Quick Travel to the Clouds

Chapter 499 Koi Little Lucky Star 28

After settling down for a while, Yun Chu was not in a hurry to take care of the household affairs. She was well aware of the saying that "a distant relative is not as good as a close neighbor."

After a few days of rest, he visited his neighbors one by one, carrying carefully prepared fashionable Beijing snacks and candied fruits that were specialties of Jiangnan.

There was the wife of the Li family, the deputy minister of the Ministry of Rites next door, the family of the old doctor of the Imperial College across the street, and even the wife of a certain director working at the Ministry of Revenue down the alley...

Yun Chu was humble but extremely polite, and her speech and behavior were graceful. She was neither timid because her husband's official position was slightly lower, nor was she arrogant because of her mother's family's wealth.

Her words were soft and sweet like a girl from the south of the Yangtze River, and she had the acumen of a traveling merchant. In addition, her status as a bride from the scholarly family of Ji quickly won the favor of the neighboring ladies.

In particular, the snacks she served were exquisite and delicious, and the candied fruits had a unique flavor, and soon became a topic of conversation among the ladies.

She also revealed that her family ran a small rouge and powder shop in the capital - "Yunxiangzhai", saying that it was just a hobby and also for her own convenience.

Yunxiangzhai is located in Jinyu Hutong, the most prosperous area in the south of the city, with an excellent location.

The shop is not big, but the decoration is very elegant. The screen made of white silk is painted with black bamboo and magnolia. It is quiet and elegant, fragrant but not greasy, which is completely different from the ordinary rouge shops on the market that are choking with smoke.

Yun Chu was not in a hurry to check the accounts. Instead, he carefully observed the environment and display of goods in the shop. He also personally smelled the powder and tried the color and fineness of the rouge.

He said to the steward, "Bring me some of the finest rose water, pearl powder, and the box of top-quality stone ink (the material for eyebrow pencil) that I had shipped from Lingnan last time."

A few days later, Yun Chu personally prepared a "Jade Dew Moisturizing Cream" that blended several special flower dew essences. He also used the best stone ink as the main ingredient and mixed it with several special medicinal juices to make several "Distant Mountain Ink" eyebrow pencils. The eyebrows he drew were as natural as distant mountains in ink, and they were extremely adherent and not easy to fade.

It happened that the neighbor Mr. Li was holding a flower-viewing banquet at his house and invited all the female relatives he knew.

Yun Chu also attended the banquet at Madam Li's invitation.

During the banquet, she didn't advertise her shop much. However, when several young ladies she knew mentioned the rarity of finding new and unique makeup colors, she smiled and replied, "I've recently acquired a few new gadgets that look quite novel. If you sisters have some free time someday, why not come and take a look at my little 'Yun Xiang Zhai'?"

While talking, she did not wear heavy makeup. She only used her own newly made perfume as a base, applied a thin layer of lily of the valley pollen to brighten her face, then lightly brushed her eyebrows with the "Distant Mountain Black", and set off her lips with a little "Dianjiang Lip" color carefully mixed with peony rouge.

The makeup was very light, but it brought out the advantages of her facial features, making them elegant and delicate. Her complexion was excellent, and she was like a breath of fresh air among the heavy makeup that competed for beauty in the garden.

The eyebrows were particularly natural and full of charm, as if they were born that way. Several ladies who were concerned about her makeup immediately noticed her and took a closer look.

The second young lady of the Li family couldn't help but whisper, "Sister Yun's eyebrows are really well drawn. The color and brushstrokes don't look like the ordinary black eyebrows you can buy in the market."

Yun Chu pursed her lips and chuckled softly, whispering, "It's a new small brush called 'Distant Mountain Ink'. You need to be gentle and even with your hand when painting. My sister likes it, so I'll give you one to try in a few days."

A stone stirred up a thousand waves.

The effect of this "Distant Mountain Blue" was witnessed with one's own eyes, and with Yun Chu, the newly appointed wife of a Hanlin scholar and a new bride from a scholarly family, personally "endorsing" it, its effect instantly spread by word of mouth among the ladies and young ladies attending the flower-viewing banquet.

The ladies who had originally visited with the intention of making friends with their neighbors now looked at Mrs. Ji with a bit of wonder.

She was not only a gentle and polite bride, but the elegant taste revealed in her every move and the cleverness in decorating her boudoir quietly became a unique stepping stone for her to open the circle of noble ladies in the capital.

In front of Yunxiangzhai, a number of exquisite carriages with family crests began to appear one after another.

In just two months, "Distant Mountain Black" and "Red Lip" rouge, as well as the unique "Jade Dew Moisturizing Cream", quietly circulated in the boudoirs of the capital, becoming the new favorites that the ladies of high wealth secretly competed for and pursued.

In the Hanlin Academy, Ji Qingyuan immersed himself in the vast classics and compiled the Veritable Records for the emperor.

He didn't know yet that his wife, whom he cherished deeply in his heart, had quietly left a new crimson mark that could not be ignored in the splendid waves of the capital city in her familiar area.

Her roots, in another posture, are tenaciously reaching out to this prosperous and complex soil.

***

Two years ago, the Lin family happily sent Lin Fubao on a phoenix chariot to the capital, and she became the honorable Princess Ping of the Dayin Dynasty.

Lin Fubao at that time was ignorant and nervous. She only remembered the wealth and glory promised by her brother Xiao Hong (although he had become a prince, the image of the young boy when he was rescued often appeared in her mind).

As the rumors say, she does have a kind of "good fortune" that others can hardly match.

During the two years in the palace, this "good fortune" was fulfilled in Xiao Hong in various subtle ways: when he was troubled by a difficult task, he would always find a way out;

When he and his political opponents reach a stalemate, his opponents often make unexpected mistakes;

Even a fall from his horse that should have seriously injured him only gave him a false alarm... All the coincidences came together, and gradually made it difficult for the thoughtful Xiao Hong to regard it as a complete coincidence.

In addition, Lin Fubao had a gentle and docile temperament and served him wholeheartedly. Although he still had some resentment in his heart due to her background, he did show more genuine concern and tolerance for her.

Now, Fubao has been quietly pregnant with two children for more than four months.

This was the most important happy event for Prince Ping's Mansion, and it also made Fubao's position in the mansion more stable.

Although Xiao Hong had not relaxed his ban on her family - the Lin family members were still not allowed to set foot in the capital easily, so as not to remind him of his not-so-glorious past and this calculated marriage - he was not stingy with the pregnant princess's food, clothing, housing and transportation, striving to ensure comfort and appropriateness.

In front of the dressing table, Lin Fubao was being helped by her personal maid Chunying to comb her long hair.

The woman in the mirror has lost some of her former innocence and gained more of a woman's gentleness, but there is always a lingering loneliness in the depths of her eyes.

The splendor of this large mansion cannot compare to the cool breeze and stream water familiar to the back hills of my hometown.

Even when pregnant, she often felt lost. Chunying held out an exquisite lacquer box inlaid with mother-of-pearl. "Madam, which rouge would you like today? Among the tributes sent by the Imperial Household Department is a 'Dianjiang Lip' rouge, which is said to be a new and excellent product in the capital. It gives your lips a vibrant color and is moisturizing and won't fade easily."

Fu Bao's eyes flickered slightly, her gaze settling on the delicate, lustrous lipstick in the box. It wasn't that she didn't like makeup, but no matter how many exquisite objects there were in the palace, they always lacked the warmth of human kindness.

"That's an elegant name..." she whispered. Chunying picked up another thin, straight eyebrow pencil and said, "And this 'Distant Mountain Black', it creates eyebrows that are incredibly natural and expressive. I think it's much better than the old black stone ones we had in the palace."

"I heard they all came from a new shop called 'Yun Xiang Zhai'. It's very popular among the ladies of high society. It's run by Madam Yun, the editor of the Hanlin Academy."