Chapter 133: Who Will Wear Whom Out

The world is full of turmoil, and the political landscape is treacherous, yet all this remains far removed from the lives of ordinary citizens. Even the wealthy families in Jiangling City do not pay much heed to the maneuvers of high-ranking officials in the capital. Instead, they are concerned about the growing number of refugees outside the city walls and the ominous rumors beginning to circulate within.

The imperial court’s newly appointed Prefect of Jiangling is expected to arrive soon. Perhaps this might bring an end to the chaos inside and outside the city? However, it is whispered that the incoming official, Zhang Qicheng, does not have a stellar reputation, having been previously dismissed for corruption.

Yet, as the times grow more chaotic, rare curiosities seem to multiply. Recently, a miraculous type of mirror has appeared in Jiangling City. It is a circular, palm-sized object with a surface so clear and bright that it reflects every minute detail of a person’s appearance, as if it were a treasure from the realm of immortals.

Once this new mirror hit the market, it immediately rendered the traditional bronze mirrors obsolete. Those bronze mirrors were not only clunky and crude, but the reflections they provided were hopelessly blurry. Over time, they would rust, requiring one to constantly hire a craftsman for careful polishing. Initially, people had no major complaints about bronze mirrors, but since the arrival of these new ones, everyone finds the old mirrors unsightly. It is truly said: one does not fear poor quality, one only fears comparison.

The new mirrors are not cheap. A palm-sized piece sells for ten taels of silver. It is said that this is merely a promotional price, and once the product becomes widely known, the cost will only rise. Expensive as it is, the quality is undeniable. Furthermore, the merchants selling them claim that the production costs are exorbitant, and that selling them for ten taels is essentially a loss-leader to build a reputation.

Such a magical mirror must surely have an extraordinary origin, so people are inclined to believe in the high costs. Moreover, rumors suggest that a Taoist master from the Jiuxu Temple outside the city once denounced the mirror as an item of excessive luxury, claiming it was forged from pure, shimmering silver. Some curious individuals even dismantled the sturdy hardwood frame of one such mirror, finding that the back of the glass was indeed a dull, metallic silver color, which seemed to substantiate the rumor. It was truly miraculous.

Whether the rumors are true or false, the new mirrors have earned the nickname "silver mirrors" and are increasingly sought after. As for why they are made so small, the merchants explain that the refining process is difficult, making it hard to produce large pieces. Furthermore, the material is extremely fragile; obtaining a large silver mirror is a matter of pure luck. Once this was said, everyone understood: large silver mirrors are not non-existent, but rare, and should one ever appear, it would surely command an astronomical price.

Unlike the world outside, the residence of the Princess of Xiangcheng is in a flurry of activity, with servants carefully maneuvering a massive dressing mirror, over two meters tall and one and a half meters wide.

This dressing mirror also features a frame of hardwood, though it is unadorned, as if designed solely for ease of transport.

"The man sent by Master Zhao said that the woodcarvers at Yushu Bay lack the skill to meet the Princess's standards, so they simply made the most basic frame. Once it arrived, we were to find a skilled craftsman to create a new one," Xiao Tao said, bustling about as she and the others positioned the massive mirror in the Princess's bedchamber. She babbled on about the instructions given by Wang Erhu during the delivery. "My Lady, such a large silver mirror is truly a rare treasure! I heard people outside say that these mirrors are forged from silver and consume a great deal of resources. Master Zhao is truly talented!"

Wei Linglan inspected the mirror, her eyes filled with undisguised delight. Nevertheless, she curled her lip and retorted bluntly, "Don't listen to the nonsense of those outside. Stories about silver refining are likely just fabrications spread by that capable Master Zhao himself. This mirror is indeed impressive, but I have a feeling that whatever that little rascal Zhao Hengyi is tinkering with, it isn't truly made of refined silver! In my view, it has more to do with glass."

"My Lady, wouldn't glass be even more expensive?" Xiao Tao was already accustomed to her mistress's wild ideas and responded absentmindedly, her mind already wandering elsewhere.

Wang Erhu had not come to Jiangling City just to deliver one dressing mirror. He had brought dozens of mirrors, even larger than the ones sold in the streets, enough for every member of the Daughter’s Army. Xiao Tao had received one herself, roughly the size of two palms, and was eager to finish her chores so she could return to her room and admire her own silver mirror.

Wei Linglan noticed her maid's distraction. After confirming that Wang Erhu was the one who had escorted the mirror, she teased Xiao Tao a little before letting her go.

Once the servants had dispersed, Wei Linglan stood alone before the dressing mirror, examining it closely. She saw her entire reflection, from her hair to the intricate patterns on her robes, all perfectly clear. It was truly marvelous. Long before, when the silver mirrors first hit the market, she had sent people to buy them—more than one. However, those palm-sized round mirrors could not compare to this dressing mirror.

Standing alone before the glass, Wei Linglan’s face slowly flushed with a rosy hue as she thought of something, whispering softly, "Clouds evoke her robes, and flowers evoke her face..."

Yushu Bay had gained a new source of income, greatly easing its financial woes. Miao Xiaoyu watched the incessant drizzle outside the window and rubbed her shoulders. The ledgers on the table before her all used the new accounting method taught by her husband. It was truly efficient; despite the many workshops in the village, every account was crystal clear. If she had used the methods she learned from her father, the ledgers would have long since become a tangled mess.

The textile workshop had been operating at a loss for two consecutive months. Although the deficit was not large, it was still abnormal. Her husband was kind-hearted; all the workers in the workshops were provided with meals at the canteen, and their wages were generous. Miao Xiaoyu did not object to this; having experienced hunger with her younger sisters, she felt that everything her husband did was right.

The textile workshop utilized new types of looms with extremely high output, several times or even ten times that of other cloth merchants. Even with the investment in their employees, the labor costs in Yushu Bay were actually far more advantageous than those of their competitors. The current losses were entirely due to the rising cost of raw materials. For several months, prices within the Jiangling Prefecture had been steadily climbing, to the point where weaving cloth was no longer profitable.

Having been raised by her father to understand such things, Miao Xiaoyu could easily calculate that other textile merchants were suffering even higher rates of loss. This rise in raw materials was highly unnatural—the prices had been driven up for no apparent reason—and Miao Xiaoyu caught a familiar scent in the air.

"If you're tired, take a rest. You can leave the detailed accounts for the stewards to audit and just review the final totals," Zhao Hengyi said. Seeing his wife’s exhaustion, he stepped forward to knead her shoulders, only to be met with an eye-roll from Miao Xiaoyu.

"Husband, our household is losing money selling cloth, and the other firms are likely losing even more... Should we raise our prices?"

"Raising prices won't work... Someone wants to bleed our workshops dry. Courtesy demands reciprocity; as for me, I intend to bleed them dry instead..."