Chapter 710 - 709
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.