The Landlord and the Shopkeeper

After transmigrating into the only daughter of a century-old embroidery house in Jiangnan, Shen Zhiyi barely has time to enjoy her good fortune before the shop collapses overnight due to a mishap with a palace order. Her father is imprisoned, her mother falls ill, and the house that once teemed with visitors is now visited only by creditors. To save her family, Shen Zhiyi picks up her embroidery needle again, only to discover that skill alone is far from enough in this world.

The owner of the newly opened Wanbao Pavilion on the neighboring street, a woman named Qin Shu, is practically her nemesis.

She launches her “Twelve Flower Goddesses” collection, inspired by traditional techniques and new tailoring, and Qin Shu counters with “buy one, get one free, free delivery across the whole city.”

She champions painstaking craftsmanship and the spirit of the artisan, while Qin Shu uses assembly-line production to make affordable scented balm and rouge, seizing the mass market.

She is refined; Qin Shu is worldly. She is traditional; Qin Shu is a reformer.

They battle tooth and nail in the marketplace, putting on what could be called Bianjing’s business world’s annual “love and hate” show.

Until one day, their archrival, who has a monopoly on imperial trade, sets a trap to wipe them both out.

At the critical moment, Qin Shu blocks the doorway to Shen Zhiyi’s home, lifts her peach-blossom eyes, and says, “Boss Shen, I’ve got a business route that can swallow a big fish, but I’m missing a partner with good taste. Interested in making a big deal together?”

Shen Zhiyi looks at her and slowly nods. “I want seventy percent.”

Qin Shu: “...Deal!”

One understands art, the other understands the market. When classical craftsmanship meets modern marketing, these two women will completely transform the commercial landscape of the entire Liang Dynasty.

#Together, we’ll be number one in the world#