Chapter 125: Untitled

"Haha, Boss Xie, long time no see."
"Boss Chen, how have you been lately?"
"After tonight's banquet, shall we head over to the Treasure Trove Gambling House for a spin?"
"My luck has been terrible lately, and besides, with today's event..."
"Regarding that shipment in Qingzhou last time, Brother Li, I am truly grateful for your righteous assistance..."
"We are in the same trade; it is only natural to look out for one another."

Amidst the flickering lights and the bustling noise, the Green Ripple Pavilion was filled with the clamor of voices. With some time still remaining before the banquet began, people gathered and moved about. As carriages arrived, various figures connected to the weaving trade stepped out. On the second floor, Ning Yi and the members of the Su family had already arrived some time ago. While being shown to their seats, they were kept busy greeting the various merchants who approached them—those who favored the Su family, those who didn't, those with business partnerships, and those without. Regardless, none dared to ignore the Su family.

However, compared to the heads of the Su family—Ning Yi, Su Zhongkan, and Su Yunfang—it was Manager Liao and his colleagues who received the most attention tonight. This was hardly surprising. Before tonight, others had speculated that either Su Tan'er would make an appearance, or perhaps the old patriarch, Su Yu, would attend. Had either of them come, they would naturally have been the final decision-makers regarding the imperial merchant bid. As it turned out, neither appeared. Consequently, those who were truly concerned with the practical aspects of the imperial contract focused their attention on Manager Liao and the others, who were actually steering the ship for the Su family’s main branch.

As for Su Zhongkan and Su Yunfang, they were clearly in no position to intervene in matters concerning the imperial contract. Yet, should the Su family fail tonight, their status would shift dramatically, leading many to speculate on the outcome. Furthermore, they were established tycoons in the Jiangning weaving industry, so they naturally commanded significant respect. Beside them, Ning Yi, while holding the final decision-making power for the main branch, was viewed merely as a figurehead—a symbol ensuring that the main family’s authority had not been usurped by Manager Liao and his team. He could not, in reality, dictate any major decisions.

Thus, those approaching Manager Liao were mostly individuals of actual influence—those concerned with the imperial contract or managers handling operations for other cloth merchants. They would stop by for pleasantries, and occasionally, officials from the Weaving Bureau, with whom connections had already been established, would drop by with smiles and winks to imply that everything was in order for the evening.

Su Zhongkan and Su Yunfang were mostly surrounded by other merchant giants—men of similar status, such as heads of medium-sized cloth firms or even the current leader of the Cloth Merchant Guild. When Wu Chenghou, the head of the Wu family, arrived, his first order of business was to greet them and discuss trade affairs.

As for Ning Yi, he spent his time exchanging pleasantries with all sorts of people. Once everyone confirmed that Su Tan'er would not be attending, their attitude toward him became quite warm, though the topics of conversation were varied and rarely touched upon the cloth business. Regardless, he stood at the center of the stage tonight, and those with less influence than the Su family were not foolish enough to openly snub him. For those of similar standing, some had learned to be indifferent. The Xue family and the Su family had arrived early, and the divide between them was clear. Xue Sheng merely gave Su Zhongkan a brief nod, ignoring Ning Yi entirely. Xue Yan, however, came over and chatted quite a bit, mentioning a recent encounter with Li Pin and insisting that he must be invited to the send-off banquet once the city gates reopened and Li Pin left for the capital.

Xue Yan and Li Pin were not particularly close, having only interacted during incidents like the one at the Emerald Pavilion. But since Ning Yi had begun managing the main branch, Xue Yan had invited him to dinner twice, and the atmosphere had been pleasant enough. Xue Yan was a man who knew how to play the part when he wanted to, and he now treated Li Pin as an acquaintance. Soon after, the Wu family arrived. Wu Chenghou and his two sons each came over to speak with Ning Yi. Wu Qilong even teased him about his late arrival that morning: "I heard Manager Luo mention it today. It seems that even though Liheng is usually unflappable, you were a bit nervous about today after all, haha..."

As the leader of the cloth trade, the Wu family always maintained good relations with everyone. With the tension between the Xue and Su families, they often acted as mediators. Over this period, the brothers Wu Qilong and Wu Qihao had met with Ning Yi often enough that they could be called familiar friends. Ning Yi shook his head with a helpless smile: "I had intended to keep everything in order until the very last day. Who knew I would oversleep this morning... Uh, I see you’ve heard... surely it hasn't spread everywhere, has it?"

"Hehehe." Wu Qilong lowered his voice, suppressing a laugh. "I’m afraid it’s known to everyone by now..."

"Tsk..." Ning Yi froze, then rolled his eyes, causing Wu Qihao, who was standing nearby, to burst into laughter.

"It doesn't matter if people know about Brother Ning's affairs; everyone in Jiangning knows that while you might be careless with trifles, you are never sloppy with major matters. As for tonight's imperial contract... well, to be honest, since we are rivals, I won't wish you luck, haha..." Wu Qilong said with an open-hearted laugh. "However, while you are formidable, our Wu family has an ace up our sleeve as well. Regardless of the outcome, we shall both have to accept it gracefully."

The brothers were magnanimous, and those nearby gained a favorable impression of them. After a few more pleasantries, the brothers turned and left. Ning Yi watched their backs with a smile before turning to attend to other "acquaintances."

As the time neared, everyone took their seats one after another. The second floor of the Green Ripple Pavilion was spacious, and the merchants qualified to attend were assigned specific seating. The Su family had a large round table, while the other merchants were allocated their own. Even those with few representatives were not made to share, as this banquet was intended to determine the fate of the imperial contract, necessitating a distinct space for each house.

The Su, Xue, and Wu families were situated at three ends of the venue. The hall grew quiet as the remaining guests arrived, and officials from the Weaving Bureau moved about, offering greetings and final instructions.

The bidding for the imperial contract was not conducted through a standard, fair competitive process. This was largely due to the unique nature of the imperial contract in previous years. The burden of the "Annual Cloth" was something everyone wished to avoid; if they held an open bid and no one showed up, it would be a loss of face. Over the decades, the task of the imperial merchant had evolved into a form of "tribute." It was as if one had a rare treasure to offer the royal family, and in return, the family would grant certain privileges—though, on the surface, it was never framed that way.

The cloth actually sent into the palace was quite profitable, and if the royal family wanted it, they would demand it regardless of the time, and the tribute would be delivered accordingly. However, at this time each year, the Weaving Bureau had to organize and allocate the shares of the Annual Cloth. If the regular suppliers complained too much, the Bureau would distribute some of the burden to others, pointing to the Su, Wu, or Xue families and saying, "Here is a batch of tasks; you must help share the burden." No one dared to refuse, lest they face retaliation later. Of course, the Weaving Bureau was careful not to be too unreasonable.

Thus, for decades, the Weaving Bureau's meetings had mostly followed this pattern: each family would take turns showing off their best cloth to be appraised by others, which also served as a record of their achievements to be presented to the Imperial Court. While the burden of the Annual Cloth was decided in the shadows, the surface was always polished, resembling a showcase for excellence and an appreciation of fine textiles. This year, the surface remained the same, but the reality beneath was vastly different.

Everyone was well aware of this.

As people whispered and kept an eye on the Su, Xue, and Wu families, Manager Liao was busy gauging the situation from others. Upon sitting down, he leaned toward Ning Yi and whispered with a smile: "Judging by the atmosphere today, the imperial contract should be ours without issue. The efforts of the past month were not in vain; most people favor the Su family."

He paused, then sighed: "It was all Second Miss's foresight, starting this years ago. I had vaguely sensed something in the past, but I didn't know how it would develop. When the Master had his accident, I truly thought the Su family was heading for a disaster... But small tricks can never defeat true preparation. With that fabric in our hands, we finally have real leverage. This past month’s events can truly be called a 'bright strategy.'"

Ning Yi pursed his lips slightly and glanced around: "Is it really foolproof?"

"There shouldn't be much of a problem." Manager Liao also surveyed the room. "The Lu family has a new fabric, and while it is good, it is not quite suitable for the royal requirements. It is called 'Tea-Scented Silk,' and I have already seen it. The Xue family has their signature 'Purple-Washed Cloth,' which is popular among the wealthy, though it is quite expensive, and they haven't produced anything new lately. While the Wu family is the top of the weaving trade and possesses great strength, their forte is their craftsmanship. With 'Needle-God Luo' in their house, their weaving technique is always a cut above, but against our Su family's 'Golden Dawn Brocade,' their craftsmanship advantage matters little..."

Manager Liao and his team had done their homework for this imperial bid, and he spoke with confidence, though he soon frowned: "However, the mastermind behind the assassination of the Master has yet to be found. If it really was the Xue family, I fear they may have a follow-up plan..."

Manager Liao looked toward the Xue family's section, then shook his head, comforting Ning Yi: "The possibility is low, and besides... we have done all we can. Since things have reached this point, we should just sit back and watch..."

Ning Yi nodded and stopped speaking. He then signaled for Chan'er to place the brocade box she was carrying onto the table. After a while, an official came over to speak with Manager Liao. The manager smiled and tilted his head toward Ning Yi: "Lord Dong and the others have arrived. Our Su family has the most impressive presence tonight, and Lord Dong wants the banquet to be spectacular, so he has arranged for us to be the grand finale."

"The finale is a good thing?"

"In previous years, only the best cloth is featured in the finale. Some of those fabrics are still being supplied to the royal family today..."

While speaking, Manager Liao was also slightly nervous. He shared this with Ning Yi, and the news spread to the other managers nearby.

"The finale..." Ning Yi murmured, sitting there in thought for a long while before shaking his head with a small smile: "Tonight's outcome is already decided..." Because his tone sounded like a question, Manager Liao smiled: "It is not yet certain, Master Ning. It is hard to say for sure."

At that same moment, in the hall, someone glanced toward them while twirling a green jade thumb ring. A whisper escaped their lips: "Tonight's outcome... is already decided?" The voice was too soft, sounding like a murmur or perhaps a quiet question posed to the ring itself, with a faint, leisurely smile playing on their lips.

The official banquet was still some time away, as one always had to wait until the most boastful items were displayed before the eating and revelry could begin. Almost no one expected that the events truly belonging to this night would occur in less than half an hour. The turns of events would be so abrupt and dramatic, the reactions so bold and intense, and the darkness hidden beneath so deep and layered with such complex intrigue, that when they were eventually unraveled, the night would become a deep scar in the history of the Jiangning weaving industry—and indeed the entire business world—for months, and even years, to come.

Ning Yi is about to write the third poem. I don't think anyone will be able to guess which one it is.