354 The First Round of Competition

Many people participated in the competition this year; by the day before it began, half of them had already been eliminated.

Now, there were still thirty people on stage awaiting the competition.

The competition would last for three days. It followed a knockout format: twenty contestants would be eliminated on the first day, leaving ten to advance. On the second day, the ten would be reduced to five, and on the third day, the five would be cut down to three.

To uphold the principle of fairness, the Fei Clan invited several prestigious guests to serve as judges. Among them were Lady Zhou, wife of Official Zhou of Suzhou City, Lady Qian of the First Money Shop, and other prominent figures like the County Magistrate's wife and the Imperial Court Official's wife.

Women, regardless of the dynasty, possess an inherent love for beauty. The Fei Clan's embroidery was considered unrivaled in the world, and their clothing was a symbol of fashion and status. Even many dignitaries and high-ranking officials in the Capital City vied to have their garments custom-made by the Fei Clan. Consequently, these ladies were more than willing to serve as judges, as it signified that their aesthetic judgment was highly valued. The mere presence of these ladies bestowed great honor upon the Fei Clan.

This time, Lady Li, the Jiedushi Madam, also attended, which caused quite a sensation. People were full of awe and admiration for the Fei Clan's immense prestige. The Fei Clan, upon learning that Lady Li was coming, was overjoyed. In previous years, they had also invited the Jiedushi Madam, but she had always declined. This time, the Fei Clan sent the invitation out of courtesy as usual, never expecting that Lady Li would actually come!

Of course, Lady Li was not attending for the sake of the Fei Clan's reputation; she was there for Zhao Ya. Zhao Zhitong often visited Li Yu's home to chat with Lady Li, and the two got along splendidly. Lady Li had heard from Zhao Zhitong that her sister, Zhao Ya, was participating in the Fei Clan's competition. Moreover, Zhao Zhitong had once gifted Lady Li an embroidered handkerchief made by Zhao Ya. Lady Li had been full of praise for Zhao Ya's embroidery and liked it very much. She had also learned about the Fei Clan's past misdeeds—stealing someone's work and then falsely accusing them. Consequently, Lady Li immediately stated that she would definitely come to be a judge for the competition to prevent Zhao Ya from being treated unfairly.

Lady Li's arrival caused quite a stir. Madam Fei and Mrs. Fei personally hurried down to welcome her. The other ladies who had already arrived also rose one after another to welcome her. Lady Li was neither overly familiar nor distant, maintaining a perfect sense of propriety. Madam Fei and Mrs. Fei smilingly escorted Lady Li to her seat. Before sitting down, Lady Li nodded at Zhao Zhitong in the crowd. This gesture was noticed by the observant Imperial Court Official's wife, Madam Cheng, who silently made a mental note of Zhao Zhitong.

With a flurry of firecrackers and the sounding of a gong, the competition began.

The first round tested fundamental skills. A specific design was provided, and all the embroiderers were to start simultaneously. The winner would be the one who completed it fastest and with the fewest mistakes. For embroiderers with profound skills, this was a piece of cake. The design for this round was a vast grassland with two young men riding horses. Although not overly complex, the piece was large and would require considerable time to complete.

As the gong sounded again, the competition officially commenced. All the embroiderers sat down and began to thread their needles.

Zhao Zhitong watched her Sister Yaya working with ease on the stage, her own palms sweating profusely from nervousness.

Qiao Muchen, sitting beside her, felt a tug on his sleeve. He turned to see Zhao Zhitong clutching his sleeve. He knew instantly that she was nervous; Zhao Zhitong had a habit of unconsciously pulling at clothes when anxious. Qiao Muchen simply reached out and took her small hand.

Zhao Zhitong, already tense, suddenly felt a cool palm grasp her hand. Startled, she looked back to see Qiao Muchen also looking at her. He smiled gently and said, "Don't be nervous. You have to believe in your sister."

His voice was pleasant, slightly deep with a hint of allure, and it inexplicably calmed Zhao Zhitong's emotions. Their eyes met, and Zhao Zhitong found herself captivated by Qiao Muchen's handsome eyes. At that moment, the distinction between the black and white of his eyes was blurred, giving them a hazy, almost intoxicated appearance.

Gradually, she felt the hand he was holding grow warm. The heat traveled up her arm, making her ears burn red. Then, she heard her own heart pounding: THUMP, THUMP, THUMP.

Noticing her own unusual reaction, Zhao Zhitong averted her gaze somewhat unnaturally and coughed. "Um, I'm not nervous anymore."

"Oh, good."

Qiao Muchen appeared perfectly calm, but heaven knew his heart was racing wildly.

Seeing that he made no move to release her hand, Zhao Zhitong hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "Um, you can let go now."

Qiao Muchen paused, then realized she was talking about him holding her hand. He told himself not to panic, then his eyes curved into a smile. "There are so many people here; it's easy to get separated. I'm holding your hand to keep you safe."

Seeing Zhao Zhitong's conflicted expression, he quirked his lips and added, "What are you thinking? Aren't we good friends? It's perfectly normal for good friends to hold hands to prevent one another from getting lost. Or... are you thinking something else?"

Qiao Muchen maintained an innocent expression throughout, appearing utterly guileless as if he hadn't a single ulterior motive. This made Zhao Zhitong, whose mind had been wandering, suddenly feel quite abashed. She quickly composed her features, pretending she hadn't been thinking anything at all. Then she turned her head away and stared intently at the stage, refusing to look at Qiao Muchen.

Seeing this, Qiao Muchen smiled knowingly. "Good, then. Let's just watch the competition quietly."

In his heart, however, he was ecstatic. The young girl is finally starting to understand! He needed to keep up the effort!

In the space, Grandpa Bai, watching all of this, closed his eyes. Sigh… puppy love is not to be encouraged, hey!

Time passed, second by second. The sun climbed higher and grew hotter. Qiao Muchen thoughtfully opened his folding fan to shield Zhao Zhitong's head from the sun.

On the stage, the embroiderers worked without pause. The judging ladies sipped tea, ate fruit, and discussed the contestants' progress. The spectators below also remained, waiting for the results.

Just then, amidst gasps from the surrounding crowd, Zhao Zhitong, whose attention had been entirely on her own hands, was drawn to the stage. She saw a young lady in a pale purple dress submitting her finished embroidery.

A buzz of discussion immediately rose from the crowd below.

"Miss Fei is truly remarkable! As expected of the champion from the previous two years, she finished so quickly!"

"Indeed! Look, many on stage have only completed half their work. Miss Fei is truly skilled."

...

From the crowd's murmurs, one could gather that the first to finish was Miss Fei of the Fei Clan, Fei Yi. Although she was the daughter of a concubine, her exceptional talent in embroidery had earned her Sir Fei's affection. Thus, among all of Sir Fei's daughters by concubines, she lived the most dignified life. It was also she who had deliberately made things difficult for Zhao Ya during the registration.

Zhao Zhitong couldn't help but look at her a few more times, memorizing her appearance.

After submitting her embroidery, Fei Yi proudly descended the stage.

Not long after, two more contestants submitted their work.

As more and more people finished, the embroiderers still working began to grow anxious. Anxiety often leads to mistakes. And sure enough, one embroiderer made an error and, in her distress, eventually burst into tears.

With some crying and others panicking, the atmosphere on the stage was no longer as tranquil as it had been at the start.