Chapter 22

As autumn deepened, a thrilling business counterattack ended in a complete victory for Cui Yunshu.

The Second Prince's faction suffered a devastating loss in this high-stakes gamble, losing not only millions of taels of silver but also facing numerous criticisms from both inside and outside the court for their mismanagement and market disruption. Their strength was severely damaged, forcing them to temporarily withdraw their forces.

After this battle, Cui Yunshu's business empire was not weakened; on the contrary, by devouring her rivals' resources and consolidating the chaotic market, it became larger and more stable than ever before. Her secret warehouses were piled high with massive amounts of raw materials, enough to sustain her business for several years, acquired at low prices from the Second Prince's henchmen.

The title of "the richest woman in Qin" began to circulate quietly in the capital. Although no one knew who the real helmsman behind the "Yunjian Pavilion" group of industries was, everyone knew that the Cui family, this ancient aristocratic family, already possessed an invisible giant hand that could turn lead into gold.

However, Cui Yunshu did not bask in the joy of victory. She knew better than anyone that this victory in the business world was merely the first step in a long march. As long as the Second Prince remained in power, this war would not cease. She had to press her advantage, continuously expanding her territory and extending her reach into every area that could bring wealth and influence.

After thoroughly stabilizing the raw material supply chain, Cui Yunshu's second major plan, which she had been brewing for a long time, was officially put on the agenda.

"The Romance of the Flowers in the Mirror".

This poetic name is what she chose for her upcoming high-end beauty brand.

She set her sights on the group of people who love beauty the most and are most willing to spend a fortune on "beauty"—women.

[Yunjian Pavilion Headquarters, Qing Shu Courtyard]

“Mother, look, these are the three new lip rouge colors that I have mixed.”

Inside Qing Shu Courtyard, Cui Yun Shu laid out several exquisite small round white jade boxes one by one in front of her mother, Song Shi.

The lid was opened, revealing creams of various colors and delicate textures. One was "Vermilion Spot," a deep red like blood, bright and captivating; the second was "Cardamom Tip," a pink with a hint of orange, delicate and lively; the third was "Drunken Return," the color of a ripe berry, serene yet alluring.

"This lip rouge is made with beeswax and pig pancreas as a base, supplemented with natural herbal colors such as safflower and alkanet root, and a small amount of precious spices purchased from Western merchants. Not only is it rich in color and moisturizing without drying, but it also has a faint exotic fragrance." Cui Yunshu picked up a small jade stick, dipped it in a little rouge, and gently ran it across the back of her hand, leaving a smooth and bright color.

Looking at the three distinct yet breathtakingly beautiful colors on her daughter's hand, Madam Song was filled with amazement. As a beauty expert herself, she was intimately familiar with the quality of various cosmetics. With just one glance, she could tell that the texture and color of her daughter's lipstick far surpassed any product from any established brand on the market.

“It’s not just lip balm,” Cui Yunshu said, bringing over a few more porcelain bottles. “My daughter has also developed a whitening face cream made from pearl powder and almond milk; an eyebrow pencil made from powdered charred willow branches mixed with oils, which is easier to apply; and… ‘Flower Dew,’ extracted from fresh flowers using distillation, is a hundred times purer than ordinary perfumes.”

Lip balm, face cream, eyebrow pencil, perfume...

A complete line of beauty products that was ahead of its time was clearly presented to the Song family by Cui Yunshu.

"Good...good child..." Madam Song looked at the bottles and jars before her, too excited to speak. She knew that once these things were released, they would bring about a revolutionary upheaval to the cosmetics market in the capital and even the entire Qin Dynasty!

“Mother, I’ve already chosen the location for ‘Mirror Flower Fate,’ right next to the ‘Cloud Pavilion’ flagship store. I plan to combine the two stores to create a connected, top-tier shopping destination exclusively for wealthy ladies and socialites.” Cui Yunshu’s eyes gleamed with the sharp light of a business elite. “But this time, our marketing strategy will be different.”

"How do we play?" Song asked with great interest.

“A combination of word-of-mouth marketing and… scarcity marketing,” Cui Yunshu said with a smile. “Before the official opening of ‘Jinghuayuan’, we will hold a ‘Hundred Flowers Appreciation Event’.”

She elaborated on her plan: to invite one hundred of the most influential ladies and socialites in the capital to a private and extremely luxurious tasting event. At the event, each of them would be given a complete set of "Mirror Flower Fate" products for free trial, and the most professional makeup artists (maids personally trained by Cui Yunshu) would create the most suitable makeup for them.

"Women are the most 'seeing is believing' kind of people. When they see with their own eyes that their appearance has become more beautiful under the makeup of 'Jinghuayuan' products, and when they leave the tasting event and receive amazed looks from their husbands, friends, and even strangers, each of them will become our most loyal and persuasive 'living advertisement'."

"After the tasting event, 'Jinghuayuan' will not open immediately. We want to announce that due to the rarity of raw materials and the complexity of the process, the first batch of products will be limited in quantity and will not be officially launched until half a month later. In this way, we can push their expectations and desire to buy to the highest peak!"

After listening to her daughter's meticulously crafted marketing strategy, which demonstrated a profound understanding of human nature, Mrs. Song was already amazed. Holding her daughter's hand, she said with deep emotion, "Shu'er, sometimes I really want to crack open your little head and see what kind of ingenious ideas are inside."

The plan was quickly put into practice.

Thanks to the top-tier connections accumulated by "Yunjian Pavilion" and the renowned reputation of "Princess Bingxue", the invitation to the "Jinghuayuan" Hundred Flowers Appreciation Meeting received an enthusiastic response from all the top noble ladies and socialites in the capital as soon as it was sent out.

On the day of the tasting event, the Cui family's private garden was filled with elegant ladies, their clothes gleaming. When these noblewomen, who were used to using imperial products, experienced for the first time the delicate texture, stunning color, and one-on-one makeup design service provided by professional "beauty consultants" of "Mirror Flower Fate," they went completely crazy.

Just as Cui Yunshu had predicted, after the tasting event, this group of walking "living advertisements" immediately stirred up a huge storm about "Flowers in the Mirror" in Beijing's high society.

"Have you heard? The fourth daughter of the Cui family has come up with another amazing gadget!"

"I've heard so much about it! I saw Madam Li with my own eyes at the banquet at the Duke of Anguo's mansion yesterday! She only used the 'Mirror Flower Fate' face cream and lip rouge, and she looked at least five years younger!"

"Really? Is it that amazing?"

“Absolutely true! I’ve also heard that the fragrant dew in ‘The Mirror of Flowers’ is called ‘Flower Dew.’ Just one drop can make it smell for miles and last for three days!”

The two-week "hunger marketing" strategy completely ignited market expectations. On the day "Jinghuayuan" officially opened, the scene was even more spectacular than that of "Yunjiange" before. Countless wealthy ladies and socialites waved their banknotes, almost breaking down the store's threshold, all in the hope of snatching a set of the legendary "divine cosmetics".

Cui Yunshu's business empire expanded once again, and her title as "the richest woman in Qin" became increasingly well-known.

However, this tremendous success, like a piece of fresh meat thrown into a shark swarm, inevitably attracted the covetous eyes of even more powerful and greedy predators.

[Imperial Palace, Yikun Palace]

"Smack!"

A teacup painted with famille rose peonies from the imperial kiln was smashed to the ground and shattered into pieces instantly.

"A bunch of good-for-nothings!" The Imperial Concubine Wang, dressed in magnificent palace attire, was furious, her face ashen and her chest heaving. Pointing at the kneeling managers of the Wang family's business, she sternly berated them, "Just a shop run by a young girl, and you've all been driven to the brink of ruin? Did I raise you all just so you could laugh at me?!"

The shopkeepers were so frightened they trembled and didn't dare to lift their heads.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger," the head shopkeeper, Wang, said in a trembling voice. "It's not that we are incompetent, it's just that... those 'Mirror Flower Fate' products are too... too wicked! Whether it's the color of the lipstick or the efficacy of the face cream, they are far beyond what we can compare to. Now... now, they have taken away seven or eight out of ten of the high-end rouge and face powder business in the capital!"

Upon hearing this, Consort Wang became even more furious.

The supplies for the palace, as well as the market for high-end cosmetics in the capital, have always been controlled by the businesses owned by her maternal family, the Wang family. This is not only an important source of revenue for the Wang family, but also a crucial means for her, as a Noble Consort, to control the harem and win over the hearts of the people.

But now, Cui Yunshu's "Flower in the Mirror" has suddenly appeared, not only cutting off the Wang family's source of wealth, but also severely slapping her, the imperial concubine, in the face!

"Issue my imperial decree!" A ruthless glint flashed in Consort Wang's eyes. "From this day forward, from the concubines to the maids, no one in the palace is permitted to use any products from 'Mirror Flower Fate'! Anyone who violates this decree will be punished for bewitching the palace!"

"Also, go and deliver a message to the ladies of each household," she added coldly, "say that I... find the colors of that 'Flowers in the Mirror' too alluring lately, and I don't particularly like them."

This was blatant threat and suppression. She intended to use her status as a concubine to launch a top-down boycott, nipping "The Romance of the Mirror Flower" in the bud!

[Eastern Palace, Changxin Hall]

The sun was shining brightly on an autumn afternoon.

Cui Yunxi was sitting by the window, carefully drawing her eyebrows in front of a bronze mirror. The eyebrow pencil in her hand was the new "Mirror Flower Fate" product that her younger sister had personally delivered a few days ago.

"Your Highness, have you heard?" Her trusted maid, Azhu, whispered as she combed Azhu's long hair, "That person from Yikun Palace... has ordered that 'Jinghuayuan' cosmetics are not allowed to be used in the palace."

Cui Yunxi paused slightly as she drew her eyebrows, then resumed her steady hand movements. Looking at her clear eyes in the mirror, she said calmly, "I understand."

“Then…then let’s…” A-Zhu said with some worry.

Cui Yunxi didn't speak, but simply put down her eyebrow pencil, picked up a box of lip rouge the color of crimson blood, dabbed a little with her fingertip, and gently dabbed it on her lips. The person in the mirror instantly became like a plum blossom reflected in snow, gaining the most captivating touch of brilliance.

“A-Zhu,” she began, her voice calm and even, “is Her Majesty the Empress going to hold a chrysanthemum appreciation banquet in the Imperial Garden in three days?”

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Go and fetch my newly made palace dress with gold-embroidered phoenix patterns." Cui Yunxi's lips curled into a shallow yet firm smile. "That day, I will show everyone just how good the things my sister Cui makes are."

Three days later, a chrysanthemum appreciation banquet will be held in the Imperial Garden.

When the future Crown Princess Cui Yunxi appeared before everyone in her magnificent palace attire, the entire banquet hall fell into a brief silence.

All eyes were drawn to her radiant face.

Her makeup was exquisite, like a meticulous painting. Her eyebrows were like distant mountains shrouded in mist, her skin was like solidified cream, and the perfectly placed crimson on her lips was the finishing touch, giving her a breathtaking beauty that blended coolness and radiance.

"Sister Xi, you are truly radiant today." The Empress looked at her, her eyes full of undisguised admiration.

Even the usually stern emperor couldn't help but linger a few moments longer when his gaze fell upon her.

Consort Wang sat in the hall, her face extremely grim as she looked at Cui Yunxi, who had become the center of attention. She knew she had lost.

Crown Prince Tang Jingcheng, from the moment Cui Yunxi appeared, could not take his eyes off her. He walked to her side, gazing at the captivating red of her lips, his eyes filled with tenderness and love, and couldn't help but whisper in front of everyone:

"Her face and the peach blossoms complemented each other beautifully."

This statement is less of a compliment and more of a heartfelt confession.

The "sales-driving" effect of the future monarch and queen mother will be devastating.

The Empress's praise and the Crown Prince's sweet words quickly spread throughout the capital.

The so-called "ban" issued by Consort Wang became a complete laughing stock overnight.

Meanwhile, the reputation of "Flowers in the Mirror" was propelled to an unprecedented peak during this silent palace intrigue. Countless noblewomen who had previously been hesitant completely dispelled their concerns and flocked to the shops like madmen, all in the hope of buying a set of "the Crown Princess's" makeup products.

Inside Qing Shu's courtyard, Cui Yun Shu listened to the news brought back by A Tao and simply smiled faintly.

She knew that her sister was no longer the tragic supporting character in the book who needed her protection. She had learned to protect her love and solidify her position in her own way.

And she can finally walk her own path with more peace of mind.