CHAPTER 14: CHAPTER 13: TEN-COLOR BROCADE

The three people, along with three horses, set off from the ruined temple, heading towards the nearby Qingshui County.

These two places aren’t far apart, probably just during the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, and along the way, you can see large swathes of deserted land and some especially dilapidated farmhouses due to no one living there.

"Where have all the farmers gone? Why is no one farming?" Zhu Yu was a bit surprised. By logic, it was already early summer, the perfect time for crops to grow, yet the surroundings looked quite desolate.

"Many people have gone to the Southern Territory." Lu Qing sat astride his horse, looking around, and replied leisurely, "The Southern Territory of Jin Country borders Lan Country. Lan Country is surrounded by water on three sides. Besides producing white jade, they excel in fishing and weaving. The renowned silks and satins in the world mostly come from Lan Country.

However, since they aren’t good at farming and mostly rely on waterways, they purchase stones and plants used for making dyes from Jin Country.

About two years ago, Lan Country paid tribute to the Holy Emperor with a batch of brocade called the Ten-color Brocade, said to use special techniques that made the fabric’s colors change beautifully with movement, extraordinarily splendid.

The Holy Emperor awarded this brocade to the palace’s most favored Princess Consort Duan in recent years. Princess Consort Duan had the Shangyi Storehouse make an eight-panel floor-length skirt from the Ten-color Brocade and performed a dance for the Holy Emperor at the New Year’s banquet.

The hem of the skirt shimmered brilliantly, making Princess Consort Duan appear as if she was stepping on lotus flowers, like a celestial being, greatly delighting the Holy Emperor.

After this matter spread outside the palace, the noble women of the Capital flocked to it, and other wealthy families’ relatives also followed suit, to the point that the Ten-color Brocade was worth a fortune and impossible to find.

As a result, merchants from Lan Country came to Jin Country to purchase dyeing materials for the Ten-color Brocade at high prices. There were few people planting those dye plants, so the prices naturally soared."

Upon saying this, Lu Qing paused slightly and then continued, "The court imposes grain taxes on grain farmers, but for those plants used for dyes, which were rarely cultivated before, there was no precedent of extra tax, so many farmers gave up grain farming for profit and started growing dye plants.

Yet, the areas near the Capital are cold in winter and spring, and the dye plants required for the Ten-color Brocade can’t be grown, so some people simply went to the south to either grow plants or mine stones, all of which are materials needed for the Ten-color Brocade.

Even after the court began to impose taxes on those plants and stones, it was still more profitable than grain farming.

This region near the Capital is somewhat better, but in the northern part of Jin Country, such abandoned farmland is not uncommon."

Zhu Yu frowned deeply upon hearing this.

Although she hadn’t experienced profiting from dye plants, if it were mulberry trees, she was quite familiar.

However, she said nothing.

Despite having been married for only a few days, Zhu Yu dared not claim to understand Lu Qing, but she was certain that he was not, as the rumors said, the Prince Xiaoyao who only indulged in music and entertainment.

So today, when he mentioned these things to her, it probably wasn’t just casual talk.

Before long, the three arrived outside the gates of Qingshui County.

Contrary to the desolation they saw on the road earlier, the sun hadn’t risen high yet, and there were already many people gathered outside the county gate. Most of them were pushing carts or carrying burdens, lining up outside the gate, waiting for inspection before entering the city to trade.

Zhu Yu’s gaze fell on a dark-skinned, thin man who looked like a hunter.

The hunter, dressed in old clothes with a long wooden stick on his shoulder, had a string of wild rabbits hanging from one end. The rabbits looked quite plump, and their fur was glossy.

Thinking of the two people who offered incense and prayed to gods the night before, mentioning beasts harming people, Zhu Yu dismounted and walked a few steps towards the hunter nonchalantly, curiously observing the wild rabbits he was carrying.

Fu Lu wanted to follow her, but Lu Qing, having dismounted, tapped Fu Lu’s waist with the folding fan in his hand, so Fu Lu didn’t move.

The hunter felt someone coming to look at his prey, turned his head, and saw a fair and clean young master, rather handsome, who looked like someone from a well-off family. He quickly said to Zhu Yu, "Young master, do you want to buy some rabbits to take home?

These rabbits are plump and tender. Buy them, skin them, roast them, boil them, they taste very good and are quite nourishing!"

Zhu Yu just smiled without speaking, only reaching out to touch the rabbit’s fur.

Seeing this, the hunter hurriedly added, "Young master, are you interested in the rabbit furs? These rabbits were all caught by traps, with their fur completely intact; you might not get such good furs elsewhere.

It may just have become early summer, but if you buy them now, skin them and tan the furs, they’ll make excellent cloaks for when the weather cools down."

"I do indeed want an extra cloak," Zhu Yu nodded, "But... the rabbit fur is so soft and tends to shed easily, which I don’t quite like.

Might I ask, Sir, are you a hunter in this area?

How about I pay you a deposit, and you help me hunt a leopard? I want a leopard fur coat.

Rest assured, as long as you can help me hunt a leopard, silver won’t be short."

Upon hearing this, the hunter’s face showed some displeasure, as if looking at a fool, surveying Zhu Yu up and down: "You, young master, appear to be a refined scholar; how do you take this hunter as someone to joke with!

When has there ever been a leopard in the vicinity of Qingshui County?

I’ve grown up around here, started going into the mountains hunting with my father before I had all my teeth, now it’s been thirty years. Not to mention a whole leopard, I haven’t even seen a strand of hair from a leopard’s tail!"

Zhu Yu seemed a bit disappointed to hear this, as if unwilling to give up, she changed her mind: "Or, I can give you silver, help me hunt some foxes, I could make a fox fur coat too!"

"Foxes are unheard of!" the hunter became a bit impatient, "Who doesn’t know a fox fur is much more valuable than a rabbit fur! If I could catch foxes, why would I be scouring for rabbits all day long!

You, young master, if you’re not sincerely buying my rabbits, don’t take me as amusement!"

Unaware of when, Lu Qing had followed over. Seeing the hunter being provoked by Zhu Yu, he smiled and said to him, "My younger brother can be unruly; please don’t take it to heart. Help me pick out two plump rabbits, I’ll buy them for an extra meal."

The hunter initially thought the young master spoke of leopard and fox fur to ridicule him as a joke, hence his displeasure. But seeing his family member, not only well-presented but also offering to buy two rabbits without bargaining, the fire in his heart dissipated instantly. Delighted, he handed over two plump rabbits to Lu Qing.

Zhu Yu stayed silent, behaving obediently, following behind Lu Qing.

No one knows better than hunters about what wildlife is in an area, and since the hunter claimed there were neither wolves, tigers, nor foxes here, the tale of beasts harming people in the deserted temple is obviously sheer nonsense.

As for the rumor about visitors disappearing at Ghost Immortal Temple being dragged away by wild beasts, it’s uncertain if it’s concocted by wealth seekers to bolster their bravery or by ill-minded individuals who spread it to lower others’ guard by releasing seductive fragrance in the temple.

After all, human intentions are the most difficult to discern.

When it comes to the "what if" scenarios, when encountering good luck, there always seems to be this belief that the lucky "what if" would fall on oneself, doesn’t it?

But when facing bad luck, they think since it’s an "unlikely" event, it probably won’t happen to them.

The master and two servants led their horses into the town, finding it already bustling. The vendors who were already in the city had set up stalls by the road, most shops by the street were open for business, and there was quite a crowd of people shuttling around the streets.

Zhu Yu was a bit surprised, looking around in amazement as if her eyes couldn’t take it all in.

Lu Qing, being more than a head taller than her, walked along at her pace, which made him seem more leisurely.

"This town looked unassuming from the outside; who would have thought it’d be so bustling and prosperous inside!" Zhu Yu marveled.

"In a hundred-mile radius around here, there’s only this town, naturally making it the most lively," Lu Qing replied.

Zhu Yu raised an eyebrow at him and asked in a low voice, "So after the memorial ceremony, did we actually travel over a hundred miles further away from the Capital?"

Lu Qing responded with a smile of evident ease, neither confirming nor denying, glancing ahead, he pointed to a nearby eatery: "Let’s go over there, ask the cooks to roast these two rabbits."