When a second-rate tailor left Cai Yi Que in the Capital, the workshop remained completely undisturbed, without making so much as a ripple.
The very next day, Nishang Tailor Shop welcomed a new tailor, reportedly a master craftsman hired at great expense. This new arrival was given a small courtyard all to himself and earned an extraordinarily high wage. The other tailors at Nishang burned with envy, waiting with bated breath to see what kind of garments the newcomer, Tailor Wu, would produce.
Tailor Wu claimed that new designs required new fabrics, asserting that Cai Yi Que’s previous triumph over the city was entirely due to its brilliant color coordination. Taking his word, Nishang spent a fortune urgently procuring a large batch of fine textiles. But just as Tailor Wu was preparing to showcase his grand talent, the bells of every Buddhist temple and Daoist monastery across the Capital began to toll in unison.
Chapter 159