Translator: churnie
No Editor
After a while, the servant returned with a cloth in his arms with that cautious look like he’s holding a newborn baby.
He put down the clothes he’s holding in front of Fu Tong for everyone to see.
Fu Tong tells Qiu Yue, “Miss, please look at the two clothes.”
In fact, there is no need to look at it, the two clothes put in the same place, the difference immediately comes out at once.
The purple color cloth which originally looks soft and beautiful, now that there’s a new one put next to it, all the limelight is immediately taken away. Compared with the newly taken out cloth with that kind of grandeur dazzling purple color, it seems to be sluggish.
Qiu Yue pleasantly surprised. “Hey! I’ve never seen such a purple color!” She can’t help but reach out.
Qiu Xing and Qiu Lan are also attracted by the mysterious and magnificent color, they’re all amaze.
Qiu Lan says, “There seems to be no such cloth in the Xiao family’s warehouse. If we buy a pair and make two sets of clothes for Duke Ming, he must be handsome and outstanding.”
Feng Ming laughs, “I have enough clothes, if you don’t help me to make it, Rong Hu will do. Right, Qiu Yue, you help Luo Yun to make a set of clothes too, I see his clothes are either black or gray.”
Qiu Yue asks strangely, “Why should I make it for him? I’m not his…” The last sentence suddenly stuck, as if she felt like she was saying something wrong, she drops her head down and fondle admiringly at the purple color cloth.
Luo Yun is afraid that qiu yue will be questioned by the people, he is even more embarrassed, coughs beside her and interrupts, asking Fu Tong. “How much this purple cloth sell?”
FuTong looks at Feng Ming.
Feng Ming would love to buy this clothes for several maids too, giving it for them to make them happy, he looks at Fu Tong with great interest.
Unexpectedly, Fu Tong frowns and embarrassedly says to Feng Ming. “It’s really embarrassing. If Xiao Young Master looked at something else, even though you just take it, I’ll only consider it as i give it to my friends. But this authentic Emperor Purple is not for sale.”
“Yeah?”
The maids are showing disappointment expression altogether,
“Why not sell it?”
“Can’t we buy it with more money?”
“Old man, just let this one be given to us.” Qiu Lan also says, “We’ve heard the reputation of the Emperor purple, and took advantage of the rare opportunity to come to the Tong Kingdom, specially to find Fu Qi Men.”
A trace of desolateness suddenly appears on Fu Tong’s old face, he sighs, “Miss, you don’t know, the one you see is may be the last authentic Emperor Purple in this world”.
Everyone looks at each other and their expressions look as if they are stunned.
If the old man doesn’t want to sell it to us, he doesn’t need to make such a serious excuse, does he?
Fu Tong is a very good-natured old man, looking at their faces, he also knew what they were thinking, he asks with a wry smile. “You think I’m talking nonsense, right?”
“Ah? No.. no..” Feng Ming, Qiu Lan and others shake their heads together.
Because of his relationship with Qiu Yue, Luo Yun also pays attention to the Emperor Purple cloth that makes no sense, he asks in a deep voice, “Why is it the last one?”
“Yeah…” Fu Tong is being asked by a head-aching question, he sighs in a long voice, it was just a moment of excitement that Xiao Family’s Young Master and everyone had come, it’s as if it has flown away with this sigh, he’s even look more senile now. He shakes his hand and the servant takes the semi-warmed tea bowl to his hand. He bows his head and gives a gentle sip, takes the tea bowl to the servant before he stroking the beloved Emperor Purple, he then says, “Xiao Young Master, this is a long story, and it’s also the homework for our cloth shop, I shouldn’t have been looking for a guest to nag, but…”
“Just say it, we’re all listening.” Mian Ya looks at him as he begins to chatter nonstop, but he halts him quickly and hopes he would get into the subject.
His move is effective.
Fu Tong saved all the previous words and goes straight to the topic, he points at the astonishingly beautiful purple cloth and asks. “You know, Xiao Young Master, you just said that the cloth isn’t really special, it’s nothing more than an ordinary material, but what’s special about is dyeing. Then, do you know how this Emperor Purple color is dyed?”
Feng Ming shakes his head honestly.
Fu Tong as if thinking about something, after a while, he gently sighs: “I inherited my ancestral business at the age of nineteen and have been doing clothing business up to now there are already seventy-three outlets, I have no choice to be blessed but have no children. I received two apprentices, however i met the conscription of the King and was caught to guard the border. Until now only left this old man and an old servant to look at this facade…”
When the pile of chatter comes down, everyone begin to look at each other again.
Omg! Things are getting more and more strange!
From strolling down the street to change into strolling the clothing was nothing much. From buying clothes to listening to the clothes shopkeeper telling the story of the Emperor Purple is fairly normal.
But now it has become listening to an old man chattering about his family history, isn’t that too much?
We can hardly come to play for a day ah!
When Feng Ming almost yawn, Fu Tong who was immersed in his memories suddenly realized something, “oh,” he shouts and pats his white forehead. “You see, I’m old and confused, how can i say this. Let’s get back to the topic.”
Qiu Yue and Qiu Xing thanking the god in their heart, you finally think of what’s the topic.
“The dyeing of the Emperor Purple, it’s the secret of my Fu family that can’t be pass on…”
It must be mistake ah! You chatter for half a day, just to tell us this is the secret that can’t be pass on? So what the hell are we doing sitting here for?
“… But now that it’s not a secret, and so not a big secret, even if you know how to dye the Emperor Purple color, you may also can’t dye the Emperor Purple color clothes.”
Feng Ming thinks for a minute.
Know to dye it but can’t dye it? What’s the reason?
Fu Tong slowly says, “The arts of dyeing in the world are different, the common masters use the color of ore to dye, use the color of leaves, flowers and stems of the plants to dye, as long as black, yellow, white, red, green and blue, it’s all can be dyed with good colors, only the purple, oh, it’s not that this old rotten boastful, speaking of dyeing purple color, the purple master in the world, no one can compare with our Fu family. Our family can dye all colors, but the most amazing cloth that comes out is the purple one. The best purple, my family ancestor great grandfather gave it a bold name called Emperor Purple. The honorable and graceful, Emperor’s Purple.”
He has been immersed in the dyeing-line for the rest of his life, although he spoke slowly and warmly, but the words and phrases inside are heavy.
Qiu Xing and others don’t have much patience, listening to his deep expression when he talked about dyeing, they can’t help but be more curious about Emperor Purple, they are also waiting for him to say with mercury-like eyes.
Qiu Yue yearnly says, “Emperor’s Purple, this name is indeed bold and only this name is worthy of such a beautiful color.” She’s lowering her head and stroking this piece of cloth with magnificence purple, with leaning her head she asks, “but how exactly it dyed out you haven’t said yet.”
Perhaps her little-girl-like charming attitude makes Fu Tong’s old heart turns a little younger, Fu Tong’s old face smiled kindly and goes to Qiu Yue say. “Little girl, if you can guess what raw material this color is from, I will teach you the method of the Fu family’s dyeing the Emperor Purple.”
Qiu Yue blank and embarrassedly says, “I don’t understand anything, how can I guess it? Besides, this is the secret method handed down by your family’s ancestors, how can it be passed on to me?”
“I can, i can pass it on.” Fu Tong’s wide skinny hand waves in the air, but is cloudy old eyes look at Feng Ming. “I’m old, if there’s no one to pass on, when I die, this craftsmanship can only be brought to the coffin, i’m not willing ah. If i can find someone who can be passed on this Emperor Purple, wouldn’t it be my wish?”
Feng Ming muddle-headedly nods. “Yeah.”
I thought of it in my mind, that this old man had 80% of dementia, although there are no children and the apprentices were caught to serve in the army. However, he wouldn’t be able to casually teach a secret method to guests who come to the store, right?
They can’t help but wonder, does every time there is a guest comes in, he will teach the dyeing secrets of Fu family?
That’s not right.
I’ve watched tv series before, it seems that all this kind of mysterious secret recipe passed down by the ancestors are more important than their lives. Unless it’s in critical juncture, if it’s not the most suitable candidate, they even kill so that they won’t leak the slightest.
It’s strange…
But under the urging of Fu Tong, Qiu Yue can’t help but to think hard, she frowns and says, “Aiya, I don’t know anything about dyeing, how can I guess the raw materials of emperor purple? You just said that dyeing from minerals or plants can dye black, yellow, white, red, green, blue, and other good colors, only purple doesn’t dye well. In my opinion, that means that the raw materials used are not minerals and plants?”
Futong starts smiling, listen to the last sentence of Qiu Yue, his eyes suddenly lit up and the dimly lit eyes almost let out the joyful light, he asthonishedly says, “Clever! Young Miss, just by your words, I dare to say that you have a great basic for dyeing.”
Qiu Yue is puzzled at the bottom of her heart.
This is also called basic? I just randomly guess ah.
However having encouragement, means no serious consequence anyway, Qiu Yue continues, she looks up and think for a while and asks, “The raw material, is it from some kind of animal?”
“Good! Good!” Fu Tong laughs heartily, he becomes even more delighted, and nods. “It’s indeed something about animal. If you can guess what the animal is, not only will i teach you the method of dyeing, but also give this Emperor Purple to you.”
Qiu Yue frowns for a long time, doesn’t know what to think, suddenly her expression slightly move. “Is it the animal in the sea?”
Fu Tong greatly surprised, after surprised for a while he excitedly asks, “How did you guess?”
“Just guess it.”
“Basic! It’s basic ah!” Fu Tong is too excited without . “Is it real that there is such a fate? Then you guess, what mysterious thing of the sea?”
Qiu Yue dare not to say, she hesitantly asks Fu Tong. “Old man, if I’m right, will you really tell me about the method of dyeing the Emperor Purple? That’s the secret recipe from your family.”
“Of course, I’m all so old, i don’t lie to you young miss.”
“Hm,” Qiu Yue without hesitation says, “Is it something like a conch or shellfish?”
Upon listening to her answer, Fu Tong breaths faster and his mouth wide opens like he wants to say something, but he can’t say a word. Suddenly among those moments, as if he had been given a fixed body, he straightens and stays still.
The two eyes are constantly staring at Qiu Yue and his expressions is extremely shocked.
Feng Ming and others began to look at each other again, and everyone present appear the same unbelievably question.
Isn’t it coincidental?
Translator: i saw some readers ask about He Di and Zi Yan, the gap missing from vol.16 after ‘Zi Yan being trapped by He Di and deceiving Feng Ming so that Zi Yan stay with He Di as Xirei’s envoy’… the answer of your question is in ch.8 of vol.16.
I’m not sure though, i said i won’t translate it because i respect the previous translator, but i know it has been a year that they stopped translating, vol.16 has very long chapters unlike vol.17. Maybe if many people want it i can finish the last 2 chapter of vol.16, to see what happen with Zi Yan. Let’s see how many people want it, if i’m not convinced enough i’ll just explain a lil bit situation of Zi Yan 🙂
PS: please update Feng Yu Jiu Tian on novelupdates accordingly, i saw it from time to time, and some chapters are missing from the table.