I am the prince of the Ming Dynasty, I don't give up

Chapter 50 Mrs. Chen

A huge merchant ship was docked at the dock of Qizhou City.

People were constantly unloading cargo from merchant ships. A middle-aged noble lady got off the ship surrounded by a crowd of people. She looked at the Qizhou City not far away, and her gaze lingered for a while on the chimney in the city that was constantly emitting black smoke.

"Isn't this Mrs. Chen? Why did you come to Qizhou in person? You didn't even tell me in advance so that I could come and greet you in advance." A fat businessman at the dock came up to her attentively with a flattering smile on his face.

"It's Shopkeeper Qian!" The lady glanced at the fat merchant and said, "I was originally planning to go to Wuchang City, but I felt unwell on the boat, so I got off the boat and came to Qizhou City to relax."

"What a coincidence! I must welcome you and let you taste the authentic Qizhou cuisine," said Shopkeeper Qian enthusiastically.

"Then I'll have to trouble Manager Qian." Mrs. Chen said with a smile.

Manager Qian quickly led Madam Chen and her group to the best restaurant in Qizhou City.

After the dishes were served, the waiter served them tea, and Manager Qian and Madam Chen began to chat.

"Madam Chen, since you have come to Qizhou City, why don't I treat you and let you stay for a few more days. Qizhou City has changed a lot compared to before." Shopkeeper Qian took a sip of fragrant tea.

"I have heard of this. I have heard of the reputation of Qizhou Kuanbu." Mrs. Chen's eyes swept over the clothes on Manager Qian.

The robe that Shopkeeper Qian was wearing was made of cotton, which was very thin and well-proportioned. Common cotton cloth on the market always had uneven warp and weft, with some coarse yarn and some fine yarn, and the coarse parts gathered into knots. But Shopkeeper Qian's robe had no such problems, and it was well-proportioned from head to toe.

No matter where the cotton cloth on the market is produced, it is difficult to have such good workmanship. I don’t know how to select the cotton yarn carefully when weaving to make such good cloth. Compared with this kind of cotton cloth, the ordinary cotton cloth on the market looks very rough.

Mrs. Chen had noticed the robe a long time ago, but given her shrewdness, she had waited until now to raise the question.

Mrs. Chen secretly wondered where Manager Qian bought such cotton cloth, and she didn't know how much he spent on making this set of clothes.
The shopkeeper Qian had an ordinary appearance, but wearing such a decent cotton round-necked shirt, he showed some exquisite temperament.

"Qizhou Kuanbu is indeed Qizhou's new specialty. I have been doing business in Qizhou Kuanbu in the past few months, and the demand is exceeding the supply!" Shopkeeper Qian said proudly.

Mrs. Chen lowered her head and drank a sip of tea without saying anything.

"Madam Chen, what do you think of the robe I'm wearing?" Shopkeeper Qian stood up. He had already noticed that Madam Chen was observing everything on him.

"This robe has a well-proportioned collar and fine workmanship. It is very respectable and really adds some elegance to Shopkeeper Qian. This robe must have cost a lot, right?"

Hearing what Mrs. Chen said, Shopkeeper Qian stretched out a finger and shook it mysteriously.

“This round-neck robe is not expensive at all!”

Mrs. Chen was surprised and asked curiously, "Manager Qian's new dress is so exquisite and well-proportioned. The fabric used must be extraordinary. How can it not be expensive?"

"The Chen family also has a cotton cloth business. As far as I know, cotton cloth like this must be made with carefully selected cotton yarns, and only the finest yarns of the same thickness must be selected to weave the cloth to achieve such an effect. I guess only the big weaving workshops in Songjiang Prefecture can produce such fine cotton cloth, which must be very expensive."

Shopkeeper Qian laughed and said, "Mrs. Chen guessed wrong. This cotton cloth is made in Qizhou!" "Locally made?"

"Yes, we all call it Qizhou fine cloth. The price of a piece of Qizhou wide cloth is three qian of silver, which is twice the price of a piece of ordinary cotton cloth, while this Qizhou fine cloth is only three qian and a half of silver per piece."

"Qizhou fine cloth?" Mrs. Chen silently repeated the name in her mind, "If the quality of Qizhou fine cloth is like this, it can be sold for 5 cents per piece when shipped to Nanjing."

"Yes, but I am just a businessman and cannot earn this much money, unlike the Chen family who have so many merchant ships. But if Madam Chen is interested, I can act as a matchmaker." Shopkeeper Qian said, looking at Madam Chen with a sharp gaze.

"Since Shopkeeper Qian has said so much, I will trouble you. However, the Chen family will not let Shopkeeper Qian work in vain. In the future, Shopkeeper Qian will definitely be given a larger share of the spices." Mrs. Chen said lightly.

"Oh, I've always heard that Madam Chen is smart and capable. Today I see that she is indeed the case. Madam Chen has seen through my little tricks. Thank you very much, Madam Chen," Shopkeeper Qian clapped his hands and laughed.

The guests and hosts enjoyed themselves for a while.

Just then, a man dressed as a waiter came in, whispered a few words in Shopkeeper Qian's ear, then took out some papers and handed them to Shopkeeper Qian.

"Mrs. Chen, since you've finished your meal, why don't you go to Changyin Tower to listen to a play?" Shopkeeper Qian placed a few pieces of paper in his hand on the table.

"Thank you, Manager Qian, for your trouble in arranging this, but I never like to listen to opera, so forget it."

"Madam Chen, you don't know this. This play is extraordinary! It is also a unique one in Qizhou. I have listened to it four or five times and I never get tired of it. This ticket costs six taels of silver. It is hard to get a ticket in Qizhou!" Manager Qian showed an intoxicated look on his face.

This successfully aroused Mrs. Chen's curiosity. "Six taels of silver for a ticket? Even the most famous actors in Nanjing City don't dare to sell such expensive tickets. These six taels of silver can let a troupe sing for you for a whole day."

"This play is very different from other plays. After listening to this play, I can't listen to other plays anymore. Moreover, this play is performed by the Jingwang Mansion Dianyue. In the past, only the nobles of the palace could appreciate it. Thanks to the prince's grace, I, a commoner, can listen to the drama of the royal family."

"No one knows when this play will suddenly stop being performed, so there will be fewer and fewer performances, and that's why the tickets are so expensive."

"And," Shopkeeper Qian lowered his voice, "I heard that this play was written by the current Prince Jing."

Mrs. Chen picked up the theater ticket on the table, looked at it carefully and said, "Shopkeeper Qian is so kind, so I will respectfully obey your order."

"Speaking of the Jingwang Mansion, I noticed a column of black smoke coming out of the city. Judging from the direction, it should be inside the Jingwang Mansion. Does Manager Qian know what's going on?"

"We dare not spy on what's going on in Prince Jing's mansion, but we heard that it's because Prince Jing is refining elixirs in the mansion." Shopkeeper Qian said in a low voice.

"Alchemy?" Mrs. Chen looked shocked.

"Yes! That's what's spread, but it's also strange. I read in the storybooks that the fragrance of medicine was everywhere when the elixir was being refined, but why is it so pungent when it comes to Prince Jing's? And I can smell the smell of coal smoke. I don't know what kind of elixir Prince Jing is refining."

(End of this chapter)