Film and Television World Life Record

As it is, the scrap cloth piled up in the corner is bound to be damp and dirty.

Now, in one month, the first batch of 220 bolts of shimmering gold brocade ordered by the palace will be delivered.

Although the quantity is small, this is considered the Wu family's signature product. Luo Minzhi has devoted all her energy to weaving techniques and patterns. She is constantly improving and selecting the less aesthetically pleasing parts in order to produce a finished product that will impress people.

Five or six days passed in the blink of an eye, and the young apprentice came to report again: "There's more faded cloth now."

Luo Minzhi had a bad feeling and asked, "Which fabrics faded?"

The young apprentice said, "They're all from the first batch. Except for the ones in the corner, the others are gradually starting to fade."

Luo Minzhi's heart sank, but he didn't show it on his face: "Come with me to take a look."

Upon arriving at the warehouse, the batch that was thrown into a corner had faded even more severely and no longer resembled a bright yellow.

His ominous premonition grew stronger. He went to a shelf where the first batch of fabrics had been stored relatively well. He opened the box and looked inside, his heart sinking even further. The fabrics inside were noticeably faded.

He continued opening the other boxes, and a third of the fabrics showed signs of fading; he remembered these were among the first batches dyed.

Luo Minzhi was filled with suspicion and couldn't guess the reason. Could it be a problem with the formula? Impossible. This was something the Su family had researched for years to develop. On the day of the Imperial Merchants Conference, the Su family also brought this color of cloth. They wouldn't use problematic cloth to compete for the Imperial Merchants Award; that would be playing a trick on the royal family.

Since it's not a problem with the formula, could it be that the formula the Wu family obtained is flawed? That's unlikely. Luo Minzhi also knows a bit about the inside story. In order to steal the formula, the Wu family had more than one mole within the Su family. All the moles stole the same formula, and it's said that the Su family's workshop that made the samples also used this formula.

So, where did the problem lie?

Luo Minzhi thought for a while, looked at the cloth in his hand, and comforted himself: "Perhaps, because this is the first batch of cloth dyed with the formula, the process is not very familiar, and there was a small problem that caused the fading."

He then instructed his apprentice that there were some problems with the first batch of cloth, and that he should not show it to outsiders or make a fuss about it. He should check the situation again in a few days.

A few days later, the apprentice rushed over to report that most of the first batch of fabric had faded, and the second batch was also showing signs of fading.

Luo Minzhi was stunned for a moment, and hurriedly followed his apprentice to the warehouse to check. They opened a box and found that the cloth had indeed faded. They opened another box and found that it had also faded.

Luo Minzhi roared, "Take it apart! Take it all apart..."

As the boxes were opened, most of the first batch of fabric had already faded, and the second batch of fabric also showed signs of fading.

Luo Minzhi stood there blankly, his expression solemn, one hand trembling, staring intently at the open cloth, as if he had seen something terrifying.

His young apprentice called out to him, and Luo Minzhi finally reacted, shouting, "Quickly go and call the master, call the master..."

This kind of thing happened once before in the Su family a few months ago. Su Tan'er also secretly shed tears in front of the faded cloth. As if copied, the same scene began to be reproduced here again.

Not far away at the Wu family's weaving workshop, the weavers were still working enthusiastically, dyeing bolts of bright yellow new cloth...

At this point, there were only twenty days left before the first batch of goods was delivered.

Chapter 610 Jumping up and down

When he received the news, Wu Qilong was drinking and carousing at a brothel. Although it was afternoon and not as lively as in the evening, he was in high spirits because of the success of his series of schemes over the past few days.

In a drunken stupor, a waiter rushed over.

"What did you say? The fabric faded...which fabrics faded?"

Wu Qilong's mind went blank for a moment, then he instantly became much more alert.

The waiter said, "Can Jinjin:..."

Wu Qilong sat up straight: "The golden brocade... is it those piled up in the corner? A few days ago, Luo Shenzhen said that it probably wasn't dyed properly, and it got damp in the corner, causing some fading. I know that."

The man was getting a little impatient and explained the situation in the warehouse with a combination of words and gestures.

Wu Qilong was somewhat incredulous. He understood every word the shopkeeper said, yet he felt like he hadn't. There were only twenty days left until the first batch of goods was delivered, and now the cloth was causing problems.

He was stunned for a moment, then instantly sobered up, and the slight intoxication vanished without a trace.

"What exactly happened? How much of the problem is there?"

The shopkeeper replied, "In response to your question, young master, it was only the scraps that faded a bit, so we didn't pay much attention. But in the past few days, the other fabrics have also started to fade one after another. Luo Shenzhen didn't dare to delay and immediately sent me to find you."

Wu Qilong rubbed his forehead: "Why didn't you say so earlier... Did you try to block the news?"

The young man said, "It's been sealed off. It's been sealed off from the beginning. Only a few people know about it."

Wu Qihao nodded: "The news must be kept secret and not leaked. Take me to see it first."

Although he hadn't seen the cloth, he had a vague feeling that something was wrong. He thought about it for a while but couldn't think of any oversights. After all, it was new cloth, so it was normal for there to be some minor problems.

If anything seems amiss, it's that the Wu family's acquisition of the imperial merchant status came too easily, and their victory came too easily.

The Su family was, after all, a long-established cloth merchant family in Jiangning, and in terms of connections and influence, they were not much inferior to the Wu family. This time, the Su family made a big show of vying for the imperial merchant title, but privately they did not seek out any connections or exhaust any relationships.

This was something the Wu family only realized after they successfully acquired the imperial merchant status.

Under normal circumstances, the Su and Wu families would inevitably engage in a fierce battle, competing in terms of relationships and connections. Even if the two families' fabric colors were the same, as long as they had strong enough connections, it was not impossible for them to turn the tables.

The Wu family had already prepared for this, but they didn't expect the Su family to not use any connections. What should have been a fierce battle ended abruptly, with the Wu family winning too easily.

He hadn't thought much of it before, after all, Su Boyong, the head of the Su family's eldest branch, was bedridden and unable to manage affairs, and Su Tan'er was young and inexperienced, not yet familiar with the family's network of relationships.

Looking back now, I wonder if I've been oversimplifying people.

Lost in thought, the carriage drove towards the workshop. Wu Qilong, somewhat irritated, lifted the curtain, and the sign of a Su family cloth shop came into view. These days, every time he saw the Su family's sign, he felt a surge of pride, proud of his scheme.

Seeing the Su family's sign made me feel uneasy, so I simply lowered the curtain to avoid seeing it and getting annoyed.

"It's impossible for it to have anything to do with them, it's been more than a month..." he thought to himself.

The carriage arrived at the workshop, where workers were still working busily. Bright yellow fabric fluttered in the air, looking vibrant and beautiful, and there seemed to be nothing wrong with it.

When Wu Qilong entered, the workshop foreman hurriedly put down his teacup, adopted a serious expression, and shouted, "Take it easy, be careful! There can't be the slightest problem. This fabric is for the current emperor... If anything goes wrong, you'll lose your heads!"

Wu Qilong suddenly felt a chill creep up his spine, and he quickly realized he dared not think of the worst-case scenario.

He glared fiercely at the manager, then turned into the warehouse next door instead of entering the workshop.

Upon arriving at the warehouse, they found it under tight security. Several senior stewards from the Wu family, including Wu Qilong, were present. These were all veteran members of the Wu family who had been in charge of various processes throughout the entire operation.

Before them lay rows of opened boxes, many of which contained fabrics that had indeed faded.

Wu Qilong felt a chill in his heart: "Uncle Luo, what exactly happened?"

Luo Minzhi shook his head helplessly: "I don't know the reason, but..."

As he spoke, he pointed to a row of boxes containing cloth and said, “Come and take a look. This piece of cloth was made today, and this piece of cloth came out a month ago. The two pieces of cloth are exactly the same, with no signs of fading at all.”

Then, pointing to another batch of cloth, he said, "This batch of cloth was made more than a month and five days ago. Some of it hasn't faded yet, some has shown signs of fading, and some has already faded. It seems to be fading in sequence over time. I just went to see those scrap cloths, and they were almost all in the same situation."

Wu Qilong's mind was a bit of a mess, and after a long while he finally said, "What's the problem? Could there be something wrong with the dye formula?"

Silence fell over the room.

At this moment, Wu Qihao also rushed over and chimed in, "Impossible."

"The Su family has been preparing for the imperial merchant position for several years. It's impossible that they would use a fake formula to cheat us and spend several years setting up a trap. What benefit would that bring them? They would be much better off getting the imperial merchant position themselves."

Wu Qilong said, "We have more than one person stationed in the Su family. It's impossible that we got the wrong prescription. Maybe the Su family hasn't figured it out yet."

Wu Qihao said, "It shouldn't be. The Su family used this kind of cloth on the day of the imperial merchant selection. If there was a problem with their formula, how could they dare to take it out? This is for the royal family. Aren't they afraid of being punished if something goes wrong?"

Wu Qilong said, "Then where is the problem? Could it be that we ourselves have a problem?"

"Uncle Luo!" He turned and said, "Tell the people below to keep the news under wraps. Also, have all the dye masters in the dye shop check the prescription and analyze any potential problems. Perhaps there's a problem with our process, or maybe there's a problem with the materials used. These all need to be checked carefully."

"As for the delivery, there's no rush. My father will communicate more with Lord Dong of the Textile Bureau to postpone the delivery date. The Textile Bureau entrusting the Imperial Merchant to our family is a sign of their trust in us, and they will not sit idly by in the future... Our Wu family has overcome countless difficulties over the decades... I will leave this matter to you uncles."

The brothers Wu Qilong and Wu Qihao walked out of the warehouse. Inside the workshop, the weavers were busy making cloth, as if nothing had happened.

However, if you're striving in the wrong direction, if the foundation is flawed, the more you do, the more mistakes you'll make.

After thinking for a long time, Wu Qihao finally couldn't help but ask, "Brother, could someone be plotting against us in the dark?"

Wu Qilong frowned, shaking his head in confusion: "This shouldn't be! We made every step correctly. We won the competition for the Imperial Merchants, so why is this happening? I can only hope that we made a mistake ourselves, otherwise... then..."

As he spoke, he frowned and remained silent. He could not see any enemies. Before the battle for imperial merchants, the Su family stood at the forefront, while they kept a low profile in the rear, and they had never felt any hostility. After the battle for imperial merchants, as the winners, even if there was some hostility, it had all settled down.

In taking down the imperial merchant, they were like tigers, devouring their prey with lightning speed before it could even resist. The entire process was flawless and smooth, without a single problem. But now he discovered a wound on his body, a fatal wound, a wound inflicted by someone and when, he didn't know.

"Who exactly is it... Su Boyong? Su Tan'er? One of the Su family's shrewd and capable old managers?"

Wu Qilong shook his head: "It doesn't seem like it. This doesn't seem like a scheme they could pull off. If they had this capability, they would already be the largest cloth merchant in Jiangning. Who exactly is plotting against us?"

Wu Qihao said, "Brother, could it be that Xi Junyu has betrayed us?"

Wu Qilong shook his head: "We have more than one inside man, and we got more than one copy of the formula from him. Besides, you overestimate him. He may be capable, but he can't set up a scheme like this."

Wu Qihao sighed softly: "Everything was going smoothly, how could this happen?"

Wu Qilong: "Stop thinking about it. You've already thrown yourself into a panic. Go back and find out the truth first, then we'll talk about it."

……

On the other side, as the weather gradually turned colder and the floods had long since disappeared, Li Mu once again became leisurely.

Every day, I would teach, stroll around the streets, or go to the Qinhuai River to listen to Nie Yunzhu play the zither, drink tea, and discuss the development of Zhuji.

Now, the framework of Hulu Valley has been completed, and some workshops have been set up. The first to be built is the brewing workshop, where some high-proof liquor will be brewed to test market feedback. If it doesn't work, we will join forces with Qingmu Village to sell it to the north.

The second facility built is a soap workshop, which is currently in trial production and selling to surrounding areas. The next step is to expand the scale.

The third workshop was used to produce glass. Li Mu planned to launch a mirror first. Since he couldn't make a silver-plated glass mirror, he would make a more primitive one by sticking tin foil on the glass surface and then pouring mercury in, so that the effect would be close to that of modern mirrors.

Compared to the expensive bronze mirrors of ancient times, this clear and lightweight glass mirror is definitely a killer weapon.

Later, as the scale expands, we can consider launching more glass products, such as glass cups, glass beads, magnifying glasses, telescopes, etc.