When my vicious stepmother mistakenly married me to the Immortal Lord

The spring breeze turns the mulberry fields green, and the tender leaves sway gently in the sun.

The season for raising spring silkworms has arrived. Silkworm farmers can be seen busy in the streets and alleys, selecting silkworm seeds and preparing mulberry leaves.

As the day for Taixi Kingdom to select its royal silk suppliers draws near, the Xie family's weaving workshop has entered the final preparation stage.

The Xie family's businesses mainly focused on salt mines, weaving and money shops.

Among them, the weaving industry is the most famous, especially the Xie family's unique "Yunjin" weaving technique, which is well-known all over the world and deeply loved by the royal family and nobles.

Every three years, the royal family holds a meeting to select the royal silk suppliers.

Select the silk suppliers with the best quality and most sophisticated craftsmanship to provide royal silk for the royal family.

For the Xie family, this is an important opportunity to demonstrate its strength and consolidate its position.

However, this year, many schools of thought are competing with each other, especially the Shen family, which is famous for weaving "snow satin". They are coming in with great momentum and are ready to compete with the Xie family.

As the young master of the Xie family, Xie Changyu naturally shouldered the responsibility of preparing for the selection.

These days he has been busy selecting silk samples, arranging craftsmen to make new products, and negotiating cooperation with various merchants. He is almost always busy.

One day, in the study of Xie Mansion, Xie Guangting stood in front of the desk, holding a letter in his hand, his brows furrowed and his expression solemn.

"Yu'er, there's been a major reshuffle within the Ministry of Internal Affairs this year. All the officials in charge of procurement have been replaced by new people. All our previous connections are no longer useful. I'm afraid we'll be at a disadvantage in this selection process."

Xie Changyu, however, remained calm. "Father, don't worry. As long as our Xie family's brocade is of high quality, there's no need to worry about not finding someone who can appreciate its value."

"That being said, the Shen family is no pushover either. Their snow satin is light and soft, with an excellent luster, and is very popular among women. They will definitely be our formidable rivals in this selection."

"Father, why do you want to boost others' ambitions and destroy your own prestige?"

"The Shen family's snow satin is certainly good, but our Xie family's brocade also has its own unique features. Moreover, our weaving skills are superb and our craftsmen are experienced. These are our advantages."

"Besides, the selection competition is not only about the quality of silk, but also about weaving skills and innovative thinking."

"I've asked the craftsmen to rush out a batch of new Yunjin brocade, incorporating the embroidery techniques of the southern region and the dyeing techniques of the northern region. I believe it will shine at the selection conference."

Xie Guangting felt a little relieved after hearing his son's words.

"In that case, then go ahead and do it. Your father will fully support you."

"Don't worry, father. I will live up to your expectations."

Later, Jiang Song learned about the selection process and found that the Shen family was on the list. Only then did he realize that Du Shulan had made her move on the Shen family.

The Shen family has always followed the lead of the Du family and is closely connected with the Du family. They prosper and suffer together.

Du Shulan's move this time was obviously to use the Shen family to make trouble at the selection meeting, so that the Xie family would lose the right to provide for the royal family, thereby causing their reputation to plummet and their strength to be greatly damaged.

This would not only deprive Jiang Song of the powerful support of her husband's family, but also give her the opportunity to suppress the Xie family, killing two birds with one stone.

What a good calculation!

However, as a member of the Xie family, how could she sit idly by?

What's more, Du Shulan has tried to kill her time and time again. If she doesn't take the opportunity to fight back, wouldn't she be letting her "good intentions down"?

After listening to Xie Changyu explain the specific rules and procedures for the selection, Jiang Song gradually formed a plan in his mind.

After she told Xie Changyu about her plan, he looked skeptical.

"Sister-in-law, are you sure this plan will work? If anything goes wrong, I won't be able to explain to my parents."

"Don't worry, my plan will give our Xie family a better chance of success. Even for the sake of the Xie family's honor, I won't do anything rash."

Seeing her so confident, Xie Changyu began to believe her somewhat. "Okay, then I'll do as you say. I'll have people prepare everything you need."

*

Half a month passed in a blink of an eye, and the day of the selection meeting arrived as scheduled.

On this day, the sky was clear and the air was fresh, with a gentle breeze.

In front of Jinxiu Hall, the largest weaving guild in the capital of Taixi State, there was a constant stream of traffic and people.

Silk merchants and weaving craftsmen from all over the country gathered together to participate in this grand selection event.

The wives of officials, ladies from wealthy families, and literati also came to watch and see the beauty of silks from all over the country.

After all, this is an event that determines the trend!

For silk merchants, whoever can stand out at this conference will be able to lead the silk fashion trend in the next three years.

For the onlookers, this is a great opportunity to show off their status, taste and knowledge, and also a feast to witness the collision of craftsmanship and art.

Jinxiu Hall covers a vast area and is decorated with luxurious ornaments, carved beams and painted buildings, which is extremely beautiful.

There is a high platform in the center of the main hall, covered with a scarlet carpet and surrounded by blooming peonies, which looks majestic yet elegant.

Around the platform are neatly arranged display racks, displaying the fine silks brought by various silk merchants, which are colorful and dazzling.

At this moment, the hall was already packed with people, all eagerly waiting for the selection conference to officially begin.

Xie Changyu and Jiang Song, along with the Xie family's craftsmen and servants, carried boxes and baskets filled with brocade and slowly walked into the guild hall.

Their arrival immediately caused quite a stir.

"Look, it's the Xie family here!"

"I've heard that the Xie family's Yunjin is famous all over the world. Today I can finally see its true appearance."

"I wonder if the Xie family can retain the honor of being the official supplier this time?"

Amidst the discussions of the crowd, Xie Changyu and Jiang Song calmly walked to the Xie family's exhibition area and began to arrange the exhibits.

At the same time, the Shen family's team also walked in in a mighty manner.

The Shen family obviously came prepared this time.

They brought a large amount of snow satin, all of which were carefully selected high-quality goods, with the ultimate glossiness and softness.

The Shen family's exhibition area is adjacent to the Xie family's, and there is a lot of tension between the two families.

Shen Xubai, the young master of the Shen family, walked up to Xie Changyu with a provocative look on his face, "Brother Xie, long time no see, how are you?"

Xie Changyu smiled faintly, "Brother Shen, I haven't seen you for a long time, and you are still as annoying as ever."

"Hahaha, Brother Xie is still so straightforward. However, we are not here to reminisce about the past, but to compete in strength."

As Shen Xubai spoke, his eyes swept around the Xie family's exhibition area. "I wonder what masterpieces Brother Xie has prepared this time. Can I have a sneak peek?"

"Brother Shen, don't worry. When the selection begins, you will naturally have a chance to see it." Xie Changyu responded neither humbly nor arrogantly.

Shen Xubai snorted lightly, "If that's the case, then I'll wait and see."

As they were talking, the auspicious time for the selection meeting had arrived.

With the sound of drums and music, the official in charge of presiding over the selection conference walked onto the stage and announced the official start of the conference.

According to the rules, every silk merchant has the opportunity to go on stage to showcase his or her silk and explain its unique features.

The judges will then give scores and finally select the official supplier based on the scores.

As the popular candidates for this selection, the Xie family and the Shen family were naturally arranged to appear last.

The silk merchants in front came on stage to display their works, but most of them were mediocre and without much novelty.

The judges' scores were also mediocre, and they were obviously looking forward to the highlight later.

Finally, it was the Shen family's turn to take the stage.