Only the richest and most beautiful would be able to afford this!

Bai Yu quietly looked at the mother and daughter in front of her. The lips that were always slightly lifted at the corner slowly broke into a wide smile, making her already pretty face a breathtaking beauty. Yue Huiling and her mother stared at that silent smile, puzzled, before their eyes widened when Bai Yu turned to talk to general Yue without reacting to them at all.

"Yu-er came to pay respect to the elders, but aunt-in-law and biaojie warmly welcomed me before I could say a word. Grandfather, grandmother, please excuse Yu-er's rudeness." She said sweetly as she slightly bowed her head. She completely ignored the two women who she had just indirectly insulted.

Her grandfather had yet to say anything but biaojie decided to cut in first. Even in a family of soldiers that did not care too much about formality, this kind of behavior was still considered rude and disrespectful toward the elders.

Bai Yu chose to indirectly comment on that. She was unsure whether the two relatives would understand the implied meaning or not, but she was certain that she saw the corner of Yue Chen's mouth lifted for a second before returning to calmness.

"I don't mind, not at all." The elder Furen waved her hand like she was brushing away the matter. Her generous smile was still on her lips even after her granddaughter just cut the two Yue women with her words. "Is your mother well?"

"Mother is well. She asked me to tell you that she misses grandfather, grandmother, and uncle a lot."

"Hahaha. Yu-er is polite and mannerly. It's unbelievable that my big sister who was that strong could give birth to such a delicate girl." Her uncle Yue Chang laughed as he said to her, while his father sat still, not showing any emotion.

"From the letter that Mei-er sent yesterday…"

"Furen" It was general Yue who interrupted the elder Furen before she could mention the letter's content that spoke about Bai Yu's true intention of coming here. It seemed that the matter was known to only Yue Chen and the elder Furen, and no one else.

"Let Miss Bai rest first. I'll call her to talk later," he said to Madam Ping. She happily followed the elderly woman, as her grandfather hid her objective to prevent her from being mocked by Yue Huiling and her aunt-in-law.

Madam Ping led Bai Yu to the Meihua residence. It was originally Yue Mei's place before she married, and it was still regularly cleaned under Madam Ping's supervision.

Inside was decorated as elaborately as her Jiu Yu building. The only main difference was the swords, lances, bows, arrows, and other weapons that were hung on the wall.

Plum blossom trees of various colors were planted outside. They reminded her that the old Bai Yu truly did follow all her mother's footsteps except for fighting, the only thing that her mother forbade her to do. Bai Yu felt that Meihua residence was not so different from her Jiu Yu residence, so she felt comfortable staying here.

Still, there was one thing that made her excited. It was a large courtyard for practicing martial arts behind the building which has a level of privacy to it. She guessed that Yue Mei had used it to practice without being disturbed by others. It made Bai Yu feel even more positive toward this place.

After investigating Meihua residence to her heart's content, Bai Yu went back inside to rest. Shortly after, daily appliances, clothes, and accessories were sent to her by the elder Furen. Seeing that she had some free time while she waited for Yue Chen to call her, Bai Yu sat down to sort through those pieces of jewelry, not realizing that Yue Huiling was looking at her with scornful eyes before leaving quietly.

She waited until lunchtime and was still not called. She ate her meal in her building since a maid carried the tray to her here. She did not know what the tradition within this family was, so she could only go with the flow. After sorting the fabrics and pieces of jewelry, Bai Yu continued designing clothes that matched those fabrics to kill time. Night came and there was no sign of her grandfather, so she ate her dinner with a slight frown on her face.

The next morning Bai Yu went to have breakfast at the main building, like how Bai family normally did. This time, the mother and daughter pair was silent but still kept giving her strange looks. Yue Huiling seemed satisfied with something, while the elder Furen and her uncle were all smiling as usual and kept glancing at general Yue.

It was the same with Bai Yu who looked at her solemn grandfather, seeking an answer. And the answer that she received was a stern silence that made her unable to ask about training martial arts.

A few days later and Bai Yu still had yet to be summoned by her grandfather Yue Chen. She was certain that she was being tested. But she did not know what to do to pass that test, so she could only be patient and wait quietly in her building, contemplating about what she had to do to gain acceptance from her grandfather and make him teach her martial arts.

It was typical for a good master to play hard to get. Or should she copy what she had seen from martial arts movies in her last life? Starting from saying 'I'll kneel here until you accept me as your disciple' and then kneeled in front of the main building amidst the pouring rain.

Hmmm. That was not a bad idea. The problem was that where could she find rain from?

"Miss, the dress you ordered from the anonymous master is here. The shop said that it's free, and in exchange, miss should consider the message in the letter."

Bai Yu accepted a letter in a sleeve embroidered in beautiful but unfamiliar patterns. She took out the letter and read the content. It was short but still enough to make the villainess smile. She understood and liked the proposition from that master.

The two maids took the dress for the royal banquet out to check while waiting for their miss to read the letter. Their eyes went wide as their jaws dropped. Bai Yu saw those reactions and lightly laughed.

"How is it?"

"It's gorgeous, miss," Xiao Xi excitedly answered.

"It looks a little unusual, but it is most exquisite." Xiao Chang looked at her in admiration.

"It's not just this dress, but there's still hairstyle and accessories that I need you to help me with tomorrow." The two maids intently listened. They shared the same determination that they would make their young miss the most beautiful person in the banquet.

Bai Yu had been anticipating being called by her grandfather so much that she forgot about the royal banquet that was her first confrontation against Bai Hua in the story. The only difference here was that they both know the truth of each other's origin.

She had to thank the anonymous master who had somehow known where she was and sent the dress to the Yue family mansion. This reminded her to start preparing for the banquet, though she did not think it would cause too much trouble for her, even when it was the occasion that she would utterly lose to Bai Hua.

Bai Yu was woken up to bathe since early in the morning, despite the banquet being held at night. The two maids did not allow her to sleep even a wink more. Xiao Xi heard that this was the rare occasion that Miss Huiling who liked to mock her young lady would take off the armor and dress up in noble lady's clothing.

And so, Bai Yu was treated as a dressed-up doll from morning to late afternoon. Because of the slightly modified dress, the process of wearing became slightly more complicated. The maids were not used to this new style and had to be more careful, resulting in taking longer than usual to wear a dress. Luckily, Madam Ping came to help them finish dressing their young lady.

----------------------------

When it was almost time, a large carriage sent from the Bai family came to pick her up in front of Yue mansion. Bai Yu refused to go together on Yue family's carriage with her aunt-in-law and biaojie, using an excuse that since her mother did not participate in the banquet due to health issues, Bai Yu had to be Bai family's representative in her place.

Bai Yu stepped onto the carriage when the sky was turning dark, which was a little before the time of the banquet. Xiao Xi proudly helped her miss up the carriage steps. Though the maids were not allowed to follow their masters into the party, Xiao Xi was still confident that her miss was the most gorgeous person there. Her thought was opposite to Bai Yu's feeling as she blamed herself for having the same habit from her old life where she would keep putting on accessories until they all match, resulting in her head being so decorated that it became a hassle to move her head.

Still, with the calmness and ever-present slight smile on her lips, the two maids did not realize that Bai Yu was both sleepy and feeling that her head was too heavy. Her condition became worse when she saw her guqin being carried into her carriage. Bai Yu immediately tensed up.

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 involve 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.

Looking closely at the beautiful and new style of makeup, they could see that her phoenix eyes were lined with black-colored cosmetics, enhancing its 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 stopping 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 the 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 attracted 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 broke 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!