Chapter 42: Reversal
This novel is translated and hosted only on Bcatranslation
Yu Jiao Jiao looked down at the person kneeling before her, and she had to fight the overwhelming urge to kick them away.
This fool!
But with so many eyes watching, she couldn’t let her true feelings show. Instead, she put on an expression of heartbreak, her eyes welling up with tears. “Seamstress Zhou, I can’t help you with this. Today, we’re only lucky that my brother-in-law was sharp enough to see the truth. Otherwise, you would have committed a crime against the Emperor! Even I, who bought the dress, would have been implicated.”
She shook her head, wiping a tear. “I… I trusted you!”
Before she could continue her performance, one of the noble ladies in the room spoke up. “The problem with Seamstress Zhou is one thing, but what’s more important now is what should be done with the auction money for the dresses.”
Another lady chimed in right away, “What else? Of course, it should be refunded!”
These two had just bought Seamstress Zhou’s dresses. Earlier, they had been thrilled with their purchase, but now all they felt was bad luck.
Yu Jiao Jiao was secretly delighted. She had thought about the money too, but her delicate and innocent persona wouldn’t allow her to bring it up. Now that someone else mentioned it, she was more than happy to agree.
Just as she was about to celebrate her good fortune, Yu Zhi Yi calmly took a sip of her tea. “While it’s true that this incident was caused by Splendid Embroidery Workshop’s oversight, before anything happened, Hong Luan did try to warn you all. None of you believed her, though. Only Madam Red wanted to pause and investigate, but you all dismissed her because she was just a silver-ranked embroiderer, not worth your trust.”
“Now that the truth is out, it turns out Hong Luan was right, and Splendid Embroidery Workshop wasn’t at fault. Therefore, the money shouldn’t be refunded.”
Yu Jiao Jiao’s expression twisted instantly. “How can that be?”
Realizing her outburst, she quickly put on her gentle and kind demeanor again. “But you just said it was Splendid Embroidery Workshop’s mistake…”
Yu Zhi Yi replied coolly, “When Splendid Embroidery Workshop wanted to take responsibility for its mistake, you all stopped Madam Red, didn’t you? And you were the one who insisted that Seamstress Zhou, an experienced gold-ranked embroiderer, could never have stolen a young girl’s embroidery.”
“You made the mistake yourself, and now you want others to take the blame?”
She sighed, shaking her head slightly. “Sister, don’t forget you’re now the third young madam of the Duke Courage’s mansion. Don’t bring shame to your husband.”
Yu Jiao Jiao’s breath caught in her throat. After the first three months of bliss, Zhang Tian Shun’s interest in her had waned, and he hadn’t set foot in her room for half a month now. If any more trouble reached his ears, he might truly abandon her.
And her mother-in-law, who valued the family’s reputation above all, wouldn’t forgive her either.
Thinking of this, she could only grit her teeth and swallow her anger. “Elder sister is right…”
Among the noble ladies present, Yu Zhi Yi and Yu Jiao Jiao had the highest status. Since Yu Jiao Jiao—the one most affected—had already backed down, the other two had no grounds to continue pushing.
Strictly speaking, they hadn’t really lost anything either. Seamstress Zhou’s character might be questionable, but her embroidery skills were still excellent. Those two dresses, no matter who made them, were still a good deal.
As for Yu Jiao Jiao, her dress had been ruined, with the threads removed. It was beyond saving.
After thinking it over, the two noblewomen felt content enough and left with their dresses without further complaint.
Soon, only six people were left in the third-floor sitting room.
Hong Luan rushed over to Madam Red, her eyes wide with anger. “Madam Red, are we just going to let my three missing dresses go like this?”
“You saw it too. A single ‘Golden Autumn’ sold for over ten thousand taels. Even if the other two don’t fetch as much, they’ll still be worth at least seven or eight thousand each. They were all stolen! According to the pavilion’s rules, I’m entitled to half the sales from the viewing. I’ve lost at least ten thousand taels!”
Madam Red patted her shoulder, then cast a cold glare at Seamstress Zhou and her daughter. “You will compensate Hong Luan for the money.”
Seamstress Zhou’s face turned pale, and Bai Tian Er looked utterly aggrieved. “Madam Red, I took the dress. But I only took ‘Golden Autumn’!”
Hong Luan sneered. “Apart from me and a few apprentices, only you entered my room. Those apprentices are all good people—they would never betray me. Who else could have taken my other two pieces?”
“I didn’t…”
Bai Tian Er tried to defend herself, but Hong Luan cut her off sharply. “Either you pay up, or I’ll report this to the authorities. One way or another, I’ll get what I’m owed!”
“You!” Bai Tian Er was furious.
She wanted to argue more, but Seamstress Zhou’s hoarse voice broke in. “Tian Er, stop talking. I’ll pay.”
Hong Luan scoffed, crossing her arms as she eyed Seamstress Zhou. “I hope you learn your lesson and change your ways. Stop doing these underhanded, selfish things.”
At last, the ordeal had come to an end.
Inside the carriage, Hong Luan clung to Yu Zhi Yi’s arm, trembling slightly with excitement. “Sister, you’re my lucky star! First, that dress sold for five thousand taels, which helped me make a name for myself. And now, you’ve helped me swindle that old woman for over five thousand more. It’s amazing!”
Seamstress Zhou was Splendid Embroidery Workshop’s gold-ranked embroiderer. She always seemed honest and down-to-earth, but in truth, she was sly. She acted like she encouraged talented embroiderers, but in reality, she was setting them up for failure.
Because of her schemes and deliberate misguidance, many promising embroiderers at the pavilion had made serious mistakes unknowingly and ended up getting expelled. Once expelled from Splendid Embroidery Workshop, which embroidery house in the capital would take them? Those poor girls either had to go home and wait for marriage, wasting their lives away, or leave the capital to start anew where no one knew them.
But even starting over wasn’t easy. The world wasn’t kind to women.
This time, Hong Luan had turned the tables, ruining Seamstress Zhou’s reputation and even swindling her out of more than five thousand taels. Most importantly, she still had her other two embroideries. She could put them up for sale tomorrow, making even more money!
Hong Luan pulled out a stack of banknotes from her sleeve. “Here, six thousand taels for your share and your trouble. If there’s more business like this, you have to come and help me again!”
Yu Zhi Yi didn’t hesitate, taking the money and tucking it into her sleeve. Just as she was about to return the sachet she borrowed earlier, a gritted-teeth voice interrupted, “Share?”
Both of them froze.
Yu Zhi Yi’s eyes flickered, feeling a pang of guilt. After all, last time, she had not only used Du Zi Heng but also tricked him out of five thousand taels. Sure, she ended up with only two thousand five hundred in her own pocket, but…
He had indeed lost five thousand taels.
But then she remembered she had also helped his sweetheart out of trouble. That was just a fee for her assistance.
So she calmed down.
Lifting the curtain, she looked out, her expression steady. “Yes, a share.”