Chapter 41: Yu Jiao Jiao Gets Hit by the Boomerang
This novel is translated and hosted only on Bcatranslation
Consort Yu, the younger sister of Minister Yu, was one of the Emperor’s most favored consorts. Even after over twenty years in the palace, her favor had never waned.
Although she had not borne any princes, only two young princesses, the Emperor had never distanced himself from her. Minister Yu, being a high-ranking official, was able to arrange marriages for his two daughters into noble families like the Duke’s household and the Chancellor’s family, largely due to Consort Yu’s favor with the Emperor.
The Yu family took immense pride in having a beloved consort among their own. In fact, if it weren’t for the Emperor being old enough to be Yu Zhi Yi’s grandfather, and all the princes already having official wives, Minister Yu might have tried to send his daughters into the royal family.
For Yu Zhi Yi, avoiding ties to the royal family was a blessing in disguise.
Yu Jiao Jiao, on the other hand, knew that Zhang Tian Shun would eventually rise to power as a titled noble through his military prowess. So she couldn’t care less.
At this moment, Yu Jiao Jiao was blinking her teary eyes, looking pitiful as she spoke. “Sister, are you afraid I’ll steal your spotlight?”
A young lady, unable to bear the scene, intervened, “Young Madam Du, don’t be ridiculous. The third wife of the Zhang family is the true daughter of the Yu family, the niece of Consort Yu. Even if it weren’t for this dress, Consort Yu would still prefer her over you.”
Yu Zhi Yi didn’t seem to mind the insult, simply smiling at Yu Jiao Jiao. “If you don’t believe me, then go ahead and send it. Let’s see if Consort Yu praises you or calls you a fool.”
Her attitude was so strange that it made Yu Jiao Jiao feel uneasy. The young ladies present exchanged puzzled glances.
Seamstress Zhou, however, was practically in a panic, her heart pounding. Bai Tian Er held her hand tightly, trying to reassure her, “It’s okay, Mother. Young Madam Du is just siding with that woman, but there’s no evidence. They can’t prove anything.”
Seamstress Zhou still felt uneasy but had no choice but to force herself to remain calm, not letting her emotions show.
Yu Zhi Yi glanced at Seamstress Zhou with a smile, then turned to Du Zi Heng. “You’ve read a lot of books. Surely you understand what I’m saying, right?”
Du Zi Heng, a straightforward man, never had much insight into the things women liked. However, this time, he noticed something peculiar. “The pattern on this dress… it doesn’t match the name ‘Golden Autumn.'”
Yu Zhi Yi chuckled and clapped her hands lightly. “As expected of Scholar Du.”
Du Zi Heng’s face flushed slightly.
He had been praised many times before and was used to such compliments. Though he never let them go to his head, he always accepted them with a sense of satisfaction.
But now, for the first time in a long while, he felt a bit embarrassed.
Yu Zhi Yi didn’t notice his discomfort and turned to Hong Luan with a smile. “Alright, enough teasing.”
Hong Luan stood up, brushing a stray lock of hair from her forehead, and looked disdainfully at Seamstress Zhou and Bai Tian Er. “You two fools. There aren’t wheat stalks in autumn!”
It was as if a bolt of lightning struck Seamstress Zhou. Her face instantly turned pale, and Bai Tian Er could no longer maintain her fake smile.
Yu Jiao Jiao was utterly confused. “W-What do you mean?”
As a pampered young lady, she didn’t even know what a real wheat stalk looked like, let alone that wheat ripens in summer.
In colder northern regions, wheat might ripen in early autumn, but in Shengjing and the surrounding areas, wheat ripens in summer.
Yu Zhi Yi wasn’t sure if Consort Yu knew this, but she was certain the Emperor did. If Consort Yu, wearing a dress embroidered with wheat stalks and named “Golden Autumn,” approached the Emperor for favor, he would surely think she wasn’t very clever.
And Consort Yu’s favor was largely due to her reputation for intelligence and discernment.
“It means that wheat ripens in summer, and in autumn, there’s only corn,” Yu Zhi Yi said with a light smile.
Corn had been introduced from abroad more than a hundred years ago, even earlier than sweet potatoes.
Nowadays, the people of the Dasheng Empire relied on corn, sweet potatoes, southern rice, and northern wheat to sustain themselves.
As Yu Zhi Yi finished speaking, Hong Luan stepped forward and took out a pair of scissors she had prepared beforehand. She went straight for the large wheat stalk embroidered on the dress and began snipping away.
In no time, the extra embroidery threads were removed, revealing the original pattern on the dress.
Hong Luan looked at Seamstress Zhou and Bai Tian Er with satisfaction. “The original design on this dress was a few scattered corn plants with tassels. When I learned someone wanted to steal my dress, I quickly altered the design to wheat stalks.”
It’s difficult to cleanly remove threads that have been embroidered over, especially to distinguish the original design from the newly added parts.
But Hong Luan was the best seamstress for a reason. She remembered every extra stitch and where it belonged. After removing the extra threads, although traces of embroidery remained, the original design was still exquisitely visible.
Anyone with an eye for detail could see the difference.
The original design was intricate and thoughtfully crafted, while the wheat stalks, though initially impressive, paled in comparison to the original corn pattern.
Hong Luan turned to Madam Red. “These two stole my embroidery and tried to sell the stolen work to a customer. How do you plan to handle this?”
Madam Red was flustered. The viewing show was their most important event. Not only did it bring in significant revenue, but it also set trends that would attract more customers to buy the latest designs from the shop.
Splendid Embroidery Workshop’s reputation was built on the skill of its embroiderers, known for both creativity and high standards, and their integrity.
But today, on such an important occasion, Seamstress Zhou had stolen the work of their most promising newcomer and tried to ruin her while passing off her work as her own. How could they ever regain the trust of their clients?
“Seamstress Zhou, you’re fired! Get out of here!”
Seamstress Zhou staggered back and fell to her knees. “Manager, please! Forgive me! I’ll never do it again, I swear!”
Madam Red was unmoved. This kind of troublemaker couldn’t stay.
The light in Seamstress Zhou’s eyes began to fade.
Yu Zhi Yi suddenly said with a smile, “Why don’t you ask the third wife of the Zhang family to help you?”
Hope instantly returned to Seamstress Zhou’s eyes. Ever since earlier, Young Madam Zhang had always stood up for the underdog. Surely, she would help her too.
She crawled over to Yu Jiao Jiao, tears streaming down her face. “Please, Young Madam Zhang, forgive me this one time. I promise I’ll change my ways!”
Yu Jiao Jiao’s face twisted slightly upon hearing Yu Zhi Yi’s suggestion.
Yu Zhi Yi watched with delight as the real daughter tried to maintain her facade of kindness despite her growing hatred. It put her in an excellent mood.
Serves you right for always pretending to be so kind—looks like the boomerang came back to hit you.