Chapter 284: Intangible Cultural Heritage
Xia Lü humbly offered, "The embroidery from Chengcheng County is quite renowned. Many women among the people are skilled in this craft, and I, too, know a little."
"Oh?" Li Daoxuan was hearing this for the first time. He instinctively opened his computer and searched. A quick check revealed something truly remarkable: Chengcheng embroidery was indeed a national intangible cultural heritage. Xia Lü hadn't been exaggerating in the slightest.
Xia Lü continued, "For three years during the great drought, all the women had no heart for embroidery. But now, with the Heavenly Lord distributing food and wages, everyone is well-fed and strong, and the women can take up their needles again. The embroidered crafts made by our women in Chengcheng, when sold to the gentry and high officials in Xi'an, are highly sought after."
Li Daoxuan was overjoyed. "Excellent! This information you've provided is exceedingly good. In the future, if you have similar news, report it to me immediately."
Praised by the Heavenly Lord, Xia Lü couldn't help but beam with happiness, offering a graceful curtsy.
Li Daoxuan inwardly praised her. Courtesans were indeed different from ordinary women; in this era, ordinary women had very limited spheres of activity and narrow perspectives, often clueless about many things. But courtesans, by contrast, understood a great deal that most women did not.
Buying low had certainly been the right move; he'd have to seize such opportunities again.
"Xia Lü," Li Daoxuan announced, "I'll entrust you with the fabric store and all embroidery matters. You'll establish a fabric company, serving as its manager. You'll sell cotton, buy finished cotton cloth, and acquire embroidered pieces from the women of Chengcheng County. Then, we'll transport them all to Xi'an to reap the silver from the pockets of the wealthy elite."
Xia Lü was overjoyed. She, who had once been merely a courtesan, was now to become a grand manager! It was truly a major reversal of fate.
With the Heavenly Lord backing her, Xia Lü grew bolder. Next to the bookstore was a grain store that hadn't opened for a long time. Xia Lü pounded fiercely on its door. When the manager finally emerged, Xia Lü, armed with the funds Li Daoxuan provided, bought the grain store outright.
Next, she visited the official workshops, hiring artisans to completely renovate the grain store. In less than two days, the "Heavenly Lord Fabric Manor" was successfully established.
Li Daoxuan did not interfere, only providing her with material support.
But courtesans of this era were truly capable. She showed no fear of public exposure, handling all negotiations and connections herself with truly remarkable eloquence, quickly clearing every obstacle.
The cotton bestowed by Li Daoxuan filled the fabric store's warehouse. Xia Lü sold this cotton at low prices, while simultaneously hanging out a sign announcing "High Prices for Cotton Cloth." Soon, women whose families owned weaving machines came to buy cotton.
It didn't matter if a family didn't own a weaving machine, for new weaving machines crafted by the carpenters of Gao Family Village were soon to arrive.
Xia Lü soon bought another wealthy family's compound, converting it into the "Heavenly Lord Textile Factory." She placed a large number of weaving machines inside and then began to try hiring female workers.
Women of this era were reluctant to appear in public, so hiring initially proved very difficult.
But there were always some women from poor families who wanted to earn a little extra to supplement their household income, and risked being criticized to enter the textile factory. Thus, this small textile factory slowly began to operate.
As the fabric store began operating, Xia Lü put out a sign announcing "Purchasing Embroidered Works," attracting women skilled in embroidery to complete their pieces at home and sell them to the fabric store.
In the evening, Li Daoxuan was heartily enjoying Lanzhou pulled noodles.
Xia Lü suddenly rushed into Gao Yiye's room, holding out a piece of intricately embroidered "horse cloth" with both hands. "Saintess, look," she exclaimed, "this is a horse cloth I embroidered!"
Li Daoxuan was hearing the term "horse cloth" for the first time, and immensely interested, he quickly focused his attention. It turned out that "horse cloth" referred to decorative fabric draped over a horse's back.
Such an item certainly wasn't for the poor; only high officials, wealthy merchants, and powerful gentry would need it. Xia Lü was shrewdly targeting the affluent of Xi'an.
The horse cloth featured an embroidered tiger head, surrounded by a circle of copper coins, rugged and grand, yet not without grace.
"This thing is beautiful!"
A thought suddenly sparked in Li Daoxuan's mind. It seemed he had another money-making idea.
He needed to make a video, and fast!
He rummaged through the videos captured by his camera, quickly finding a segment of Xia Lü embroidering. He cut it out, selecting only a few clips, and finally made a 30-second short video. At the end of the video, he extended a pair of tweezers into the miniature realm and, with a quick flick, snatched the horse cloth from Xia Lü's hands.
Xia Lü was startled, leaping up and instinctively trying to snatch the horse cloth back. But she immediately understood that the Heavenly Lord was merely playing with her, so she covered her mouth and giggled.
At the end of the video, Li Daoxuan featured an introduction showcasing this tiny horse cloth in the normal world, highlighting its ultra-miniature embroidery. The entire piece was only three millimeters long, with a micro-embroidered tiger head and miniature copper coins so tiny they were difficult to discern clearly. It was truly a marvel.
This time, he didn't even bother to list a price, leaving it for "those with destiny" to figure out for themselves.
Having finished the video, he clicked upload.
Then, he suddenly remembered Director Gao from the Chengcheng County Bureau of Culture and Tourism. That director seemed to be working tirelessly for Chengcheng County's tourism industry; he should get a copy of this video too.
And so, Li Daoxuan's personal TikTok account, "Daily Life in the Miniature Realm," and the official website of the Chengcheng County Bureau of Culture and Tourism, simultaneously launched this short video.
Just as he finished, he turned back to the diorama box, only to find Magistrate Liang Shixian, accompanied by his Shaoxing secretary, had arrived to visit the bookstore.
By this point, Liang Shixian had already understood that Gao Yiye was not the "Li Family Matron." The head of the Li family was, at his core, an immortal, and this so-called matron was actually the Heavenly Lord's messenger in the human world — in other words, the Saintess.
The nature of this Saintess was completely unlike that of the White Lotus Saintesses.
The White Lotus Saintesses were merely con artists, but Gao Yiye, as a Saintess, could truly speak for the Heavenly Lord. The difference between the two was crucial and needed to be clearly distinguished.
So whenever Liang Shixian had something he wished to consult the Heavenly Lord about, he would come to Gao Yiye to relay the message.
The bookstore's clerk ushered Liang Shixian into the back courtyard. Gao Yiye came out to greet him, and after they were seated facing each other at a table, Gao Yiye finally spoke. "May I ask, Magistrate Liang, what important matter brings you here?"
Liang Shixian replied, "This humble official just received news that Shaanxi Governor Hu Tingyan has been dismissed by the Emperor."
Li Daoxuan inwardly cheered: *Finally, that corrupt official has been removed!*
Liang Shixian continued, "The Emperor has appointed Liu Guangsheng as the new Shaanxi Governor and simultaneously appointed Yang He as the Supreme Commander of three border regions, responsible for bandit suppression in both Shaanxi and Yansui. This time, the imperial court truly intends to get serious about Shaanxi's bandit problem."
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