Plotting with You: The Forensic Scientist in Ancient Times!

Chapter 555 - 554: Flowing Clouds

Amid the hubbub and clamor, a young assistant stepped forward with a smile, cupping his hands towards the crowd: "Fellow neighbors, gentlemen, nobles, thank you for your love for our Flowing Clouds fabric. From material to weaving technique, this fabric is exceptionally rare, and the cost is high."

"Stop with the nonsense, my household doesn’t lack money! I’ve taken a liking to this fabric, so just name your price, let’s settle this quickly!" A man in silken robes with a scraggly beard spoke impatiently to the young assistant, "No matter the amount, just say it, I’ll pay, and you sell the fabric to me!"

"Exactly, state the price already. Whether we can afford it or not, at least tell us the price, so we can consider it. If we can’t afford it, I won’t waste my time here!" Another person in the crowd chimed in.

With one or two people asking questions, others began to join in, stretching their necks to get a better look. Though the fabric was unaffordable, it was rare to see such a unique item, so they could at least enjoy the spectacle.

The young assistant remained calm and composed, watching as the crowd continued to urge him on. He didn’t speak until more and more people joined in the chatter and urging.

"I’m truly sorry, dear nobles and neighbors! Our shop has not set a price for this bolt of Flowing Clouds fabric, and today we merely brought out a sample piece for everyone to admire.

This fabric’s craftsmanship is exceedingly complex, and the materials are extraordinarily scarce. As soon as it arrived at our shop, a noble had already reserved it.

This piece of cloth is the sample left from that time, and our shopkeeper thought it was too rare not to be seen by everyone, hence he specially brought it out for everyone to admire. Truly sorry for the inconvenience."

"What kind of noble is so domineering, reserving this thing before anyone else even saw it?!" The scraggly-bearded man protested angrily, "Isn’t it usually that the rare materials in your shop go to the highest bidder?

Why not let us others have a look first? Are you assuming that none of us can afford the price?

Name the price you sold it for, and I’ll add ten percent to it! It’s just a bolt of fabric, even if it’s made of pure gold, I can afford it! Stop wasting time!" The big-bearded man impatiently waved his hand, "State the price already!"

"I deeply apologize, but this batch of fabric cannot be sold."

"What’s going on with your Headdress and Shoes Workshop?! In the past, when there were good things, the price would skyrocket, and I never argued with you. I’m a regular customer, and now you are doing this?" The big-bearded man seemed a bit irritated, his voice rising sharply.

"Sir, please calm down... Sir, please calm down..." The young assistant remained calm, smiling as he cupped his hands towards the man, "It’s not that we look down upon you, thinking you can’t afford it, but this time, no amount of money can make us sell this Flowing Clouds fabric to anyone else.

To be honest, the noble who reserved this Flowing Clouds fabric is none other than Prince Yi’s maternal grandfather, Duke Yan.

Next month, Duchess Yan will celebrate her birthday, so Duke Yan took a fancy to this fabric to make a dress for her to wear at the birthday banquet.

By now, the fabric has probably been taken to be cut into a dress, so we ask for everyone’s understanding, and please admire this piece of fabric for now.

If our shopkeeper procures similar fabric in the future, we’ll certainly set a base price, and go with the highest bidder like in the past!

We ask for your indulgence this time!"

The couple of people who were initially grumbling fell silent as soon as they heard that it was Duke Yan who took the fabric away.

Indeed, if it’s something Duke Yan fancies, unless the Emperor wants it, who would dare compete with him!

The big-bearded man grumbled and pushed his way out of the crowd, seemingly frustrated that such a prized item was right in front of him, yet not for him to take home.

Meanwhile, others, having heard the young assistant’s words, pressed forward eagerly for a better look.

Though they lived in the Capital, meeting nobles was not an everyday occasion.

To speak of Duke Yan’s mansion, few could even pass the street in front of its entrance unless permitted.

Even in the bustling streets of the Capital, when Duke Yan’s carriage passed through, guards would loudly clear the way, asking idle crowds to make way.

Most people were aware of Duke Yan’s immense power and unattainable presence but hadn’t fully grasped what he looked like.

Now, it’s different—they could closely examine the rare fabric Duke Yan procured for his wife, offering glimpses into the lives of the affluent.

"Since ordinary people can’t buy this piece of fabric, let’s head inside to see what else there might be for us." Lu Qing gestured to Zhu Yu.

Zhu Yu nodded, following him inside.

Everyone gathered outside to look at the Flowing Clouds, leaving the shop’s interior with fewer customers.

Even more so since the young assistant had been diverted outside to guard the fabric sample, the shop was nearly deserted and unattended.

However, this suited Zhu Yu and Lu Qing, as they freely strolled within, looking here and there inside the shop.

The Headdress and Shoes Workshop was large, with the first floor entirely filled with bolts of uncut fabrics—wide arrays of silks and satins, leaving little flower or quality unchecked.

They took a brief tour; to Zhu Yu, these fabrics were much the same—just cloth, lacking appeal, especially in absence of familiar scents to pique her interest.

Thus, they ascended to the second floor.

The second floor was slightly smaller than the first, primarily selling various garments, shawls, capes, embroidered shoes, and other trinkets matched with clothes.

Zhu Yu showed little interest in these items, but walking along, she faintly caught a whiff of a mildly familiar scent—something she might have encountered before, yet it was so faint she hesitated to pinpoint.

Feigning interest, she began ’selecting’ around to investigate.

Soon, she deduced that the second floor’s air subtly carried a unique herbal scent.

And she had inhaled such herbal fragrance once in Immortal Castle.