Plotting with You: The Forensic Scientist in Ancient Times!

Chapter 558 - 557: Matchmaker’s Cloth

Zhu Yu didn’t particularly understand clothing materials, but fortunately, Lu Qing, though indifferent in the past, had frequented the palace enough to naturally become knowledgeable.

Gu Lingyun introduced several types of fabrics to Zhu Yu, while Lu Qing subtly gave Zhu Yu some hints without leaving any traces. With the seemingly inherent tacit understanding between the two, Zhu Yu managed to find various justifiable reasons why the fabrics introduced were not ideal, and they ended up circling around the relatively small space on the third floor.

The reason why so many pillars were installed on this floor, each hung with veils in between, was to artificially divide what was originally an open and spacious area into a maze-like setup.

Wandering back and forth among the rows of veils, it wouldn’t take long before one loses their sense of direction, unable to be sure if they had already explored every corner of the third floor.

This way, if there were any areas that one did not wish outsiders to see or notice, they could easily bypass them without revealing anything, much more effectively than partitioning out a room with visible locks.

If ordinary people were to come here, many would quickly be confused by the routes Gu Lingyun deliberately led them through, unable to distinguish direction and location, and would be easily deceived.

However, since Zhu Yu came prepared, her attention was naturally more focused on observing the surroundings.

After being introduced to three types of fabrics without finding the most satisfactory one, they were led again to wander through the veils, with Zhu Yu carefully noting the surrounding details to ensure whether they were in areas they had previously passed or not.

Suddenly, her gaze caught a glimpse of a hint of red behind several layers of veils.

This place had been deliberately avoided by Gu Lingyun at least twice when introducing fabrics.

"What is this? The color looks truly vivid from a distance!" Sensing this, Zhu Yu abruptly changed direction toward that hint of red, "I still prefer such vibrant colors, they flatter the complexion more and have a touch of festivity."

As she spoke, she subtly quickened her pace, parting the layers of veils in front to head toward it.

As one layer of veil after another was parted, the touch of red hidden in the corner became increasingly clear. Just a little further, parting the last few layers of veil, would reveal the pattern and texture on it.

"Madam—" At this moment, Gu Lingyun suddenly appeared in front of Zhu Yu, blocking her path. Although his tone seemed to carry a hint of puzzled confusion, his action of intercepting her was very resolute, incidentally using his naturally petite stature to try and block Zhu Yu’s view, "What are you... intending to do?"

"The fabrics the Shopkeeper recommended earlier are indeed exquisite and beautiful, but I don’t favor overly plain attire. If I weren’t traveling this time and my husband hadn’t forbidden me from dressing as I usually do, I wouldn’t have chosen such things to wear." Zhu Yu pointed at her current attire, and then ahead, "I just caught a glimpse of some red fabric over there, the color looks truly delightful, so I wanted to take a closer look."

"Ah, so madam likes vibrant colors, that’s my oversight!" Gu Lingyun giggled, his tone sounded soft, but his action of barring Zhu Yu remained unchanged, "That’s my fault! Now, let me pick a few fabrics with vibrant and beautiful colors, even more vivid, to complement the complexion!"

"Seeing that, I just thought the color was quite nice, can’t I see that first?" The more he barred her, the more stubbornly Zhu Yu wanted to see, "Could it be that the fabric is extraordinarily precious, and the Shopkeeper thinks my husband can’t afford to see it, so he won’t show us?"

"Madam, what makes you say that!" Gu Lingyun giggled and shook his head, taking an intimate step forward to link arms with Zhu Yu, gently leading her in another direction, "That fabric might be precious, but not extraordinarily so. It’s certainly a rare and excellent piece, but given the means of you two, naturally, it’s nothing.

However, madam, you might not know, that fabric... we only sell to young women who are unmarried or newly betrothed and not yet formally married.

Since you two are from outside, you’re not aware, which is normal. If you’re interested, you can ask around; see if many people in the Capital know about our Headdress and Shoes Workshop’s Fate Cloth."

"Fate Cloth?" Zhu Yu exhibited a surprised expression, "What does that mean?"

"Actually, originally there was nothing special, just a piece of fabric with excellent texture and beautiful patterns, the price isn’t considered cheap, but also not something extraordinary in our Headdress and Shoes Workshop.

But somehow, many young ladies bought it, made clothes out of it, and shortly after, received good proposals.

As these occurrences became more frequent, the name ’Fate Cloth’ inexplicably spread, attracting more people, and after making clothes with it, they indeed soon found good matches.

Just like that, that fabric in our Capital is nearly comparable to the Yue Lao Temple!"

As he spoke, Gu Lingyun chuckled softly and continued, "Occasionally, there are those who are not young ladies who come to buy, but they are often those who were divorced and wish to remarry, or widows seeking a partner, all pinning their hopes on this good omen.

I heard, it indeed sometimes delivers.

So madam, think about it, putting aside the price, I cannot let you see that fabric anyway!

As a married woman, if I didn’t clarify and you blindly bought such a fabric, made clothes, and delightedly wore it with your husband to celebrate the elders’ birthdays.

If your in-laws reside in the Capital, and the ladies in your family might have heard of our Headdress and Shoes Workshop’s Fate Cloth, maybe even wore it themselves.

By then, if it becomes a topic of private conversation, and they suspect you are unsatisfied in your marriage, considering seeking someone else... how could you explain that?"

"I see!" Zhu Yu showed a look of surprise and suddenly realized, "Thank goodness for the shopkeeper’s reminder, otherwise, I might have unknowingly made a set of clothes and wore them happily to a birthday celebration, ruining my reputation behind my back without realizing it.

More importantly, if such rumors spread to my in-laws and they become displeased, how will I manage in the future!"