Farm Tough Girl
Chapter 533 - 533 534 Waiting for the Result_1

Chapter 533: Chapter 534 Waiting for the Result_1 Chapter 533: Chapter 534 Waiting for the Result_1 Early the next day, Muniang came with her papers and brushes in tow, to which Madame Rong commented with a smile, “Why bring all this? Our mansion isn’t lacking for such things.”

Muniang simply smiled without a word, knowing full well that her tools were not to be found in the Rong Mansion, particularly her feather brush, which was rare. The one Wu Haoli had given her was no longer in use.

It wasn’t that it was broken, but rather, after Yu Ze had commissioned people to search for this type of brush, she ended up with a whole box of them.

Indeed, the man proved quite adorable when he was jealous.

She found other brushes awkward to handle, especially for painting. She’d rather be spared from using a traditional writing brush, so the ones Yu Ze found were quite useful for her artwork.

This time, Lady Rong didn’t invite her to Qin Fang Pavilion, but instead led her to Old Mr. Rong’s study.

Muniang was inwardly astonished. To view a portrait required such caution? Did her birth mother not even possess her own daughter’s likeness? Was familial affection in the palace meant to chill to such a degree?

Rong Suqing was Madame Rong’s biological daughter, and naturally, she was treated differently from Rong Liming. If it had been a stepmother, Muniang wouldn’t have expected Lady Rong to keep her portrait. But her own mother, not keeping a single one? It would’ve been nice to have something to reminisce upon daily.

Lady Rong seemed to perceive her doubts and explained with a smile, “Please forgive me, Lady Yu. Her Highness is now a precious jewel, and it is naturally not permissible for me to keep her portrait here. To prevent any leaks, our mansion only has this one portrait, and it’s locked away in the Old Master’s study.”

Muniang nodded, “I see.” But in her heart, she found it rather abnormal.

Upon reaching the study, Old Mr. Rong was personally waiting there. He was somewhat surprised to see Muniang, having expected the owner of an Embroidery House to be an experienced and seasoned old woman, not a young girl.

Briefly doubting, he nevertheless did not show his skepticism, greeted her politely, and then personally handed over the portrait to Muniang.

At a glance, Muniang was taken aback by the beauty of the portrait. With brows arched like crescents shrouded in mist, eyes half-closed in delight veiling affection, she was a legitimate beauty, a fine piece indeed. No wonder she had captivated the Emperor’s heart.

“Does Lady Yu feel confident?” Old Mr. Rong’s question interrupted Muniang’s pondering.

Muniang replied with a smile, “Her Highness has divine grace and beauty, naturally I am confident.”

Her response was a compliment to Rong Suqing, meant to appease Old Mr. Rong’s heart, but his stern face remained unswayed, nodding seriously, “Then I thank Lady Yu in advance.”

Muniang inwardly sighed at the lack of familial warmth in this house of power and wealth but said no more, merely acknowledging the statement.

As Muniang began taking out her tools, both Old Mr. Rong and Lady Rong were taken aback.

Muniang pulled out some stiff, high-quality paper and a row of feather brushes, each color of pigment corresponding to a specific brush, never mixing them, hence the variety she brought.

Old Mr. Rong, having seen much in his life, was not overly surprised, and managed to contain his initial shock, focusing on the birthday gift for his daughter.

Only then did Lady Rong realize why Muniang had brought her own set of materials—they truly didn’t have such things in the Rong Mansion.

In a short while, Muniang had sketched out the rough image and added a touch of color because the subject’s vivid character called for a livelier representation.

Muniang handed it to Old Mr. Rong and Lady Rong, who were quite satisfied as well.

So Muniang said, “Then I will have our best embroiderers in the Embroidery House work on it according to this design.”

“Of course, this design is already very good,” Old Mr. Rong nodded and said, “But the embroidery must be exquisite, so all the materials will be provided by our Rong Mansion, including the embroidery thread, fabrics, and other items.”

Muniang had guessed as much; although Lady Rong had said before that after having enough delicacies, plain porridge and simple dishes could also be a novelty, she certainly could not endure simple and bland food for long. The embroidery naturally had to be made with the most valuable materials.

This would save on costs, and Muniang was pleased and agreed easily, “Then please have your mansion send the materials to Yuyang Embroidery House on another day.”

Old Mr. Rong said, “I will have someone send them over in a while. Please instruct your people to work quickly, but do not compromise on the delicacy. The birthday is approaching, and there is no time to delay.”

“Rest assured, Old Mr. Rong.”

Initially, Muniang was concerned that Qinghua City was far from the Capital, and even if someone hurried on horseback, it would probably take a month or two, fearing the materials wouldn’t arrive in time. It was only later that Yu Ze told her that for urgent deliveries, there were relay stations along the way, with people taking turns to run, going as fast as possible, and it could take about half a month to arrive.

Only then did Muniang recall the saying, “A single ride through the red dust brings forth the consort’s laugh,” and understood the extravagance of the royal family.

Now that Muniang had completed the design, the rest of the work was entrusted to Madam Liu. Although Muniang had hired quite a few skilled embroiderers, truth be told, none could compare to Madam Liu’s craftsmanship, so it was natural to leave this embroidery piece to Madam Liu for peace of mind.

In order for Madam Liu to focus on the embroidery work, Muniang had also asked Qinghe to help manage the affairs of the Embroidery House.

When the finished product was ready, Madame Rong personally came to collect it. The Rong Family was quite satisfied and had it sent swiftly to the Capital.

With this order temporarily concluded, Muniang could finally breathe a sigh of relief, fortunate there had been no mishaps along the way. Now, it was just a matter of waiting for the outcome.

Although Madame Rong had mentioned that if Noble Lady Rong liked the embroidery, there would naturally be an additional reward later, Muniang didn’t care much about that. What she cared about was more Silver. Once she earned the favor of that noble lady, the embroidery works of Yuyang Embroidery House would become famous throughout the Daqian Dynasty.

Muniang had made a point of noting Noble Lady Rong’s exploits. She had heard that the lady was extraordinarily fond of Shu brocade; to win her favor, the Emperor had spared no expense in collecting rare Shu brocades for her, to the point that almost all her clothing were made of this luxurious fabric. The daughters of wealth and status in the Daqian Dynasty also favored Shu brocade, leading merchants travelling between countries to make a fortune, and an extravagant trend flourished as a result.

The commercial value of a favored consort was immeasurable.

If this embroidery piece were to win her favor, Yuyang Embroidery House would prosper from then on.

Now it was just a matter of waiting patiently for the results. Muniang was eighty percent confident; she was banking on winning praise for novelty and had no doubt that she could make a name for herself.

Muniang was in the room making clothes for the children when she saw Qingya bring in tea.

She asked casually, “What did Nanny Li say?”

Qingya snorted, “I thought she was clever enough to recognize the way of the world, but it turns out she’s as stubborn as they come. I’ve tested her several times, and she always seems reluctant.”