She wiped the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief and said seriously: "Miss, I combed my hair in my hometown not just for the convenience of walking out, but also because I really didn't have any thoughts of following others in my mind. I always felt that I should think about these brocades and various colors.
Cotton is the most interesting thing."
Han Ximeng saw that she stated her feelings resolutely, just like he had seen when she became a servant a few months ago, so he stopped joking and said sincerely: "Then you will follow me, whether you are in the Han Mansion or in the Gu Mansion in the future.
We embroidered mountains and rivers, hundreds of thousands of birds and beasts, how happy we were."
After a pause, he continued: "However, General Ma is really a dignified man, and he is as considerate as a hair. What he said to you and me today at the gate of Dong's Mansion in full view of everyone really taught us that in the city and in the mansion, there are few
caused a lot of trouble."
Zheng Haizhu smiled and said: "That's right. Miss, just now in the front yard, the second master and the second grandma said that General Ma saved the life of the eldest daughter of the Han family, how could the Han family lose their etiquette. They told me to come back and meet you
Let’s discuss what horses to send to the general and the sergeants of his unit.”
Just now, after learning that the decision-making power of thanking the gift was left to Han Ximeng, Zheng Haizhu's pace back from the front yard was much slower than usual.
All blueprints and the premise of hands-on drawing are ideas.
The premise of conception is inspiration.
Inspiration often does not come from natural imagination, but is entangled with adventure and adventure.
After Zheng Haizhu experienced the dangers of the bandit village and the wonders of Daishan Island, he seemed to have the knack of seizing inspiration, so he made an agreement with Yan Siqi to transport perfume by sea, and with Mao Wenlong to transport silk and satin by land.
Walking slowly in the Han family compound in the rockery fish pond, when Zheng Haizhu was thinking about what kind of gift he should give to Ma Xianglin's army, he followed the same idea as before and got inspiration.
So, after conveying the second master's "instructions", she seriously suggested to Han Ximeng: "We will send cotton cloth."
"cotton?"
"Yes. Miss, while sitting on the horse today, I saw a large area of purple on General Ma's wrist. I was surprised and asked him. He smiled bitterly and said that the uniforms were stained by sweat and had faded. I took a break while they were there.
When I observed the horses while drinking, I found that those Sichuan soldiers also had such marks on their necks and wrists."
Han Ximeng shook his head: "The dye must be poor and the craftsmanship is not good. It must be from Guangfu or Luzhou. By the way, Azhu, I remember you said that when you were in the bandit camp, you were suspicious of General Ma because he had mint on his body.
Soapy."
Zheng Haizhu responded: "Well, it can be seen that although he is a military commander, he is not an uncouth man. What he brings are elite servants, all of whom are from Sichuan. Shu has always been famous for its brocade.
, but cotton cloth is not produced. Most of the cotton cloth there is shipped in from Guangdong or Guanzhong. The Huizhou merchants who control our Songjiang cotton trafficking have power in Shandong, the capital and Liaodong. Therefore, Sichuan people like General Ma and others do not know the importance of Songjiang cotton.
Okay. Miss, I see that this General Ma is highly regarded by the court at such a young age, and this year, Nurhachi, the Jurchen leader of Jianzhou in the north, has proclaimed himself the Great Khan..."
Zheng Haizhu's thinking was too fast. Han Ximeng listened, a little confused, and wondered: "It is natural to send some good cloth to the soldiers, but what does this have to do with the Jurchens in the north?"
Zheng Haizhu slowed down his speech: "Miss, please think about it, the Sichuan soldiers can fight just as well as the Zhejiang soldiers. Maybe the imperial court will ask General Ma to lead troops north to defeat the captives? By then, it will not be the hundreds of people we saw today. The fighting will be fierce.
Xiang, there are ten thousand taels of gold, and the imperial court needs to pay them when they send troops out of the customs. If the Han family wraps up their clothes, it will be a huge military business."
Han Ximeng was stunned for a moment, then laughed happily.
What she had experienced today was that her generals were lost and recovered, her fiancée was considerate and reliable, and she was in a good mood. After listening to Zheng Haizhu's words, she no longer thought it was just a fantasy on paper.
"Azhu, you are really different from those women in the playbook. For a heroic figure like General Ma, you don't care about his people, but you care about his money. Well, that's right, he is not the son of that Sichuan female chieftain.
Even if, as General Ma said, his family has never exploited the local people, his mother's prestige will always be there."
"Young miss is right to remind you," Zheng Haizhu took over the conversation and said, "General Ma's mother should not be left out when we prepare gifts. Mr. Huang said that the lady's surname was Qin, and she was a heroine like Taijun She and Mu Guiying.
General, as a woman, how can you only love weapons and not red makeup?"
"It makes sense, A-Zhu, go get some pen and paper."
Han Ximeng was guided to a better state, and he stopped talking nonsense and ordered Zheng Haizhu to make substantive records.
"Indigo blue diamond cloth, half a piece for each sergeant. This kind of cloth from our Han family absorbs sweat and is not ostentatious. It is the best for the sergeants to make the middle coat under the cotton armor."
"Fish belly white leaf Xie cloth, three feet for each sergeant. The leaf Xie cloth is narrow, but soft and breathable, used to make handkerchiefs and small clothes."
"Two pairs of winter socks and two pairs of summer socks for each sergeant."
"Coral red wicker muslin, lake blue twill muslin, lilac purple flower muslin, three pieces each, as a gift to General Ma's mother, Mrs. Qin. The Wuhu dyer hired by my second uncle with a lot of money is the best at making use of blue and purple. The red dye you brought from Fujian
They are also very good. When these three colors arrive in Shu, even if they are placed next to Shu brocade, they will not be inferior."
Zheng Haizhu wrote them down one by one, praising Han Ximeng for his thoughtful consideration.
To put it bluntly, it is both dazzling and practical.
At the end, Han Ximeng said: "Azhu, there is not much cloth to prepare this time. There is all in the cloth workshop. Tomorrow I will ask my second uncle and second aunt to give instructions, and you and the housekeeper Lao Peng will send it to Wenzhe Academy.
It’s time to explain it in detail to General Ma.”
It was already quiet time, but Han Ximeng said he was excited. Regardless of his mother-in-law urging him to go to bed, he pulled Zheng Haizhu and asked her what happened to the luggage she brought back.
Zheng Haizhu shook out the women's skirts made by Yan Siqi one by one and spread them on the embroidery frame.
"Miss, I was taken all the way by that General Mao, and even took a long boat trip. I was confused and didn't know whether to go north or south. When I entered the mansion, the family said that General Mao had found the wrong person. The owner had never found the house.
I saw him, but the housekeeper asked me and found out that I was actually a maid from the Songjiang mansion. He thought he was afraid of getting involved in a lawsuit, so he stayed with me. He let me have a good rest for two days, and gave me some good clothes before sending me back. How could I dare to be alone?
Hide it and show it to the master, wife and young lady."
Han Ximeng nodded with satisfaction.
The embroidery on the Chinese clothes is very exquisite at first sight.
Han Ximeng was like a general who saw a thousand-mile horse and Xuanyuan sword, and his interest became more and more high.
She asked her mother-in-law and maids to bring out several larger Subo mud-green eight-way candlesticks and light them around the embroidery frame to enhance the lighting.
The candlelight is like a molten gold sunset, making the cobalt blue tangled branches on the white porcelain candlesticks rich and vivid, and also illuminating the rich-colored robes.
Zheng Haizhu deliberately placed the gold-woven horse-faced skirt on the top layer, but the owner's attention was not attracted by it.
"What is this? Japanese clothing?" Han Ximeng picked up the kimono covered by the velvet cloak.