Matthew didn't have any misgivings about Harper entering the clothes business. It was no longer like the beginning of their marriage. At that time, he would have had his doubts. How could such a young lady from a powerful family who barely went outside know how to do business in different fields? However, he had learned to respect her capabilities after being married to her for so long. Moreover, he was mystified by her way of thinking. The more he knew her, the more she intrigued him.
"What kind of garments do you want to make?"
"Matthew, do you have outstanding female embroidery workers?" Harper asked. The couple had visited all the garment shops in the city, and had seen the wide scope and abundance of garment makers there, but not many of them were outstanding.
"Yes. How many do you need?" Matthew asked decisively.
Harper stretched out three fingers and said, "I need thirty. All of them must have exquisite embroidering skills."
Matthew nodded, looking at her lovingly. "Don't worry. I will find only the best ones for you."
"Why don't you ask me what I have in mind? Aren't you afraid that I will do something foolish or bad?" Harper asked with a smile.
"Will you? Do you need a knife? I will prepare one for you," Matthew said after a moment's consideration.
With a smile, Harper punched her husband. "I want to create a brand in River City."
"Who is 'Brand'? Is it a boy or a girl?" Matthew asked innocently.
Harper's mouth twitched in a mixture of amusement and irritation, and for a moment she didn't know how to answer, but then she calmed down. "I mean, when people see any garment that comes from my shop, they will recognize it straightaway. This is the brand."
"I see. It's a form of fame." Then he made a deduction. "We can use the rich and powerful people in River City... Hmm, Pearce and his wife are our best choices, I think. We can invite them to your shop to buy some clothes. Your brand will spread twice as far with half the effort if they wear the clothes with your brand."
"That's what I am thinking too. So, now, let's try our best to keep them happy. If we need any help, we'll just ask them," Harper said frankly.
"Smart girl!" Matthew praised as he stopped in front of a tea house. "How about using this building as your shop?"
Harper looked the building up and down several times. It was a three-floor house, which met her requirements for a clothing shop perfectly. She walked into the building with her husband in order to have a look at the interior.
This tea house was quite busy with customers. The waiter walked over to them as soon as he saw them enter. "Welcome! There are private rooms upstairs, please."
"Yes." Harper nodded her head and was pleased to see how the hall was decorated. She walked upstairs to the second floor, following the waiter. The arrangement of the second floor was also nice, but if she wanted to make a clothing shop there, she would need to make some adjustments.
"We won't leave here until the New Year, at any rate. I have enough time to think about it." Harper smiled mysteriously. "By the way, all the embroidery workers you find must be morally upstanding."
"Don't worry. I will find all the workers for you and give their indentures to you. If you find problems with any of them, you can beat or kill her."
"Cruel beast." Harper rolled her eyes. "But I like that."
"Well, you always need some method of intimidating your subordinates, after all. But I'm curious. What exactly are your intentions, Harp?" asked Matthew.
"There are many gifted scholars and beautiful ladies in River City. It's natural to make good use of them. We need to persuade Marquis Pearce and his wife to help us and let everyone else think it is their business. Since we are doing business outside the imperial capital, we must keep a low profile as much as we can. His Majesty is always waiting for me to make a mistake." Harper was excited by her plan.
"Are you afraid?"
"I'm not afraid of him, but I don't want to get in trouble." As she spoke, Harper poured a cup of tea for her husband. "Honey, please support me in the following days."
"No problem. By the way, when you're free, you should train Rufus more. Turn him into a money-making slave for us."
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