Re-embroidering life

Shui Qinghua raised her voice and said to everyone: "I not only have witnesses, but also physical evidence."

Mr. Qian was overjoyed: "Who is your witness? Please come out!"

The crowd moved aside, leaving a passageway. The Third Prince's wife, Dong Yajing, walked in gracefully, surrounded by her maids. She was dressed in gorgeous clothes, with a dignified demeanor, her right hand resting lightly on her belly, her face gentle.

"I can vouch for Lady Shui." She smiled sweetly, stepped forward and hugged Princess Dihua's arm affectionately: "Aunt, you know that I learned embroidery from my sister-in-law in Jiangxia. My sister-in-law is Lady Shui!"

Princess Dihua forced a smile with a slightly stiff smile: "Really? That's a coincidence."

"At first, I went to Shui Niangzi to learn embroidery so that I could embroider a painting of "Hundred Flowers Longevity" for my grandmother, the Princess of Hui County. Today, I asked my grandmother to bring this embroidery here so that everyone can take a look at it together."

Dong Yajing waved her hand, and Qingzhu and Zizhu came forward holding the embroidery and slowly opened it. The word "Shou" formed by colorful, lively and warm flowers suddenly caught everyone's eyes.

Mr. Qian went forward to examine it carefully, and compared it with the two embroidery pieces presented by Shui Qinghua today: "The embroidery of the Third Prince's Consort is exactly the same as that of Lady Shui in terms of needlework, thread usage, and pattern design. The Third Prince's Consort may be a beginner, and her needlework is still immature, so the effect is far inferior to Lady Shui's. But it is certain that the entire "Hundred Flowers Longevity" was embroidered by the Third Prince's Consort alone, and no one else was hired."

Dong Yajing smiled and said, "Then please ask Mr. Qian to estimate again. With my skills at that time, how long would it take me to finish embroidering this "Hundred Flowers Longevity" by myself?"

Mr. Qian quickly replied: "About a year."

"If we count back one year from the time I left Jiangxia, that is, the beginning of spring two years ago, at that time, I had already started learning the art, but Lady Shui had not yet opened the Shui Embroidery Workshop, let alone hired Meng Xiu Niang. The two of them did not know each other at all. How could it be that after Meng Xiu Niang entered the Shui Embroidery Workshop, she taught Lady Shui the natural embroidery skills?" Dong Yajing's tone was not particularly harsh, but the majesty of the prince's consort made Meng Xiu Niang dare not raise her head, and sweat profusely. She wanted to speak out to refute, but after searching her mind for a long time, she could not say a word.

The balance in everyone's hearts naturally tilted towards Dong Yajing. She had evidence in her hands and a clear timeline. Besides, she was the prince's consort after all, so she wouldn't lie in public, right?

Just as he was half believing and half doubting, a little maid ran into the room breathlessly, shouting, "Third Madam, I got it!"

Lan Xin ran to Shui Qinghua in one breath and carefully took out a document from her arms. The edge of the paper was a little worn and there were creases on it, which showed that the owner did not take it seriously.

Shui Qinghua held the document high up, and the sunlight shone on it, making the handwriting clearly visible.

Her voice was steady and powerful. "This document is the verdict I wrote when I went to the government to sue you for violating the contract and leaking the secrets of the Natural Embroidery. The Echeng County Court found that the evidence was conclusive, and considering my request for a lighter sentence, I will only fine you one hundred taels of silver."

Every word Shui Qinghua said was like a heavy hammer, hitting Meng Xiuniang's heart hard. She stared at the document, cold sweat on her forehead, and her hands began to tremble unconsciously.

Shui Qinghua continued, "It clearly records the whole story, and there is also a bright red seal from the government as proof. Please read it carefully."

After that, Shui Qinghua handed the document to Mr. Qian, who read it and then handed it to several judges. As they passed it around, they whispered to each other, and the accusations against Meng Xiu Niang became louder and louder. Meng Xiu Niang seemed to have lost all her strength, and she collapsed to the ground, her face as pale as death.

When Princess Dihua saw the verdict, no matter how well-mannered she was, her face changed slightly. She quickly adjusted her expression and said to the judges, "Since Lady Shui has proven that she is the creator of the natural embroidery technique, she is qualified to celebrate the Queen Mother's birthday. Let the embroidery competition continue."

"Don't be anxious, aunt!" Dong Yajing smiled coquettishly at Princess Dihua, "A good embroidery competition was ruined by these embroiderers. Wasting time is a small matter, but being disrespectful to the Queen Mother is a big deal! I have asked someone to report to the Nine Gates Governor's Office, let these liars have a taste of what it's like to be in jail!"

Hearing this, Zhao Xiu Niang was terrified. She came to the capital to try her luck at wealth, but she didn’t expect to end up in jail! Zhao Xiu Niang threw herself on Meng Xiu Niang, pushing and pulling her desperately: “Sister Meng, didn’t you say that there is a noble person protecting us? Where is the noble person? Please ask her to come out and speak a word to save us!”

Everyone was shocked, it turned out that he was really being instructed by someone.

Meng Xiu Niang was like a dead person. No matter how Zhao Xiu Niang pulled her, she just kept her head down and said nothing.

Princess Dihua smiled, her eyes were as cold as ice, and she said to Dong Yajing through her teeth, "Yajing, do you really want to wade into this muddy water?"

Dong Yajing smiled coquettishly: "I don't understand what my aunt said. They are disrespecting the majesty of the royal family. I am venting my anger for the Queen Mother."

"Then you are really filial to the Queen Mother." Princess Dihua said coldly.

The Queen Mother had no biological daughter, so she raised her niece, Princess Dihua, under her wing. Over the years, they have been more like mother and daughter than mother and daughter. Although Dihua is only a princess in title, she is favored more than many princesses and is far from being comparable to a prince's consort.

Not long after, several officers from the Nine Gates Admiral came. Upon hearing that it was the Third Prince's wife who had sent someone to report to the authorities, they did not dare to be negligent and forcibly pulled up several embroiderers and took them away. Zhao Xiu Niang's cries were deafening.

"Wait a minute!" Princess Dihua said to stop him, "Today is a day to present embroidery to the Empress Dowager. It's a happy day. It's unlucky to cry so much. The Empress Dowager is kind-hearted. There's no need to bother the Nine Gates Commander with these girls. The Cining Palace will handle it."

After saying this, she used her eyes to signal the Empress Dowager's court lady. The Empress Dowager's court lady had not spoken, so she had to come out to smooth things over: "Yes, put them in the torture chamber of the Cining Palace first, and the Empress will make the decision later."

The Nine Gates Admiral didn't want to care about it, so since there was a ladder, he immediately climbed down. Several strong palace maids came forward and picked up Meng and Zhao and took them away.

The embroidery conference continues.

Mr. Qian praised Shui Qinghua highly: "Your natural embroidery is not simple. Whether it is the processing of silk threads or the use of needlework, it is more delicate than the schools I have seen. Not only that, you incorporate your understanding of nature into the embroidery process, so that you can imitate the texture and charm of all things."

He turned to the judges and said, "I suggest that you select Lady Shui's work to present to the Queen Mother. What do you think?"

No one sitting here is a fool. They all know more or less what happened. It seems that Lady Shui has offended Princess Dihua. Who would dare to choose her? I am afraid that only Mr. Qian is the one who judges heroes by their embroidery skills.

When Mr. Qian saw that none of them responded, he could not help but look puzzled. He only heard a chuckle, and Princess Dihua spoke: "Mr. Qian is highly respected. If you say it's good, then it's good. We will choose Lady Shui."