Ding Yun's actions had not only shocked the entire textile and fabric industry but had also sent ripples through the entire capital city.
Countless people believed she was being excessively extravagant. How could she not pass on such excellent craftsmanship to future generations?
Meanwhile, numerous families involved in spinning and weaving rushed to sign up, paying a mere one qian of silver. A qian of silver was one hundred wen. In this day and age, who in the capital couldn't afford a qian of silver? It wasn't even enough to live in the capital for a month, and that was without considering rent. This demonstrated how incredibly low the price was.
It could even be considered charity.
Furthermore, while some people were perplexed by Ding Yun's actions, many others likely understood her intentions, guessing she was doing it for fame. However, as a princess, and not one seeking to garner public favor, who could criticize her? Many could only feel envy, as they lacked the ability to achieve such renown.
When the news reached the imperial palace, Emperor Longsheng was pleased to go along with the gesture, using it to enhance the imperial family's merits. He promptly issued an imperial decree praising Ding Yun, stating her achievements were no less than those of Empress Leizu in ancient times.
While this was undoubtedly an exaggeration, it was also an indirect way of praising himself. After all, a wise reign was proven not only by the emperor's own capabilities but also by the number of historically significant figures who emerged during his rule. And Ding Yun was a member of the royal family. This undoubtedly further demonstrated the capability of their imperial lineage.
These were the positive implications. As for the negative ones, they truly had nothing to do with outsiders. Regardless of whether others thought she was foolish, people outside praised her, calling her selfless. Only her own children and grandchildren, upon receiving the news, rushed back, complaining and grumbling. They felt Ding Yun should not have shared such superior weaving techniques and should have kept them for their descendants to inherit. With such top-tier weaving skills in hand, why would they need to fear the decline of their family business in the future?
Most outrageously, they even hoped Ding Yun would retract her earlier pronouncements and, since she hadn't yet recruited many people, quickly shut down the textile academy and stop teaching.
"Heh, do you think too highly of yourselves? Or have I been too lenient with you all these years?"
After slamming the table and shouting angrily, Ding Yun coldly glared at them before continuing:
"His Majesty's imperial decree is right here. Do you want to see it? His Majesty just praised me, and you want me to go back on my word and close the textile academy. Do you think I'm shameless, or do you think His Majesty is shameless? Fine, the decree is here. Take this decree and close my textile academy yourselves. I want to see how many heads you have to lose. At that point, your mother can't do much, except burn more paper offerings at your graves. So, what do you say? Go and close the textile academy!"
At these words, their impulsive, heated minds were instantly doused with a basin of ice water, bringing them to immediate clarity. They all fell silent, no longer daring to suggest Ding Yun close the textile academy.
"Mother, we... we didn't mean anything else. We were just impulsive just now, please don't be angry. It's just that watching a large sum of money disappear before our eyes... it truly pains us!"
"Yes, Mother, we know we were wrong. It's just, when you do things in the future, can you discuss them with us? This sudden 'cutting of flesh' truly makes me feel like I've lost several million taels of silver."
After a long silence, they naturally hastened to apologize.
"Can't you give me less cause for worry? With the way you are, I can't rest in peace. Do you really think you have such great capabilities or such influential backgrounds? Daughters who are married are like water that has been poured out. This saying holds true even for the royal family. I am still alive, and His Majesty, out of respect for my status, gives me some face. But what do you have? Do you have capabilities or backgrounds? If I truly handed over all these weaving techniques to you, perhaps no one would dare to plot against them while I am alive. But after I die, who among you can safeguard the family business? If you had any competence, if you were officials of the first or second rank now, then I wouldn't have gone through all this trouble to sell our family's techniques for one qian each. But what about you? The last time His Majesty remembered you, he summoned the two of you to court, hoping you would assist him from the perspective of military officials against those civil officials. You didn't even need to do much, just engage in some verbal sparring. And what happened? You didn't dare to utter a word in court, more like wooden stakes than anything in court. How can I trust you? How dare I hand over the techniques to you? Are the techniques a treasure to you? They are a death warrant! Now that the techniques have been shared, as long as we continue to sell these fabrics, there should be no problem. While it's unlikely we'll become exceptionally wealthy and monopolize the fabric trade, being ordinary fabric merchants, we can still earn several thousand taels a year. Moreover, with my brand name, people will generally recognize Zhi Nü Ge as the authentic source. As long as you don't mess up, it should be able to be passed down as a family business."
At this, Ding Yun's two sons had nothing more to say. Although her words were harsh, they were all facts, and what could they refute? In the end, they could only sigh and indicate that they understood.
"Since you are all here, I will also explain the specific inheritance method for Zhi Nü Ge. Don't assume that Zhi Nü Ge will automatically go to one of you. As long as it's within our family, whether it's a son, daughter, or daughter-in-law, whoever first masters all the weaving techniques for all of Zhi Nü Ge's fabrics will then inherit Zhi Nü Ge. Remember, all the weaving techniques. If a daughter learns it first, it will be her dowry. If a son learns it first, it will be passed to him. If a daughter-in-law learns it first, she will directly manage it. Do not bring up any more opinions or thoughts with me. This is a command. Alright, you can all leave. Go back. Seeing you gives me a headache..."
After explaining the inheritance method for Zhi Nü Ge, Ding Yun stood up and left directly, not wanting to hear them speak. What was there to look at in two sons in their seventies with old arms and legs? What was there to look at in seven or eight grandsons in their fifties, with bulging bellies and receding hairlines? No wonder the matriarch Jia in "Dream of the Red Chamber" disliked her eldest son and favored Baoyu. Old, frail sons couldn't compare to handsome grandsons in terms of pleasant sight. No matter how old they were, it didn't affect aesthetic appreciation. If they looked pleasing to the eye, at least one's mood would be a bit better.
Seeing Ding Yun get up and leave, her sons and grandsons dared not step forward to stop or hold her back. They could only sigh helplessly. Then, each returned home to urge their descendants to hurry and go to the textile academy to learn, regardless of whether they were sons, daughters, or daughters-in-law. After all, it was a family business that could potentially bring in several thousand, or even tens of thousands, of taels annually. How could they not strive to obtain it?