’s expression changed completely the moment she heard this.
The marquis household possessed everything else mentioned, but fire-proof cloth? This was absurd. Even the Emperor was reluctant to wear it!
She had heard that someone presented two bolts of it last year, but even the most favored imperial consort in the palace couldn’t obtain any, and was actually punished by being made to kneel before the hall for her request.
If it weren’t for the presentation of those two bolts, no one would believe that fire-proof cloth really existed in the world, as the method of its creation had long been lost.
Ancient texts recorded that fire-proof cloth remained unburned by flames, only turning red-hot. What’s more stains on the cloth wouldn’t change its color, and when removed from fire and shaken out, it would become even whiter and cleaner than snow.
Everyone said that this was clothing worn by immortals. Since His Majesty was obsessed with alchemy and seeking immortality, even if such material could still be found in the world, who would dare privately possess it?
Keep it today, and the entire family would be finished tomorrow.
Madam Zhao panicked. “How dare you! You actually covet imperial…”
Shen You had no patience for this lecture and directly interrupted with her technique:
“I assumed fire-proof cloth was just something rather valuable in your realm.”
Her casual, understated tone, as if fire-proof cloth was easily obtainable, completely overwhelmed the mental processing of the two people facing her.
When traveling abroad, one’s persona was self-constructed. Actually, Shen You was internally shocked at this moment as well. She had just been casually researching information about expensive ancient fabrics that day.
She had accidentally come across records about fire-proof cloth. She never expected Great Qi to actually possess it!
If she could obtain this item, the entire collecting world would go mad.
“Since you don’t have fire-proof cloth, then substitute it with the most expensive fabric in your household.”
Zhao Wanyi hadn’t yet recovered from her earlier shock, but Madam Zhao had already detected something unusual in Shen You’s tone. Moreover, ordinary people wouldn’t even know about fire-proof cloth.
So she asked cautiously, “Young lady, have you seen fire-proof cloth before?”
Shen You shook her head without answering, only saying, “After you bring the items, I need to confirm they’re worth this price before I’ll complete the transaction.”
In Madam Zhao’s eyes now, Shen You’s image had become linked with that of a worldly expert, so she didn’t continue questioning.
“Very well, we’ll go prepare everything immediately.” Zhao Wanyi agreed at once.
With Madam Zhao’s years of experience, she could naturally see how precious those two bracelets were. Presenting one to the palace would bring great benefits to their marquis household.
The items the shopkeeper requested were well within the marquis household’s means.
Madam Zhao personally returned to the estate to prepare what Shen You had requested. When they returned, both she and Zhao Wanyi personally carried the items.
“These fabrics were bestowed by the palace – only five bolts total are given out per year, and they’re worth their weight in gold outside.”
Zhao Wanyi held her head high, but seeing Shen You’s composed demeanor and remembering her calm tone when mentioning fire-proof cloth earlier, she restrained her own arrogance subconsciously.
Shen You examined the items arranged on the table. The two embroidered fabric bolts were much superior to what she had purchased in the shop previously. These should be items specially supplied to the nobility.
She had seen plenty of jewelry and ornamental pieces, and while they were valuable, they didn’t particularly impress her. What was worth collecting was that silver ingot.
It was crafted in a ten-tael specification, shaped like a koi fish, with “Fortune and Prosperity” characters impressed on it.
This item wasn’t even used as currency – it was bestowed by the palace as an auspicious token, rarer than standard silver ingots.
Great households really possessed abundant fine items.
“How is it?” Zhao Wanyi’s eyes remained fixed on the two bracelets in the box.
“Acceptable. You may take your items.” Shen You nodded.
Zhao Wanyi took her purchases happily, and the moment she left the shop, she couldn’t wait to put them on her hands.
Madam Zhao once again instructed her people not to reveal that they had come to this shop to buy things. Those who accompanied them were longtime trusted servants with sealed lips, but this shop was too strange. Word getting out might bring trouble to the Zhao family.
The last time she sent lip rouge to the palace, she had even had someone repackage it in an ordinary box before letting her daughter take it inside.