A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu entered a clothing store called Su’s, which sold hairpins, robes, and shoes. They were all organized by category against the three walls in the shop, making it clear at a glance.

“Sir, what would you like to find?” A woman, who was the owner of the shop, stood behind the counter and asked proactively.

Qi Xuansu said, “I plan to buy a set of daily attire, including the robe, hairpin, and shoes.”

Generally speaking, a crown was not necessary in everyday attire and could be replaced with a hairpin. Among Daoist priests, jade and wooden hairpins were the most common, and the material determined its price.

Then there was the Daoist robe. This Daoist robe was not the same as a Daoist priest’s formal robe, but a popular everyday attire. Everyone, from the emperor to the commoners, wore the Daoist robe daily.

The Daoist robe had a straight collar, large lapels, with the right side overlapping the left, and wide sleeves with gathered cuffs. It had a collar protector along the neckline and side openings, with hidden panels below the waist. The hidden panels could be pleated or unpleated, and it was fastened with a tie.

The robe could be worn with a silk sash, a fabric belt, or a wide waistband. In the previous Wei Dynasty, Daoist robes were already popular and were the standard attire for scholars, but the wearer did not have to have any affiliation with Daoism to dress as such.

Before the Great Xuan Dynasty, the Daoist robes had sleeves that tended to be wider, larger, and longer. By the end of the Wei Dynasty, the wide sleeves had gotten to the point of being somewhat exaggerated.

In the earliest times, the hem of Daoist robes reached the shoes, and the sleeves were no more than 30 centimeters long. Later, the robe gradually became shorter, reaching just below the knees, exposing the skirt. However, the sleeves became excessively long, reaching about one meter. The sleeves would touch the tip of the shoes when one folded their arms, and they would gather in a pile on top of the boots when one bowed.

When the Great Xuan Dynasty conquered the world and the Daoist Order defeated the Confucian School, changes were made to the Daoist robes. First, the wide sleeves were changed to narrow sleeves, and the length of the clothes was adjusted slightly to facilitate movement. The price of Daoist robes was also determined by the material.

The shoes were another component of everyday attire. During the previous Wei Dynasty, the heel counter was very shallow—no more than three centimeters. In the existing dynasty, the heel counter was deep, reaching the ankles.

In ancient times, there was a form of punishment called foot amputation, which involved cutting off one or both feet of the criminal. At one point, too many people had been subjected to this foot amputation, creating a demand for prosthetic feet. Thus, shoes became cheaper, and prosthetic feet became more expensive. This point in history showed just how much the officials had abused their power.

The shoes in the existing dynasty resembled ankle boots, which used more materials. Thus, it was more costly. The most important factor in determining the price of the shoe was the material used.

The shop owner smiled and pointed to the various hairpins on the shelf behind her. “What kind of hairpin would you like? The most popular one these days is the jade hairpin. This black jade dragon-headed hairpin is just 12 Taiping coins. What do you think?”

Qi Xuansu silently complained to himself, Just 12 Taiping coins? This lady clearly has a different definition of that word!

However, the expression on his face remained unchanged. He said noncommittally, “Isn’t the dragon head too showy? A black dragon, at that. Do you have anything else?”

This was a reasonable question. Although the Daoist Order hunted dragons for their resources, the Imperial Court revered dragons. In addition, the Great Xuan Dynasty valued the color black. Wearing this black, dragon-headed hairpin was not a big deal in the Jade Capital, but it would violate certain taboos in the Imperial Capital.

The shop owner did not think much about it and pointed to another simple-looking black jade hairpin. “What about this one? It wouldn’t violate any taboos no matter where you go. But the only thing is that it’s too bland. This will only cost you 10 Taiping coins.”

Qi Xuansu nodded. “I’ll take it.”

Next was the Daoist robe, which gave Qi Xuansu a headache because of all the different fabrics available. There were all kinds of silks and satins. Some were thin, shiny, and translucent, while some had a lightweight and delicate texture, and others were beautifully woven.

Generally speaking, women preferred silk because it was translucent and delicate, while men preferred satin, which was opaque.

Qi Xuansu selected a dark green satin robe that was also suitable for winter, costing 30 Taiping coins. There were also matching lower and middle garments, which set him back another 10 Taiping coins.

He also chose a pair of square-tipped boots with black satin and silver lining, made of genuine silver thread. The toe cap was also decorated with broken jade. These boots cost 15 Taiping coins.

Qi Xuansu bought another gun holster, which was more exquisite than the one issued by Tiangang Hall and cost 5Taiping coins.

The shop also sold folding fans, but considering the current season, Qi Xuansu was not in a hurry to buy such an accessory.

All of his purchases cost him 70 Taiping coins. If Qi Xuansu had not just received his salary, he would not have squandered money like this.

After he paid the bill, the shop owner packed the clothes for him and thoughtfully asked, “Would you like a cloak or a cape? They all come with hoods and are made with good-quality materials. They only cost 40 Taiping coins.”

Qi Xuansu took the package and declined politely. “No, thank you. I won’t need it for the time being.”

He left the clothing store and went to a jade shop not far away, spending 30 Taiping coins on a jade pendant that was of decent quality.

In this regard, Qi Xuansu was not stingy because jade pendants appreciated in price over time. Unlike the Buddhist community, which preferred gold and gems, the Daoist and Confucian communities preferred jade. Thus, jade was a valuable and stable commodity that could be sold at a good price when one was short of money.

This was how Qi Xuansu spent 100 Taiping coins in just one evening, leaving him with only 200 Taiping coins. He finally understood why Zhang Yuelu mentioned before that the money was never enough.

It was expensive to be “presentable.” If he wanted to buy another spiritual object for himself, that would easily cost hundreds or even thousands of Taiping coins. That was why even a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master would think that their salaries were stretched thin.

Qi Xuansu returned home with new clothes, cooked a pot of plain porridge, and went to bed.

The next day was October 15th, the Xiayuan Festival, which was the Water Celestial’s birthday. The Golden Tower Council and Nine Halls organized various prayers, but Qi Xuansu was off duty today, so he did not have to participate and only got up at noon.

He put on the new clothes he had just bought last night—a jade hairpin, a white middle garment, a narrow-sleeved dark green robe, black satin boots, and his jade pendant. He looked like a different person altogether.

In the afternoon, Qi Xuansu left his house and met Nun Cui as soon as he stepped out.

Nun Cui almost did not recognize Qi Xuansu in his new clothes. She exclaimed in surprise. “Tian Yuan, have you become rich since I last saw you two months ago?”

“Aunt Cui, don’t tease me. Tiangang Hall just distributed our salaries, so I have some spare money to buy myself a new outfit.”

Tiangang Hall was not like the Qingping Society. All the income he earned in Tiangang Hall was legitimate, so Qi Xuansu could spend it openly.

Nun Cui sized Qi Xuansu up and joked. “Usually, a man will only take the initiative to groom himself when he has someone he fancies. Tian Yuan, come clean with me. Have you met a girl? Where is she from? Is she your colleague from Tiangang Hall?”

Qi Xuansu waved his hands repeatedly. “No, there’s nothing of that sort. Today happens to be the Xiayuan Festival, and I have a gathering with some friends.”

Nun Cui smiled knowingly. “In that case, you should get going. I have some errands to run as well.”

Being friends with Qi Xuansu’s master, Nun Cui was certainly no ordinary woman. Qi Xuansu’s master, Qi Haoran, was a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist Master, and Nun Cui was fifth-rank at the time. She had already been promoted to the fourth rank and was working in Duzhi Hall at the moment.

Even if Qi Xuansu was promoted to the sixth rank, he would have to address her as Mage Cui. It was only because of his relationship with her during his early years that he called her Aunt Cui.

After Nun Cui left, Qi Xuansu hailed a goat cart and headed to Taishang Place. It was quite some distance between the Lower Eight Neighborhoods and the Upper Eight Neighborhoods. Moreover, it was the Xiayuan Festival, so there were crowds on the brightly lit Shangqing Street and Yuqing Street. Even riding a goat cart took him more than two hours to reach the east gate of Taishang Place.

As soon as Qi Xuansu got off the goat cart, he saw Zhang Yuelu walking out of the east gate. She was dressed in regular clothes, but she looked very conservative with a sky-blue waist-length upper garment buttoned all the way to the neck and a blue and white vest. She paired it with a plain white skirt that reached her round-tipped boots.

Since she was not married yet, she did not wear her hair in a bun. She did not decorate her hair with pearls or other accessories, either. She simply tied it up with a wooden hairpin.

During the Jin Dynasty, Zhang Yuelu’s dressing was considered the norm. However, it was considered conservative in the current dynasty because of a change in ideals during the previous Wei Dynasty. When the Confucian School of Philosophy took over the Confucian School of Principle, human desires were no longer blindly suppressed, and the world became less conservative.

By the end of the Wei Dynasty, this trend had developed to its extreme. No one would bat an eye if a man dressed in women’s clothing and wore women’s makeup. Bold colors and striking hair accessories were also popular. It was common for a man to cross-dress like a woman.

Women also no longer bound their feet and even wore clogs. They dressed more boldly, developing corsets, which were undergarments worn as vests with a row of buttons or laces at the back, forming an obvious waistline to highlight one’s figure.

Especially in the late Wei Dynasty, it was more common for women to wear close-fitting undergarments as outerwear. Some daring women opted not to wear a middle garment and deliberately left the collar of their outerwear open to expose their waist.

When the Great Xuan Dynasty replaced the Wei Dynasty, they were more restrained with clothing. They stopped men from cross-dressing, but traditional values were not emphasized. Women’s fashion trends changed frequently, imitating what was fashionable in the Imperial Capital, with varying lengths of tops and skirts and varying widths of collars and sleeves.

In recent years, a straight-collar overcoat with slits under the armpits has become popular in the Imperial Capital. A shorter coat reached the waist, while a longer coat reached the knees. Most women no longer wore middle garments. They wore a bandeau and an outer garment over it, exposing the upper chest.

Thus, in this environment, Zhang Yuelu’s outfit—albeit elegant and simple—was considered conservative. However, Qi Xuansu was not surprised to see this. Based on his understanding of Zhang Yuelu, he even thought that she would show up in men’s clothing.

A woman cross-dressing as a man was also one of the current trends. After all, it was cumbersome to travel on horseback or fight in women’s clothing, so some women opted to wear simpler men’s clothing. When they went to Wugeshanli, Zhang Yuelu and Mu Jin were both dressed in men’s clothing that had been modified to their size.

Therefore, relative to what she wore on their expedition, this conservative women’s clothing was considered an improvement.