As the banners fluttered at the fabric merchants' convention by the Taiye Pool in Chang'an, Zhang Yifan's abacus beads scattered across the podium with a sharp clatter, bouncing onto the Trinity Business Dao scroll to form the character for "Brilliance": "Please take a look, everyone! Heaven-grade fabrics are like the stars—" The beads jumped into the Heaven-grade Dragon-patterned Brocade, spelling out "Prestige." "Embroidered with Book of Changes hexagrams and supplied exclusively to the imperial court, a thousand strings of cash per bolt isn't expensive; it's a matter of cultural tier!"
Down in the audience, Pei Hongxiu chuckled as she peered through her abacus-bead telescope: "The rascal is bragging again—" The beads immediately bounced onto her lens, forming the character for "Truth": "Look! Officials of the third rank and above are all taking notes on the 'Abacus Hexagrams'!" Moli Xiao wielded her brush to paint the Grand Gathering of the Abacus Dao, but the beads hopped onto her painting, transforming the merchants' official hats into the shape of abacus beads.
"Earth-grade fabrics are like the rivers!" The protagonist shook out the Earth-grade Flower and Bird Brocade, the beads dancing across the High Tang Note to spell out "Delight": "Starting at ten strings of cash, poetry and fabric as one, buy fabric and receive a brush-work masterpiece by Lady Xiao as a gift—" The beads traced an arc through the air. "A certain Hu merchant bought ten bolts, saying he'll use them…
Chapter 219