Chapter 042

Chapter 42: Reversal

Yu Jiao Jiao looked at the person kneeling at her feet and almost lifted her leg to kick her away: [What an idiot.] But with so many eyes on her, she could not show her true nature, so she put on a face of deep hurt and said: “Seamstress Zhou, I cannot help you. Luckily my brother-in-law had sharp eyes today and saw the difference between wheat and corn. Otherwise you would have committed the crime of deceiving the ruler, and even I, the buyer, would have been dragged down with you.”

She shook her head and dabbed at her eyes, saying: “I trusted the wrong person.”

Before she could milk more pity, a noble lady cut in, saying: “Seamstress Zhou’s problem is one thing, but the urgent issue is what to do with the auction money for the skirts.”

At once someone echoed, saying: “Isn’t that obvious? Return the money.” They were the two ladies who had just bid on Seamstress Zhou’s skirts. A moment ago they were happy; now they only felt unlucky.

[Yu Jiao Jiao was secretly delighted.] She had also thought about the money, but her pure, delicate persona could not be the one to bring it up. Since someone else did, she was happy to go along.

Before she could enjoy the turn, Yu Zhi Yi sipped her tea and said calmly: “True, this trouble started because the Splendid Brocade Pavilion made a serious mistake at work. But before anything blew up, Red Luan warned you all. None of you believed her. Only Aunt Hong wanted to pause the appreciation banquet and look into it, yet you thought she was just a small Silver-ranked seamstress and not worth trusting.”

She set down the cup and said: “Now the truth is clear. Red Luan was not wrong. The Splendid Brocade Pavilion was not wrong. So the money should not be returned.”

Yu Jiao Jiao’s face twisted as she blurted: “How can that be?” Realizing her slip, she hurried to soften her tone and said: “You also said it was only the Splendid Brocade Pavilion’s work mistake.”

Yu Zhi Yi answered, saying: “When the pavilion tried to take responsibility, you stopped Aunt Hong, didn’t you? And you were the one who stood up to say Seamstress Zhou was an old Gold-ranked seamstress who could never steal a young lady’s embroidery.”

She looked over and said: “You made the mistake. You cannot make others carry it.”

Then she sighed and said: “Sister, do not forget you are the third young madam of the Yong Duke’s Manor. Do not smear your brother-in-law’s face.”

Yu Jiao Jiao’s breath caught. After the first three months of sweetness, Zhang Tian Shun’s interest in her had faded. He had not stepped into her rooms for half a month. [If any more bad talk reached his ears, he might really cast me aside. And my face-loving mother-in-law would never spare me.] She swallowed the loss and said through her teeth: “Sister is right.”

Among the noble ladies present, Yu Zhi Yi and Yu Jiao Jiao had the highest rank, and Yu Jiao Jiao was also the one who lost the most. Since even she stopped arguing, the other two had no ground to keep pressing. Strictly speaking, they had not lost much. Seamstress Zhou’s character was bad, but the embroidery was fine. No matter whose hand made their two skirts, they had not overpaid. The one nailed to the pillar of shame for stealing someone else’s work would be Seamstress Zhou alone; what did that have to do with them as “victims”?

It was Yu Jiao Jiao who suffered most. The skirt she bought was ruined after the threads were removed. Thinking of that, the other two ladies felt balanced, then took their skirts and left with easy hearts.

Soon, only six people remained in the sitting room on the third floor.

Red Luan rushed to Aunt Hong and said: “Aunt Hong, are we just going to let my three missing skirts go like that?”

She counted on her fingers and said: “You saw it yourself. One Golden Autumn sold for more than ten thousand taels. Even if the other two would not reach that price, they would still be at least seven or eight thousand each. All three were stolen. By the house rules, for clothes sold at the appreciation banquet, I get half. I have lost at least ten thousand taels.”

Aunt Hong patted her shoulder, then turned a cold gaze on Seamstress Zhou and her daughter and said: “You will compensate Red Luan for that money.”

Seamstress Zhou’s face changed. Bai Tian’er looked wronged and said: “Aunt Hong, I took it, but I only took Golden Autumn.”

Red Luan gave a short laugh and said: “Besides me and a few apprentices, only you went into my room. Those apprentices are good girls. They would never eat from the inside out. Other than you, who else would take my other two pieces?”

“I really didn’t…”

Red Luan cut her off and said coldly: “Either pay the money, or I report it to the authorities. One way or another, I will get my loss back.”

“You!” Bai Tian’er choked with anger.

Before she could argue again, Seamstress Zhou rasped and said: “Tian’er, stop. I will pay.”

Red Luan snorted, folded her arms, and swept Seamstress Zhou with a chilly look, saying: “I hope you turn over a new leaf. Stop doing mean things that hurt others so you can gain.”

The farce finally ended.

Inside the carriage, Red Luan clutched Yu Zhi Yi’s arm; her hand trembled with excitement as she said: “Sister, you are my lucky star. First you helped sell that earlier piece for five thousand taels and made my name known. Now you made that old woman cough up more than five thousand taels. So satisfying.”

Seamstress Zhou was a Gold-ranked seamstress at the pavilion. She looked honest and slow, but was sly. To seamstresses with promise, she seemed to praise and push them, but in truth she was lifting them only to smash them. Because of her praise traps and false guidance, many promising seamstresses made big mistakes and got fired.

Once the Splendid Brocade Pavilion fired a seamstress, what other embroidery house in the capital would dare hire her? Those poor girls either had to go home and wait to marry, wasting their whole lives, or leave the capital city to start over where no one knew them. Even if they had a chance to start over, it was hard to stand firm. [The world is not kind to women.]

This time, Red Luan used the moment to ruin that old woman’s name and squeezed over five thousand taels from her. Most important, Red Luan still had her other two embroideries. She could bring them out to sell later for another big sum.

Red Luan pulled out a stack of silver notes from her sleeve and said: “Here. Your cut plus a bonus is six thousand taels. Next time there’s a good event like this, you must come boost me again.”

Yu Zhi Yi did not act shy. She took the money, and, just as she was about to return the pouch she had borrowed earlier, a teeth-grinding voice sounded outside the carriage, saying: “A cut?”

Both women froze.

Yu Zhi Yi’s eyes flickered, and for no reason she felt a bit guilty. Last time, she had not only used Du Zi Heng, she had also squeezed five thousand taels from him. True, only two thousand five hundred ended up in her own pocket, but still, he had paid five thousand. Then she remembered she had helped the girl he liked. That was just a fee for her service. She calmed down, lifted the curtain, and said evenly: “Yes, a cut.”