Chapter 787: Chapter 749: Counterfeit (First Update)

Ye Rong went home and told his mother he was going to the Northern Border.

Mrs. Yu’s face stiffened immediately, "What are you going to the Northern Border for?"

The Crown Prince hadn’t leaked any news about the epidemic, so naturally, Ye Rong didn’t dare say anything rashly. He simply said, "Recently, local officials from various provinces have been collecting medicinal herbs, and I’ve heard that the casualties among the frontline soldiers are severe. I’m worried about Dad, and I want to help him."

Mrs. Yu looked doubtful, "Did His Highness specifically ask you to go?"

"Not exactly." Ye Rong’s words were half-truths, "In times of crisis, every citizen has a duty, especially since I’m a military general. In such times, I can’t just hide at home seeking comfort."

"It’s still not your place to go." Mrs. Yu had only one pair of children, and naturally, she didn’t want to see either of them in trouble. "You just stay home peacefully, and I’ll go see the Eldest Princess."

She didn’t finish her sentence, but Ye Rong understood and grabbed Mrs. Yu, "Mother, you mustn’t go to the Northern Border."

"You brat, what’s up?"

"Have you forgotten, Ah Yao’s wedding is in late April, if you leave, who will be at her high table? We can’t just ask the Song family to change the date, right?"

Mrs. Yu pulled back her arm and poked Ye Rong’s head with her finger, "You know your sister is getting married, yet you insist on going to the Northern Border. Can’t you let her get married peacefully?"

Ye Rong smirked, "Even if I’m not there, my elder brother and second brother can walk her out. Mother can just remind her of a few things for me, and I’ll make it up to her when I come back."

With that, he turned to leave.

"Hey!" Mrs. Yu stopped him, "You brat, you’re leaving without even seeing her?"

"If I go, Ah Yao definitely won’t let me leave." Ye Rong said, "Besides, she’s about to get married, I can’t just go and tell her that the situation at the Northern Border is tense, can I? Best not let her know, lest it worry her."

...

Ye Rong didn’t go to say goodbye to Ye Ling at her courtyard. Instead, he returned to his room, packed some things quickly, slung a bundle over his shoulder, and asked the servant to prepare a horse.

The servant was puzzled when he saw Ye Rong leaving again shortly after returning home, "Third Young Master, where are you off to?"

"Going out for a while." Ye Rong raised an eyebrow and flashed a smile.

Riding on horseback, he left Xuanwu Street and turned into West Hall Alley, stopping in front of a shop with a hanging sign.

The sign was very worn, swaying in the wind, its original color indistinguishable, and even the words on it were partly missing, making it impossible to tell what it said.

Ye Rong dismounted and walked forward.

Here was a clothing shop, specializing in high-quality imitations.

In the Capital, clothing shops with high standards all have their own designers. The new styles coming out of them are usually affordable only to wealthy families.

However, once a fashionable style surfaces, high-quality imitations soon appear, with colors and styles hardly differing from the originals, though the materials are inferior and the prices much cheaper.

Ye Rong had heard some brothers talk about this when he was at the barracks, and specifically came here today.

Despite how shabby the place looked, the tailors and embroideresses inside were working so busily their feet didn’t touch the ground, proving that not everyone in the Capital was wealthy.

He had barely stood there for a moment when a tall middle-aged man came out to greet him with a smile, fittingly the shopkeeper, "May I ask what the guest wishes to imitate and how many?"

"Not much, just two pieces." Ye Rong took out a ten-tael piece of Silver and handed it to him, "I want you to imitate the school uniform of Yunxiu Mountain Villa."

"This..." The shopkeeper didn’t take the Silver, looking very hesitant.

"Haven’t copied it before?" Ye Rong asked him.

"Indeed, we haven’t." The shopkeeper sighed, "Perhaps the guest should try elsewhere?"

Ye Rong refused to go, "Is it that you dare not copy or cannot copy?"

Looking aggrieved, the shopkeeper said, "Sir, please show leniency, I’m just running a small business. We can’t afford to offend Yunxiu Mountain Villa!"

Ye Rong understood that this job was risky, so he swiftly handed him a fifty-tael silver note, "Is this enough?"

The shopkeeper’s eyes twitched before he quickly changed into a smiling, flattering face, "Enough, enough."

Ye Rong rolled his eyes, glancing at the busy tailors and embroideresses inside, "Can you prioritize my order? I need it urgently."

The shopkeeper put the fifty-tael silver note and ten-tael silver piece into his sleeve and nodded earnestly, "We can prioritize it, but since it’s our first time imitating it, the process is slow. At least six days."

"What?" Ye Rong widened his eyes, "Are you kidding me? Fifty taels of Silver, and it’ll take six days to complete? If you delay me, can you afford to pay?"

With no choice, the shopkeeper reluctantly took out the silver note and silver piece and returned them, "Since the guest can’t wait, you’ll have to seek expertise elsewhere."

Ye Rong furrowed his brows.

Besides this shop, he hadn’t heard of any other that could imitate so closely. But six days, he was planning to leave early the next morning!

Unwillingly, Ye Rong pursed his lips, "Can’t you make it quicker?"

The shopkeeper said, "We don’t have a sample of the Yun Family’s school uniform here, finding one takes time."

("Alright then, six days it is," Ye Rong replied impatiently, "I’ll come to pick it up after six days. Don’t give me any trouble, or you’ll have to return my Silver tenfold."

"Certainly, certainly." The shopkeeper said with a smiling face and bowed waist.

Watching Ye Rong ride away, his smile gradually faded. He entered the shop, heading straight to the study in the backyard, closed the door, and began grinding ink. Soon, he rolled the written note into a small bamboo tube, blew a whistle to summon a white pigeon, securely tied the secret message and released it.

The direction the pigeon was flying was precisely towards Suzhou.

The Yun Family has many covert spots in the Capital, and this shop is one of them. The third son of the Ye Family wants a high-quality forgery of the Yunxiu Mountain Villa’s uniform, so the shopkeeper must report to the Family Head immediately.

Those two garments could be completed in just one day, but passing the message takes time.

He could make the clothes, but he could not let Ye Rong take the goods without the Family Head’s consent.

...

From the Capital to Yunxiu Mountain Villa is a journey of over a thousand kilometers.

Three days later, Yun Huai received the message.

The letter was written in the Yun Family’s secret code, which clearly named the third son of General Mansion, Ye Rong, stating he intended to forge two Yun Family uniforms, and finally asking the Family Head whether to make these two outfits or not.

Yun Huai’s fair jade fingers held the secret letter, and after burning it, he immediately picked up a pen and replied with the character "approve."

Yun Shisan entered and smelled the scent of burned letters. Fanning his nose with his hand, he frowned and complained, "Tung oil, sesame oil, lard—the stench of cheap glue fills the air. This is the worst ink oil, the kind that’s been shelved for years. Among the entire Yun Family, from the Inner Sect Disciples to the Outer Disciples and various hidden spots, only that old fraud doing forgeries in the Capital would be so miserly in sending messages to the Family Head."

Yun Shisan and Yun Shiliu are Yun Huai’s direct disciples. Besides their expertise in medicine and poison techniques, their hearing, observation, sense of smell, and agility are all top-notch.

Identifying scents is not a challenge for Yun Shisan.

"Why did that stingy old man suddenly send messages to the villa, Family Head?" Yun Shisan was quite curious.

Yun Huai spoke calmly: "On this northern journey, there will be two additional persons halfway."

"Who?" Yun Shisan was even more curious. Could it be the Crown Prince is not reassured about the Yun Family and specially arranged high-ranking guards to accompany them?

"Don’t ask too much, you will know in time."

Yun Huai’s emotionless eight words shut Yun Shisan’s mouth and dispelled his desire to continue asking.

...

Six days passed in a blink, and Ye Rong arrived promptly at West Hall Alley to collect the two custom-made garments.

He opened it for a look, his eyes brightened, "Indeed, it’s just like the real thing."

"Of course." The shopkeeper stood by his side, "Is the customer satisfied?"

Ye Rong examined them closely again, muttering: "Satisfied, yes, but your efficiency, I dare not compliment!"

The shopkeeper cupped his hands towards him, "This is our first time dealing with Yunxiu Mountain Villa’s items, it’s like putting our heads on the line to forge these for you. It’s understandable that we’re a bit slow. Satisfying you is our mission."

Ye Rong sneered lightly, the flattery was rather loud.

He took off his outer robe and tried them on, surprisingly finding the dimensions were exact, even though he hadn’t had his size measured that day.

With a face full of astonishment, Ye Rong asked, "Did you take my measurements when you went to find a sample?"

"Not at all." The shopkeeper maintained a smiling face, "I’ve been in this business for a long time. When anyone stands before me, I can tell their size and measurements without needing to remeasure."

"Impressive!" Ye Rong finally understood why he never lacked business here.

Such a unique skill is not something just anyone could possess.

He suddenly remembered something, "By the way, may I ask, if you can replicate clothes, can you replicate faces?"

...

With the clothes in hand, Ye Rong found a time to invite Xu Jia to the teahouse, telling her he was ready.

Xu Jia was puzzled, "What have you prepared?"

Ye Rong patted the box containing the clothes on the table, opening it to reveal a corner.

Xu Jia gazed at that familiar cold white color, the familiar Yun Family cloud patterns, feeling utterly incredulous, "Did you steal it?"

"I didn’t have the leisure to make a trip to Suzhou," Ye Rong lazily propped his chin, "I had someone forge it, looks real, right?"

"Looks—indeed, it looks real, but it’s a pity that people don’t. Even if we sneak in, we’ll be discovered sooner or later."

"Why can’t we make it look real?" Ye Rong asked her, "Do you know why, when Song Yuanbao escorted the coffin back to the Capital, the corpse inside looked like Mr. Song?"

Xu Jia had always been suspicious about this matter, but never figured it out, "Why?"

"It’s painted," Ye Rong said.

"Painted?"

"Correct." Ye Rong nodded, "It’s using the makeup skills of young ladies, to make people who originally look different appear eight or nine parts similar."

It was the first time Xu Jia heard of such magical skills, "You mean, at the right time, we could black out two in Yun Family’s team and switch ourselves in?"

"Smart." Ye Rong snapped his fingers, "Let’s go with that plan. I’ve found a master of forgery who will accompany us. He’ll wait to see who to mimic for us."

Xu Jia thought he was simply overcomplicating things, "Why go through so much trouble? Instead of waiting to be exposed, why not just tell him directly that I want to go to the Northern Border?"

Ye Rong: "Who do you mean?"