In a private room on the top floor of the Shanhai Restaurant.
The large round table was devoid of any dishes or tea.
Instead, it was piled high with various fabrics freshly purchased from the Weaver's Pavilion. The proprietors of the ten most renowned fabric merchants in the capital, and indeed the entire nation, were scrutinizing them with grave expressions.
"It's neither Huoluoqiling nor Shujin Yunjin. Other than the Kesi embroidery technique, I recognize none of these fabrics. It's as if they're entirely new. But how can there be so many new fabrics?"
"This piece of sheer fabric is almost identical to the lost sheer fabric of the Former Han Dynasty. It's as thin as a cicada's wing and weighs only a fifth of ordinary silk. Wasn't this technique lost?
Where did this merchant find such craftsmanship?"
"We're finished, we're finished! While these silks may not be as exquisite as Shujin or Yunjin, they are undeniably novel. Our businesses are likely to plummet!"
"Where did this Weaver's Pavilion get its Kesi embroidery technique?"
These merchants, who practically monopolized over half of the domestic fabric trade and over ninety percent of the high-end silk business, were still exceptionally sensitive to the emergence of new types of silk in the market. As soon as they received the news, they immediately dispatched people to purchase the corresponding products.
Simultaneously, they convened to study and discuss.
At this moment, they were personally examining, meticulously researching the differences between each fabric and the current ones, their inherent characteristics, and contemplating the future prospects of such fabrics. They pondered which of their own fabrics would be impacted and calculated the potential losses if they simply ignored it.
The conclusion, undeniably, was not optimistic.
The emergence of new things was bound to impact the old, a truth that was unquestionable.
What was most alarming was that some of the new fabrics were priced very low yet were still quite exquisite, while others were no less exquisite than Yunjin or Shujin. The merchant's ambition was laid bare: they aimed to seize both the ordinary fabric and high-end silk markets simultaneously.
"We must take action. We cannot let this continue.
If we do nothing, our businesses will all suffer. This isn't a loss of a few taels or dozens of taels of silver. To put it without exaggeration, if the other party truly grows, we will lose at least hundreds of thousands of taels annually."
"What puzzles me now is, do the few bolts of fabric selling for ten to twenty wen per meter at the Weaver's Pavilion actually lose money? Their quality is quite good, so why can they sell them at such low prices? Strange!"
"Let's not rush. At least the Weaver's Pavilion is still selling in limited quantities, and they close for the day after they sell out.
This indicates their production capacity is quite limited.
So, there's no need to panic too much. We have plenty of time to ponder how to deal with them. No matter how impactful their new fabrics are, without sufficient output, they are useless. At most, they'll only impact the capital's market."
"That makes sense, but it's still a bit unnerving.
I feel like it's a threat..."
"No rush. I've already sent people to investigate the Weaver's Pavilion's background. Even if we want to deal with them, we must first understand their background. This capital is full of high officials and influential figures. While they may not have the same powerful backing as us, we should at least understand the situation before making a move, lest we disrupt the peace."
"That's also true. Let's wait a bit longer then..."
The capital was, after all, unlike other places. In business here, which establishment didn't have some background or patron? Even a simple rouge shop might be an asset of a marquis's or duke's wife, or deeply connected with an official in the court.
Therefore, despite their many ideas, whether to execute them depended on the investigation results.
They needed to find out who was behind the Weaver's Pavilion.
Whether they could afford to offend them or not.
Half an hour later, the individuals sent to investigate the Weaver's Pavilion's background had not yet returned. However, the servants who had been stationed outside the Weaver's Pavilion, observing and monitoring the situation, had returned.
They knocked, entered, paid their respects, and quickly stated:
"Shopkeepers, the Weaver's Pavilion seems to have gone mad.
Half an hour ago, they sold all the fabric in the shop. Instead of closing, all the shop assistants came out to distribute flyers and loudly proclaimed that the Weaver's Pavilion was founded by Princess Anrong, and that all the weaving techniques for the fabrics were also researched by Princess Anrong.
Princess Anrong has established a textile academy in the outskirts.
She welcomes anyone who wishes to learn these new fabric weaving techniques to come and study. Regardless of who you are, as long as you pay one qian for the enrollment fee, you can learn one technique.
Here, please take a look at the flyer..."
As they spoke, the servant eagerly handed over the flyer they had obtained. For a moment, the minds of the fabric merchants present couldn't fully comprehend.
Or rather, they couldn't quite believe it.
"Have they gone mad? How could anyone teach their ancestral techniques, and for just one qian?"
"What is she after?"
"Wait, who is Princess Anrong? How come I don't know of such a princess in our current dynasty?"
After exclaiming in surprise and exchanging bewildered glances, they quickly dismissed the servant.
Closing the door again, they resumed their discussion on how to proceed.
"I know Princess Anrong. If I recall correctly, she should be the youngest daughter of Emperor Shenwu, and the highest-ranking member of the current imperial clan. She is practically an ancestor, but I never expected her to still be alive.
I thought she had already passed away.
After all, she must be over ninety this year..."
"There's such a princess? That's right, she's over ninety. I wasn't even born when she got married, but her lifespan is truly long. Remarkable!"
"Regardless of what princess she is, what do you think she's trying to do? Is she afraid we'll attack her, so she preemptively revealed her weaving techniques?
But that's unlikely.
Given her seniority, even the current Emperor wouldn't dare to casually target her. If we were to move against her, and she were to simply cry to the imperial clan, neither the clan nor the Emperor would stand by and do nothing..."
"Perhaps we are overthinking it. Some elderly people might desire fame, or to leave their name in history. Look, Princess Anrong is still alive, yet some of us don't even know of her existence.
Let alone after she dies. But with this move, who among those who learn her techniques won't feel indebted to her? They might even revere her as their founder.
Then, her fame will be passed down.
We will die unknown, but centuries later, Princess Anrong's name might still be spread in our textile and fabric industries. Wonderful, truly wonderful. It's a pity we can't learn such a method of leaving our names in history."
"That's entirely possible. After all, Princess Anrong doesn't lack money or power, so perhaps she only lacks fame!"
"Then what should we do?"
"What else can we do? Of course, we should quickly have our weavers sign up to learn! With our influence, once we master the weaving techniques, do we still fear not being able to capture the market?"