June, the eleventh year of the Tianyou reign of the Great Sui Dynasty.
The weather in the capital was so hot that men preferred to go out more. Beautiful young women wore their finest gauze dresses, revealing their fair necks, their graceful steps showcasing their figures. The streets were filled with slender waists and bright red makeup, naturally attracting many lecherous men who wandered the streets hoping to catch a glimpse of their beauty.
But the most important reason for Chang'an's increasing liveliness was that the Martial Arts Academy's examinations would begin in three days.
After injuring the large dog that night, Chen Ya disappeared without a trace, his whereabouts unknown. The Imperial Guards and the Intelligence Bureau conducted a thorough search but found nothing. Chang'an was too large, and Chen Ya's skill was exceptional.
With the Imperial Guard's medicine, Da Quan's injuries were under control, while Shen Qingshan needed rest. Having only been in the capital for a month, Fang Jie had already injured two of his close associates. He truly didn't know whether Chang'an was a blessing or a curse. His loved ones were seriously injured one after another, but he had also gained the favor of the Sui Emperor. Entering the Martial Arts Academy might truly allow him to soar to great heights.
Even if he didn't get into the Martial Arts Academy, several Grand Scholars were eagerly awaiting his arrival.
With only three days left until the exam, Fang Jie needed to calmly prepare. Although he had some knowledge from his previous life, he was fairly confident in handling the mathematics, literature, and painting subjects, but there were still the music and etiquette subjects, which he had virtually no chance of passing. Add to that his unremarkable martial arts skills… To make a name for himself in the Martial Arts Academy exam seemed like an impossible task.
After spending half a day locked in his shop studying, Fang Jie felt his head was about to explode. A while ago, Huai Qiugong, the Minister of Rites, specially sent him a copy of the *Book of Rites*. He had been studying it for several days, but the tedious details gave him a terrible headache. Even after half a day of reflection, he still hadn't memorized much.
Take the seemingly simple matter of greeting others, for example; the rules were dazzling. When peers greeted each other, there were rules about the degree of bowing, the position of the hands clasped, how the legs should stand, how the head should be lowered, and even where the eyes should look. When juniors greeted each other, there were rules about the degree of bowing, the position of the hands clasped, how the legs should stand, and how the head should be lowered… The detailed and strict distinctions made Fang Jie, with his temperament, increasingly irritable.
He simply tossed the book aside, spread a sheet of Xuan paper on the table, and carefully drew several pictures with charcoal. After finishing, he rolled up the Xuan paper and tucked it into his sleeve, then got up, greeted Da Quan and the others, and went out. Walking slowly along the bustling street, the sight of the beautiful women on the street immediately improved his mood. The graceful movements of those young women and married women ultimately made it increasingly difficult for men to conceal their lustful desires beneath their sanctimonious expressions.
Fang Jie entered a tailor shop, found an old tailor with a considerable reputation in the surrounding streets, and unfolded the drawing he had just made in front of him, asking, "Can you make this?"
The old tailor looked at Fang Jie's drawing, paused for a moment, and then asked him, "You drew this?"
Fang Jie nodded.
The old tailor hummed in agreement, then picked up the garment and examined it carefully before saying, "Although your drawing is awkward, I must say that even if such a dress could be made, no one would dare to wear it. Can you tell me what this dress is called?"
"I call it... a cheongsam."
Fang Jie smiled and said, "Wouldn't a woman look beautiful in it?"
The old tailor put down the drawing, blushing slightly. "It's too revealing..."
"Never mind how much it reveals, just tell me if it's beautiful or not?"
The old tailor was silent, then nodded. "I've never imagined clothes could be made like this in my entire life. The Sui Dynasty only stipulated that commoners couldn't wear brocade or foreign clothing, and there weren't any other strict requirements... But your idea is still too bold. I'm afraid that once it's made, it will immediately be criticized. Even the boldest woman wouldn't dare wear it on the street."
"Can I let my woman wear it at home for me to look at and amuse myself?"
Fang Jie smiled and said. "Fine! The government can't interfere!"
The old tailor put away the pattern, looked at Fang Jie, and tentatively asked, "Do you want to find a promising career?"
"What?"
Fang Jie asked.
The old tailor leaned closer to Fang Jie and said seriously, "I'm still short of an apprentice..."
"Don't dream."
Fang Jie puffed out his chest smugly and said, "I want to take the entrance exam for the Martial Arts Academy!"
The old cripple was taken aback and couldn't help but clasp his hands in apology, "My apologies... Well... I can make these clothes, but it requires preparation. It's very difficult to achieve the exact same look as the clothes in your pattern; it might require many alterations, and the fabric consumption will be considerable. I'll have to figure it out myself, so it will take a lot of time... If all these are made, it'll cost twenty taels!"
"Five hundred taels."
Fang Jie held up five fingers.
The old tailor looked at Fang Jie with the eyes of someone looking at a fool, thinking he had misheard. "Five hundred taels?"
He asked.
"Yes, five hundred taels... but you're giving me five hundred."
Fang Jie smiled and said, "Give me five hundred taels of silver, and I'll take these clothes after they're made. You can keep the pattern and continue making them yourself. I don't care how much you sell them for, but if you sell more than two hundred pieces, I'll take 30% of each subsequent sale. Of course, since you're the first person to buy the pattern, I'll prioritize selling it to you in the future... I don't lack new designs."
"Are you out of your mind?"
The old tailor looked at Fang Jie with disdain.
"I'll take them all."
Just then, a voice came from behind Fang Jie, exuding confidence: "I'll buy any good designs you have from now on. I'm planning to have my shop start selling ready-made clothes."
Fang Jie turned around in surprise, only to find Wu Yidao standing at the tailor shop entrance.
"A talent like you is wasted if you don't go into business."
Wu Yidao looked at Fang Jie with admiration. ...
...
The Marquis of Sanjin's Residence.
Sitting in the pavilion by the small lotus pond, Fang Jie had the good fortune to taste a single branch of Da Hong Pao tea, worth an ounce of silver that could buy a mansion. After taking a small, somewhat stingy sip, he asked Wu Yidao, "Does this tiny sip cost an ounce of silver?"
Wu Yidao smiled and said, "It's not about how much silver a sip costs... Even if you had silver, a hundred ounces, five hundred ounces, a thousand ounces, ten thousand ounces, you still couldn't buy it if I wasn't willing. Every year, besides the few jin offered to the palace, the remaining two or three jin of Da Hong Pao are with me. When I'm in a good mood, I won't hesitate to offer anyone a taste of my Da Hong Pao. When I'm in a bad mood, I won't even bother with high-ranking officials."
"That's impressive," Fang Jie flattered.
Wu Yidao couldn't help but chuckle at the three words, pointing to the teacup and saying, "Wuyishan Da Hong Pao refers to tea leaves picked from the tea trees on the cliffs of Wuyishan. Because of the unique geographical location, the soil and climate of that area are special, the tea trees are also special, and the tea's flavor is even more unique, with a faint osmanthus fragrance. Teas from other places, even those considered top-quality, lose their flavor after only seven infusions at most, but Wuyishan Da Hong Pao can be infused nine times and still retain its aroma."
"The so-called 'single-stem Da Hong Pao' requires a specially chosen young woman with a fragrant body to climb up the mountain wearing only a single layer of clothing, carefully searching for the perfect leaf on each tea tree. It cannot be placed in a vessel, but rather into a specially sewn inner pocket close to her chest. Often, a day..." "The young girl could only pick a dozen or twenty branches. Because she was very tired, she would sweat, and her body smelled so good that even her sweat smelled sweet."
"The tea itself has the fragrance of osmanthus, and with the added fragrance of the young girl, the aroma of this Da Hong Pao is naturally incomparable to other teas. Moreover, it is made by selecting the best leaves from each tea tree and processing them personally by the most experienced tea masters. The process is extremely complex, so it's no wonder it's expensive."
After hearing Wu Yidao's explanation, Fang Jie picked up the teacup and smelled it: "Is it really the fragrance of a young girl?"
Wu Yidao laughed: "That's nonsense. Sentimental writers need that kind of atmosphere, so they say it that way. If you said it was picked by a bearded, sweaty man with stinky feet, who would drink it?"
Fang Jie chuckled, thinking to himself that this rich Wu was quite a character. "I just looked at your drawing, and it's indeed... innovative and daring."
Wu Yidao pointed to the charcoal sketches Fang Jie had drawn on the table and said, "But if such clothes were made, and if all the brothel madams in the capital were invited to come and see them, they would definitely be willing to pay for them. Wearing such clothes, the girls in the brothels would gain at least five more points of allure and charm."
"Uh... this dress is very serious."
Fang Jie said earnestly. "I'm being very serious," Fang Jie said.
Wu Yidao smiled at him. "These clothes are far too daring. Think about it, who dared to wear them first? It was definitely the most popular girls in brothels, because they dared to show their most beautiful side without reservation. So-called respectable women, of course, wouldn't dare to wear such clothes. If it weren't for the sheer skirts of the girls at Hongxiuzhao brothels captivating every man who visited, how could we have had sheer skirts everywhere every spring for years to come?"
"It's a process," Wu Yidao smiled.
"That old tailor didn't realize the value of these clothes you designed, so he'll only ever run that small tailor shop. What I said earlier about making these clothes and selling them to brothel girls would only bring in a small fortune. Because soon all the tailor shops will be copying his techniques, and in less than two years, they'll be everywhere in Chang'an, just like these sheer skirts."
"Tell me, how can we maximize the profit from these clothes?"
He asked Fang Jie. Fang Jie was silent for a moment before saying, "First, we need to report to the government. This style of clothing is unique to me; no one else can make it, otherwise it's theft."
"The Sui Dynasty doesn't have such a rule."
Wu Yidao thought for a moment and said, "But this reminds me. I'll write a memorial and submit it tomorrow. From now on, whoever comes up with such a unique idea can keep it. The court needs to protect it; it can't just be used by anyone."
Fang Jie felt a pang of shame, realizing he'd forgotten that this world didn't have any laws protecting patents. However, Wu Yidao immediately grasped the importance of this point; his business acumen was truly admirable. He was the richest man in the Sui Dynasty, with many talented subordinates; coming up with good ideas wasn't difficult for him. With the protection of the court's laws, it would indeed be very beneficial in the future.
"Continue," Wu Yidao gestured.
Fang Jie pondered for a moment, then leaned closer and whispered a few words in Wu Yidao's ear. Before he finished speaking, Wu Yidao's eyes were already growing brighter. After Fang Jie finished explaining his ideas, the incredibly wealthy Marquis Sanjin couldn't help but clap his hands and exclaimed, "I told you before, it's a waste of such talent if you don't go into business... Here's what we'll do: if you can't get into the Martial Arts Academy, or if you're not suited to the ways of the court, you can come to me. I'll reserve a manager's position for you at my Trading Company. You should know that my Trading Company is all over the Sui Dynasty, employing at least eight thousand people... but only ten people can hold the manager's position."
Fang Jie smiled and said, "Let's talk about the annual salary first."
Wu Yidao couldn't help but burst into laughter. As he smiled, Miss Wu Yinyu, watching the fish frolicking across the lotus pond, couldn't resist her curiosity and walked over to ask, "What's making Father so happy? Tell me."
Wu Yidao pointed to the blueprints on the table and said, "I was discussing with Fang Jie who should be the first to wear this dress, to astonish the entire city of Chang'an."
Wu Yinyu picked up the blueprints and looked at them, then exclaimed, "What a beautiful dress! Father, I want to wear it too!"
Wu Yidao's face darkened, and he chuckled awkwardly, "How can that be..."
"Why not?"
Wu Yinyu asked Fang Jie, "Tell me, can I wear it or not?"
Fang Jie glanced at Wu Yidao, not daring to speak. "Yu'er, stop it."
"If you don't let me wear it, I'll..."
Wu Yinyu hesitated for a moment, then threatened, "I'll tear this drawing up."
Wu Yidao pointed at Fang Jie and said, "He can still draw."
Wu Yinyu stomped her foot angrily, walked to the lotus pond, and said fiercely, "If you don't let me wear it after it's made, I'll jump in and take this drawing down with me!"
Take down with me...
Fang Jie was speechless, thinking to himself that this girl was really strong.
Wu Yidao quickly got up to persuade her, but Wu Yinyu said, "Don't come any closer, or I'll jump." Fang Jie whispered, "She's just bluffing, isn't she?"
Wu Yidao said seriously, "You're wrong, she really dares to jump. Although this pond isn't deep, getting covered in mud would be troublesome, wouldn't it? The key is, if she catches a cold and gets sick, that would be terrible. Let's not go over there, she's just being childish... she'll be fine after she's had her fill of fuss."
"Hasn't you thought of a way to make her never jump into the lotus pond again, Marquis Sanjin?"
Fang Jie asked. Wu Yidao frowned: "Unless she changes her nature, how could that be possible? If you can find a way to prevent her from threatening me with jumping into the lotus pond again, I'll find a way to help you get into the Martial Arts Academy."
"Then let me do it."
Fang Jie got up and left the pavilion, then walked to the lotus pond. With his back to the young lady and Wu Yidao, he shamelessly unzipped his pants and urinated into the pond…
"Shameless scoundrel!"
Young lady Wu Yinyu blushed and cursed, then turned and ran away.
Wu Yidao's lips twitched, and he didn't know what to say for a long time.