Inner Residence arc ー Chapter 14 (Part 2): Beautiful and Conspiracy
Empress Zhao was cordially receiving a few womenfolk from the ministers' families including me in a splendorous and majestic waterside pavilion called Angling Pavilion. Aunt Zhao was wearing a purple belt over a dress with a red bottom with golden flowers and blue edges. On her head was a phoenix spreading its tail feathers while her head full of pearl and jade ornaments were like the stars scattered in the sky.
There were a few consorts sitting beside her. The dignified and demure one was Worthy Consort Li. The one dressed as a married woman was Consort Dowager Liu. The one who took rather good care of her looks and dressed with aesthetic taste was Consort Dowager Wang. There was also a young married woman dressed in blue who was County Princess Huai Rou. After that was a personal court lady, Miss Qin Feihua.
*T/n: Junzhu: daughter of a prince. It is of a lower rank compared to 'gongzhu', a princess.
The atmosphere today was more casual and that was why I got the chance to chat with Qin Feihua.
Her smile was genial but she instead asked, "How's your Second Elder Brother recently?"
When I heard her ask like this, I knew that she still didn’t know that the second Xie child was injured. Now that the incident had already passed and I also didn’t want to make her worry, thus I didn’t mention the incident and said that everything was fine.
She asked further, "Did he say when he's leaving?"
"He certainly did say before that he's pressed for time."
Qin Feihua's smile contained a little sorrow. "After he came, we only met a few times and in the blink of an eye he's leaving again. Meeting again is in the distant and indefinite future."
I gripped her hand but didn’t know how I should comfort her.
Empress Zhao suddenly asked loudly, "What are these two little sisters talking about to make you smile so happily?"
Both Qin Feihua and I were stunned. She was still in low spirits and didn’t know how to reply. I hastily opened my mouth to say, "Replying to the Empress, I'm praising Elder Sister Feihua that her hands have been taken care of well!"
Empress Zhao laughed and said to Madam Xie, "This daughter of yours, she's very clever."
Madam Xie modestly replied, "We have let Your Highness seen a joke. She only knows how to talk glibly."
I pretended as if I wasn't pleased. "Mother, I don’t only know how to talk glibly, I actually have a genuine skill."
Empress Zhao was curious. "What genuine skill?"
I proudly said, "Cosmetology!"
"Cosmetology?" Empress Zhao was astonished.
I stood up and walked to stand below her seat. "Your Highness, this humble girl usually have nothing to do at home and thus devoted myself fully to researching the methods of beautification. Integrating medical studies, I developed a set of Xie cosmetology methods. Do you want to hear about it?"
Empress Zhao's youth was flowing away like the water and soil at the banks of the Yellow River. This topic of mine hit her thoughts right on the mark.
I walked until the middle of the hall and started delivering a the speech, "Let's only talk about beauty care in summer. Summer in the capital is sweltering hot and dry. I believe that all the ladies here feel that their faces are often greasy during summer. Actually, this is an evident sign of your face lacking moisture. Ladies, our faces are just like a flower needs the moisture from water. Ground without water will fissure and fruits that have lost water will shrivel. If our faces are dry and dehydrated, not only will it secrete large amounts of oil, our skin too will also age rapidly and produce large amounts of speckles and wrinkles. What's the difference between being young and being old? That's right! It's wrinkles! That is why I say that, replenishing water is the key to female beauty care!"
I talked spoke carelessly without thought in a powerful and unconstrained manner like a heavenly steed soaring across the skies. The aunties were dumbstruck again and again as they listened.
"In that case, here comes the key problem: how to replenish water?" I drank a mouth of tea to moisten my throat. "First of all, you have to drink more water. Scien…I researched that women need to drink at least seven cups of water in one day in order to achieve the effect of replenishing water in the interior. Women are flowers. They need to be watered and require meticulous care every day. Then, what about the exterior? Actually, everyone already knows the method and that is facial mask treatment. However, the facial mask treatment is a little different from what everyone here usually does."
Empress Zhao instantly asked, "What's the difference?"
I smiled and analyzed for her to hear, "Based on what I know, what Dong Qi's women currently use to apply on their faces daily are mostly pearls, ginseng and so on. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean that only the valuable ones are good. Everyone has neglected the other needs of the skin and also neglected effects of normal vegetables. First of all, we have to begin speaking from facial wash and exfoliation. The simplest method is to adding salt to egg white…………"
Two hours later, I ended the speech with the sentence, "Women have to be better to themselves." I sat on the chair and gulped down several big mouthfuls of herbal tea. A little palace maid fanned me while another one handed a wet handkerchief to me to wipe my sweat.
Empress Zhao and the group of women were gathered together as they discussed enthusiastically. On the table at the side was a large pile of food. Cucumbers, tomatoes (it's called vermillion pomegranate fruit here), mung beans, aloe veras (it's called as immortal's beard here), carrots, cow milk, honey, chicken eggs……
I was hungry so I sneakily groped for a cucumber to gnaw.
I really had to thank those girls from my former dormitory. If it wasn’t for them discussing various environmental-friendly methods of beauty care beside my ears for three years as if they were talking in one day, I also wouldn't be able to speak eloquently without pausing for two hours today. Actually, I had really thought it over before that if I couldn’t return to my original world, I might as well establish a cosmetic brand. With my intelligence and wisdom as well as business acumen (if I really have), I'll be able to become the wealthiest female tycoon in Dong Qi in less than five years.
As I was indulging in my wildest fantasies, I suddenly heard Consort Dowager Wang ask, "The face is maintained already, what about the body?"
I clapped my hands. "Consort Dowager asked well! Maintaining the body also has various aspects. Firstly of all you need to have discipline when eating and drinking. Eat more vegetables and fruits. If you're eating meat, try to select chicken and fish as much as possible. Secondly, life lies in exercise. All Your Highnesses here sit inside the palace all day long, so your bodies do not get enough exercise and becomes more susceptible to falling sick. Once you fall sick, the face you have maintained with great troubles will immediately wither. Therefore, exercising is very important. Take a stroll or play games and such more usually……"
"And then?" Empress Zhao was impatient with my long-windedness.
I smiled and quickly said, "And then thirdly, it's maintaining the skin. The current method in the palace is applying cow milk. This method is indeed very good but the cow milk is not omnipotent and suited for a hundred uses. The best solution to relax the skin is to soak in a hot spring!"
"Soak in a hot spring?" An extremely subtle expression suddenly appeared on Empress Zhao's face.
I acted as if I didn’t see it and continued to say, "Do everyone here know the phenomenon of expansion caused by heat and contraction caused by cold? The human skin is actually the same too. Warm water can let the skin relax while cold water can let the skin become taut. Therefore, bathing in cold water after coming out from warm water will cause the skin to instantly become taut. When time passes, the relaxed skin will slowly maintain a taut state……" I also didn’t know what I was talking about anymore.
Consort Dowager Wang said, "Then we definitely have to take a bath in the hot springs?"
"Of course!" I said firmly. "It's recorded in the ancient medical books: Bathing in hot spring, the meridians* is constantly warmed and circulation is promoted. It can relax the muscles and stimulate blood circulation, eliminate a hundred diseases as well as prolong one's life. The warm water lets the skin relax and the pores open. At this time, the beneficial substances in the hot spring can infuse into the human body. This is an effect that cannot be achieved by normal warm water."
*T/n: Channels in the body in TCM where vital energy flows
County Princess Huai Rou suddenly said delightedly, "Aunt Empress, I remember that at that Li Quan Palace, not only is there a hot spring, there is also a mountain spring. Two pools, one cold and one hot, aren't those precisely the good conditions endowed by nature?"
Empress Zhao chuckled. "Why didn't I think of that."
County Princess Huai Rou said, "Li Quan Palace is not far from the capital. Travel there and back will just be two to three days. Aunt Empress, I want to go!"
She pulled her aunt's hand and shook and shook. Empress Zhao patted her affectionately and said, "I got it. But His Majesty is still indisposed and bedridden. How can we leave him alone in the palace and enjoy ourselves?"
I had been waiting exactly for this opportunity. I said, "Then, we can just bring His Majesty along with us."
Everyone stared at me, their expressions all the same as if they had rehearsed beforehand.
I made nothing of it as I said, "The hot spring can treat a hundred ailments and is also beneficial to His Majesty's health. He can indeed go take a short bath there."
Empress Zhao's smile was like an invigilator who spotted a student cheating. It had a type of strangeness of gloating over the misfortune of others and resentment but she was also afraid of alarming me and still had to put on an appearance of taking everyone's interests into consideration. She said, "What you said indeed makes sense. However, the matter of leaving the palace requires time for further consideration and discussion."
Actually, I knew that she won't be able to take long. If they drag on for a few more days, the bird would have already flown away. By then, where would they cast the net to capture it?
Therefore, on the third day, I received news that the Emperor and Empress will make an imperial visit to Li Quan Palace.
Translated and Edited by: HaruOngy and LalaKurouds
Editor: Luxe