The Female Supporting Role Shows Out

Chapter 111: Embroiderer (33)

Since Empress Du ascended the throne again, Lin Dan's business has been expanding. She has recruited many woman embroiderers and weavers, who are the most talented people in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. She also built a large weaving workshop, and gradually mastered the weaving skills of shu brocade, silk, and satins. 

Meng Zhong was in an extremely difficult situation under her fierce competition, his embroiderers and weavers were frequently poached away, and the business in the store was getting worse and worse.

At the same time, the emperor's health was getting weaker and weaker, and he could not get up for two or three months once he fell sick. As a result, he becomes increasingly suspicious and rarely spends time with the concubines or the princes or princesses in the harem. Once he fell ill, he never lets anyone near him, even the eunuchs he trusted. Only Empress Du could accompany him by his bedside and take care of all the piled-up political affairs. At first, the courtiers thought it was inappropriate for them to do so, so they persuaded and even impeached Empress Du several times. However, when Empress Du really gave up on taking care of those affairs, the chaotic court forced them to accept such an arrangement.

When the emperor was extremely ill, Empress Du accompanied him and took over the administration; when the emperor recovered, she immediately locked herself in the Taoist temple and did not ask about world affairs. As time went by, the emperor believed in her, and the courtiers were getting used to her sitting behind the pearl curtain listening to government affairs. After her enthronement, she did not promote the Du family, nor did she retaliate against those who had trampled on her, but silently, little by little, her power penetrated into the imperial power.

Unlike Empress Du, who behaves firmly on her throne, the concubines who have sons and daughters feel that the emperor's end is near and start to fight among themselves. All the emperors sons had their own followers and were competing in the court. Watching them fight back and front with each other like black-eyed chickens, the emperor was wearing away his fatherly heart to them.

One day, the eldest prince was assassinated on the march and become blind in one eye, but the captured assassin confessed that the master behind these scenes was the third prince. The third prince denied and went to the imperial study to present his grievances. This revealed the scandal of the second prince, fourth prince, and other brothers, which they are selling their titles and forming parties for personal interests. Several princes immediately stood up to fight back, all kinds of intrigues and hidden conspiracies suddenly broke out in an instant.

The court had become a total mess, the emperor was mentally exhausted and fell ill again for four or five months. The Empress Du had to leave the temple and go to the imperial study to help deal with court affairs. At first, she had worn a beaded hair wear to separate herself from the courtiers. Over time, the bead hair wear became more and more troublesome to her. She simply removed it and met her courtiers in an opened and dignified manner. The manjusaka symbol between her eyebrows was so pretty, enchanting, and sharp, which makes the courtiers feel so oppressed that they don't even dare to breathe out loud.

Her majestic, indifferent, and wise image was gradually established in the hearts of many civil and military officials. 

A few months later, a massive typhoid epidemic broke out in the city center. Except for the prince who stayed behind closed doors, four of the adult princes contracted the disease. The Empress Du quarantined the patient immediately and dispatched an imperial physician to study overnight on the prescription for curing typhoid fever, so as to control the disaster to a minimum range. 

She did not intervene in the treatment process of the four princes but sent their mother and concubine out of the palace to take care of them. In order to protect the emperor, she also banned the Hall of Yang Xin. After all, the emperors body was getting weaker and weaker. A small cold and flu could kill him, let alone typhoid fever? 

Unfortunately, the four emperor's sons fail to survive. The sad concubines ran to the Hall of Yang Xin to see the emperor but were stopped by the empress. They cried, making noises, and even stated that the empress stopped them because of her personal motives. However, the emperor didnt think the empresss move was inappropriate, but he felt very relieved. Without the protection of the empress, he would have been seriously ill, and these women not only did not understand him and cared for him, but also disturb his rest, which is terrible!

Thinking of this, the emperor immediately dispatched the guards to keep away all these people. He only allowed the empress to enter and leave the Hall of Yang Xin, and also gave the command of the imperial army to the empress.

A few months later, the epidemic was gradually under control, at the same time the emperor's health had gradually improved. The empress immediately handed back the political affairs to him and went back to the Taoist temple to practice. A few days later, the emperor had relaxed his vigilance and summoned the Seventh Prince, who had been kneeling outside the Hall of Yang Xin, to speak.  Soon after the father and son bid farewell, the emperor fell ill again. After the doctor took his pulse, he knelt down trembling, kowtowing, and not daring to speak.

Half a month later, the emperor, who had contracted typhoid, was so thin that he had lost his shape, and no matter what medicine was used, it did not work. He took the empress's hand and shed tears silently, he felt regret and shame,  and more hatred for the seventh prince. Since then, the eldest prince was blind in one eye, the third and eighth prince were demoted to the common people, the second, fourth, fifth, and sixth prince all died of illness, the seventh prince was abandoned, and in the end, only the five-year-old ninth prince was left to inherit the throne.

Seeing this messy and terrible situation in front of him, no matter how regretful the emperor was, it was too late, and he could only arrange his afterlife hastily. He called four cabinet ministers to his bedside and made an imperial edict. He ordered Empress Du to manage court affairs and promoted Concubine Li to the position of senior concubine.

He didn't trust his subjects nor his women, but he believed in Empress Du, because she had no mother to rely on, nor her own heirs. She had no other way to survive except to assist the Ninth Prince.

After arranging all this, the emperor closed his eyes in reluctance, and the ninth prince, who was only five years old at the time, was enthroned as the emperor. Empress Du was revered as the Queen Mother of the East which managed political affairs while Li Min was revered as the Queen Mother of the West, who was responsible for taking care of the little emperor's daily life, without any real power in her hands.

Li Min is an extremely ambitious woman, of course she is greatly dissatisfied with this. She frequently encourages the supervisor to impeach Du Fange and orders the Li family to recruit courtiers for their own use. But unfortunately, Du Fange's prestige has long been established among the civil and military officials, and the emperor has already excluded the Li family from the center of power in order to prevent the monopoly of foreign relatives. It is useless and did nothing done but show the world their ugly ambitions and their jokes.

After the emperor was buried in the imperial tomb, the enthronement ceremony was in preparation. In order to embroider the dresses of the little emperor and two queen mothers, officials from the Department of Internal Affairs began to select the best embroiders from all over the country and buy silk and satins. 

Since ancient times, Suzhou and Hangzhou have been known as the "hometown of silkworms", and they were the first stop for selection. Moreover, the Queen Mother's brother is the governor of Zhejiang Province. He pays tribute to the embroidered mother and fabrics and is also a handy gift from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. On the day of the selection, the top embroiderers from all over Suzhou and Hangzhou gathered together and displayed their best works, which were judged by several officials. 

Meng Si, who hadn't appeared in front of people for a long time, also came. She carefully placed an embroidered screen on the table. Li Xiudian stood by and looked at her with eyes full of glory.

"The composition is exquisite, the stitches are exquisite, it's great." An official looked at Li Xiudian and nodded in admiration. 

"The stitches are indeed exquisite, but not the best. There are already several similar works on this table. If they can't be outstanding, are they qualified to embroider dragon and phoenix robes?" Another official looked in Du Ruyan's direction. The two queen mothers from east and west have not really fought, but their officials below are already standing in line. 

Meng Si smiled slightly, then generously stepped forward and turned the round embroidery screen around. 

Everyone in the venue suddenly gasped. On the front of this embroidered painting, there is a lady holding a mirror while dressing up. Even the roots of the hair are visible. The beautiful facial features are lifelike. Under the gauze, there are some flesh colors that seem to have body temperature. Is this really a painting? This is clearly a window through which people can spy on every move of the lady.

The painting skills and exquisite stitching are already very amazing for most people. What's even better is that the back of this embroidered screen is actually the same scene and characters in a different perspective. The lady facing the crowd turned her back to the crowd, and her beautiful face could only be dimly seen through the mirror in her hand.

An embroidery painting has two sides, and the patterns on both sides are different. This kind of stitching is almost unheard of in the State of Zhou.

When everyone was shocked, an old embroidery woman exclaimed: "I remember, this is the lost double-sided embroidery, and it is the most difficult double-sided, same-color, and different painting embroidery! I read about it in an ancient book. I thought it was just a legend, but I didn't know someone could do it! I studied all my life can not restore this kind of embroidery technology, Meng did it! How old is she? The future generation is unbelievable!"

The old embroider woman walked back and forth around the table, looking excited.

The official supporting the Queen Mother of West immediately said, "Mr. Qian, this is the legendary double-sided embroidery. Talking about the embroidery technique, anyone here can beat Meng? If she can't be selected, I don't know who to choose.

Lord Qian stroked his beard and was speechless. The rest of the officials had already understood the situation, and then they echoed: "Yes, Meng's embroidery skills are really good. Who else can we choose? I think it's settled."

Other embroiders stared at each other but no one stands up against it. The embroidered woman who had submitted her work retreated silently, and the embroidered woman who had not yet presented her work hid the package in her arms as she was ashamed of herself.

Seeing this scene, Meng Si bit her lip secretly, feeling agitated. After this incident, she will surely be able to regain the title of the No. 1 Embroiderer in Zhejiang Province. When she embroiders the dragon robe and phoenix robe in the coming day, even the title of the No. 1 Embroiderer in the Great Zhou Kingdom will belong to her. After entering the palace, she will take good care of the Queen Mother of West to establish a good relationship with her, and then try to get her to agree to her marriage with Li Gongzi. By then, everything will be better, and Meng's Embroidery Village will be able to dominate the weaving market in Zhejiang Province and even the entire Great Zhou Kingdom as before.

Thinking of this, she raised her head and looked at Lin Dan, revealing a rare, proud smile.

Lin Dan didn't look at her at all, but ordered someone to carry a screen that was half a foot tall and covered with a black cloth behind her into the hall, and said slowly: "Lin Dan from Danyan Embroidery Village is here to join in. Elect, I invite you all to have a look."