花了重金才请了这么一幅蹙金绣件
“and spent a fortune to commission that gold-thread piece.”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
准备的寿礼都是龙腾四海双面绣？ 崔九娘提前半年
“a double-sided embroidered piece depicting a dragon crossing seas? Ninth Lady Cui planned it half a year ahead”
花了重金 才请了这么一幅蹙金绣件
“and spent a fortune to commission that gold-thread piece.”
“She never expected it to coincide with Her Highness's gift.”
“She went through so much trouble and spent huge money, only for it to blow up in her face.”
In aristocratic etiquette, presenting the same tribute or gift as a higher-ranking noble (especially royalty) was seen as disrespectful and politically perilous.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
to spend a fortune / to spend a huge sum of money
A standard literary and spoken collocation indicating massive monetary investment.
only then managed to acquire/commission (respectfully)
The verb 请 is respectfully used here instead of 买 (to buy) to honor valuable artifacts, sacred objects, or elite craftsmen.
