This was... Princess Pingning!
Miss Hua rubbed her eyes, somewhat disbelieving: "Princess, is this really the princess?"
Princess Pingning slowly walked to the center of the small garden. As she moved, her moon-white skirt began to sway slightly.
Her skirt had several layers of moon-shadow gauze stacked together, adorned with a layer of gold dust, shimmering faintly, as if stars were twinkling.
A thin layer of white chiffon draped over it, adding a touch of etherealness to her entire being.
Princess Pingning clearly put a lot of thought into her appearance. Her lip rouge was much lighter, and her makeup was paler than before, making her look like a delicate, frail white flower.
This perfectly captured the preferences of the men present. Most gazes lingered on her, not moving for a long time.
Only when Princess Pingning smiled shyly did everyone come back to their senses.
"The princess is indeed one of the most beautiful women. Looking at her now, Shengjing City's feng shui truly nurtures people!" Miss Hua praised her attire effusively.
Princess Pingning humbly deflected a few compliments, but the smile on her face was already uncontrollable.
"Grandmother, Young Master Jiang's and the princess's attire are both outstanding. My trip to Shengjing City was not in vain." Miss Hua's eyes sparkled with joy.
She and Princess Pingning were immersed in joy, completely unaware that the smile at the corners of the Old Madam's lips had faded considerably.
Princess Pingning continued to wait for the Old Madam's evaluation, but for some reason, the Old Madam remained indifferent.
Fortunately, everyone else's reactions were very enthusiastic. Princess Pingning left the stage as if surrounded by stars.
She raised her chin proudly, as if she had already secured the top position.
"Next, Lin Zhiqing." The maid's voice was very clear.
This name quickly captured most people's attention, after all, no one had forgotten that she had just chosen fisherman's mesh fabric for her garment.
Jiang Liuyun couldn't help but whisper in Lu Huai's ear: "What do you think Qing'er will conjure up?"
"Don't know." Lu Huai answered very bluntly.
Jiang Liuyun didn't expect him to provide any answers, only staring intently at the entrance, eager with anticipation.
Ding-a-ling... Ding-a-ling-ling~
Accompanied by the clear sound of bells, he caught a glimpse of a wisp of red skirt. With each graceful step, delicate cloud patterns on the skirt shimmered in and out of view.
Even more ingeniously, a circle of bells adorned the end of the skirt, jingling with every step she took.
"This... what kind of attire is this?" Jiang Liuyun's eyes widened. For a moment, he couldn't utter another word.
Lu Huai heard this and looked up towards the entrance.
Just one glance made him freeze.
Unlike traditional two-piece garments, the slender woman wore a short-sleeved top and a floor-length skirt. The crimson skirt was embroidered with intricate circular patterns in gold thread.
Both ends of the long skirt were sewn with ties. The ties were wrapped around, and the excess portion hung down, securing the skirt beautifully without losing its aesthetic appeal.
Lu Huai had grown up with Lin Zhiqing. Although Lin Zhiqing spent more time with Lu Nanyue and had little contact with him, in his memory, Lin Zhiqing preferred plain-colored clothing.
Perhaps because her life in the Lin family wasn't good, she was very thin, her hair was yellowish, and she didn't wear any jewelry.
But for some reason, Lin Zhiqing was still Lin Zhiqing, but her face was radiant, and her entire being exuded vitality.
The red dress accentuated her fair skin and rosy lips, and her deep-set features glowed in the sunlight.
Perhaps it was due to the lip rouge, but her originally gentle and serene face gained a touch of just the right amount of aggression, making her incredibly dazzling.
Lu Huai felt Lin Zhiqing was somewhat unfamiliar for the first time.
No, not the first time. His eyes were deep.
At the same time, Princess Pingning stared intently at Lin Zhiqing, her teacup almost crushed in her hand.
Those who had just been showering her with praise now seemed to have changed their tune, discussing Lin Zhiqing one after another.
"Who said the top position was no longer in suspense? Lin Zhiqing's outfit is something I've never seen or heard of before!"
"It's beautiful, yes, but the color is a bit too flashy. Lin Zhiqing is the daughter of a criminal, this red is too garish."
"Does one have to wear all white to not be flashy? Like a funeral, only you people would fall for that."
"This... this is an insult to propriety, an insult to propriety!"
Various discussions rose continuously. On the high platform, Miss Hua's expression of amazement intensified.
But she didn't focus all her attention on Lin Zhiqing's face; more of it was on the novel skirt.
Even the Old Madam seemed captivated: "囡囡, have you ever seen such an outfit in Bianliang?"
"Never." Miss Hua shook her head, her eyes sparkling with a strange light.
She couldn't help but step down from the viewing platform, her gaze burning as she stared at the thin garment on Lin Zhiqing:
"Miss Lin, how many more surprises do you have that I don't know about? Is this ready-made garment an improvement on our current conventional attire?"
"Miss Hua has a keen eye." Lin Zhiqing nodded.
Currently, most garments for women in the Great Sheng were two-piece outfits, with a top and a skirt, and Tang dynasty ruqun Skirt also had this structure.
However, the difference between the two was that ruqun had a longer skirt and a very short top, with a small visual area, making it appear very light.
Lin Zhiqing spoke articulately about these matters, making them very easy to understand.
Miss Hua nodded thoughtfully: "So this garment is called ruqun?"
"Precisely." Lin Zhiqing actively extended her hand, inviting Miss Hua to touch it.
The moment Miss Hua placed her hand on the garment, a word appeared in her mind: "Light."
This ruqun looked intricate, but it felt incredibly smooth and thin to the touch, making it excellent for summer wear.
"Miss Lin, to be frank, my father and mother often travel and send me letters describing the local food, clothing, housing, and transportation from various places."
"I have also learned about quite a few types of clothing, but I have never seen this ruqun that you are wearing."
"To see it today is truly astonishing."
"If such garments could be mass-produced, they would surely be very popular with women."
Lin Zhiqing smiled. Who doesn't love beautiful clothes?
She used to be captivated by exquisitely made Hanfu, unable to move, precisely because these garments had various styles yet never lost their aesthetic appeal.
Currently, noble ladies rarely left their homes. What they could study, apart from various arts, were clothes and jewelry.
Lin Zhiqing had only walked around for a bit and had already charmed many women.
"Ruqun? This is my first time seeing such a light garment. As I move, it's like clouds and mist, truly beautiful."
"The summer heat in Shengjing City is unbearable. Every time I go out, I have to wear several layers of inner clothing. But this ruqun seems to require no great effort."
"My younger sister is coming of age soon, and she's been complaining these past two days about not having new clothes to wear. Today, I think this ruqun is quite good."
"No, no, this ruqun is truly too light, it's quite scandalous!"
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