The governor of Rongzhou soon sent a message, summoning Xiao Jingduo to Rongzhou for discussions.
In the council hall, the governor said, “The governor of Chengdu Prefecture greatly appreciated our proposal and agreed to it on the spot. In a few days, he will likely send people to pick up the Zhou mother and daughter.”
“Excellent.”
“When the time comes, you will probably need to accompany the group. If all goes smoothly, this will be the most important tribute gift from Jiannan Province, so there must be no negligence. You should meet the governor in person so you can discuss certain matters directly.”
“Thank you for your trust, Governor.” Xiao Jingduo knew that the governor of Rongzhou must have spoken well of him, so he bowed respectfully without any carelessness.
The governor of Rongzhou waved his hand, signaling him to rise, and continued, “Once you arrive in Chengdu, be cautious with your words and actions—speak less to make fewer mistakes. Also, remember, the governor of Chengdu has already agreed. It looks like one or two of the folding screens will be handled by our Rongzhou. Do not let anyone deceive you out of them.”
Managing to secure two panels was beyond Xiao Jingduo’s expectations. If Rongzhou or Jinjiang County could be involved in the tribute’s preparation, it would be beneficial for both official recognition from the court and future commercial ventures. Xiao Jingduo had initially thought that getting even one panel would be the best possible outcome. He had not expected the governor of Rongzhou to be such a skilled negotiator, successfully securing two.
“I understand, Governor. Please rest assured.”
The governor of Rongzhou was right. Not long after Xiao Jingduo returned to Jinjiang County, the carriage from Chengdu Prefecture arrived. After giving repeated instructions regarding the embroidery workshop and arranging all county affairs in advance, he set off for Chengdu Prefecture once more, taking the Zhou mother and daughter with him.
The last time he had come to Chengdu Prefecture, it was for an official assessment. This time, his status was vastly different, and the attitude of the government officials toward him was much more courteous. After settling the Zhou mother and daughter, Xiao Jingduo spent several days in the governor’s residence, discussing matters with his superiors.
It is said that three ordinary craftsmen working together can rival the wisdom of Zhuge Liang[mfn]Zhuge Liang, also commonly known by his courtesy name Kongming, was a Chinese statesman, strategist, and inventor who lived through the end of the Eastern Han dynasty and the early Three Kingdoms period of China.[/mfn]—let alone these officials, who were far from ordinary. As they gathered and exchanged ideas, the details of the folding screen tribute became increasingly refined.
“The idea of painting landscapes from various regions is brilliant. Since there are ten provinces in the empire, why not make ten panels, each representing one province?”
“This is a great idea. But the embroidery women have never seen these other places—what should we do?”
“How about this,” the governor of Chengdu Prefecture suggested. “I will have my subordinates retrieve the official records and select a few talented officials who are either natives of those regions or have served there and are skilled in painting. They can illustrate the landmark scenery of each place, and then we can give the paintings to the embroidery women to reproduce.”
Xiao Jingduo had some doubts. “Are there any restrictions on the paintings? Will the embroidery women be able to stitch them accurately?”
“Don’t worry,” the officials of Chengdu Prefecture replied confidently. “Let the painters draw freely—our embroidery women can handle it.”
Alright, Xiao Jingduo conceded defeat and silently shut his mouth.
Before long, the registry was brought over. The officials pored over it and discussed the matter for most of the day, finally settling on nearly all the selected painters.
One official flipped through several pages and suddenly said, “It seems we don’t have anyone from Hebei Province. Has anyone here been to Hebei Province?”
Everyone present shook their heads. Hebei Province was located far to the north. Many officials, due to their attachment to their homeland, would make arrangements in advance to be posted closer to their native regions. Hebei and Jiannan Province were practically at opposite ends of the empire—hardly anyone had been there.
At this moment, Xiao Jingduo took the initiative to speak. “Governor, I am from Youzhou in Hebei Province.”
“Aren’t you from Chang’an? How are you a native of Zhuojun?”
Zhuojun was now officially called Youzhou, though the common people still referred to it by its old name.
“It’s a long story. Before the age of nine, I lived with my family in our ancestral home in Zhuojun. After His Majesty established the capital, the entire Xiao clan relocated to Chang’an.”
“I see.” The governor nodded. “Since you grew up there, you will be responsible for the painting of Hebei Province. Are you skilled in fine brushwork?”
Xiao Jingduo nodded. “I am passable.”
In truth, he was being modest. During his time at Qingyuan Temple, Master Mingjue had personally taught him calligraphy and painting. Later, many renowned artists who visited the temple had also given him guidance. So when Xiao Jingduo claimed his skills were merely “passable,” it was an understatement.
Painting was not an easy task. Even though the ten officials assigned by the governor were skilled artists, producing a detailed landscape painting of an entire circuit was not something that could be done overnight. Fortunately, the embroidery women also needed time to master double-sided embroidery, so the timeline was manageable.
However, in reality, there was not much time left for them to complete the folding screens. The Thousand Autumn Banquet was set for the end of August. The Jiannan Province’s delegation had to arrive in Chang’an at least half a month in advance, as certain political arrangements were necessary. After accounting for travel time, the envoy team would need to depart by early July at the latest.
It was already May. The time left was truly tight.
While Xiao Jingduo and the others were busy painting, the governor was not idle either. He mobilized all the resources of Chengdu Prefecture, commissioning the best silk made from high-quality silkworm threads. Xiao Jingduo, along with other officials, once visited the workshops and saw that the silk was incredibly light—even when stacked five or six layers thick, one could still clearly see the writing beneath. Moreover, it was exceptionally durable, making it the ideal base material for the folding screens.
Furthermore, Chengdu Prefecture was renowned for its Shu embroidery, with an abundance of skilled artisans and well-established craftsmanship. Within just a few days of the governor’s orders, the wooden frames for the screens were completed. Xiao Jingduo personally witnessed the delivery of the exquisite, towering redwood frames to the governor’s residence.
He sighed inwardly. It had been the right decision not to compete with Chengdu Prefecture for this business. Even if he had secretly kept the double-sided embroidery technique to himself, there was no way he could have produced high-quality large folding screens in such a short time. Such grand undertakings were best left to the higher-level prefectures—Jinjiang County could simply follow along and reap some of the benefits.
The governor entrusted the task of drawing Hebei Province to Xiao Jingduo, making it clear that no mistakes would be tolerated. Xiao Jingduo pondered for a long time but couldn’t decide what to depict.
In truth, his memories of Zhuojun had already faded significantly. He had been only seven or eight years old then, and the most familiar sight to him was the vast expanse of gray, desolate land stretching endlessly before him. He couldn’t think of anything that could truly represent Hebei Circuit. In contrast, what remained vivid in his mind was the scene of the late emperor leading his troops to conquer Zhuojun.
After much hesitation, he finally decided to paint the image that had lingered in his mind for so long.
When the governor saw the ink painting that Xiao Jingduo submitted, he was momentarily stunned and asked, “What is this?”
“When I was eight, I had the fortune of witnessing the late emperor’s Xuan Iron Army sweeping across Zhuojun. The sight left an indelible mark on me, so I took the liberty of painting it.”
After speaking, Xiao Jingduo lowered his head and said no more. The governor stared at the ink painting, where dark clouds loomed over the battlefield and a war flag emblazoned with the word ‘Xuan’ unfurled menacingly. After a moment, he said with great satisfaction, “Alright, yours doesn’t need any changes. We’ll use this one.”
Indeed, as fellow officials, there was no need for explicit lessons on the art of subtle flattery. Everyone instinctively understood it without a word.
One by one, the remaining nine officials also submitted their preliminary sketches. The governor and the assembled officials examined them for a long time and collectively agreed that leaving them without poetry inscriptions seemed inappropriate. If nothing else, every official in the bureaucracy was skilled in composing poetry and had excellent calligraphy. As soon as the governor mentioned the idea, everyone eagerly participated, contributing their verses. The best ones were selected, and the senior officials of Chengdu Prefecture personally inscribed them in the blank spaces of each landscape painting.
As the head of the prefecture, the governor naturally took it upon himself to write the inscription for Jiannan Province. However, no one dared to inscribe the paintings for Taiyuan Prefecture and Chang’an—those would have to be reserved for the high-ranking figures in the capital to write themselves.
With all the preparatory work completed, the only thing left was to await the embroiderers’ craftsmanship. Xiao Jingduo’s task was finished, and since the remaining work no longer required his involvement, he stayed in Chengdu Prefecture for one more day before taking the initiative to bid farewell.
As he departed, the governor specially prepared a carriage for him, filled with redwood frames for mounting the folding screens, along with an abundance of silk and even pre-matched embroidery threads. These were the two folding screens that Chengdu Prefecture had agreed to allocate to Rongzhou. Concerned that Rongzhou’s silk might not be of high enough quality and could ruin the screens, Chengdu Prefecture simply provided all the necessary materials themselves—they could afford the expense.
One of these two folding screens was to be sent to the governor of Rongzhou, while the other was Xiao Jingduo’s responsibility.
The governor of Rongzhou had already sent people to Jinjiang County to learn the double-sided embroidery technique. However, finding it too troublesome to transport materials back and forth, he had simply ordered the embroiderers to stay in Jinjiang County and complete the work there before sending the finished pieces back. In other words, Xiao Jingduo was essentially overseeing the embroidery of both folding screens, yet in the end, he would still have to share half the credit with the governor of Rongzhou.
Such things were commonplace in the bureaucratic world. Xiao Jingduo made no complaints and simply nodded in agreement. Instead, his greater concern now was whether the embroidery workshop he had instructed was progressing as planned.
Qiu Ju sat in the embroidery workshop, stitching as she chatted with the women around her. “The young master has been gone for half a month now. I wonder how he’s doing in Chengdu Prefecture.”
“The county magistrate is following the governor on official business—that’s a good thing. He won’t be able to come back so soon.” After saying this, the women, unable to resist their natural curiosity, couldn’t help but gossip about Xiao Jingduo. “Qiu Ju, why do you always call the county magistrate ‘young master’?”
“He is the eldest son in the marquis’s household. We’ve always called him ‘young master.’”
It was customary among the nobility in Chang’an to refer to young male masters as langjun (young master) and female masters as niangzi (lady), but common folk in other regions didn’t adhere to such formalities. Hearing Qiu Ju’s explanation, the others nodded in understanding. “Oh, I see.”
“Wait a minute—you just said marquis’s household?”
“That’s right! Our young master is the legitimate eldest son of the Dingyong Marquis Household in Chang’an.” Qiu Ju spoke with great pride.
The people of Jinjiang County only knew that Xiao Jingduo came from Chang’an and seemed to have some scholarly title, but they were unaware of his noble background. While his colleagues in the bureaucracy were certainly well-informed, ordinary people in Jinjiang County wouldn’t know unless he mentioned it himself.
Immediately, a wave of admiration spread through the group, and the women became even more eager to ask questions. “So Magistrate Xiao is actually a nobleman! In such prominent families, isn’t it common for children to have marriage engagements set from a young age? Does Magistrate Xiao have a childhood betrothal?”
“No, he doesn’t. Besides, we’re still observing the national mourning period, so the young master says there’s no rush for such matters.”
The women exchanged meaningful looks and let out a knowing “Ohhh.” Remembering the rumors they had heard recently, those with unmarried daughters at home became even more enthusiastic, pressing for more details.
There was no need to keep Xiao Jingduo’s background a secret, but when it came to his personal matters, Qiu Ju refused to say more. No matter how much they asked, she remained tight-lipped.
While the women chatted about Magistrate Xiao, the young, unmarried girls who had come to work were too shy to listen. Blushing, they picked up their embroidery frames and moved to the other side of the workshop. Even Chen Ci, who usually sat with the women, hesitated to come over and check on the situation.
Xi Qi noticed Qiu Ju being bombarded with questions and was about to step in to rescue her when the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from outside. Someone ran in, excitedly shouting, “Magistrate Xiao is back!”
“The young master is back?!” Qiu Ju shot up from her seat. Forgetting about her embroidery basket, she lifted her skirts and dashed out. “Madam Chen, please hold onto my basket! I’ll come back for it later—I need to go now!”
At that moment, Xiao Jingduo was seated in the county office, listening to reports from the chief clerk and other officials.
It was clear that the efficiency of Jinjiang County’s government was vastly different when Xiao Jingduo was present versus when he was absent. However, since he had repeatedly issued strict orders, no one dared to slack off. The embroidery workshop had gradually settled into a proper workflow—many women still struggled with the technique, but at least they were starting to grasp the basics of double-sided embroidery.
Many in the county office were baffled. “Magistrate, why are we going to such great lengths to support the embroidery workshop? How much silver will this cost?”
The matter of the Thousand Autumn tribute had not yet been officially settled, and Xiao Jingduo had refrained from explaining the workshop’s purpose to avoid any leaks. However, now that the tribute was confirmed, there was no harm in revealing the truth. Besides, if he didn’t clarify today, the county office staff wouldn’t take the matter seriously. Setting his expression sternly, he asked, “Do you all know what I brought back from Chengdu Prefecture?”
“Wasn’t it a reward from the governor?”
“Of course not. These materials were ordered by the governor for Jinjiang County to assist Chengdu Prefecture in preparing the birthday tribute for the Emperor’s Longevity Banquet.”
The chief clerk and others gasped. “The tribute for the Emperor’s Longevity Banquet has fallen on our county?”
“Exactly. In the coming days, the women in the embroidery workshop will be fully dedicated to preparing the tribute. This is an extremely important matter, and you must all handle it with great care. No one is to interfere with the workshop’s operations.”
The officials in the county office understood the gravity of the situation. They responded immediately, “So the magistrate established the embroidery workshop for the tribute. In that case, we certainly cannot take this lightly. We understand.”
Beyond the tribute, Xiao Jingduo had deeper plans, but there was no need to explain them now. Seeing that the officials had adjusted their attitudes, he gave a few more instructions before dismissing them.
Once the idle onlookers had left, Xiao Jingduo summoned his subordinates. “Have the items on the cart been properly arranged?”
“They’ve all been moved to the designated embroidery room, and we’re currently organizing the space.”
“Good. Work quickly and don’t delay.”
The emperor’s birthday tribute was the most critical task at hand. Although Xiao Jingduo had spoken with confidence, he was feeling the pressure.
According to his subordinates, very few women in the embroidery workshop had reached a proficient level. Only a handful had even mastered the basic stitches of double-sided embroidery. Clearly, there wasn’t enough time to fully establish a large-scale embroidery industry in Jinjiang County. And yet, the Longevity Festival would not wait.
The tribute was of utmost importance, and as things stood, others could only assist Chen Ci. The real burden of the work would fall on her shoulders.
Xiao Jingduo wasn’t worried about Chen Ci’s skill—he was more concerned about whether there would be enough time. After handling official matters in the front hall for a while, he couldn’t resist summoning a subordinate to urge, “Hurry and set up the embroidery room. Once it’s ready, invite Miss Chen over.”
To ensure the tribute’s completion, Xiao Jingduo had cleared an entire room for Chen Ci and the other embroiderers. The thread and silk he had brought back from Chengdu Prefecture were all arranged inside, fully stocked for their use.
By the time the embroidery room and front courtyard were properly organized, night had already fallen. Only then did Xiao Jingduo return to the eastern courtyard.
At this time, Qiu Ju and the others had been waiting in the eastern courtyard for a long while. When they saw Xiao Jingduo finally return, they hurried forward to greet him.
“Young Master, I heard from Xiao Lin that you’ve been overseeing the embroidery workshop in the front courtyard. Why did you set aside a separate embroidery room?”
“The governor has approved it. Our county’s double-sided embroidery will be sent to the capital as tribute.”
Qiu Ju and the others immediately cheered. Once they quieted down, Xiao Jingduo continued, “In addition, since double-sided embroidery originates from Jinjiang County, the governor has assigned us two embroidered screens. This is a great honor, so they must be embroidered to perfection.”
“Of course,” Qiu Ju said. “Tomorrow, I’ll gather all the skilled embroiderers in the workshop. While we may not be proficient in double-sided embroidery yet, we can assist Lady Chen with the borders and smaller details.”
“Where is Miss Chen now? Call her over—I need to give her some instructions in advance.” As soon as Xiao Jingduo finished speaking, he realized it was inappropriate. He glanced at the sky and sighed. “It’s already so late. Never mind, we’ll discuss it tomorrow.”
“Don’t worry, Young Master. Though the deadline for the screens is tight, if everyone takes on a fair share, we can still finish in time,” Qiu Ju reassured him.
“That is precisely what worries me,” Xiao Jingduo said. “Qiu Ju, Xi Qi, how is your progress with double-sided embroidery?”
“We’re nowhere near Lady Chen’s level, but we can manage small pieces.”
“How about palace fans?”
“Palace fans shouldn’t be a problem,” Qiu Ju replied, but she was puzzled. “Langjun, shouldn’t we be helping Lady Chen with the screens instead?”
“No. Focus on this first,” Xiao Jingduo instructed. “I’ve already prepared the designs, so start embroidering them. And make sure to use the finest thread and fabric. If you need anything, let me know.”
In addition to the materials allocated by the governor for the screens, Xiao Jingduo had also purchased a large supply himself. If the double-sided embroidery gained fame in Chang’an through this tribute, he would need to start preparing trade routes for future business opportunities.
Qiu Ju and Xi Qi accepted his orders, but they exchanged glances, both seeing confusion in the other’s eyes.
The tribute for the Emperor was so urgent—so why was Langjun making them embroider seemingly trivial palace fans instead? What could be more important than the Emperor’s tribute?
Qiu Ju couldn’t figure it out, but Xiao Jingduo’s word was law. No matter how much she didn’t understand, she would follow his orders.
The next day, Xiao Jingduo spoke with Chen Ci about the matter. “The governor has decided that the two embroidered screens from Rongzhou will be completed in our county. Once they are finished and mounted, they will be sent to Rongzhou and then transported together to Chengdu Prefecture. The governor has dispatched several professional embroiderers—they should be arriving soon. Over the next few days, I’ll need you to oversee the embroidery work on these screens.”
Chen Ci was startled by this news. After Xiao Jingduo had dealt with the Zhou family’s mother and daughter, she had assumed that such an important task as preparing the tribute would inevitably be taken over by the higher authorities in the province. She never expected that the responsibility would actually fall on Jinjiang County. Even though it was just a small part of the overall tribute, it was still a crucial one. Her expression turned serious as she said, “I am honored that you trust me despite my shortcomings, Magistrate Xiao. I will do my utmost to complete the screens. I will select a few skilled workers from the embroidery workshop to assist me. The deadline is tight, but we should be able to finish before July.”
