"Alright, I'll wait here." Zhang Chen said, then walked to the side and sat down.
Li Ju and his wife quickly came back to the table and continued weaving.
Zhang Chen watched from the side, seeing Mrs. Li skillfully thread the armor plates one by one onto the cowhide ropes at the bottom of the armor, pressing and fitting them tightly so that not a single gap remained.
After a while, with the last armor plate threaded, Mrs. Li tied the cowhide rope tightly and clapped her hands in satisfaction.
Li Ju, who was nearby, picked up the armor and handed it to Zhang Chen.
"Lord, it's done!"
Zhang Chen took the armor with one hand; it was indeed heavy, weighing thirty to forty catties. If ordinary soldiers wore it, let alone fighting, even moving would be hindered. However, if the soldiers of the Trapped Camp wore it, it would be completely different.
Zhang Chen carefully examined the armor again, seeing the armor plates arranged densely and tightly, layered one on top of the other, with absolutely no gaps.
And each of these armor plates was forged from refined steel, resistant to cuts from swords, chops from axes, and thrusts from spears and arrows!
What was even more amazing was that the cowhide ropes were completely invisible on the surface of the entire armor.
This Willow Leaf Armor was made by threading the armor plates together with cowhide ropes. If the cowhide ropes were exposed, that would be its weakness; once cut, the armor would be destroyed. But Mrs. Li was able to conceal the cowhide ropes completely, leaving no trace exposed, which made it truly impregnable!
After examining it, Zhang Chen immediately picked up a steel saber from a nearby weapon rack and chopped down forcefully. He heard a clash of metal, and looking again, the Willow Leaf Armor was completely undamaged!
Zhang Chen then hung the Willow Leaf Armor on a wooden frame, took down a long spear, aimed at the armor, and thrust it out forcefully.
The spear tip pressed against the armor plate but couldn't penetrate even a bit!
The defense of the Willow Leaf Armor was so strong that the three people present couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
Even they themselves hadn't expected this armor to be so formidable!
If someone wore this, wouldn't they truly be impervious to swords and spears?
"Good! Excellent!" Zhang Chen was overjoyed at the sight. "You truly haven't let me down. However, this armor uses cowhide ropes to connect the plates. I wonder if these cowhide ropes are sturdy?"
"Rest assured, Lord," Mrs. Li said confidently. "These cowhide ropes have been soaked in a special medicinal solution. Their toughness is extreme; even cutting them with a sharp blade would take considerable effort. They absolutely won't break on their own."
"Very good, very good!" Zhang Chen was delighted, and then said to the others, "I need you to rush the production of three thousand sets of Willow Leaf Armor and three thousand Mo Dao. Can you complete this before the second day of the second month?"
"This..." Hearing this, Li Ye and Li Ju couldn't help but show troubled expressions.
"What, is there a difficulty?"
"Lord, making one Mo Dao requires ten catties of refined iron, and the armor plates for the Willow Leaf Armor are forged from refined steel. These items are quite expensive to produce..."
"Money is not a problem, just tell me."
"To make three thousand sets of Mo Dao and Willow Leaf Armor, it would probably require... fifty thousand gold!"
Fifty thousand gold! That was quite a sum. However, at present, he was not short of money. After confiscating the property of those corrupt officials, the treasury was now very full. A mere fifty thousand gold was just a drop in the bucket.
"The necessary funds can be drawn directly from the treasury."
"Lord..."
"What, are there still difficulties?"
Li Ye said, "Lord, besides the money, the deadline is also too tight. The Mo Dao are fine, but for the Willow Leaf Armor, the plates need to be threaded and woven. Only Wan Niang knows how to do it. Three thousand sets... how can she possibly manage?"
Zhang Chen pondered for a moment and said to Li Ju, "I wanted to ask earlier, is this technique a secret family transmission of your wife's?"
"Not really," Mrs. Li said. "Reporting to Lord, this technique is actually very similar to ordinary weaving skills. Women good at needlework in the inner quarters should all know it."
Needlework? Women?
Zhang Chen calculated silently in his mind.
"Mrs. Li, do you know the techniques of weaving silk and hemp, and spinning and embroidering clothes?"
Hearing Zhang Chen's question, the Li father and son couldn't help but chuckle.
Li Ju said proudly, "Reporting to Lord, my wife was originally a fourth-rank embroiderer at the Brocade Embroidery Workshop in Loyang! Does she just 'know' this craft? She has reached the pinnacle!"
Mrs. Li pouted and smiled, "Hmph, if you hadn't been so eager to marry me that year, I would definitely have been promoted to third-rank!"
Li Ju scratched his head and chuckled, "Yes, yes, it's all my fault for delaying my wife's future."
Brocade Embroidery Workshop? He had heard of it when he was in Loyang. It was the largest embroidery workshop in Loyang, and also the largest in the entire Great Han.
It was said that the embroiderers at the Brocade Embroidery Workshop were divided into seven ranks based on their skills. Among them, there were only six first-rank embroiderers, who were specifically responsible for making court clothing.
A fourth-rank embroiderer, although only at a middle level, was still a top talent.
He had just thought she was an ordinary person, but he didn't expect her to have such ability! Zhang Chen thought to himself, secretly activating the Insight Eye.
【Name: Su Wan Niang】
【Possesses Traits: Weaving Pinnacle (Gold), Embroidery Pinnacle (Gold), Virtuous (Purple), Diligent and Frugal Homemaker (Purple)】
Zhang Chen smiled slightly, secretly delighted.
This was truly a case of "searching high and low only to find it effortlessly when you stop searching." A few days ago, Tian Feng said that no one had applied for the Weaving Brocade Hall. Wasn't this a ready-made talent? How could he not recruit anyone?
Zhang Chen had a thought and immediately understood.
When it came to weaving and embroidery, women were the experts. Men in this industry were nothing more than clerks in cloth shops. These people were different from blacksmiths and carpenters, who either ran their own businesses or did odd jobs and were relatively free. Cloth shop clerks, on the other hand, had to work every day, so how could they have leisure time to apply?
And Tian Feng was always rigid in his ways; he must have limited the recruitment target to men, which was why no one applied!
Thinking of this, Zhang Chen immediately said, "Mrs. Li, since you possess such skill, spending your days in the inner quarters is a waste. How about I offer you a future?"
After Zhang Chen spoke, everyone was surprised. Li Ju quickly said, "Lord, my wife is just a woman. How dare she speak of a future?"
"What about being a woman?" Zhang Chen smiled. "I do not stick to one pattern when promoting talent. As long as someone is talented, regardless of wealth, gender, or status, they can be entrusted with important responsibilities."
Zhang Chen paused, then continued, "I established the Heavenly Crafting Hall, originally intending to set up three halls. Currently, the Forging Hall and the Luban Hall are operating normally, but only the Weaving Brocade Hall has not yet opened. Since Mrs. Li is proficient in the art of embroidery and weaving, I intend to let her be the head of the Weaving Brocade Hall. What do you think?"
"This... let me... be the head?" Mrs. Li could hardly believe her ears.
"Yes, it's you." Zhang Chen then looked at the Li father and son. "Not only you, but the Weaving Brocade Hall will also widely recruit embroiderers. The personnel will be personally assessed and selected by you. The embroiderers of the Weaving Brocade Hall will also be divided into ranks like in the Brocade Embroidery Workshop, determined by their talent. If there are those without skill but willing to work in this industry, they will also follow the example of the other two halls, first entering as apprentices, and upon passing the assessment, becoming official embroiderers, with their ranks determined. I want to build the Weaving Brocade Hall to be as renowned throughout the world as the Brocade Embroidery Workshop in Loyang!"
"This... I..."
"Oh my, wife, hurry and thank Lord!" Li Ju quickly said. "Haven't you always planned to open an embroidery shop? If you can really make it like the Brocade Embroidery Workshop, you'll be famous everywhere!"
"But, but... can I do it?"
"Hahaha, where there's a will, there's a way!" Zhang Chen laughed. "With me here, you don't need to worry, but the first priority right now is to rush the production of this Willow Leaf Armor for me. I will issue a recruitment order tomorrow and gather enough people for you within two days. The rest is up to you."
"Rest assured, Lord, I also have several sisters from embroidery workshops who married into Ji Province. I will write to them and ask them to come and help."
"That is excellent. If this matter is successful, I will not be stingy with rewards."