52 Only the richest and most beautiful would be able to afford this! Part II
She was too preoccupied with trying to train martial arts, she forgot to practice guqin!
This time, the villainess was really in a pinch.
“Are you feeling unwell anywhere, miss?” It was Xiao Chang who noticed her silence after the carriage started moving for some time. Bai Yu gave her a slight shake of her head, not wanting her hair accessories to sway too much.
The villainess tried to go over her memory and the original’s that involved playing guqin. Even though she knew how to play it, Bai Yu was not sure if her skill was as good as the old Bai Yu’s or not. Playing as the villainess in the series would obviously require her to have basic knowledge about playing guqin in order for her acting to be more realistic. If she used this skill from her past life, then she might be able to manage.
Still, uneasiness remained because she thought about her skill in comparison to the original one’s. She could only hope that she would not have to play guqin too much, though the series dictated that she had to compete with Bai Hua.
After arriving at the palace, Bai Yu dignifiedly followed the eunuch inside. On the way, people kept staring at her until out of sight. It was not only the royal maids but also guards and the guiding eunuch who kept turning back to look at her. Normally, this was considered rude, but Bai Yu did not take offense. She only felt like she was walking on the red carpet that she missed.
Bai Yu walked straight to the courtyard where the banquet was held. There, many nobles were standing around and talking to each other while they waited for the Emperor’s arrival. The eunuch who led her here went the other way, though he still kept stealing glances toward her. Bai Yu called a smile to her face before stepping into the banquet, brimming with confidence.
The moment she appeared, the sound of talking dimmed and became silent. All eyes turned to stare at the first miss of the Bai family.
The moment she appeared, the sound of talking dimmed and became silent. All eyes turned to stare at the first miss of the Bai family.
.....
Looking closely at the beautiful but unusually painted face, they could see that her phoenix eyes were lined with black-colored cosmetics, enhancing their breathtaking quality. Bai Yu did not lower her face and did not lift her chin too high. It was not because she wanted to flaunt her beauty, but because the hair accessories were too heavy!
Her black hair in the front was tied into small braids that framed her face. Half of the back was tied up high, adorned with several plum blossom-shaped hairpins. A string of pearls dangled down to mix with the other half of her hair that was let down in the style of an unmarried woman.
The weight of those decorations prevented Bai Yu from moving, while in the eyes of others, they saw her stillness as elegance. The elegance that was not meekness nor arrogance was so suitable for her unusual clothes! It was made with dark-colored fabrics, but not the dark blue that she often wore. The inner dress was pure black, contrasting with the white skin of her chest and the white underbust ribbon embroidered in silver, with the pattern of winter plum blossoms. Part of the ribbon in the front was left hanging down to reach the hem of her skirt.
Her outer coat was made of a black brocade. The length in the front stopped at her feet to allow movement, while in the back was an elegant train. Under the moonlight, the silver thread in the pattern of plum blossoms and butterflies appeared on the back of the coat, creating a shimmering and mystical image never seen before.
Because of the cold weather, Bai Yu designed her outer coat to have white fox fur sewn into the shoulder area in the style of a three-layered epaulette, reminiscing the wings of an eagle, and included the harder fabric to create the illusion of a wider shoulder to enhance her elegance.
Bai Yu mannerly clasped her hands over her stomach. Her sleeves that were intentionally made to be specially wide hung down and reached the floor like her coat train. Its intended effect was to add a sense of softness to reduce the aggression conveyed by the color black.
The usual design of clothes was modified to become novel. Black and white contrasted, effectively enhancing both her beauty and sophisticated atmosphere. The color black greatly surprised other noblewomen, as it was not a popular color for young ladies who mostly focused on their youthfulness and energy. However, when such color was paired with the Meihua Lady, it could easily attract the attention of everyone in the banquet. She was both refined and mysterious, and thousand times more graceful than usual.
Bai Yu smiled sweetly as she walked toward her father who had been waiting. Her every step drew the eyes of the surrounding crowd. When she appeared, everything fell silent. And when she moved to walk inside, murmurs were heard among men and women alike.
The cause was not her stunning beauty.
But it was because every time she moved, the long train that was trailing behind her glittered under the light of the moon and candles in the banquet. It was as if a canvas of the night sky where snow was falling down onto the coat, teasing the butterflies dancing among plum blossoms of winter.
The more Bai Yu moved, the more prominent the silver light became. When they squinted their eyes and stared, they came to realize that the source of those lights was...diamonds!
Originally, Bai Yu was thinking of glitters that she often used in her makeup. And so, the transmigrated villainess came up with the idea of using diamond dust on her clothes. Diamond was unpopular among the people of Da Yang, so she ground it down and coated the powder onto silver threads that were used to embroider the patterns. The result was these glowing butterflies. Every pattern on this dress was all made from diamond-coated threads!
Furthermore, she also instructed the anonymous master to put the diamond dust into the fabric used for the outer coat, emphasizing that it must be used moderately so that it would only sparkle when she moved.
The said diamond dust was also put on her eyelids as well.
Today, Bai Yu was confident in her face, hair, and dress...Only the richest and most beautiful would be able to afford this!
“Greetings from Yu-er to father.”
“You’re especially pretty today.” Bai Han could not help proudly praising his daughter. When Bai Hua arrived, she drew attention because of her delicate appearance and renowned ability. But what Bai Yu just did was not merely attract the eyes, but entirely captivated the men and women and reduced them to silence with her enigmatic charm. The father had to loudly cough to remind them not to stare too much at his beloved daughter.
“Miss Bai is exceptionally beautiful today.” After greeting her father, other noblewomen both young and old came to flock around Bai Yu. They admired her from face to toe, and when the shimmer of the diamonds flashed into their eyes, they became even more enthusiastic. Bai Yu was hounded by questions regarding how and where she got her hands on the dress.
Of course, Bai Yu gave full credit to the anonymous master’s shop.
It could be said that today, she was successful as the trailblazer in terms of this era’s fashion. This was her intention. She wanted to make this city the one that was worthy for the transmigrated fashionista like her!
While conversing with other noblewomen, Bai Yu tried to maintain her calm and elegant manner because of the weight on her head. It resulted in even more praises being piled on to her. Some tried to compliment her by putting down Bai Hua, to which Bai Yu did not reply but only smiled sweetly and continued the conversation smoothly.
Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Xu Peipei in a dark green dress that was more luxurious than usual. The cold temperature did not deter Miss Xu from showing off her more than ample bosom to the noble men’s pleasure.
Even with her new and modified dress, Bai Yu had to give quite a bit of praise to Xu Peipei.
Not far from her were Bai Hua and Bai Yue who were talking to other young ladies. It seemed like they were Bai Yue’s friends. And as for Bai Yue, she must have used the excuse that the invitation was for ‘Miss Bai’ and then followed Bai Hua into the banquet.
“Yu-er”
A tender voice called her name from behind. Bai Yu immediately whipped her head back, uncaring of the Furens who brought their sons to introduce to her. All the weights in her hair were completely forgotten.
“Big brother!”
The wide smile from the man in front of her made Bai Yu’s real smile break out in turn. The two dimples on her cheek were the same as her brother’s, who had informed her through a letter that he had arrived at the capital in the afternoon.
She was going to stride toward the brother who she missed so dearly but had to stop herself because of the heaviness on her head which prevented her from moving too fast. Her turning back a moment ago nearly caused a whiplash already.
Dammit!
She was starting to hate herself for being so concerned about her own appearance!
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