Zhu'er paused for a moment, and a faint hint of hatred involuntarily crept onto her face.
"We've discussed this in the village. We know it's this Imperial Commissioner Lin who has his eyes on us. As long as you give the order, we don't go looking for trouble, but we're not afraid of it either! No matter if he's Commissioner Lin or anyone else, we won't give in to him!"
Normally, commoners don't dare to oppose officials. Li Ying was just curious as to why these villagers had suddenly become so tough.
Zhu'er then added, "Sister Li, I've made some inquiries. This imperial commissioner has also issued the same imperial edict to several other pearl - diving villages. We can just say that we've found nothing in our village. I'm sure he won't be able to pick on us."
Li Ying raised her eyebrows and understood.
Although there was no news from Su Buchi in the capital yet, judging from Commissioner Lin's eagerness to claim credit and curry favor, she could already guess most of the situation.
With the emperor's strict investigation, the censors in charge of the salt and tea taxes were surely doomed.
Commissioner Lin was in the emperor's good graces. Presumably, he would find a way to extricate himself cleanly.
However, he must have been somewhat implicated, which was why he was desperately looking for court pearls in order to keep his official position.
Seeing that Li Ying was lost in thought and not saying a word, Zhu'er couldn't figure out her plan and carefully probed.
"Sister Li?"
Li Ying then came back to her senses and nodded indifferently.
"It's okay, Zhu'er. You just agree to this matter. It's a business opportunity that's come knocking on our door. Why not take it? As for Commissioner Lin, when he comes to us, I'll deal with him myself."
A faint glint flashed in her eyes. Zhu'er didn't know what she was planning, but she vaguely guessed that this resourceful Sister Li must have a plan. So she put away her doubts and nodded in agreement.
Li Ying collected herself slightly, wrote a letter, and without any concealment, exaggerated the discovery of that conch pearl. Only then was she satisfied. She summoned a carrier pigeon and let it fly away.
The carrier pigeon knew the way back to the capital and carried the Lu family's mark. Making such a big show, the Lin Mansion, which had been secretly watching, would surely notice.
When Commissioner Lin came to them on his own initiative, she could just sit back and wait.
After doing all this, Li Ying carefully sorted out the existing pearls in the village by size and quality. She selected two ordinary - looking pearls, put them in a brocade box, and quietly took them back to the village.
These sea pearls looked quite impressive because of the relatively large pearl nuclei implanted in them. With the help of a constant - temperature and constant - humidity space and being soaked in fresh sea water for some time, it wouldn't be a problem to develop a shiny nacre by the time Commissioner Lin sent someone to negotiate.
She made up her mind, hugged her koi - like daughter to get some good luck, threw the pearl shells into the space to raise them, and then went to discuss things with Master Li, the bamboo craftsman.
The New Year was approaching, and the village had made a good profit this year. Every household was filled with joy. When Li Ying entered the door, Master Li and his wife were butchering the New - Year pig with several villagers.
Seeing her come, Mrs. Li was overjoyed. She wiped her hands and said with a smile, "A Ying, it's so coincidental that you're here. We've just butchered the pig. Stay for dinner. But my cooking skills might not be as good as yours. Don't dislike it."
Li Ying smiled, waved her hand, and agreed. She then discussed her plan with Mrs. Li.
The nobles and dignitaries would come to the village for a vacation after the New - Year festival in the capital. They could participate in some activities full of New - Year flavor.
She took out the pre - drawn blueprints and showed them to Master Li and his wife.
A lively dragon dance was, of course, indispensable. To make the New Year more welcoming for the guests, she also prepared a new event called "burning the fire dragon".
As long as they followed the blueprints and used bamboo strips, straw, and paper to make realistic dragon and fish shapes in advance, and then carefully painted delicate patterns, the colorful and gorgeous designs would instantly bring a prosperous New - Year atmosphere.
The village children had finished school. They were laughing and eating fruits while making noise. Some of them took incense sticks to light firecrackers and small fireworks.
Seeing the elders in the village busy decorating, the boys and girls also joined in the fun. According to Li Ying's general instructions, they hung small fireworks and decorative lights on the huge fire dragon in a dazzling way.
This fire dragon was several people tall and more than ten meters long. When it was danced, it was extremely magnificent.
Inside the raised chest of the fire dragon, there were newly - made fireworks and firecrackers tightly packed. By using a bamboo pole to hold up the dragon's head high, as long as it was well - controlled, the dragon's head could open its mouth, spit out pearls, turn around, wag its tail, and even spew out raging flames. It was very vivid.
Mrs. Li looked at this lively scene and the many fireworks and firecrackers hanging on the dragon. She couldn't help but gasp in surprise.
"A Ying, this fire dragon is really festive, but if it really burns, it's inevitable that some sparks will fall. What if it burns those noble guests..."
Her concern was reasonable. The enthusiasm of the villagers, who had been eager to try because of the magnificent dragon shape, was instantly dampened. They looked at Li Ying rather dejectedly.
Li Ying smiled sweetly.
"Everyone, just arrange it with confidence. As for what to tell the guests, I've already got a plan."
Most of the nobles and dignitaries liked auspicious omens.
If a guest was accidentally splashed with sparks and got blisters, the Chinese word for "blister" had a very similar pronunciation to the word for "banknote", which meant that in the coming year, there would be a continuous stream of wealth.
Apart from this, there was another custom called "burning Yu's Gate".
Thinking that the villagers in the fishing village didn't know the story of "Yu the Great Taming the Flood", Li Ying specially invited a local opera troupe to perform this story vividly for the villagers to watch.
Within a few days, the villagers in the fishing village were familiar with this story. Some of them even began to worship the "mythical immortal" who could bless the fishing village with good weather.
The villagers decorated the "Yu's Gate" archway made of bamboo strips. They carried the decorated fire dragon, beating gongs and drums, and walked to the center of the village square. In the blazing fireworks and firecrackers, they sent the fire dragon and fish lanterns through the burning Yu's Gate, praying that all the younger generations in the village would be able to rise to success.
Many of the village children were old enough to go to the private school. Such a good omen made everyone happy. Without any hesitation, they let Li Ying arrange everything.
Master Li's apprentices made bamboo lanterns. Every household hung up lanterns, decorating the small fishing village so brightly that it was as bright as day. From afar, Li Ying looked at this magnificent scene and thought that it was no less splendid than the streets in the capital.
She smiled sweetly - everything was ready. As long as the guests came, the fishing village would surely become famous throughout the world!