That single "Cousin" was called out rather unexpectedly.
Princess Pingning then noticed that Lin Shian had not appeared.
A feeling of unease suddenly welled up in her heart.
The next moment, two somewhat heavy footsteps echoed from the entrance.
Everyone, puzzled, craned their necks to look.
Miss Hua returned to the viewing platform, helping the Old Madam lean forward.
Soon, Lin Shian appeared before everyone. In his hands, he held a cross-shaped wooden frame.
The frame was about as tall as an adult woman.
After Lin Shian secured it to the ground, everyone saw a person dressed as an embroiderer approach, carrying a bundle of red fabric.
"What is that?" The sense of unease in Princess Pingning's heart grew stronger, and she couldn't help but step forward.
Lin Zhiqing did not answer her question. She stepped forward and took the item from the embroiderer's arms.
As the two unfolded the red fabric, everyone gasped.
It was... dyed mesh fabric?
This shapeless mesh fabric was indeed not very aesthetically pleasing, making the Old Madam frown.
Miss Hua's face, however, held a faint hint of anticipation.
Under the gaze of dozens of eyes, Lin Zhiqing first took out a very smooth, plain red cloth.
"That's silk my father brought back from the sea. It looks not much different from ordinary cloth, but it feels very cool and silky to the touch," Miss Hua quickly recognized the red cloth:
"But the tailoring is too simple, utterly shapeless. Are those just two sleeves sewn on?"
Her eyes were filled with confusion.
Not just her, everyone stared intently at Lin Zhiqing, afraid of missing her movements.
Lin Zhiqing draped the red cloth over the wooden frame. The red cloth was too soft and smooth, and its hem spread out along the wooden frame.
In an instant, the previously oddly shaped red cloth took on a form.
It was a type of dress no one had ever seen before. It resembled a long gown, but its neckline was round, with no overlap.
Moreover, this long dress had a very narrow waist, and its skirt flared outwards, just enough to cover the wooden frame.
"This garment looks very textured, but as for its beauty..." Jiang Liuyun didn't finish his sentence.
"Let's see," Lu Huai looked at the red mesh fabric with interest.
Lin Zhiqing picked up the mesh fabric. With the help of Lin Shian and the embroiderer, she draped the mesh fabric around the waist of the red dress.
Then, the fluffy mesh fabric enveloped the skirt, and the style of the entire garment instantly changed.
The previously somewhat simple ordinary long dress, after being covered with a layer of mesh, surprisingly took on a sense of grandeur and solemnity.
This wasn't all. Lin Zhiqing and the embroiderer adjusted the mesh fabric to make it fit closer to the long dress's hem. Lin Shian then took out another piece of cut, circular mesh fabric.
Then, he placed the mesh fabric on top of the cross-shaped wooden frame.
The entire garment was like being covered by a piece of gauze.
Lin Zhiqing stepped forward, lifted the front part of the mesh fabric backward, and secured it to the upper part of the wooden frame, turning it into a veil.
After completing all these movements, the three simultaneously took a step back.
A simple yet extremely magnificent garment thus appeared before everyone's eyes.
The combination, extremely impactful and novel, left everyone speechless for a moment. Their gazes were fixed on the garment.
Miss Hua had words at the tip of her tongue, but nothing came out. This somewhat strange beauty was still stimulating her senses, making it impossible to look away.
A new sensation, one she had never experienced before, also arose in the Old Madam's heart. This was different from how she used to perceive jewelry, ornaments, and ready-made clothes.
She even forgot how to judge such a bold combination.
At the same time, Princess Pingning's heart felt as if it had been clutched by an invisible large hand. With just one glance, she knew that she could never create the garment before her.
The intense feeling of defeat made her body tremble uncontrollably: "No, that's not right!"
Her voice was sharp, and instantly pulled everyone who was still in shock back to reality.
"Lin Zhiqing clearly took white mesh fabric, so why is it red now? She must have taken materials from outside the venue!" Princess Pingning seemed to have found an excuse: "That's right, that must be it!"
Lin Zhiqing, at the center, frowned upon hearing this.
The Old Madam on the viewing stand also reacted: "Miss Lin, where did you get this red gauze from?"
As soon as the Old Madam spoke, Princess Pingning keenly noticed that her address for Lin Zhiqing had changed from directly calling her name to "Miss Lin."
This was not a good sign. Therefore, she couldn't help but interrupt: "It must be Lin Zhiqing secretly colluding with outsiders. How could the mesh fabric be dyed in such a short time!"
Her expression and tone were very firm, making even those who were initially less certain feel suspicious.
Facing those suspicious gazes, Lin Zhiqing stepped forward a few steps, her expression stern: "Princess Pingning, I don't know why you are repeatedly making things difficult for me. Today, the color of this mesh fabric was dyed by myself."
From the first moment Lin Zhiqing saw the pile of mesh fabric, she thought of the wedding dresses popular in her previous world.
However, she knew that the people of the Great Sheng were conservative and old-fashioned, so she designed the wedding dress to be less revealing, and dyed it a festive red that the Old Madam would like.
As for the raw materials, she looked at a corner of the garden and walked there to pick an unremarkable plant.
"I used this to dye the mesh fabric." Lin Zhiqing pointed to the plant in her hand: "I remember the rules didn't say that dyeing fabric was not allowed."
At this, Princess Pingning was instantly speechless.
But intense unwillingness made her point her finger at the plant: "I've never heard that you can dye fabric with a rotten weed. If you're going to make up stories, at least make them sound believable."
Lin Zhiqing strongly disliked Princess Pingning's unreasonable behavior. She directly plucked the leaves of the plant in her hand, rubbed them a few times, then faced everyone to demonstrate.
Seeing the red liquid on Lin Zhiqing's hand, everyone marveled, and at the same time, felt a little confused.
"This is sappanwood." Lin Zhiqing saw everyone's confusion and began to explain: "This sappanwood is inexpensive, and the rouge everyone uses is extracted from it."
"Furthermore, it doesn't require complicated procedures; it's extremely simple to produce. I picked some from the garden and dyed it right under the eyes of the maids and embroiderer."
"If Princess Pingning still doesn't believe it, she can ask the maid to testify for me."
Lin Zhiqing's voice was cold, and her gaze towards Princess Pingning was very deep.
Her words were well-chosen, almost answering all potentially suspicious questions.
Princess Pingning stood frozen, unsure how to respond for a long time.
🚨 Note : Consider to Support this Story on Patreon.com/Flokixy to access +300 advance Chapters & 2 Chapters Daily and To Support The Daily Update