Chapter 134: Change of Color

"After this is over, Shan'er's health has improved. Let's... let's consummate our marriage..."

On a rainy night, Su Tan'er uttered these words with a choked voice. Shortly after, Ning Yi nodded.

"Uh... ahem, I didn't mean that, but..." He smiled. "Hmm."

Her words were lost in the late-night rain. As a breeze blew in, the candlelight flickered. It must have taken immense courage for Su Tan'er to express herself this way. She lay there, shyly silent for a moment. A significant portion of her illness was due to psychological factors, and speaking her mind like this likely eased a great deal of pressure. However, moments later, perhaps remembering something, she gently bit her lower lip.

"If... if this situation doesn't resolve, will you, husband..."

"Will I what?"

"Will you..." Su Tan'er hesitated, finding it difficult to speak, then finally shook her head. "Never mind, I won't say it."

"Don't be a spoilsport," Ning Yi said, looking at her and thinking for a moment. He likely guessed some of her thoughts and shook his head. "I'm not saying this for the sake of the Su family. Whether this issue passes or not, our relationship will remain as it is... Besides, resolving this matter is actually quite simple."

Su Tan'er nodded, her expression relaxing slightly. After a moment, she smiled awkwardly at the latter part of Ning Yi's statement. "You're not aware of the full situation this time, husband..."

"I am, actually," Ning Yi replied, looking back. "I've roughly checked the accounts for the past three years. The Su family's foundation is still solid. Regardless of who our opponents are, their tactics of attacking us and then slandering us are indeed malicious. However, the impact won't be on the customers. The Su family's business extends nationwide; no one will genuinely discuss the character of a distant owner in Jiangning before entering a shop. The effect will primarily be on closer partners and suppliers. The Su family might be shaken in this regard, but compared to such methods, the impact is not significant. Given the Su family's foundation, it's unlikely to collapse entirely due to complications in a few areas; at most, we'd lose a small portion. The real impact will be felt mainly near Jiangning, and in the short term, the biggest influence will be on the imperial merchant status. Once this matter is confirmed, the government will consider its reputation and might cease cooperation with the Su family..."

"It's about the imperial merchant status..." Su Tan'er murmured, repeating his words.

"So... the main thing is to resolve the imperial merchant issue."

"You don't understand, husband..." she repeated softly, averting her gaze towards the inner side of the bed, not wanting Ning Yi to see her expression. Ning Yi sighed, then took out a piece of cloth from his pocket and placed it in her hand. "Do you not understand the imperial merchant status, or do you not understand this cloth?"

Su Tan'er turned back, looked at the cloth in her hand, then at Ning Yi. "Husband, you already know?"

"To be honest, I'm not entirely clear," Ning Yi shook his head. "Xing'er found it a bit difficult to open up, so I didn't press her."

Su Tan'er held the cloth piece, examining it for a while, occasionally glancing away lost in thought. When she finally looked back at Ning Yi, there was a slight smile on her face, but her eyes appeared desolate. Clearly, thinking about this matter often brought her to the verge of tears lately, or she had secretly cried more than once.

"Husband, we can't be imperial merchants anymore. I've been thinking about this for three years," she began. "I secretly prepared for three years. The colors were so beautiful! I truly believed I could make this work, but it's turned out like this... It's like someone tricked me. We didn't add fustic; we used a new method to create it: cinnabar, madder, alum, gardenia... This must be a formula no one has ever used before. Just over two months ago, I thought presenting this would stun everyone, but in the end—in the end, it said..."

She sniffed, biting her lip. Ning Yi thought for a moment. "When did it start to fade?"

"Almost two months ago, and I have no idea why," Su Tan'er shook her head. "After we made it, we tried so many things: sun exposure, fire baking, washing it repeatedly with water. Nothing happened; it remained beautiful, completely problem-free. But in the end... it faded. I don't know what to do. After Father collapsed, they finally couldn't hold back and told me it might be unsolvable. I asked them to keep trying, but I knew there was no way... This color is incredibly difficult to achieve; there are very few yellow raw materials. Even a slight error in the formula drastically changes the color. The vibrant yellow only appeared with the formula we stumbled upon by accident." She paused, tears welling in her eyes. "There's no hope, husband. We can't achieve it..."

After years of development in the weaving industry, methods for determining what is now called colorfastness had emerged. However, these methods clearly failed with the specific formula Su Tan'er had discovered. Perhaps a subtle chemical reaction at a particular ratio produced that vibrant yellow—of course, with his current chemical knowledge, he couldn't technically resolve this issue.

Su Tan'er was not one to give up easily. However, when three years of hard work were ultimately deemed meaningless, and her hopes for imperial merchant status vanished, combined with fatigue, stress, a cold, and other factors, her sudden collapse was no longer surprising. This is the nature of the human spirit: one moment you're at the peak, believing that even with your father's collapse, securing imperial merchant status would resolve the crisis; the next, you realize you have no leverage left. Being abruptly knocked down from the peak causes everything to erupt more intensely.

Nevertheless, Ning Yi was still looking at the cloth piece with interest. He took it from Su Tan'er's hand. "Didn't you also make improvements to the looms? I saw you withdrawing money in the accounts..."

"They can't be improved much," she replied. "They were originally prepared to handle the imperial merchant demand, but these aspects require a lot of investment and don't yield much profit. If we only get a portion of the annual tribute, it would become a burden. The Weaving Bureau would just treat people as laborers..."

"That's enough," Ning Yi interjected. "Ultimately, it's still about resolving the imperial merchant issue..."

"But it can't be resolved, husband," Su Tan'er said, then paused, looking at Ning Yi's unaffected expression. "Hmm?"

"It might be difficult to secure, but that doesn't mean it can't be resolved," Ning Yi smiled. "There are solutions for fabrics that don't fade, and solutions for those that do. As for how to use them, we'll need to consider that carefully..."

Su Tan'er thought for a moment. "Husband... are you suggesting we market the faded fabric as a good thing? That won't work..."

She was, after all, an intelligent woman. She knew that sometimes things could be swayed by words or promotion, and Ning Yi also had a reputation as a talented scholar. She assumed he intended to promote the fading as a unique characteristic of the fabric. While this might work in some situations, here, it would merely be making a mockery of the imperial family. Ning Yi, however, shook his head. "That's not how we'll do it. There are still some things I'm unclear about—mainly, the officials from the Weaving Bureau involved in this imperial merchant bid, the leverage each family is using to compete for it, exactly what we've done, and the extent of the loom improvements... If you have the energy, you can tell me now, and I'll tell you the solution later. But..."

He lowered his head and looked at the cloth piece. "The imperial merchant status is the key to this whole situation. Regardless of who our opponents are, whether they show themselves or not, we can use this to draw them out and catch them all in one fell swoop. So, no matter what, we must fight for this imperial merchant status to the very end."

"...Why? Because we have strength!"

It was morning, and the rain was still falling. In the adjacent courtyard room used for discussions, Ning Yi was speaking with a group of shopkeepers and managers. To be honest, this was his first time speaking so assertively in a "formal" setting since arriving at the Su family. Yet, dressed in his green robe and headscarf, he looked quite respectable, seemingly possessing the demeanor expected of someone entrusted with a crisis, or at least appearing to put in his best effort.

He tapped a fan in his hand and looked around.

"Resolving the imperial merchant issue will quell all the schemes of those petty individuals outside, and quiet all the discussions within our family, once and for all. As for who is watching us, both inside and out, don't concern yourselves. Others will handle those matters; the Old Master will resolve them. Our task is simply to do our part, stabilize the situation, and secure the imperial merchant share by any means necessary."

"Therefore, for the next month or so, I will take charge of this matter. Of course, I know I lack experience in this area. I will consult Tan'er on major decisions, and you, shopkeepers, are more experienced than I am in these matters. I will seek your guidance then, and I hope Shopkeeper Liao and everyone else will teach me diligently." Ning Yi bowed respectfully, then smiled.

"However, regarding the imperial merchant status, we must now start to open up the situation. I am a scholar and have no experience in business, but some principles are universal. I understand simple rules. For instance, during the New Year last year, I guessed a few things and casually made a remark that helped secure the He family's business. Haha, so, I probably know one thing for sure."

"A good product!" He tapped his folding fan on the table, speaking emphatically. "It will always be a good product! No matter where it is!"

"It's like us scholars; talented people will shine wherever they go, and others will always recognize them. Therefore, when you're trying to promote yourself, there's no need to be modest. Shopkeeper Liao and Shopkeeper Nie have recently been handling dealings with several officials from the Weaving Bureau. We've already shown our intentions, and everyone knows, but I feel one thing is still missing..."

"We've merely declared our intention to secure the imperial merchant status, and the Xue and Wu families have noticed. However, we haven't clearly presented our leverage. I hope that, going forward, all of you, shopkeepers, whether you're inviting people to dinner or discussing future business, can clearly tell others: 'We have been preparing for this for several years! We don't fight battles we're not sure of winning! We already have the finest fabric! This is our strength, and no one can surpass it!'"

"Currently, tensions between the Great Wu and Great Liao are high, and problems and friction with the annual tribute are inevitable. Every time such changes occur, it's an opportune moment for business. Previously, families like the Xue and Wu regarded the imperial merchant status with apprehension. But seeing the situation change and witnessing our resolve to compete, they now want to join the fray. They're merely acting on a whim, engaging in speculation. What preparations have they made? We are different. We began preparing for this several years ago, and now we can tell everyone!"

"Tell them all this—about the Xue family, the Wu family, and us. While we can't fully reveal our leverage yet, we can promote ourselves this way. Let everyone know that we are fully prepared. Let all the high-ranking officials at the Weaving Bureau know that we are the best and most thoroughly prepared. We already have methods for improving looms, which can significantly increase efficiency without affecting our business or the imperial merchant status. We have the finest fabric... Oh, and the next part requires everyone's secrecy, but I believe it's time to show it to you all. Juan'er, bring the box over."

Juan'er, the young maidservant standing by, nodded and turned to place a box on the table. Ning Yi put his hand on the box. "Let me repeat: please keep what you are about to see confidential. Of course, you are all part of the Su family and understand these matters better than I do. Heh, I'm stating the obvious..." Having said this, he smiled and slowly opened the rectangular box. A bolt of bright yellow silk appeared before everyone. As several people frowned in surprise and admiration, Ning Yi generously piled it forward, then picked up a knife and awkwardly cut off a section.

The rain continued to fall. The room door was closed, and Ning Yi's voice intermittently carried out from within.

"It's fire-resistant... water-resistant... sunlight-resistant... it doesn't fade... We only finished the production two months ago... I originally wanted to keep it low-key, but given the current situation, I see no other option... Achieving this will solve all our problems... Which family has such fine fabric? And this color... Why panic, everyone? With this color, the imperial merchant status will surely be ours! Even though I'm just a scholar, I know this time we'll succeed. It's not us asking those officials; it's those officials who will come asking us. Oh, don't repeat that last part, but in short, we'll benefit, and they'll benefit too, even more than us; it's a clear advantage... Alright, for the next month, I will work with all of you to make this happen."

The rain was still falling. In the bedroom, Su Tan'er gazed at the rain curtain, looking in the direction of the adjacent courtyard room. She seemed to be straining to hear something, but naturally, only the sound of rain reached her. Xiao Chan entered the room and sat by the bed, chatting with her. After a while, she said, "I wonder what Young Master looks like right now..."

"Just now, Sister Xing'er came by and said that Young Master was speaking very powerfully. All the shopkeepers were completely convinced by his words. Yes, Young Master's words truly make sense,"

"Hmm, really?" Su Tan'er smiled, imagining what those "very sensible" words must have sounded like. Soon after, the discussion there concluded, and the subtle sounds of the shopkeepers leaving drifted over. Of course, it was just the sound of footsteps and movement as they departed. If she could have gone out then, she might have heard some of their whispers in the rain.

"That truly was a scholar's perspective..."

"Some of it still makes sense..."

"It's not that simple."

"But... that fabric really is something..."

"There's nothing for it. Both the Eldest Master and Second Miss have fallen ill, so Young Master is the only one who can step in for some matters. As long as he supervises and doesn't interfere too much, there won't be any major problems..."

"Young Master is a clever man; he understands some things..."

"But he's just a scholar, after all. Business matters are too complex..."

Such discussions gradually faded, disappearing into the rain. Ning Yi returned to the small building, clapped his hands, and watched the figures of these people depart through the rain from his window. Afterward, he turned and went downstairs to visit the ailing Su Tan'er.

Another day passed. As Su Tan'er's fever gradually receded, Ning Yi began to take her place. Each day, he rode out of the mansion in a carriage, imitating Su Tan'er's previous daily routine, and with the demeanor of a diligent, eager, and somewhat naive young man, he began to "take charge" of the Su family's business.