Chapter 18 Chapter 18 Palace Maid's Eighteenth Day
During the more than four months that Shen Qingqing stayed in Siguozhai, she would put makeup on Du Baolin every day. Even if she did not go out, even if she was facing the harsh Nanny Fang, even if there was only Shanhu by her side, Du Baolin had to keep her makeup fully on, the only difference being the thickness of the makeup.
Du Baolin is also accustomed to taking a nap, washing her face before going to bed, and putting on makeup in the afternoon if necessary. The number of times she does not put on makeup is very few.
Therefore, Shen Qingqing practiced on that hibiscus face every day, and had unique insights on how to enhance her already beautiful appearance.
By analogy, Shen Qingqing also has her own ideas on how to make up the virtuous concubine and expand her advantages.
After taking a glance at the rouge and powder in Concubine Xian's rosewood makeup box, she picked up the tools and started working.
It is popular nowadays to apply lead powder on the face to achieve a white skin effect, but Concubine Xian is already very fair, so lead powder has little effect. Pearl powder will do the trick. However, lead powder is good for brightening, but you can't use too much.
Shen Qingqing used pearl powder as a base, and then used lead powder to brighten her forehead, nose, and chin.
Although lead powder is harmful to the skin, its effect is there. She couldn't find a good substitute for it at the moment, so she had to use it reluctantly. Otherwise, the concubines in the harem were all white and eye-catching, but it was not good for the virtuous concubine to be dull.
Next is rouge. Du Baolin is handsome, so he is suitable for rich red, while Concubine Xian is gentle, so she is more suitable for light pink.
Shen Qingqing dipped a cotton pad in rouge, lifted Concubine Xian's chin with her index finger, and began to blend her eyes and cheeks. She let go only when she was satisfied. She quickly changed tools and painted a flower ornament on Concubine Xian's forehead. Because Concubine Xian's name contained the character "moon", she selfishly painted a flower ornament related to the moon.
Considering that the makeup in this dynasty had not yet been fully developed with flower ornaments and was a relatively niche type of makeup, she wanted to show off her skills and make it more refined.
"Do you have any gold leaf?"
Shen Qingqing's movements were extremely quick and efficient. The palace maids beside her were only stunned for a moment, but she had already put on most of the makeup, and it was just right.
Before the painting was finished, Hemerocallis felt that the Empress seemed more charming.
The maid beside him came to her senses and said, "Yes, I'll get it for you." Then she went to find the gold leaf, but she was still wondering what she wanted the gold leaf for. Could it be for her face? No one had ever put gold leaf on their face.
A bit weird.
Shen Qingqing nodded, and before the gold foil was taken out, she applied half-little lip balm to the virtuous concubine, with a light top and dark bottom to match her makeup. However, she paid more attention to the fullness and color of the lips, and then drew long and slender distant mountain eyebrows.
At this point, the makeup is almost done, but perhaps the gold foil was placed in an unknown location and has not been retrieved yet.
So Shen Qingqing stared at Concubine Xian's makeup, and then started to put on eye makeup for Concubine Xian, outlining the eye shape. She didn't dare to add more, because a makeup with multiple focuses would look very messy.
At this time, the palace maid held a tray with a box filled with gold foil on it.
Shen Qingqing took a little bit of it and put it on the flower ornaments, and the finishing touch was completed.
She withdrew her hands, and it didn't take long at all. She folded her hands on her abdomen and said, "Your Majesty, please take a look. If there are any changes that need to be made, please tell me."
The virtuous concubine turned her head to look at the bronze mirror beside the makeup box. Pink is a very girlish color, but this makeup did not make her look delicate. Instead, it exuded gentleness everywhere, with an elegance between a girl and a woman.
Her red lips are like fresh cherries, adding a touch of charm to her. She looks very amiable and appealing.
The small flower ornaments on the forehead, set off by the broken gold, have a kind of beauty that is hard to look away from. What satisfies Concubine Xian most is the ingenuity in the flower ornaments. She likes the moon, and her boudoir in the Xiao Mansion is named after it. She also has a guqin with the word "moon" in its name.
Xiao Shangyue smiled slightly, and the familiar yet unfamiliar beauty in the mirror also looked radiant.
[I like it so much, wow, so beautiful, this is me, Xiao Shangyue! ]
[This palace is such a beautiful lady, I am almost fainted by my own beauty. Is this the reward for working hard in the palace? If so, I am willing to do this job for the rest of my life.]
Shen Qingqing lowered her head, feeling relieved.
In fact, she couldn't guarantee how amazing this makeup would be, because she had seen very few concubines, and even if she had seen them, she would only take a quick glance and couldn't look closely.
Her control over the popular makeup of concubines all came from her master and Du Baolin.
After all, Du Baolin had been a favorite concubine, and her favorite makeup style to a certain extent reflected the popular trends in the palace, and was even initiated by her herself.
Concubine Xian touched her hair bun. No matter what she thought, her expression remained calm: "Change this bun into a single spiral bun."
She didn't praise Shen Qing directly, but this sentence proved that she was very satisfied with her facial makeup, so much so that her well-combed hair gave way to it.
The two palace maids who were combing concubine Xian's hair came forward and combed her hair again.
Shen Qing stepped aside and glanced at the progress of the bun.
Soon, a female doctor was brought into the main hall of Jingren Palace. It was the one summoned by Concubine Xian for Shen Qing.
Xuancao took Shen Qing to gesture to Concubine Xian, and Concubine Xian nodded slightly, indicating her approval.
The two came out of the inner room and walked to the table and chairs in the outer room. Xuancao pushed Shen Qing to sit down. Shen Qing had no choice but to roll up her sleeves. The female doctor sat beside her and treated her.
Shen Qingqing had been to the Pharmacy before and asked the young eunuch when getting medicine. Some external injuries that did not involve the bones could basically heal on their own after taking the medicine, and there was no need to find a female doctor.
Sure enough, after examining the patient, the female doctor prescribed some medicine as usual and mentioned some taboos, and that was all.
Xuancao asked if there was any magic medicine to remove scars, and the female doctor took out a box of medicine from the box she carried with her and said, "Although it is not as effective as the tribute gold wound jade ointment in removing scars, if you apply this every day, the scars will fade."
"Golden Chalcedony Ointment?" Shen Qingqing asked doubtfully.
Before the female doctor could answer, Xuancao had already explained her doubts: "Golden Jade Ointment is a tribute to the emperor every year. Because it is made of precious materials, the annual output is limited. A little bit is worth a thousand gold coins, and it is not available for purchase. I haven't heard any master in the harem ask for it. The only ones should be in the hands of the emperor. The people in the Imperial Hospital often like to talk about precious medicines."
The doctor smiled when she heard this.
Only then did Shen Qingqing realize that the box of medicine the female doctor took out was almost the same as the ointment she had given to Dong'er, except that the packaging had changed. It should be the ointment made in large quantities by the Imperial Hospital. Although it could not compare to the tribute mentioned by the female doctor, it should be very good for her situation.
After the diagnosis, the female doctor took the things and left. Xuancao put the ointment into Shen Qing's arms. Because the ointment was paid for by Jingren Palace, Xuancao said a few more words to prevent Shen Qing from worrying.
The two of them returned to Concubine Xian together.
By the time Concubine Xian allowed the palace maids to change into her dress of alternating scented and golden red, it was almost time for the banquet.
During this process, her inner voice kept popping up, making Shen Qingqing unable to ignore it. Most of it was about whether the banquet tonight could go smoothly, praying that the part she was responsible for would not go wrong, then she thought about Concubine De and other concubines, and finally when she thought of Du Baolin, her inner voice stopped, thinking that she had no clear idea in her mind.
Finally, after putting on her palace clothes, she looked up at Shen Qing: "Shen Qing, follow me."
Shen Qingqing reacted quickly, followed Xuancao, and went to the Qixi banquet with Concubine Xian.
She roughly guessed Concubine Xian's intention. Concubine Xian could not predict what would happen at this palace banquet, but she was sure that Du Baolin would not be calm. No matter if someone else pulled Du Baolin or Du Baolin jumped out himself, Concubine Xian only needed to lead her to act according to the situation and she would have gained the advantage.
The Qixi banquet is held in the evening.
When the virtuous concubine led her people there, the sun was setting. The sky was a sea of orange clouds. The palace wall served as a dividing line, splitting the sky and the earth into two. The palace road next to the palace wall was blocked by the afterglow of the sunset, and there was a shadow.
The virtuous concubine sat in a sedan chair, and except for a senior palace maid who was accompanying her, the rest of the palace servants fell behind.
Halfway through the journey, it was getting dark, and half of the palace servants had a square palace lantern in their hands. Since Shen Qingqing's arm was injured, she didn't need to carry it.
Hemerocallis took this opportunity to ask her, "You are tired, can you handle it?"
Shen Qingqing felt that she was in good health and had not suffered any injuries, so she was not weak at all. She shook her head, her eyes bright, "Sister, I'm not tired."
Xuancao turned her head. She actually saw that the arm of another palace maid holding the lantern was shaking. Considering that Shen Qing was a patient, she came to ask her what was wrong. When she saw that Shen Qing was not even sweating, she immediately felt relieved.
The banquet was held in the Palace of Heavenly Purity and was considered a family banquet. When Concubine Xian and her entourage arrived, the concubines of lower rank had already been there for a while, except for Concubine De and Concubine Gao, who was absent for some unknown reason while the Emperor was away.
The concubines of lower rank stood up one after another and saluted to Concubine Xian. Concubine Xian said softly that it was not necessary and walked inside.
After paying her respects, Concubine Yu stood up straight. She had just taken a quick glance in the hall and had noticed that Concubine Xian's makeup was different today. After paying her respects, she looked at her carefully again and her eyes widened slightly in surprise.
Today, all the thoughtful concubines dressed up for the Qixi Festival banquet, and she was no exception. Although she was of the same age as Concubine Xian, her lower position allowed her to look younger, which was not out of place. But today, Concubine Xian also wore pink and white makeup for some reason, which was even more exquisite than hers. In direct comparison, how could the Emperor remember her today?
Concubine Yu's gaze lingered on Concubine Xian's face. She ordered the palace maid beside her to take note of Concubine Xian's makeup. If the Emperor liked it, she would imitate it.
Yan Xiuyi's seat was closest to Concubine Xian. After paying her respects, she unabashedly cast her gaze on Concubine Xian's face: "Madam, your nose seems to have become taller?"
Shen Qing heard this from behind Concubine Xian, and couldn't help but think that this was probably Gao Guang's magic.
Concubine Xian smiled slightly and said, "If Yan Xiuyi likes it, you can come to my palace and let Shen Qing put on makeup for you."
"Shen Qing? The Empress has a new palace maid?" Yan Xiuyi was quite familiar with the people around Concubine Xian. Before today, there was absolutely no such person as Shen Qing.
She asked inquiringly, and at this moment her makeup needed to be put back a little.
Concubine Xian smiled and looked at Yan Xiuyi: "She was originally a second-class maid in Siguozhai. Because of some things, she was transferred to Jingren Palace today. She also happened to fill the vacancy of a second-class maid by my side."
【Old fox.】
Shen Qingqing lowered her head. The virtuous concubine called Yan Xiuyi an old fox, which meant that Yan Xiuyi, who rarely left Changchun Palace, was also not simple in the eyes of the virtuous concubine.
Yan Xiuyi said "oh", took a sip of tea, and stopped asking.
The virtuous concubine withdrew her gaze.
Although she is kind to others and wants to be kind to others, it does not mean that she cannot see through other people's thoughts.
As soon as the two finished their conversation, a eunuch sang: "The Empress Defei has arrived——"
The concubines stood up and saluted, while Concubine Xian sat firmly in her seat and nodded to the visitor. The beautiful woman, dressed in purple palace dress, with pearls and jade on her head, and with a fierce aura, looked at Concubine Xian from a distance, with a smile on her lips.
"Today, Concubine Xian is extremely beautiful, even more so than Concubine Yu."
Concubine Yu said, "Your Majesty, I am so ashamed to praise you. In terms of beauty, I cannot compare with Your Majesty the Virtuous Concubine."
She pushed back neither too hard nor too lightly. Concubine De used her as a raft on purpose. Did she look like she was made of clay?
Concubine De ignored Concubine Yu, as if she didn't hear anything. This attitude of disregard made Concubine Yu feel embarrassed, so she lowered her head and covered her eyes.
Xian Fei said, "Sister De Fei is not bad either. The new earrings are extremely rare."
【Old woman.】
Shen Qingqing thought silently: My Queen, your character has collapsed.
Defei is the same age as Xianfei, but Xianfei is older. Whenever the two of them are doing something dirty, Xianfei always likes to secretly make fun of Defei's age.
Concubine De sneered in her heart, adjusted her earrings, and returned to her seat.
This earring was not included in her share, but she had spent a lot of effort to buy it from outside the palace. She was in charge of the Shangfu Bureau and the Shanggong Bureau, so she had some power. Although she was not afraid of being investigated, she had not touched the money in the palace and there was no problem with the accounts, but it would take a long time to explain it.
I’m so annoyed by this damn woman Xiao Shangyue.
She had been competing with her for superiority before she got married, and unexpectedly they both entered the prince's mansion as concubines, and she could not get rid of her.
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