Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

Seeing the tense atmosphere in the hall, Ye Mo took the initiative to stand up and smooth things over.

"Alright, Your Highness, Your Majesty, you are all family, why the need for such a bitter and resentful attitude?"

"Your Majesty, could you please tone down your temper? Have you forgotten what His Majesty instructed you before he departed?"

"Your Highness, the important matter at hand is the Emperor. He is in charge of purchasing Shu brocade for the palace. If we push him too hard, he won't be able to explain himself when he gets back."

After Ye Mo's persuasion, Shen Lang and Jiang Chong were able to ease the tension.

But after Jiang Chong sat down, he showed no intention of getting close to Shen Lang, and only focused on sipping his tea.

In fact, there was a reason for Jiang Chong's attitude.

Because Shen Lang came from a humble background and belonged to the lower class of commoners, there was a natural class barrier between him and Jiang Chong.

Not everyone in the Great Chu royal family values ​​capable commoners as much as Jiang Shangxian and Jiang Mengxuan. Most of them have an arrogant attitude, like Jiang Chong, who is born with the feeling of being superior to others.

This was evident on the day of Shen Lang and Jiang Mengxuan's wedding. The only member of the royal family who actually attended the wedding ceremony was Jiang Shangxian. The rest of the royal family members residing in the capital only sent a congratulatory letter or a gift.

The divide between classes has existed throughout history, even in the modern era of open civilization, let alone in the rigidly hierarchical imperial society of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants.

No matter how many merits Shen Lang makes, it won't change much in the eyes of the royal family, who prioritize etiquette and hierarchy.

The reason why the aristocratic families of the Great Chu were able to accept Shen Lang was twofold: firstly, Shen Lang was ruthless, and secondly, their interests were intertwined. After the two were combined, the emerging "Imperial Party" would naturally choose to cooperate with Shen Lang.

Shen Lang can only gain psychological acceptance of the entire Jiang family's imperial power when his and Jiang Mengxuan's future children inherit the throne.

When the Empress got married, the royal family didn't make a scene because they approved of the marriage, but because they were wary of Shen Lang's methods. That was all.

In addition, what made Jiang Chong dislike Shen Lang even more was the recovery of the Guanzhong region, which caused his strategic plan of "advancing from the west to the north and then to the south" to fail before it could be implemented.

In the future, if I want to raise an army again, I can only go through Yidao to Jingzhou and then into the Jiangnan region.

The risks of this second route are more than ten times greater than those of first occupying Guanzhong, then taking the northern border, and finally heading south to take Jinling and establish the capital.

With the central government's power now strengthened, the outcome of the contest between the two is truly uncertain.

The carefully laid-out plan completely collapsed due to Shen Lang's intervention. It would be a miracle if Jiang Chong had any feelings for him; he wished he could just kill him to vent his anger.

Shen Lang said, "Your Highness, could you please take me to the silk weaving workshop so that we can determine whether Shu has the capacity to produce so much Shu brocade?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chong merely snorted coldly and ignored Shen Lang.

Upon seeing this, Ye Mo immediately interjected, "Your Highness, the Emperor is, after all, in charge of this Shu brocade procurement, so what do you think..."

Jiang Chong naturally had to give face when Ye Mo spoke.

"Since Prime Minister Ye has spoken, how could I possibly refuse?"

After saying that, he called out towards the gate of the mansion: "Xiaozhi!"

Before long, a young man of about thirty years old bowed and stepped into the hall.

"What are your orders, Your Majesty?"

"The imperial envoy says he wants to inspect the textile workshops in my Shu region. Please take him there."

As he spoke, he glanced at Shen Lang.

Upon hearing this, the young man understood and immediately bowed to Shen Lang, saying, "Greetings, Your Excellency. Please follow me."

"Good work."

Shen Lang got up and followed the young man out of the palace without even turning his head back.

As soon as Shen Lang left, Jiang Chong immediately put on a smiling face for Ye Mo: "Prime Minister Ye, a small banquet has been prepared in the mansion to welcome you."

Ye Mo smiled and said, "Your Highness has gone to great lengths."

"Not at all, Prime Minister Ye, please."

"Yes, please."

Ye Mo knew perfectly well that Jiang Chong was deliberately giving Shen Lang a hard time, and couldn't help but feel sorry for the guy's intelligence.

……

Inside the largest government-run weaving workshop in Sichuan, there are as many as 8,000 traditional looms.

All the workers here are women aged nineteen to thirty-five.

The weaving and spinning industry has always been dominated by women, especially the delicate work of Shu brocade, which requires traditional looms and can only be operated by women with meticulous attention to detail.

The value of Shu brocade lies in its intricate embroidery, which requires meticulous handwork for every stitch, demanding immense mental and physical effort.

Therefore, the income of Shu embroiderers was considered high even in the context of the entire Chu Kingdom, and they naturally lived a very comfortable life.

However, the cost was also heavy. Embroiderers generally did not live long, and many did not live past the age of thirty due to the mental and physical strain.

Looking at the bustling scene inside the workshop, Shen Lang remained calm and composed.

Finally, we stopped beside a senior female worker, watching her skillfully operate the complex loom and witnessing the silk gradually take shape.

"Duke Zhenguo, what do you think?"

Fa Xiaozhi accompanied him throughout the entire process, and his attitude was extremely respectful and enthusiastic.

Shen Lang nodded and said, "No wonder Shu brocade is world-renowned and priceless. With such skillful female craftsmen, it truly lives up to its reputation."

After saying that, he glanced at the pattern on the Shu brocade again, his mind preoccupied with the progress of the printing machine's development, and then turned and walked out of the weaving workshop.

Back in the front hall, more than a dozen officials from the weaving workshop brought fine silk brocade for Shen Lang to inspect.

Shen Lang casually picked up a corner of a piece of silk, felt it carefully, and nodded.

"Silky smooth and comfortable, even in the hot summer, people don't sweat easily when wearing it. Shu brocade truly deserves to be called the best of silk brocades."

After speaking, he sat down at the table and picked up the tea that had just been served.

Fa Xiaozhi immediately stood by and waited respectfully, then asked in a low voice, "Duke Zhenguo, do you think there's a problem?"

Shen Lang shook his head: "Exquisite workmanship, beautiful and excellent, no need to say more."

Fa Xiaozhi smiled: "If the Duke of Zhenguo's words are as good as gold, then this humble servant can rest assured. May I ask, Duke of Zhenguo, how much Shu brocade do you plan to purchase?"

Shen Lang said, "The imperial order is for 100,000 bolts of low-grade silk brocade and 5,000 bolts of high-grade silk brocade. The order from the silk merchants in Jiangnan is for 500,000 bolts, to be delivered by the end of next year. Can your silk weaving workshop in Sichuan handle that?"

"Six...six hundred thousand horses..."

Fa Xiaozhi's eyes widened in disbelief.

"What, unable to produce?"

"This……"

Upon hearing this, Fa Xiaozhi immediately looked troubled.

He was merely a secretary in the Prince's mansion; he dared not agree to such a significant matter.

But the other officials in the silk workshop were stunned when they heard about such a huge order.

Before Fa Xiaozhi could react, the leader said directly, "Duke Zhenguo, the 600,000 bolts of Shu brocade will definitely be delivered on time by the end of next year!"

Shen Lang curled his lips slightly and looked up at the clerk who had spoken.

"you are?"

"Reporting to the Duke of Zhenguo, I am Yang Song, the Chief Clerk of the Textile Bureau in Shu."

"Oh? Lord Yang can make decisions on behalf of the Prince's Mansion?"

"Your Excellency, I am more familiar with the weaving workshop than Your Highness is, and I can guarantee that the silk brocade required for the order will be delivered on time next year."

"Very well, with your words, I can go back and report to His Majesty. But don't be so sure of yourself; you still need to consult with the Prince."

"Of course, please rest assured, Lord Zhenguo. I will discuss it with His Highness later."

"So good."

Shen Lang put down his teacup, got up, and walked to the front door.

"If this succeeds, it will be a great achievement."

After saying that, he strode away.

Fa Xiaozhi pondered for a moment and then immediately followed.

……

Meanwhile, inside the Prince's mansion, Ye Mo and Jiang Chong exchanged toasts and changed the subject.

"Your Highness, His Majesty's reforms have now been successfully completed, and he has been working diligently to expand the territory by thousands of miles. The revival of the nation is evident, and it is the time for the entire Great Chu to hold its head high."

"It is a blessing for the people that my royal sister has such lofty ambitions."

Upon hearing this, Ye Mo couldn't help but sigh.

What he just said was actually a reminder to Jiang Chong that the central imperial power was stable, and there was no hope for him to rebel. He should just be a loyal subject.

As a result, Jiang Chong never addressed the Empress as "Your Majesty" in private, which shows that he still harbored thoughts of overstepping his bounds.

It's true what they say, you can't reason with a damned devil.

Since that's the case, there's no need for him to persuade you anymore. He can just wait and see how that model couple plays you to death.