Chapter 268 I want to create the strongest luxury brand in human history!
Among the 24 government offices of the Ming Dynasty, there was one called the Internal Weaving and Dyeing Bureau, which was responsible for "dyeing and producing satin and silk for imperial use and in the palace."

The factory was located in Waichang outside Chaoyangmen, and the pigment base Indigo Factory was located in the northwest of the city.

Ou Zanghua led Cheng Zhirou and others to the indigo factory to visit the pigment craftsmanship of that era.

The seal-holding eunuch Liu Ying accompanied them. Seeing that Ou Zanghua and Cheng Zhirou were interested in colors, he began to explain: "The palace often uses plant dyes, which are nine kinds, namely safflower, indigo, sappan wood, phellodendron, acorns, gallnut, cotinus coggygria, gardenia, and locust beans."

"The dyers here are all experienced craftsmen. They can dye more than 40 colors by changing the color ratio of various dyes."

Although plant dyes are easy to obtain and can produce a wide variety of colors, they also have a problem: unlike later chemical synthetic dyes, they can lock in colors.

Clothes dyed with plant dyes will easily fade after a few washes.

So how did the ancients wash their brightly colored clothes?
The answer is two words: don’t wash!

Taking the Qing Dynasty as an example, many dragon robes preserved in the Forbidden City are brand new and have never been worn.

This is why when Yan Song searched the house, he found more than 17,000 sets of clothes, not including those that had been sold or destroyed.

So human luxury has never really changed.

After hearing this, Cheng Zhirou nodded slightly. It seemed that the dye recipes in the capital were almost the same as those in Hangzhou.

As for the slight difference in color, it probably has something to do with the craftsman.

Ou Zanghua noticed that the most commonly used colors here are bright red and cyan, followed by grass green.

The imperial family of our Ming Dynasty particularly likes bright red. From a visual perspective, red has a strong ability to penetrate space, is more eye-catching, and its color resembles blood, creating a visual sense of approach.

Therefore, since the Ming Dynasty, bright red has become a symbol of nobility and joy. It was later called Chinese red and has truly penetrated into the vein of Chinese culture.

Green is a color commonly used by ordinary people, but with the development of spinning and dyeing technology, by the Ming Dynasty, the saturation and brightness of green had increased, making it look fresh and bright, and thus grass green came into being.

After thanking Liu Ying, everyone came out of the indigo factory and chose a restaurant to rest.

In the box, Ou Zanghua began to ask Cheng Zhirou for her opinion.

Since they were in a private space, Cheng Zhirou took off her veil and said softly, "Before I came to the capital, I found that the scholars in Nanzhili, Zhejiang and other places have recently fallen in love with sapphire blue, but currently only the Hangzhou Weaving and Dyeing Bureau can mix this color."

As she spoke, Cheng Zhirou took out a handkerchief and handed it to Ou Zanghua. It was sapphire blue, with two playing cats embroidered on one corner.

Blue is one of the five primary colors in the traditional color system and one of the earliest colors in traditional dyeing.

In addition to the familiar lake blue, sky blue, emerald blue and azurite, there are also some uncommon colors such as moon blue, Buddha blue, Pu blue, etc.

Sapphire blue is crystal clear, a little deeper than dark blue, and even a little purple.

Ou Zanghua thought for a while and said, "I can ask Eunuch Liu to borrow a few dyers to try to mix this color in the imperial farm of Weiyang Palace."

"If Mr. Ou can mix it, there is no need to worry about sales. I will be fully responsible for it." Cheng Zhirou smiled slightly, very confident.

"Miss Cheng, don't be careless. The things we produce in Weiyang Palace are several times more expensive than similar products on the market."

Ou Zanghua poured a cup of tea and said calmly: "After all, it is a tribute. It is a great favor for the gentry to wear it."

"Please rest assured, Mr. Ou. I know what I'm doing." Cheng Zhirou certainly understood this. If Ou Zanghua's ideas were like castles in the air, then Cheng Zhirou was the one who could help him turn his imagination into reality.

Just like the rabbit and the eagle in later generations, the eagle only provides theories and data, and leaves the rest to the rabbit.

The two discussed for a while, and Ou Zanghua suddenly had an idea and said, "If it is just a simple color, or consistent with the Hangzhou Weaving and Dyeing Bureau, it will not be able to create a unique sense of value in advance. I want to print on the cloth."

"This is not difficult," Cheng Zhirou said, "We can do twill, jacquard, and batik."

"I don't want this kind of pattern," Ou Zanghua said, gesturing, "but the ice crack pattern like the Ge kiln. Just imagine, a batch of fabrics with sapphire blue ice crack patterns, the clothes made from them will be unique!"

"This." Cheng Zhirou imagined it for a moment, and reminded with a wry smile: "Mr. Ou's idea is indeed wild, but if this kind of fabric is made into clothes, there may be only a few people who can appreciate the mystery of it!" "And from the perspective of dyeing techniques, it is unprecedented."

A smart man like Ou Zanghua immediately understood the meaning of Cheng Zhirou's words.

He smiled and said calmly, "Then let's make it. What's important is not how many people like the clothes, but to establish our style."

The two ate and chatted in the restaurant. After they separated, Cheng Zhirou went to the imperial farm of Weiyang Palace to check the weaving and dyeing workshop in the farm.

Ou Zanghua wrote a letter of authorization to Cheng Zhirou, asking her to give the order if the Huangzhuang Weaving and Dyeing Workshop lacked anything or needed any improvement.

He returned to the Ministry of Rites to work. In his spare time, he wrote a letter to the eunuch Liu Ying, who was in charge of the Internal Weaving and Dyeing Bureau, asking him sincerely to borrow a few dyers.

Liu Ying knew that Ou Zanghua was a favorite of the emperor and had a good relationship with Zhang Yong, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, so he readily agreed.

That afternoon, six dyers in their thirties arrived at the gate of the Ou Mansion.

Ou Zanghua arranged for them to stay temporarily in the outer courtyard of the Ou Mansion, and asked Hua An to follow the dyer's advice and prepare various tools and materials needed for color matching.

After returning home from court in the evening, Hua An reported the progress of the work to his master. It was estimated that the color mixing workshop would take another two days to be put into use.

Ou Zanghua nodded, knowing that this matter could not be rushed.

When he went into the room to change his clothes, the handkerchief Cheng Zhirou gave him fell out. He picked it up and stuffed it into his arms, then walked straight to the backyard to see what his beloved wife was doing.

When I walked to the backyard, I saw Liu Qing and Yue Lingshan choosing things from a row of boxes.

Ou Zanghua walked over, and a middle-aged woman immediately bowed and said, "I am Liu Cao, a commoner, honored to meet Minister Ou."

"No gift."

After Ou Zanghua bowed in return, he asked curiously, "What is this?"

Liu Qing looked over and said with a smile, "My dear, this is the Liu family's colored sandalwood and incense shop recommended by Madam Zhang, the Marquis of Xianning. Their incense is second to none in the capital!"

"I see." Ou Zanghua nodded, and came over to take a look with some curiosity, then noticed that on the box next to it were two rows of sachets of various shapes hanging, including silver square boxes and lotus leaf bags made of cloth.

Ou Zanghua picked up a sachet and suddenly an idea came to him. How could he have forgotten this thing?
For women, there is nothing that can't be solved by a bun. If one doesn't work, try two!

In ancient times, women's purchasing power was equally strong.

The so-called "three aunts and six grandmas" often mentioned by people in the Ming and Qing dynasties, among whom the matchmakers and sellers were the ones who made a living by selling rouge, pollen and other women's products between the mansions and the streets in the city.

Liu Cao is a high-end business woman who can bring the goods from her store into the back house.

In the eyes of some traditional scholars, this profession is a dangerous one that seduces ladies.

Therefore, when the upright official Hai Rui was in his hometown of Qiongshan, Guangdong, he jointly advocated with the local gentry and scholars to ban women from doing business on the streets in order to enforce the law.

Hai Rui's reason was also very direct. Youxian Zhenyi, who was a trader of women, was also a servant of the boudoirs. Such people came and went in the boudoirs, and what they heard and saw, and what they heard and saw, how could they be blamed for Youxian Zhenyi? Such things are what we consider to be the serious matters of the boudoirs.

There is also a description in the "Yanjing Miscellaneous Notes" written by the Qing Dynasty:
In the capital, there were women who came door to door with things to sell, and they were commonly known as "maiming women".

With boxes full of pearls and jade, he roamed around the houses of the rich and was always pleased by the women. If he wanted rare and precious treasures, he could get them immediately, because the merchants in the market were happy to give them to him because they were easy to sell. He also made a profit from it, and many of them became rich. However, when selling things, there were often unexpected things. The ancients said, "Six old women are not allowed to enter the house." The meaning is profound.

This is also why in some Ming and Qing romance novels, when the male protagonist falls in love with a lady, he always has to beg the prostitute to create opportunities for them, and even disguises himself as the prostitute to enter the boudoir.

At this moment, Ou Zanghua was looking at these sachets, and the luxury empire in his heart had begun to be built. He even began to imagine the scene hundreds of years later. Chanel, LVMH, and Burberry were all younger brothers in front of the Weiyang Palace.

Royal tribute, dragon bloodline, ancient inheritance, eternal sincerity, leading the world trend for 500 years, hand-dyed by a 90-year-old father with a magnifying glass
If a bag or a piece of cloth doesn’t sell for two or three million, you’d be embarrassed to put a logo designed by the Minister of Honglu Temple of the Ming Dynasty on it!

However, Ou Zanghua did not notice that Yue Lingshan's eyes were looking at him with something wrong. The little girl noticed the handkerchief in Brother Ou's arms, and saw the gentle smile on Brother Ou's face. She felt a little happy and a little melancholy in her heart:
"Blue handkerchief Junior Sister Qingqing doesn't have a handkerchief of this color! So a man like Senior Brother Ou doesn't have a deep love for Junior Sister Qingqing? Who is he thinking about now? Can I have one too?"

(End of this chapter)