Chapter 263: Cold Clothes Letter

The end of the ninth month of the Emperor Jia Zhao Thirteenth Year.

In two more days it would be the first day of the tenth month, the Cold Clothes Festival; after this day, it marked the official transition into autumn and winter, and every household would put away summer garments and don autumn attire.

This day was also called the Ancestral Memorial Festival, a traditional Han custom for reporting to ancestors, its significance equal to Qingming and Shangyuan.

The porcelain bomb workshop had entered full operation, and the number of assembled porcelain bombs rose daily.

Because Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao had expanded the Five Armies Firearm Corps by a thousand musketeers, demand for firearms had surged dramatically.

Newly purchased and locally submitted Lu Mi rifles were being transported to the workshop for modification and upgrading.

On the Cold Clothes Festival, all government offices would grant one day's leave to their officials, keeping only essential personnel on duty for ancestral rites.

Within the palace, the Emperor would bestow cotton robes upon civil and military officials on the Cold Clothes Festival, symbolizing imperial grace and benevolent care.

In the common folk's homes, everyone would likewise change into autumn clothes, honor their ancestors, and burn paper garments to convey their mourning.

Yet due to production progress and secrecy requirements, all craftsmen at the workshop were forbidden to return home for the festival.

…

Though these craftsmen could not return home for the festival, such circumstances were not unusual to them; they had spent half their lives in craftsmanship, all for mere sustenance, and had never held such elaborate customs dear.

Thus, Lady Rongguo Prefecture had become the undisputed senior branch, and the original Jia Clan Ancestral Hall naturally had to be relocated to Lady Rongguo Prefecture.

Only the descendants of the Jingcheng branches would don ceremonial attire and proceed to the ancestral hall to perform the ancestral rites.

But the Cold Clothes Festival ancestral rite was not as grand as the spring sacrifice of the New Year; the branches from Jin Ling need not come to the capital—they could simply conduct rites at their own homes.

For the past month, Jia Lady Lian had been busy with the relocation of the ancestral hall, accompanied by several clan youths.

Because Ningguo had originally been the Jia clan's senior branch, the ancestral hall had previously stood within Ningguo Prefecture.

This gesture left the craftsmen, who labored day and night, somewhat overwhelmed with gratitude.

Jia Cong's utterly unconventional actions made these craftsmen grow ever more respectful and deeply moved toward this unnaturally young Director.

After the rites concluded, each branch returned to their own homes, where elders would bestow clothing and food upon the younger generation, symbolizing ancestral protection ensuring warmth and plenty through autumn and winter.

When Jia Cong returned to the mansion, he saw Jia Lady Lian and several clan youths directing over a dozen servants as they carried and arranged ritual items within the new ancestral hall.

The reason for preparing so early for the ancestral rites was still the forfeiture and confiscation of Ningguo Prefecture.

Though the workshop's management was strict, compared to the benefits they received, none of it mattered.

Now that Ningguo Prefecture had been seized, Jia Zhen and Jia Rong of the Ningguo senior line had been convicted and exiled; the Ningguo senior line was effectively extinct.

Upon entering Qingzhi Studio, he saw Qingwen and Zhen Ying Lady Lian, accompanied by young maids, hanging washed summer garments in the courtyard to dry—this too was a custom before and after the Cold Clothes Festival.

Now, on the Cold Clothes Festival, the workshop's Director had sent fine food; which master in the past had ever treated them so kindly?

Craftsmen had always been lowly; now, not only could they work in an official workshop and receive ample wages, but their families had been relocated to Jingcheng—all said to be due to this Director's grace.

…

Lady Rongguo Prefecture had begun preparing for the Cold Clothes Festival ancestral rites since early September.

Jia Cong had arranged for ample meat, vegetables, fruits, and melons to be supplied to the workshop craftsmen for the festival.

These summer garments, once dried, would be packed away until next summer.

A light breeze stirred, robes fluttered; several young maids laughed and darted among the hanging skirts, adding quiet delight.

Qingwen said something to Zhen Ying Lady Lian and burst into bell-like laughter, echoing through the small courtyard, infusing the space with warmth and cheer.

After using Zhang Zhang Shipeng's herbal ointment, Feng Shi had fully recovered and sent Zhen Ying Lady Lian back to Qingzhi Studio.

After Qu Qu Hongxiu went to Jin Ling to manage Xinchun's affairs, the old shop on Xinchun Street in Jingcheng was now managed by Feng Shi and Liu Ping.

Since Feng Shi had been severely injured in punishment, Jia Cong had spared no effort to seek out renowned physicians and restored her nearly crippled hands.

This further revealed to Feng Shi that Jia Cong was a man of deep loyalty and integrity, worthy of trust, whose extraordinary talent was astonishing.

Though her daughter had suffered hardship since childhood, she was blessed to have met such a man—this was Feng Shi's fortune after misfortune, and her daughter would surely live far better than she ever had.

Every time Zhen Ying Lady Lian returned to Xinchun Street to visit her mother, Feng Shi would urge her to return quickly, instructing her to attend diligently to Jia Cong.

…

Seeing Jia Cong return, Qingwen and Zhen Ying Lady Lian smiled and greeted him, then entered the room to help him remove his outer robe and change into casual attire and soft slippers.

Jia Cong noticed several items on the table: a pair of silk-soled warm slippers, a dark bamboo-patterned blue-green silk inner robe, a letter, and a parcel.

He asked curiously, "Where did all these come from?"

Qingwen spoke clearly and crisply: "In a few days is the Cold Clothes Festival. These silk slippers were made by Third Miss; the blue-green silk robe was made by Second Miss—they're festival gifts for Third Master."

"This letter and parcel came from Jin Ling. A servant brought them in through the second gate this morning. Lin Lin Meimei came by too, but left when she saw you weren't here."

Jia Cong picked up the blue-green silk robe and the silk slippers; both were stitched with meticulous care—Chunying and Seeing Tan Chun must have spent much thought on them.

He gently caressed them in his hands, warmth spreading through his heart; what in this mansion did he truly care for? These sisters, that was all.

…

As for the letter and parcel from Jin Ling:

The letter was from Qu Qu Hongxiu; the parcel contained two newly made winter garments.

The letter said Xinchun's commercial routes in Jin Ling and Ningbo had progressed smoothly.

After all, the imperial merchant title carried weight, and with two officials from the Neiwu Prefecture assisting, matters involving official checkpoints and documentation met virtually no obstruction.

With the aid of Neiwu Prefecture officials, the branches in Ningbo and Jin Ling had both opened.

When Qu Qu Hongxiu went to Jin Ling, she had taken a portion of the inventory from Jingcheng's perfume workshop; sales at the Jin Ling and Ningbo branches had been excellent.

Xinchun had also established a perfume workshop in Jin Ling, managed by Zhou Zhou Guangcheng, who had recently arrived in Jin Ling and was skilled in perfume-making.

At Qin Qin Keqing's suggestion, Xinchun purchased twenty orphaned young women from among the displaced refugees in Jiangnan to serve as artisans in the Jin Ling perfume workshop.

Orphaned young women were chosen because they had simpler thoughts, fewer worldly ties, and were easier to manage and supervise.

Under Jia Cong's instructions, Zhou Zhou Guangcheng had divided the entire perfume-making process into separate, independent steps, maximizing secrecy of the craft.

The Jin Ling perfume workshop would soon develop considerable production capacity, sufficient to meet the short-term needs of several new Jiangnan branches.

As Jia Cong envisioned, as Xinchun expanded, perfume workshops would be built elsewhere, with the perfume-making process segmented by raw material origins into upstream and downstream stages.

This would improve efficiency and make oversight easier.

What surprised Jia Cong most was Qin Qin Keqing.

According to Qu Qu Hongxiu's letter, this daughter of a high official, once the young mistress of Ningguo Prefecture, now seemed reborn.

She quickly adapted to Xinchun's business, requiring each new branch to submit account ledgers every five days; any minor discrepancy was immediately caught, impressing the newly hired Jiangnan managers.

In new ventures with unfamiliar personnel, interpersonal distance and unpredictable situations always arise; only a manager with sound judgment and meticulous thought can swiftly establish control.

When the Jin Ling perfume workshop opened and the first batch of female workers arrived, Qin Qin Keqing personally screened and purchased them, ensuring their reliability.

Qu Qu Hongxiu's boldness and acumen, combined with Qin Qin Keqing's reserve and precision, formed a perfect complementary balance.

This was an unexpected joy for Jia Cong.

In his reply, Jia Cong instructed Qu Qu Hongxiu to pause further expansion at the customs ports of Jin Ling and Ningbo until the branches were firmly established.

After all, these branches lay directly under the Neiwu Prefecture's watchful eyes.

He would write to Liu Hai, the Battalion Commander of the Jin Ling Embroidered Uniform Guard, asking him to show extra care for Xinchun's business in Jin Ling.

He could make these moves without hindrance, for both Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao and the Neiwu Prefecture knew full well who the true master of Xinchun was.

During his time in Jin Ling, Jia Cong had befriended Liu Hai, who had once guarded the Daci En Temple construction site.

Later, Jia Cong, Yang Yang Hongbin, and Liu Hai had jointly eradicated Japanese pirates—through shared hardship and battle.

Liu Hai was upright and honest; otherwise, he would not have been demoted by Zou Zou Huaiyi to guard a construction site. Jia Cong still held some trust in him.

Moreover, Liu Hai was a trusted confidant of Ge Zhi, the Jin Ling Embroidered Uniform Guard Battalion Commander; through him, Jia Cong could connect to the entire Jin Ling Embroidered Uniform Guard network, securing protective influence for Xinchun in Jin Ling.

But for the commercial routes in Yangzhou and Su Zhou, Jia Cong had not instructed Qu Qu Hongxiu to halt progress—he could proceed according to the resources provided by Lin Lin Ruhai.

(End of chapter)