This... what kind of strange embroidery is it
With the illumination of the palace lanterns, a pair of unfolded wings faintly emerged between the cold snow and plum blossoms, and two agile white cranes leaped into view, raising their heads and brushing their feathers in an elegant manner.
The coldness of winter snow, the pride of red plum blossoms, and the shadow of white cranes form a lifelike picture with a long artistic conception.
At this time, the attendant removed the palace lantern and the embroidery returned to its original appearance. Then they turned the screen around, and this side was embroidered with two white cranes, standing proudly in the snow, facing the cold wind, spreading their wings. The white snow and the white crane seem to blend into one. The picture is cold and chilly.
However, when the attendant raised the palace lantern again, behind the white crane, red plum blossoms bloomed immediately, the white snow reflected red, and a vague fragrance lingered in the nose. The stunning moment was unforgettable.
The entire embroidery only uses three tones of red, black and white, but it makes people feel that the picture is full and layered, reaching the realm of simplicity and complexity.
This embroidery seems to use only three colors, but in fact eighteen colors are used. If the same color of embroidery thread is dyed in different ways, there will be differences in shades. Qi Surong skillfully made use of this, using different shades of red, black, and white to create this picture of winter plum blossoms and snow shadows.
Moreover, she uses the finest embroidery thread. She usually only sews ten stitches on the pattern. She has to sew hundreds of more stitches. Combined with the shading of the fabric and the composition of the double-sided pattern, she achieves a truly seamless embroidery without leaving any traces. , whose exquisite embroidery skills are evident.
Compared with the colorful and complex patterns, the "simplicity" of this embroidery highlights its difficulty. The embroidery on such a thin silk fabric uses only three colors to bring the picture to life. There is no trace of embroidery in the blank part, but it can reflect different scenery, which is really incredible.
"Excellent, your skills are simply amazing!" The envoy praised, "Your country is really full of talents and extraordinary."
The emperor said humbly: "The envoy has over-honored me." But he was shocked in his heart. He did not expect that the daughter of the Qi family had such superb skills. All the royal embroidery masters in the palace were dwarfed by them. Even he was very interested in hunting. Hi, I want her to embroider one.
"I would like to thank this embroiderer in person. I wonder if I can pay a visit to him?" the envoy asked.
The emperor looked at Feng Zhan, who immediately replied: "I'm very sorry. This embroiderer doesn't like to see guests. I hope the envoy can forgive me."
The envoy looked quite disappointed, but after catching a glimpse of the screen, his mood became brighter again.
The next day, the emperor's order of reward came down. The embroiderer "Yun Rong" was rewarded with a hundred taels of gold, a plum wreath, a night pearl, a gold plaque, and the title of "Yun Rong" as the national embroidery master. The rest of the people in Xiuzhuang also received their own rewards.
The emperor praised him: "The plum blossoms are fragrant, the cranes are like shadows, and the needles are like rays of light. His skills are amazing."
Since then, Yunrong Xiuzhuang has become famous in one fell swoop.
Everyone in the Wei Kingdom knows that there is a national embroidery master named Yun Rong in the capital who is unparalleled in the world.
The picture of winter plum blossoms and snow shadows presented to the envoys has also become a hot topic among people. It is a pity that the embroidery has been collected by the envoys and has no chance to be seen. Everyone who has seen it praises it highly. Rumors about this embroidery quickly spread to the world.
Nobles placed orders for Yunrong Xiuzhuang one after another. The orders quickly piled up, and the price of double-sided embroidery continued to soar, with the minimum costing a thousand taels. However, Qi Surong had limited manpower and could only embroider one picture in two months.
Yunrong Xiuzhuang has become the smallest store in Beijing with the best business and the highest reputation, and Qi Surong has no plans to expand the store. Firstly, the risk is too high and it can easily arouse jealousy and suspicion; secondly, the Qi family is thin and does not have enough reliable manpower. The current scale is enough.
Qi Surong's biggest bargaining chip is Gu Jinyun, who is also the escape route he has reserved for the Qi family.
Qi Surong stole the show, but Liu Qian'er and Luo Yanyi felt troubled. I wanted to use this to trick her, but unexpectedly, she saved the day and became famous. Although few people know that "Yun Rong" is Qi Surong, it is no longer a secret among the nobles of the family.
"Yanyi, let's implement your plan next." Liu Qian'er's jealousy towards Qi Surong has reached its peak and she can no longer bear it.
Luo Yanyi smiled and said: "It should have been like this."
She was still bitter about being scared away by Qi Surong, and regarded it as a lifelong shame. After thinking about it carefully, Qi Surong had accumulated power for a long time, and she always acted based on her expression. Although she was happy when the Qi family was defeated, she was still afraid of her remaining power. Now that his mentality has changed, the next time he faces her, he will never show mercy again.
No matter how good your embroidery skills are, if you don’t have enough strength, let’s see who can keep those hands!
Luo Yanyi's eyes shot out a cold light.
Qi Surong, who didn't know the danger was coming, was sharing the joy with his family.
With the title of national embroidery master, the Qi family re-entered the sight of aristocratic families in the capital. It can be said that Qi Surong alone helped the Qi family regain its footing. At least for a short period of time, the emperor will not deal with the Qi family at will, and the number of nobles interacting with the Qi family is gradually increasing.
Qi Surong took advantage of Xiuzhuang and became like a fish in water in the noble circle. In the past, she had a high self-esteem and was not popular. Later, after the Qi family was defeated, she did not dare to show her face easily. Now that she has the title of national embroidery master, even if the ladies look down on her in their hearts, at least they will treat her with courtesy on the surface.
Qi Surong used her advantages in clothing and embroidery to build a lot of popularity among the nobles. By the way, she also attracted Zhuang Qiao'e and the married Miss Zhang (the wife of Doctor Zhang Zhihuai of the Four Disciples) into the circle. , expanding their connections without leaving a trace.
Different from his previous arrogance, after his rebirth, Qi Surong could face ridicule and sarcasm without changing his expression. He was gentle and courteous in dealing with others and had a measured approach and retreat.
Many noble ladies are boudoir girls with simple minds. They may be a little indulgent or overbearing due to their family background, but as long as they follow their wishes and follow their fancy, it is not difficult to make friends with them.
The reason why Qi Surong dared to be so high-profile was because she was just a woman. No matter how famous she was, she could not enter the court or hold real power.
The more high-profile she is, the more low-key her father is; she keeps making friends with nobles, but his father rarely interacts with others.
In this way, some villains with evil intentions cannot find fault with the Qi family.
A month later, the new wine brewed in Gu Jinyun's wine cellar was released. There are three types in total, white wine, rice wine and wine. Liquor has a relatively high alcohol content and is a medium-strength liquor, most popular among northerners. Rice wine has a low alcohol content and a mild taste, which is in line with the preferences of ordinary literati. Wine is an unheard of new wine. Many people tasted it out of curiosity, but were quite disappointed. Apart from the novel aroma and color, they were not quite used to the taste.
However, the effects of wine are eye-catching, nourishing the body and improving sleep. This is undoubtedly very tempting for women.
The purchasing power of noble ladies in the capital is even greater than that of men, and they can spend everything they have for their appearance.
Although these effects have not yet been proven, they are eager to try them.
To Gu Jinyun's expectation, wine became the first new wine to become famous.
"Rong'er," Qi's mother handed over an invitation, "This is an invitation sent by Miss Luo of the Sima family."
Qi Surong opened it, looked at it, and said with a smile: "Mom, Miss Luo is celebrating her birthday tomorrow and would like to ask me to come over and help her with advice."
"Then go ahead and remember to be cautious." Qi's mother warned.
"Well, my daughter will send someone to reply right now." She usually interacts with noble ladies and usually does not refuse such gatherings.
That night, Qi Surong quietly came to the yard next door, found Yuan Xi, and asked, "Do you know who will attend Miss Sima's birthday tomorrow?"
Yuan Xi took out a list and handed it to her: "Read it yourself."
Qi Surong opened the list. There were more than twenty names listed on it, and one of the names caught her attention.
Luo Yanyi? Will she go too
Qi Surong frowned and scanned the list again. There is Luo Yanyi, but not Liu Qianer
Although she often moves around the wealthy circle recently, she has been avoiding meeting people with whom she has had deep grudges. Even if she cannot avoid it, she will find excuses to leave as soon as possible. It's not that I'm afraid of being embarrassed, but I'm afraid of being plotted against.
In her last life, she suffered a lot, and her mother was also bullied and died in depression. In this life, she had to guard against it.
The most alarming person at present is Luo Yanyi. This woman is very jealous and will retaliate, and her methods are vicious and even reckless.
Qi Surong thought for a moment and decided to take the risk, not only because it was not easy to offend the young lady of the Sima family, but also because she wanted to see what Luo Yanyi would do.
She returned home and prepared some chili powder, a few bottles of ointment and a small willow leaf dagger.
Then, she took out another ring. She asked craftsmen to make this specially. The surface of the ring can twist and a poison is placed inside. After using this poison, a rash will appear on the body immediately, as if it is an infectious disease. But it is not harmful to the human body and the rash will subside in two days.
Although I don't know if it will be used, it is always prepared.
No matter how tough Luo Yanyi was, she would not persecute her in public, and would only use sarcastic words.
Qi Surong narrowed her eyes, but even if she didn't deal with herself, she didn't want to make it easy for her.
The death of her mother in her previous life was inseparable from her, and she had not yet recovered the debt from her.
The next day, Qi Surong dressed neatly, got into the carriage with Ping'er, and headed to Sima Mansion.
Miss Sima's birthday party was relatively low-key this time. Only some aristocratic ladies from the capital who had not yet left the cabinet were invited, while other officials and wives were entertained by Mrs. Sima.
Qi Surong did not attend as a guest, and now she does not have this qualification. She just went to dress up Miss Sima and provide some advice on clothing matching.
Although she was not popular in the past, her taste was well-known in the aristocratic circles.
Arriving at Sima Mansion, Qi Surong entered through the back door and was led into Miss Luo's boudoir.
At this time, there were no other outsiders in the room, only Miss Luo and two girls.
Seeing her coming in, Miss Luo smiled slightly and greeted, "You're here, Surong. Come here quickly and help me see how you are dressed."
Qi Surong bowed slightly and walked towards her slowly.
The author has something to say: There is a follow-up to this picture of winter plum blossoms and snow shadows, and we will talk about it in a few chapters...