Ninth Prince Yuntang stood at the most bustling street corner in the capital, looking at the throng of people in front of him, unable to suppress the smile on his lips.

His dozen or so shops have now all been converted into cosmetic shops, and the "Yunxiangge XX Branch" sign hanging in front of the door shines brightly in the sunlight.

"Ninth Master, our stock is almost gone!" The shopkeeper ran over to report, sweating profusely, but his face was beaming with joy.

Yuntang snapped out of his daze, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Then we'll speed up production and make sure to guarantee supply."

The shopkeeper nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes! I'll arrange it right away."

Yuntang turned his gaze back to the shop.

The shop was packed with ladies and young women, all vying to buy the legendary "blind box lipsticks".

A young woman in a pale yellow dress was carefully unwrapping a lipstick. When she saw the color inside, her eyes lit up instantly: "It's begonia red! This is exactly the color I need!" Her joy was palpable, attracting several other young women around her to come and take a look.

"Oh my, it's so beautiful! I want this color too!" a lady exclaimed enviously.

"Don't worry, madam, we still have some in our shop. Buy a few more, and you're sure to get the color you like." The shop assistant cleverly chimed in, and then promoted a few more.

"Madam, how many would you like?" the shopkeeper asked with a smile, holding a box of exquisite lipsticks in his hands.

"I'll take them all!" A richly dressed lady waved her hand generously, and the maid behind her immediately pulled out a silver note. "My young lady said that you can only exchange all twenty-four colors for the perfume. We can't let anyone else get there first!"

The shopkeeper nodded repeatedly, quickly wrapped up the lipsticks, and handed over an exquisite card: "Madam, this is a color collection card. You get a stamp for every lipstick you buy. Once you collect all twenty-four colors, you can exchange them for a bottle of special perfume."

The lady took the card, a hint of joy flashing in her eyes, as if she could already see what the bottle of perfume looked like.

She turned to her friends and said, "Hurry up and buy some, or they'll be sold out!"

This scene was playing out simultaneously in more than a dozen shops. The lipstick packaging was printed with designs of twenty-four colors, but only sixteen colors were actually produced. The remaining eight colors became "hidden editions," attracting ladies and young women to flock to them.

A lipstick that costs one or two taels of silver might be expensive for ordinary people, but for these noble ladies, it's just a matter of casually waving their hands.

They bought them without hesitation, and some even opened the packaging on the spot. If the color was the same as another one, they immediately turned around and bought another one.

At the entrance of Yunxiang Pavilion in Dongcheng, a young lady excitedly told her companion, "I've collected all sixteen colors! I only need eight more to exchange for that limited edition perfume!"

My companion nodded enviously: "You're amazing! I only managed to buy my third one today, and the colors are all the same."

"It's alright, we can switch!" the young lady enthusiastically suggested, and the two immediately began exchanging items in the shop, attracting the attention of those around them.

The shops in the western part of the city were bustling with activity. A lady boldly slapped down a silver ingot: "Give me twenty! I refuse to believe I won't win that rose gold one!"

The shop assistant beamed and quickly wrapped up twenty lipsticks, handing them to her. The lady immediately opened them, one after another, each opening eliciting a gasp or a sigh. When she finally drew the rose gold one, she was so excited she almost jumped for joy: "I've finally waited for this!"

Seeing this, the other customers in the shop became even more enthusiastic about buying, afraid that they would miss out on their favorite color.

Ninth Master stood to the side, dumbfounded. He had never imagined that business could be so booming.

He found immense enjoyment in visiting the stores that day.

The shop assistants were so busy they didn't even have time to drink water.

Sales of rouge and face powder also soared, and Yunxiang Pavilion's reputation spread throughout the capital overnight.

"Sir, this...this is too exaggerated, isn't it?" The steward next to him wiped the sweat from his forehead and said in a low voice.

Master Jiu snapped out of his daze, patted the steward on the shoulder, and laughed, "This is just the beginning!"

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In just a few days, a "blind box craze" swept through Beijing. The first question women from wealthy and powerful families asked each other was no longer "Have you eaten?" but rather, "How many colors have you collected?"

In teahouses and taverns, ladies gathered in small groups, showing off their collections of lipstick colors. Some even spent exorbitant sums to buy rare "hidden" shades from others.

"I heard that Minister Li's daughter has already collected all twenty colors, and is only missing four!"

"That's nothing! My young lady bought ten of them yesterday and got two hidden colors!"

Such conversations could be heard everywhere on the streets. The magic of blind boxes drove the women of the capital into a frenzy, and even other products from Yunxiang Pavilion were snapped up.

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This trend quickly attracted attention from both the court and the public. After court sessions, many officials found that their wives and daughters were talking about "lipsticks" and "blind boxes," which aroused their curiosity. Upon inquiring, they learned that these were shops owned by Ninth Prince Yuntang.

"When did Ninth Master start a business selling rouge and face powder?" an official asked, stroking his beard with a puzzled look.

"I heard it was an idea that was developed in collaboration with Consort Shu," another person whispered. "The idea for these blind boxes was Consort Shu's."

"Consort Shu?" The crowd exchanged bewildered glances, secretly marveling. This lady not only enjoyed the Emperor's favor but also possessed such a keen business sense.

Wait a minute! Isn't Consort Shu the same as Consort Yun? And isn't she the imperial merchant from before? Good heavens, she truly lives up to her title as an imperial merchant; her business acumen is quite ruthless!

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