Killer Queen: Tyrant, prepare to die!

Chapter 62 The opening of Jinxiufang shocked the whole city! A bolt of cloth sold for five hundred taels?

September 18th is an auspicious day for opening a business.

At the eastern end of Qinghefang, the most bustling area in Hangzhou, a brand-new three-story pavilion was unveiled in the morning light.

A black plaque with gold lettering hangs high—the three characters "Jinxiufang" are written with vigorous strokes.

It is said that the calligraphy was personally inscribed by the retired master calligrapher, Mr. Gu, at great expense.

Before the appointed time, the area outside the neighborhood was already crowded with people.

There were curious ordinary people and fellow spies.

Most of the visitors were stewardesses, maids, and servants from various mansions—all sent to check out the newly opened fabric shop.

What gives them the confidence to rent an entire three-story building in such a prime location as Qinghefang?

At the exact hour of Chen (7-9 AM), the shop doors were wide open.

Eight waiters dressed in matching indigo outfits and wearing the same color headscarves stood on either side, bowing to greet the guests.

A faint scent of sandalwood wafted from inside, mixed with a delicate aroma of herbs and trees, instantly calming the mind.

The first to go in were a few daring merchants and their families.

As they crossed the threshold, everyone was taken aback.

The first-floor hall is spacious and bright, with polished bluestone slabs on the floor and plain-colored gauze curtains hanging on the walls, giving the room a refined and elegant feel.

But what catches the eye most are the ready-to-wear garments displayed on the sandalwood shelves.

Unlike ordinary fabric shops that pile up rolls of fabric, this shop makes finished garments one by one and puts them on specially made wooden molds.

There are jackets and skirts, vests, jackets, and capes. The styles look novel, the waist is perfectly fitted, and the embroidery on the cuffs and collar is even more unique.

"This dress..." A woman in her early thirties couldn't help but step forward to examine it closely.

A female waitress immediately stepped forward, smiling, and introduced:

"Madam has a good eye. This is our Jinxiufang's unique 'slim-fit' style."

The waistline is raised an inch higher than usual, making the legs appear longer;

The cuffs narrowed slightly, making the wrists appear slender.

The fabric used is Suzhou soft gauze, with a small amount of silk mixed in, making it breathable and drapey.

The woman reached out and touched it; the texture was indeed delicate.

"Can I give it a try?"

"Of course." The saleswoman led her to a fitting room next door—

It was a small space partitioned off by a screen, containing a bronze mirror, a clothes rack, and even cosmetics for dressing.

After a short while, the woman came out wearing that lotus-colored jacket and skirt, and the eyes of the other women in the group lit up.

"Wow! Sister Li, your waistline is amazing..."

"You look like you've lost weight!"

"This color suits you too!"

Madam Li looked at herself in the bronze mirror from left to right, her face beaming with undisguised joy.

She has had two children over the years, and her waist and abdomen are no longer as slender as they were in her youth.

But when she put on this outfit, it actually hid all her excess fat and instead gave her a mature and elegant look.

"How much?" she asked eagerly.

The waitress quoted a price: "A set of jacket and skirt, twelve taels."

Twelve taels!

A regular garment would cost only four or five taels, but this one is more than double the price!

But Madam Li hesitated for only a moment before nodding: "Wrap it up."

It wasn't that she was extravagant, but rather that the outfit was so good that it was worth the price.

The prefect's wife is hosting a banquet tomorrow, and she's worried about not having a decent dress—

With this set, how could you not be eye-catching?

Once someone started it, it became unstoppable.

The first-floor clothing section quickly became crowded with people.

The female staff were well-trained, taking measurements, making recommendations, helping customers try on clothes, and packing them in an orderly manner.

The cashier's counter was set up in the corner, and two accountants' fingers flew across the table, the abacus beads making a clattering sound.

In less than an hour, all thirty-odd sets of ready-made clothes displayed on the first floor were sold out.

The women who hadn't bought any became anxious: "Is there any more? Add some more!"

Shopkeeper Qian Sihai appeared at the opportune moment, cupped his hands and smiled:

"Ladies and young ladies, please don't worry. The ready-made clothes on the first floor are limited. Once they're sold out today, they're gone."

However, we have a custom-made section on the second floor with a wider variety of fabrics, and we can even make alterations to fit your body shape.

Only then did everyone notice the stairs.

The staircase is located on the east side of the hall, covered with a thick woven carpet, and the handrail is carved with lotus scroll patterns.

Two waiters were standing at the top of the stairs. Seeing someone wanting to go up, they politely asked, "Madam/Miss, do you have a membership card?"

"Membership badge? What's that?"

"The second floor of Jinxiufang is for members only."

The waiter replied with a smile,

"Membership requires a deposit of 200 taels. In the future, you will enjoy a 10% discount on purchases in the workshop, priority access to new products, and the option to book a personal embroiderer to come to your home for measurements."

Two hundred taels! And you have to deposit it in advance!

Many people gasped in shock.

But the higher the barrier to entry, the more people are tempted.

A richly dressed old woman, who looked like an elderly lady from an official family, stepped forward and said, "My lady wants to join the association; the money can be paid now."

The waiter immediately offered pen and ink: "Please register your name. The membership card will be ready in three days and will be delivered to your home by a special person."

With someone taking the lead, seven or eight more families followed suit and paid their dues.

They were all prominent families in Hangzhou.

The wife of Prefect Zhao Wenkang, the concubine of the Salt Commissioner, and the wives of several wealthy merchants...

The second floor is finally open.

Those who went up were startled again.

The second floor is more elegant than the first floor.

There is a tea table by the window, and you can enjoy the street view from the railing.

What was displayed around them were not ready-made garments, but bolts of fabric laid out in the wind—

Yun brocade, Song brocade, Shu brocade, Hangzhou gauze, soft gauze, cicada wing gauze... quite a few fabrics,

Even the well-informed wives of officials couldn't name them.

The innermost part is divided into several small rooms by beaded curtains, where embroiderers sit and are there to receive custom orders.

"This... is it woven with gold thread?" Madam Zhao pointed to a large red brocade in the center, her eyes glued to it.

The brocade shimmered in the light, and only upon close inspection could one discover that extremely fine gold threads were interspersed among the warp and weft threads, weaving a subtle phoenix pattern that was luxurious yet understated.

"Madam has a good eye."

Qian Sihai personally provided the explanation.

"This is 'Phoenix Wearing Peony,' the gold thread is mixed with pure gold, and it takes three months to weave one piece of fabric."

"In all of Hangzhou... no, in all of Jiangnan, there is only one like this."

"How much?"

Five hundred taels.

The room was completely silent.

Five hundred taels for a bolt of cloth! Enough to buy a small house!

Madam Zhao's expression changed.

She was the wife of a prefect; it wasn't that she couldn't afford five hundred taels, but spending that much on a bolt of cloth...

"This fabric is befitting of your status, Madam."

Qian Sihai handed over a cup of tea at the opportune moment.

"Moreover, the rule of Jinxiufang is that only one bolt of top-quality fabric is produced each month."

I won't buy this "Phoenix Wearing Peonies" horse today.

Next month's arrival might be "The Harmonious Phoenix," which will have a different price.

Scarcity marketing.

Madam Zhao recalled the brochure for Jinxiufang that she had received yesterday—it stated "limited edition," "exclusive," and "not available after expiration."

She gritted her teeth: "Wrap it up."

Five hundred taels of silver notes were slapped on the counter, causing an uproar throughout the room.

The news spread like wildfire, reaching every corner of Hangzhou in just half a day.

"Have you heard? A bolt of cloth from Jinxiufang sold for five hundred taels!"

"The prefect's wife has gone!"

"You have to deposit two hundred taels to join! My goodness, that's enough for my family to live on for three years..."

"But those clothes are really beautiful. When Manager Li's wife wore them, she looked ten years younger..."

Amidst the murmurs and discussions, the third floor of Jinxiufang remained quiet.

That's a place only members with the highest-level "Phoenix" badge can enter.

"No one is qualified to go up today," Qian Sihai told the public.

The "Phoenix" tile must be issued personally by the owner, and currently no one in Hangzhou is qualified to do so.

At this moment, in a private room by the window on the third floor.

Ye Huang held Bao'er in her arms, stood by the window, and looked down at the bustling crowd below.

Jinshu fiddled with the abacus, her eyes growing brighter with each turn:

"Young lady, in just half a day, the ready-made clothes on the first floor have sold for over three hundred taels."

The second-floor custom order received an advance payment of 800 taels.

Adding that 500-tael fabric... it's almost 1,700 taels!

In one day, nearly two thousand taels of silver came in.

Even though Ye Huang was mentally prepared, she was still slightly moved.

Qian Sihai pushed open the door and came in, his forehead still damp with sweat, but his face was flushed with excitement:

"Boss! We're running out of fabric! We need to urge Master Lu to speed up the production!"

"No rush."

Ye Huang turned around,

Things are valued for their rarity.

Starting tomorrow, only twenty sets of ready-made clothing will be available for sale on the first floor each day, while supplies last.

Custom orders are only accepted on the second floor, with a daily limit of ten orders. Orders exceeding this will be placed in a queue.

Qian Sihai was taken aback for a moment, then understood: "Yes! I understand!"

"in addition,"

Ye Huang walked to the table and picked up a silk handkerchief embroidered with an exquisite "Phoenix" character in a subtle pattern.

This is a gift for today's purchase of 100 taels or more.

"Prepare more of these handkerchiefs."

From now on, everything that leaves Jinxiu Workshop, regardless of size, must bear this mark.

She wants to make the character "凰" (Huang) a symbol that everyone in the wealthy circles of Jiangnan recognizes.

Qian Sihai solemnly accepted it: "Yes!"

Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out downstairs.

There was a woman's scream, mixed with the crisp sound of objects shattering.

Jinshu's expression changed: "Miss, I'll go down and take a look—"

"No need." Ye Huang walked to the window and looked down.

In the lobby on the first floor, a young woman in a pink dress was pointing at the waiter and yelling:

"You snobbish jerk!"

Do you know who I am?

My father is the Vice Prefect of Hangzhou! How dare you refuse to sell to me?

The shop assistant replied neither servilely nor arrogantly, "Miss, we have indeed sold out of ready-made clothes for today."

If you wish, please come earlier tomorrow.

"I want it now!" The woman, used to being arrogant, raised her hand to lift the clothes rack next to her.

My hand was grabbed as soon as I raised it.

He was a middle-aged man dressed in indigo cloth, with an unremarkable appearance—it was Shen Fu.

Today he's disguised as an ordinary shop assistant, looking after things in the store.

"Miss," Shen Fu said in a low voice, "Jinxiufang has its own rules."

The woman struggled but couldn't break free. Shocked and furious, she yelled, "You dare touch me?! I'll have my dad shut down this lousy shop of yours!"

The situation reached a stalemate for a moment.

On the third floor, Ye Huang narrowed her eyes slightly.

The daughter of a prefectural magistrate... what a coincidence.

She remembered that Mo Shisan's report mentioned that the Hangzhou magistrate was a protégé of the Liu family and was very close to Zhao Wenkang.

"Jinshu," she said calmly, "go and invite that young lady up."

---

After a short while, the woman in the peach-colored dress was invited up to the third floor.

She had been quite aggressive, but when she stepped into the private room and saw the solitary figure standing by the window, she inexplicably lost some of her spirit.

The woman wore a veil, obscuring her face, but her overall demeanor was more composed than any other official's wife she had ever seen.

She was holding a lovely, fair-skinned baby in her arms, the child staring at her with its big, dark eyes.

"You...you're the owner of this place?" the woman asked, trying to maintain her composure.

Ye Huang turned around: "What is your surname, Miss?"

"My surname is Zhou!" the woman said, raising her chin. "My father was Zhou Mingde, the Vice Prefect of Hangzhou!"

"Miss Zhou."

Ye Huang gestured for her to sit down.

"According to Jinxiufang's rules, ready-made garments are produced in limited quantities each day, and today's items are indeed sold out. However—"

She paused for a moment, then said, "There are a few bolts of fabric on the third floor that haven't been made public yet. They were originally reserved for our own use. If Miss Zhou really likes them, we can make an exception and let you choose first."

Miss Zhou's eyes lit up: "Really?"

"Jinshu, take Miss Zhou to see the fabrics."

Jinshu led Miss Zhou to the next room.

Before long, a suppressed gasp came from next door—they were clearly shocked by the "unpublished" material.

Ye Huang stood by the window, gently patting Bao'er.

Bao'er's little hands gripped her clothes, but her eyes were looking in the direction of the next room, her little brows slightly furrowed.

Children can sense good and evil.

This Miss Zhou is indeed arrogant, but the malice in her eyes... isn't deep.

He is a piece that can be used.

Sure enough, a quarter of an hour later, Miss Zhou came downstairs happily, carrying two bolts of fabric.

As he left, he told the employee, "Remember to let me know when you get new stock!"

A storm has vanished without a trace.

Qian Sihai came upstairs and said admiringly, "Master is brilliant."

Although Zhou Tongpan did not hold a high official position, he had extensive connections in Hangzhou.

"Getting involved with his daughter will make things much easier in the future."

Ye Huang asked, "Is there any news from Mo Shisan?"

Qian Sihai's expression turned serious: "A message just came that Liu Chengming arrived in Hangzhou yesterday and today... went to Yuelai Tea House."

finally come.

Ye Huang looked out the window as dusk fell and the lanterns of Qinghefang lit up one by one.

The lights of Jinxiufang stood out brightly amidst the dazzling lights of the entire street.

"Tell Mo Shisan," she said calmly, "that I need to know everything Liu Chengming does in Hangzhou."

"yes!"

The night is getting darker.