Miss Truth
Chapter 460 - 300: Red-clad Men and Green-clad Women

Chapter 460: Chapter 300: Red-clad Men and Green-clad Women

Mrs. Xing couldn’t help but advise in a low voice, "Wives under the heavens all take Empress Zhangsun of the Wen De era as their model, and all read ’Women’s Rules.’ Wife, your behavior and demeanor are still lacking; you must read ’Women’s Rules’ again when you return."

’Women’s Rules’ is a text written by Empress Zhangsun to admonish herself on how to be a virtuous empress and mother of the nation. Even though its focus is not on restricting women’s thoughts, it contains content related to the prohibition of women’s involvement in politics, equating it to a hen crowing at dawn. Therefore, ’Women’s Rules’ was later shelved in the Great Zhou Dynasty. However, during the reign of Zhen Guan, Empress Zhangsun’s virtue was highly esteemed. Thus, her ’Women’s Rules’ naturally became a must-read for women.

Ran Yan didn’t like playing politics either, nor did she think that women had to be like Empress Zhangsun, so she nonchalantly agreed with a sound.

Being outside, Mrs. Xing didn’t think it appropriate to advise further, only sighed, and entered Jinxiu Manor with her.

"Is this Miss Ran Seventeen?" As soon as one foot crossed the threshold, a waiter immediately came forward to greet her.

Wan Lu said, "That is correct."

Ran Yan also took in the interior, truly befitting a high-end establishment beloved by noble ladies, with excellent sandalwood racks loaded with fashionable silk and satin fabrics, all appearing to be of considerable value. On the side, a white wall displayed a ’Winter Night Drinking Painting,’ imparting an air of transcendental purity.

The waiter, though only around eighteen or nineteen, was extremely adept at reading expressions. Seeing that Ran Yan’s gaze lingered much longer on the painting than on the fabrics, he seized the opportunity and said, "Wife has truly keen eyes; that painting is the work of Sir Sang Suiyuan, with poetry inscribed by the Secretarial Supervisor Yu."

The Secretarial Supervisor referred to is Yu Shixian, a literary master who held such high regard for Sang Chen because of his brilliant talent and good fortune. If not for the protection of these great scholars, Sang Chen, with his untainted nature, would have died many times over.

"Lady Ran, the mansion advised us yesterday that a private room has been prepared upstairs for you," the waiter said to the expressionless Ran Yan, feeling somewhat intimidated. He had previously held some disdain for this newly-risen lady, which he had hidden well, but he still felt somewhat guilty.

Ran Yan gave a nod, still without any expression, and followed the waiter upstairs.

The waiter, sweating profusely on his back, had previously disdained, but that was due to the arrogance that came from frequent contact with nobility. However, he was also smart; Ran Yan was about to become the legitimate Third Lady of the Xiao family, certainly not someone a commoner like him could afford to offend. So now, seeing her expressionless face, he fretted inwardly, suspecting he had unintentionally done something to displease her.

Upon entering the private room, servants quickly served tea and pastries, and the waiter was several times more respectful than before, bowing as he said, "Lady Ran, the mansion said someone would come to accompany you in picking fabrics. Do you wish to wait, or shall we start looking at the materials first?"

"Wait," said Ran Yan, her voice carrying its usual hint of coldness.

The waiter quickly offered a smile and said, "How about I fetch some patterns for Wife to have a look first?"

"Hmm," Ran Yan replied.

The waiter bowed and hurriedly left the room. He thought that Miss Ran Seventeen seemed a perfect match for Gui Jianchou of Chang’an; with her long, impassive face, she wasn’t merely putting on airs. It seemed that one must really tread carefully around her...

At this moment, the waiter figured out the issue and considered whether to place a bet at the gambling house. The odds at the underground bank had reached one to seven, betting on whether Ran Seventeen would live past three days because everyone firmly believed that Gui Jianchou of Chang’an had too heavy a deathly aura, so the bets were mostly on not surviving three days.

Jinxiu Workshop offered a wide variety of patterns, reportedly able to reproduce designs from hundreds of years past. They did more than just embroidery; they also weaved silks, tailored clothes, and so forth, even offering fabrics for Imperial Decree Ladies’ dresses. The use of fabrics in the palace, both material and design, was highly scrupulous and intricately tied to the rites, which is why Jinxiu Workshop remained the top embroidery shop in Chang’an, despite not being as innovative or pretty as Qiluo Records’ dresses.

About half a cup of tea’s time later, Lady Luo arrived with Ran Yun in tow.

The waiter hurriedly had all the bridal garment samples moved to the private room. In no time, the private room was filled to the brim. Ran Yan estimated there were at least seventy to eighty varieties.

The wedding attire of the Tang Dynasty was the jewelry-inlaid ceremonial dress, whose color was not fixed, and generally the color used for weddings was cyan green. The Tang wedding custom was for men to wear scarlet red and women cyan green, hence the saying "red for men, green for women." The jewelry-inlaid ceremonial dress preceded the style of what later became Japan’s "Twelve Single Garments."

The waiter said, "These are only some of the options. Ladies, wives, you may first pick out the ones you like and set them aside. We will then bring out another batch. In the end, we’ll compare and select from the ones you have chosen, ensuring your satisfaction."

These were ready-made bridal gowns, with several maids lifting and unfolding the dresses for the most direct view of the fabric and design.

Ran Yan chose at a rapid pace, nearly having made up her mind as soon as each dress was displayed, so a task that would generally take most women half an hour, she finished in the time it takes half an incense stick to burn.

Of the first batch of eighty articles of clothing, Ran Yan picked out only two. From the second batch, also comprising eighty, she selected just one. She didn’t fancy any from the third batch of eighty, and from the fourth batch, she chose five.

In the end, when eight bridal gowns were laid out at once, Ran Yan, without a second thought, pointed to one. The waiter sweated inwardly, wondering if she truly paid attention.

Xing Niang and Luo Shi harbored the same doubts, but seeing that the final eight sets were indeed grand and elegant, on reflection, they seemed to be the better choices. Nonetheless, for their peace of mind, they insisted that Ran Yan try on all eight remaining sets. Ultimately, she chose the one she had originally selected, bringing much relief to the other two.

They thought they could just take measurements and leave, but no sooner had the clothes been taken away than fabrics were brought out. The waiter explained that while the styles of the bridal gowns adhered to the ceremonial code and could not be significantly altered, unique touches could be added through details such as fabric type, patterns, and trimmings.

Ran Yan again deployed her swift and decisive style, selecting the fabric. This time the task was much more complicated than choosing the style, as Jinxiu Manor’s wedding-appropriate cyan green and scarlet red silks, satins, chiffons, gauzes, linens, damasks, threads, and silks totaled at least fifteen hundred varieties.

While Ran Yan was quick, she had no particular talent for coordination of colors and patterns, so Xing Niang and Luo Shi discussed in great detail. Eventually, they used Ran Yan’s method by having her pick out all she liked and allowing them to discuss.

Even so, it was not until evening that they finally decided on the style and fabric.

"We’ll come back tomorrow to choose the embroidery and accessories for the attire, and the day after that we’ll carefully select the jewelry," Luo Shi said, taking a sip of water.

Ran Yan immediately felt that her plan from yesterday was too naive; she had hoped to find some time to look at her dowry shops, but now it seemed she might spend the next half a month on a single wedding dress.

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Regarding the matter of Tang Dynasty brides wearing cyan green, I wonder if everyone can accept this, but according to research, it is indeed so. The author spent quite a bit of time verifying this, and from historical texts, it is written that the colors of the "jewelry-inlaid ceremonial dress" are not specified, but many sources indicate that the bridal attire in Tang weddings was indeed cyan green, while men, regardless of their status, could wear red official attire on their wedding day.

If I were not aware of this, it would be different, but now that I know, to write the traditional red, which everyone imagines, would make me uneasy. Consider it a bit of popular science. For example, during the Qin and Han dynasties, black was in vogue, and their wedding attire was black with red patterns. Therefore, why the Tang Dynasty favored green is an interesting topic, and interested readers can look up "jewelry-inlaid ceremonial dress" or "Twelve Single Garments" on Wikipedia. Despite adjustments through time, the basic outline remains.

Furthermore, this marks the end of Volume Two: Ode to the Capital. Up next is Volume Three: Song of Homecoming.

The content of Volume Three combines court intrigue with case investigations. The romance is minimal and integrated within the power struggles and cases. In fact, Volume Two focused more on the portrayal of romance.

Incidentally, this will resolve the lingering matter of the "several good men." Well... that’s that.

Pink... (to be continued. If you like this work, please feel welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest