Situ Xin’er assumed Yanzi wanted to ask her for some favor, and before Yanzi had even finished speaking, she readily agreed. “Whatever it is, just ask! I know the capital very well!”

Yanzi smiled and said, “If I needed a favor, I wouldn’t hold back from asking. But there’s nothing right now—I just wanted to warn you that although this Yanzi rouge is remarkable, if used carelessly, it could cause serious trouble.”

The moment Situ Xin’er heard this, she sat bolt upright. “What… kind of trouble?”

Yanzi smiled mysteriously and quietly uttered two words: “Disfigurement.”

At those words, Situ Xin’er immediately dropped the box onto the table in fright. “Sister, please explain clearly! This is far too serious!”

“Don’t panic, I’m explaining right now!” Yanzi smiled even more brightly. “Just remember—once you’ve used this, you must never use lead powder on top of it.”

Rouge and powder—applying powder was, of course, an essential step in any makeup routine.

As Situ Xin’er hesitated, Yanzi smiled and said, “Look at me—do you see any powder on my face?”

Situ Xin’er leaned in for a closer look and suddenly understood. “No wonder your skin looks so beautiful—this Yanzi rouge can replace powder entirely, can’t it!”

“Mm, apply this as a base half an hour before doing your makeup, and never put powder over it afterward. Powder alone would give the same visual effect, but if this substance mixes with lead powder, it produces a toxin that will ruin your face completely. Understand?” Yanzi explained earnestly.

Situ Xin’er nodded repeatedly. “Got it, I’ll remember!”

Only then did Yanzi release Situ Xin’er’s hand. “It’s getting late—head back soon. I’m staying at this inn; we can meet again whenever you’re free.”

“Sure thing! Sister, get some rest too. I’ll come see you again tomorrow! Heh heh, I’m going to go ask my brother about the Flower Queen Pageant!”

Situ Xin’er, who’d nearly choked to death on Han Ziqing’s earlier words, was now in excellent spirits, having gained both “Yanzi” the rouge and Yanzi the friend. She skipped merrily all the way back to the Prince Yao residence!

She wasn’t going to bother Jun Beiyue anymore—she was going to go pester her brother instead. Let’s see who dared stop her!

The moment she reached the gates of the Prince Yao residence, she saw both side gates thrown wide open, with load after load of goods being carried inside—fabric, jewelry, perfumes, and more, all things a young lady might want!

Not to mention everything else—the jewelry alone filled a full three carriages for transport. And to think only a handful of pieces would actually be worn!

Situ Xin’er’s previously radiant smile immediately wilted. She stamped her foot furiously. “Might as well have the whole world serve her! Bane of the nation!”

“Coming through, coming through, make way!” Situ Haonan’s voice suddenly rang out from behind her, and a moment later a cart came barreling toward her. Situ Xin’er hastily leapt out of the way, shouting angrily, “What do you think you’re doing!”

“Move aside, cart wheels don’t have eyes—if you get hit, don’t come crying to me!” Situ Haonan was in high spirits, personally hauling a cartload of hair ornaments.

“You shameless lackey!” Situ Xin’er spat under her breath.

Ignoring her, Situ Haonan turned and took a different route. Situ Xin’er immediately chased after him. “Don’t you know your own sister is entering the Flower Queen Pageant too? And here you are, turning your back on your own family to serve as someone else’s lackey!”

Situ Haonan let it pass through one ear and out the other, long since accustomed to his sister’s spoiled tantrums, too weary to argue with her.

Situ Xin’er tried to follow further, but was stopped at the gate. Situ Haonan leaned against the doorframe and stuck out a leg to block her path, saying with a smirk, “Wherever you came from, go back there. Don’t make a fool of yourself. The Flower Queen Pageant is just a passing whim of Prince Yao’s, something to amuse Her Highness—why are you taking it so seriously?”

“You!”

“Safe travels, I won’t see you out.”

“You!”

“Farewell!”

“Situ Haonan!”

“Slam—” The gate shut. Situ Xin’er was so furious she practically breathed fire, a flash of malice flickering through her eyes. Unconsciously, she reached into her sleeve to touch the box of Yanzi rouge, slowly narrowing her eyes.

Beiyue-gege took Han Ziqing’s side, and now even her own brother took Han Ziqing’s side too. The two men who had once doted on her, spoiled her, given in to her every whim—both of them now shut her out entirely.

Fine. So they were all so fond of Han Ziqing, were they? She’d make sure they never had reason to be fond of her again!

Situ Xin’er gave the side gate a vicious kick, then spun on her heel and stormed off!

Meanwhile, Situ Haonan had already delivered everything to Ziqing. She’d been about to rest when she saw the sheer volume of goods and immediately felt her head start to ache.

“These are all carefully selected—all the fabrics are right here, this is the jewelry, these are the hair ornaments, and these here are rouge and powder, and these are scent sachets, every fragrance you could want!”

As Situ Haonan spoke, he deliberately put on a fawning, servile expression. “Your Highness, are you satisfied with this humble one’s work?”

Seeing so much stuff piled up, Ziqing’s face had already darkened. She spat out a single cold word: “Scram.”

This was supposed to be a homecoming for the New Year, a chance to rest—instead it felt like nothing short of torment.

Situ Haonan immediately switched to placating her. “Don’t be annoyed, don’t be annoyed—Beiyue said he wanted to give you the very best of everything, so I scoured the entire capital for you! I’ll help you pick things out!”

“Where is he?” Ziqing asked flatly. After accompanying her to pick out fabric, Jun Beiyue hadn’t shown his face since.

“He went to the Liuli Pavilion.” Situ Haonan said.

“Any news about that woman in purple?” Ziqing asked urgently. She knew that though the military situation had given her some free time, she herself hadn’t had a moment of rest.

“Probably not that fast yet. Ah, forget about that for now, take a look at these makeup styles—each different look needs a different makeup artist, and there’s also…”

Before Situ Haonan could finish, Ziqing’s icy glare cut him off. She thought to herself that even Jun Beiyue probably hadn’t anticipated Situ Haonan going to such extravagant lengths.

She’d never had much interest in dressing up or applying makeup to begin with, and now, faced with this mountain of items—all of it distinctly ancient in style besides!

Before crossing over, her appearance had closely resembled the Han Ziqing of the Chancellor’s household, though their temperaments had differed, as had their figures. Where the Chancellor’s daughter had a delicate, modest charm, she herself carried more of a sharp, cool capability.

She’d always favored simplicity and naturalness above all else.

Now, faced with this enormous pile of things—shoes, clothes, jewelry, hair ornaments, makeup, all of it demanding meticulous preparation from head to toe—she would honestly rather spend the time studying Lishang further.

“Where are the fabrics I picked out this morning?” Ziqing asked flatly.

“The top few bolts on your right.” Situ Haonan answered obediently.

Ziqing glanced over, only vaguely remembering the top few bolts, not even noticing that one pale lavender bolt was missing. She said flatly, “Let’s settle on those bolts, then. You decide the rest. Since Beiyue trusts you, I’ll trust you too.”

With that, without waiting to hear whether Situ Haonan agreed or not, she turned and walked away.

On New Year’s Eve, what she truly preferred was to sit quietly with Jun Beiyue over a meal, just talking.

As she reached the doorway, Ziqing gently touched the side of her face, a faint, resigned smile curving at her lips. These past few days she’d gone back and forth on it endlessly, but in the end, courage had won out over hesitation.

A woman’s beauty was her capital, a man’s pride, his honor—she understood that well enough.

But she also knew there were things far more important than a single face.

She thought—she would claim the title of Flower Queen, and only after that would she tell Jun Beiyue the truth.

Before dawn broke, before the new year truly arrived, she would let him see her real face.

She wanted to know what his reaction would be. She wanted to know so very, very much…