359 Reversal

With the sound of gongs and drums, the cloths covering the garments were sequentially lifted, and waves of surprised gasps resonated from the audience.

When Zhao Ya's work was finally unveiled, the gasps from below were even louder, accompanied by fervent discussions.

The other embroiderers present were also taken aback, all eyes turning towards Zhao Ya.

It was because Zhao Ya's garment was different from everyone else's. Originally, for fairness, all participants were given identical garments.

However, the hem of Zhao Ya's dress seemed to have been intentionally designed. It was asymmetrical, and combined with the layered petals embroidered on it, it looked incredibly appealing.

Almost all eyes were drawn to this unusually novel and stylish dress.

Fei Yi looked at Zhao Ya incredulously, cursing internally; she managed to get away with this too!

At this point, the master embroiderers went on stage to vote for their favorite works.

They examined each piece. When they saw Zhao Ya's work, they all showed expressions of awe. This embroidery technique was novel and beautiful, one they had never seen before.

After all the master embroiderers had viewed the works, they convened for a brief discussion before casting their votes.

There were a total of five master embroiderers, and each of their votes was equivalent to ten.

In the final voting results, the third work received two votes, while the fifth work received three votes. And that fifth work was the modified dress.

The other contestants present didn't know it was Zhao Ya's, but the instigator, Fei Yi, knew. She clenched her fists tightly, lost in thought.

Next, the servants presented each garment to the ladies, who, after viewing them, would choose their favorites.

Finally, it was time for the audience to vote.

Naturally, not all audience members could vote; one hundred were selected.

The servants had already dressed specially chosen maids in the garments made by all the embroiderers. These maids walked back and forth on the stage as the audience cast their votes.

Seeing this scene, Zhao Zhitong sighed. This must be what Grandpa Bai referred to as models.

The maids had similar figures, all wore veils and had their hair in buns, and moved gracefully. The effect was indeed quite good.

The dress, transformed by Zhao Ya, was quite remarkable even when simply displayed.

However, when worn by a person, the effect was absolutely stunning.

As the maids moved delicately, the hem of the dress fluttered slightly, making it instantly stand out among the other similar garments.

Many people were discussing the dress, their words full of praise.

In the end, it was no surprise that the unique dress received the highest number of votes.

When the final rankings were announced, everyone was astounded to learn that the unique dress belonged to Zhao Ya.

At this point, an unsatisfied embroiderer raised an objection.

"I protest! This isn't fair! Her garment is styled differently from ours. This is cheating!"

As this person voiced their doubts, more and more people began to question the result.

"That's right! It was stated before the competition that everyone's garments would be identical. But during the competition, only Miss Zhao's was different. Isn't that inappropriate?"

"Besides, this is an embroidery competition, right? We should be competing based on embroidery skill!"

...

More and more people began to raise questions.

A smirk touched the corner of Fei Yi's lips, her eyes glinting with triumph. Do they really think they can beat me this way? What a joke!

As the voices of doubt grew louder, Lady Li calmly asked, "Even if this competition is about embroidery, among the embroiderers present, is there any work better than Miss Zhao's?"

Her words rendered the other embroiderers speechless.

The novel design had indeed captured everyone's attention, but that didn't mean the embroidery itself was subpar.

On the contrary, the embroidery was exquisite. The beauty of the dress stemmed from how the embroidery and design complemented each other perfectly.

They asked themselves honestly and had to admit they couldn't produce embroidery of such quality, not to mention that the stitching technique appeared to be Zhao Ya's own unique creation.

Seeing that the situation had been somewhat calmed, Fei Yi's eyes darted at this moment, and she spoke up, "Lady Li, Miss Zhao's embroidery is indeed outstanding. However, the competition rules stipulated that we embroider on identical garments. Now, Miss Zhao's garment is different from everyone else's; she has clearly violated the rules."

Hearing this, the people around them nodded in agreement.

"That's right. A work that violates the rules shouldn't qualify for the competition."

"True, it's a shame because the dress is truly beautiful, but the violation of the rules is an irrefutable fact. It should be disqualified."

Many people in the audience began to whisper among themselves, and the ladies also nodded frequently, acknowledging the validity of this point.

Seeing this, the competition host announced, "In that case, Miss Zhao's first place will be nullified. The rankings will be adjusted, making the second-place contestant, Miss Fei, the new first-place winner..."

"Hold on!"

Just when everyone thought the rankings were about to be finalized, a clear male voice was heard.

Immediately after, Qiao Muchen and Zhao Yu were seen escorting two individuals onto the stage.

Seeing this scene, everyone was taken aback. Sir Fei had to quickly step onto the stage, asking in confusion, "Sir Qiao, what is the meaning of this?"

Qiao Muchen cupped his hands in a salute to Sir Fei but addressed Fei Yi directly, "As for why Miss Zhao's garment ended up in its current state, I believe Miss Fei should know very well."

At these words, all eyes turned to Fei Yi.

Sir Fei also looked at his daughter with a questioning gaze.

When Fei Yi saw Qiao Muchen bring her two subordinates onto the stage, she panicked but stubbornly retorted, "I don't know what you're talking about!"

Sir Fei basically had a rough idea of what was happening, but for the sake of the family's reputation, it was, of course, most important that his daughter be found innocent.

Therefore, he said with a smile, "Sir Qiao, this is the embroidery competition hosted by our Fei Clan. I don't believe there are any cases here for you to investigate, are there?"

Although Sir Fei was smiling, the smile didn't reach his eyes.

Previously, Qiao Muchen's investigation concerning two corpses had implicated his son, which had already greatly displeased Sir Fei.

However, due to Qiao Muchen's status, Sir Fei could only forcibly suppress his dissatisfaction.

This time, if another scandal were to be exposed in front of all the citizens, the Fei Clan would truly lose face entirely, their shame displayed for all to see.

Qiao Muchen clearly had no intention of saving Sir Fei any face and directly exposed the truth.

"Sir Fei, this is what happened. These two servants have confessed everything. It was Miss Fei who, jealous of Zhao Ya's embroidery, sent people to destroy Zhao Ya's work under the cover of darkness."

"Fortunately, Zhao Ya possesses exceptional skills and managed to turn a disastrous situation into something miraculous, modifying the ruined garment so she could still participate in the competition."

"In that case, one cannot say Zhao Ya violated the rules. On the contrary, it was Miss Fei who committed the wrongdoing. Shouldn't she be the one to apologize to Miss Zhao?"

Qiao Muchen recounted the situation factually, and the expression on Sir Fei's face became quite a spectacle.

Upon hearing the full account of events, the crowd began to condemn Fei Yi, whose face turned pale as she listened.

She pointed at Qiao Muchen, her voice choked with anger, "You... you're spouting nonsense..."

She wanted to say more but was silenced by a glare from Sir Fei.

At this moment, Lady Li chimed in appropriately, "Sigh, this poor child. If not for her dexterity and ability to modify the garment, such a uniquely talented embroiderer might have been unjustly overlooked."

"It's also her good fortune to be blessed by the heavens. Madame Fei, wouldn't you agree?"