Rouge had always, since ancient times, come only in red—how could there possibly be a purple one?
Ziqing looked at the item in her hand, and it truly was purple rouge, carrying a faint, delicate fragrance, pleasant and refreshing to the nose. A single sniff told her it contained no poison.
“Yanzi? What is this?” Ziqing asked, puzzled. Anything meant to be applied to her face naturally called for caution.
Although the thin film covering her face was remarkably resilient and wouldn’t interfere with applying makeup over it, this was still her first time using Yanzi.
“Try it, I guarantee you’ll be satisfied!” Situ Haonan said eagerly. “Just put a bit on your hand first and see.”
Ziqing still hesitated. “Would you calm down? No need to make such a fuss over this.”
“Come on, this is the grandest event in all of Da Zhou, the Flower Queen Pageant! If you have even the slightest mishap at the event, even something tiny, think how much it would embarrass your own man!”
Ziqing rolled her eyes at him, but she knew he had a point—now that she’d committed to participating, she couldn’t very well let the Prince Yao residence lose face. Not to mention, there were plenty of people within the palace itself just waiting to watch her make a fool of herself.
“Try it, just try it and see.” Situ Haonan urged. He’d gone to such trouble to find this thing—there was no reason not to use it. If it weren’t for Situ Xin’er mentioning it, he might never have thought of this treasure at all!
Ziqing relented, dabbing a bit onto her fingertip and gently spreading it across the back of her hand. Almost immediately, however, her expression shifted to one of astonishment, staring at Situ Haonan in disbelief.
The effect of this thing was actually… actually comparable to modern-day BB cream! It didn’t just conceal blemishes—it had a moisturizing, brightening effect as well!
“Where on earth did you get this?” Ziqing asked, eyeing him suspiciously.
“Heh heh, it’s a treasure, this stuff isn’t easy to find—it takes several years just to produce a single small box! You’re in luck, I stumbled onto it just yesterday!”
Seeing Ziqing’s delighted reaction, Situ Haonan felt pleased with himself too.
Ziqing genuinely was delighted—she’d never liked the way ancient people applied makeup, with that thick layer of lead powder that was both toxic and left the face ghostly pale, not so different from a geisha of the Eastern Isles.
This Yanzi rouge, though, really was a marvelous find—easy to apply, with a light, fresh finish.
Situ Haonan was about to speak again when the old tailor Autumn Mother hastily cut in. “Young Master Situ, since you’ve found this item, are you aware of what it must never be paired with?”
“You know about that too?” Situ Haonan shot back.
The old man immediately turned serious. “Your Highness, Yanzi is wonderful indeed, but it must never be used together with lead powder, or the face will be ruined completely. You must remember this well.”
Ziqing was mildly startled and glanced at Situ Haonan—though well-versed in the study of poisons, she wasn’t particularly familiar with cosmetics.
Situ Haonan nodded. “Autumn Mother’s right. There was a case of someone who used Yanzi but felt the makeup was too light, so they applied lead powder on top afterward—the result was a ruined face, covered entirely in festering sores!”
At these words, Ziqing’s heart couldn’t help but skip a beat, murmuring to herself, “Rouge and powder—they’re all poison, in the end.”
“Ah, it’s not that serious. We just won’t use lead powder, that’s all.” Situ Haonan said with a laugh.
Ziqing considered this for a moment, then said flatly, “For New Year’s Eve, let’s go with light makeup. The clothes, jewelry, and hairstyle should all be chosen to match the makeup.”
Seeing Ziqing take the initiative for once, both Situ Haonan and the old tailor were delighted. The old man smiled and brought out two bolts of fabric. “Your Highness, then let’s go with these two purple ones. This old servant will work through the night to have them ready for you before New Year’s Eve!”
Ziqing nodded, and after confirming the remaining accessories, Situ Haonan and the old tailor took their leave.
Hongyi arrived carrying a tray of small snacks, and upon seeing the room filled with items, couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear. “Mistress, just look at how much the Prince dotes on you! We absolutely must make sure you shine on New Year’s Eve! That’ll shut up all those sharp-tongued gossips in the palace!”
Looking at the room full of things, a faint, secretive smile suddenly curved at the corner of Ziqing’s lips. These past few days she’d finally worked things through in her mind, and she felt considerably lighter now. “Hongyi, I want to give the Prince a surprise on New Year’s Eve.”
“Of course it’ll be a surprise, it’s bound to be! Mistress, forget the Prince—even I, who’ve served you all this time, have never once seen you properly done up in makeup!” Hongyi complained, clearly misunderstanding what Ziqing meant.
“Not that kind of surprise. Come here.” Ziqing said, her mood good, pulling Hongyi over and taking out a recipe she’d personally worked out, instructing her earnestly. “These next few days, quietly prepare everything on this list. On New Year’s Eve, while I’m at the Flower Queen Pageant, you’ll need to have everything ready.”
Hongyi looked puzzled. “Mistress, this is…”
“Our own New Year’s Eve dinner!” Ziqing said with a smile.
Only then did Hongyi understand, and she responded quickly, “All right, all right, this servant understands!”
Ziqing smiled happily. “Come, come with me. Let’s find a spot in the estate for our New Year’s Eve dinner.”
With that, mistress and servant slipped out together. The Prince Yao residence was enormous, second only to the imperial palace itself, complete with pavilions, side courtyards, terraces, and lakeside pavilions of every kind.
In the end, Ziqing settled on the small lakeside pavilion at the center of the rear garden—Jun Beiyue’s favorite spot in the entire residence, and also the quietest place within the Prince Yao estate.
“Mistress, this spot right here—the Prince really does love this place.” Hongyi said cheerfully.
“All right, remember this spot well. When I return from the Flower Queen Pageant, I’ll find an excuse to come here first. You’ll need to bring him here.”
Hongyi nodded firmly. “Don’t worry, Mistress, I’ll make sure of it! The Prince is sure to be surprised!”
Ziqing smiled faintly. Surprise, delight—surprise and delight both at once.
That night, if she removed her makeup, peeled away that thin membrane covering her face, and sat there waiting—when Jun Beiyue arrived, what would his reaction be? Would he even recognize her at first glance?
Would he be startled? Would there still be delight in it?
She truly had no idea what to expect deep down. But she had the courage to tell him the truth.
Seeing how enthusiastic he was about the Flower Queen Pageant, seeing how confident he was in her appearance, how could she keep hiding it any longer? He had the right to know that his wife wasn’t actually some city-toppling beauty at all—that she was, in truth, nothing more than an ugly duckling.
Ziqing still hadn’t returned when Jun Beiyue came back from the Liuli Pavilion.
“Where’s the Princess Consort?” Heaven only knew when this habit had formed—even when nothing pressing was going on, he always wanted to see her the moment he returned.
“She just went out for a walk with Hongyi.” The maidservant answered respectfully.
It was freezing outside—she’d gone out for a walk? Jun Beiyue frowned, about to go find her, when Yingzi came hurrying in. “Master, there’s news!”
“The Yan clan!” Yingzi said in a low voice.
“The Yan clan? The Yan clan of Jiangdong?” Jun Beiyue asked, puzzled. He’d been tracking the identity and whereabouts of that woman in purple for days now, without a moment’s rest.
“Master, you guessed right. She’s approached us on her own initiative.” Yingzi said, lowering his voice further, and whatever he whispered next to Jun Beiyue, the prince’s handsome lips slowly curved into a sinister smile. “Is that so? Such nerve. Then this prince will play along and see this through to the end!”
“Oh, right—that matter I had you handle, is everything ready?” Jun Beiyue suddenly asked.
Yingzi grinned. “Master, don’t worry. The phoenix crown and ceremonial robes for the beauty—this subordinate has taken care of everything!”