No one knew what red hair ribbons would cost in the twelfth month, but by the following month, the eleventh, their price had not risen. Instead, it had fallen to six copper coins for two feet.
That was as far as it went, however. Within four or five days, as large numbers of Imperial Examinations candidates began arriving in Yecheng and market prices rose across the board, they climbed back to eight coins for two feet, and were still rising... Yue Niang guessed that once the Seize the Ridge tournament began late in the month, followed by the military review in the twelfth month, they might reach ten coins a foot before the year ended.
As for why the price had fallen in the first place, that involved a recent dispute in Yecheng... one that remained unresolved even now, and might even land on Chief Zhang's desk.
As it turned out, the influx of several particular categories of goods that had driven down prices, including those of red hair ribbons, was actually the result of the Exorcising the Dragon Gang entering the market in an official capacity.
It was not just red hair ribbons, but also some mid- and high-grade textiles, dyed fabrics, and certain precious-metal ornaments. Almost all came from the Jiyin Military Garment Workshop under Cao Xi, General Manager of the Warehousing and Logistics Department... Following Cao General Manager's earlier proposal, the workshop's female workers had leased official shopfronts in several cities, including Yecheng. Then these former palace attendants from Ziwei Palace, with their superb skills and centralized production, had practically delivered a dimensional strike against these markets in an instant.
There was no helping it. This group lacked neither capable female officials versed in administration and political strategy, nor palace attendants in sufficient numbers, nor technical and