CCWAD – Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen: Rouge and Powder Conceal a Sharp Edge

Epigraph:

“I thought they handed me a box of ordinary rouge, only to find poisoned silver needles hidden inside. Li Shishi said lightly, ‘Gifts from Tokyo are always rather unique.'”

—

Imperial Physician Chen’s diagnosis of “imbalance of Yin and Yang” was like a searing brand, causing Yan Qing both embarrassment and, strangely, a layer of protection. She carefully put away the illegible prescription; it would serve as “authoritative proof” against the suspicions of Lu Junyi and the Liangshan heroes.

Meanwhile, Li Shishi remained like a bottomless, still lake. After a stone was thrown, only a few ripples spread before the water settled again. For several days, Yan Qing patiently refrained from visiting Fan Lou. She knew that appearing too eager would only arouse suspicion. She needed to wait for the right moment, or for Li Shishi to send another signal.

She used this time to continue familiarizing herself with Tokyo. She explored the bustling shops lining Imperial Street, sampled various snacks at the Zhou Bridge night market, and mingled in tea houses and taverns, eavesdropping on discussions from all walks of life. She was like a sponge, greedily absorbing all information about this era and this capital city.

She heard about how the current Emperor (Emperor Huizong of Song) was obsessed with calligraphy, painting, and antiquities, and how he favored figures like Cai Jing and Tong Guan, the “Six Thieves.” She also heard the common folk grumbling about the Flower and Rock Network and the Birthday Tribute. She even caught faint whispers about the Fang La rebellion in the south. This gave her a more visceral understanding of the crisis brewing beneath the surface of Northern Song’s apparent prosperity and grandeur.

At the same time, she paid closer attention to rumors related to Li Shishi. This famous courtesan was not only the Emperor’s confidante and maintained close ties with scholars and poets like Zhou Bangyan, but also seemed to… have interactions with “friends” of ambiguous status, who were neither purely literary figures nor officials. These fragments of information made her image of Li Shishi increasingly complex and inscrutable.

One afternoon, as Yan Qing was in her inn room, comparing the ingredients on Imperial Physician Chen’s prescription and trying to determine if the medicine would cause diarrhea, a gentle knock sounded at her door.

Alert, she put away the prescription. “Who is it?”

“Young Master Yan, I am from Fan Lou,” came a slightly youthful male voice from outside.

Yan Qing’s heart stirred. She opened the door to find a boy of thirteen or fourteen, with clear eyes and a handsome face, standing there holding a delicately crafted brocade box.

“I am Xiao Zhu, a servant attending Lady Li. Lady Li ordered me to deliver this to you,” the boy said, bowing before presenting the box.

Yan Qing took the brocade box. It felt substantial and carried a faint scent of wood. “Did Lady Li have any other instructions?”

Xiao Zhu shook his head. “Lady Li only ordered me to deliver this item. She had no other words.” He then bowed and retreated.

Yan Qing closed the door and returned to her table, examining the brocade box. It was made of purple sandalwood, carved with entwined lotus patterns, and exquisitely made. Why would Li Shishi suddenly send her this?

She carefully opened the lid.

Inside, to her surprise, were not letters or curios, but rather… a dazzling array of rouge and powder.

Jade Hairpin Powder, Rose Soap, Jade Paste, Rouge Tablets… various porcelain jars and jade pots were neatly arranged, colorful and fragrant. At the very top lay a delicate rhinoceros horn comb and a small, round mirror.

Yan Qing was stunned.

Sending her rouge and powder? What did Li Shishi mean by this? Was she mocking her “imbalance of Yin and Yang” and her femininity? Or was it some kind of test she couldn’t comprehend?

Frowning, she reached out to pick up the box of the most vibrant-looking rouge tablets to examine it more closely. The moment her fingertips touched the cool, smooth edge of the porcelain box, her movement abruptly halted.

Something was wrong.

Li Shishi must have known about Imperial Physician Chen’s diagnosis. With her keen intellect, it was highly unlikely she would express herself in such a direct, even insulting, manner. This was not her style.

Therefore, this box of rouge and powder must hold a secret.

Yan Qing held her breath, her movements becoming even more deliberate. She ignored the conspicuous cosmetics and first picked up the rhinoceros horn comb. The teeth were fine and smooth, showing nothing unusual. She then picked up the mirror. The surface was clear, and the carving on the back was also ordinary.

Her gaze returned to the cosmetic boxes. Finally, it settled on the box of Jade Hairpin Powder, which looked the most ordinary and least conspicuously colored. This box was placed in a corner. The white porcelain box had no ornamentation, making it stand out in contrast to the exquisite containers around it.

She gently picked up the box of Jade Hairpin Powder. It seemed heavier than she expected. She tried to twist open the lid, but it was screwed on very tightly. Applying a bit more force, she heard a faint “click,” and the lid popped open a crack.

A faint scent, different from the fragrance of cosmetics, with a hint of metallic sharpness, wafted out.

Yan Qing’s heart tightened. She carefully used her fingernail to pry open the lid.

Inside, the upper layer was indeed covered with a layer of fine white powder. But as she gently brushed aside the thin layer of powder with the tip of her comb, her pupils contracted sharply!

Beneath the powder, there were no hidden compartments or slips of paper as she had imagined, but rather… three finely crafted silver needles, as thin as ox hairs and about an inch long, arranged neatly. They gleamed with a dark blue hue, their tips glinting with a chilling light under the window’s illumination.

Poisoned silver needles!

Yan Qing gasped, her hand trembling. She almost dropped the box! She quickly closed the lid, her heart pounding wildly.

Li Shishi… she had sent her a box of rouge containing hidden danger?

What did this mean? A warning? A threat? Or… a peculiar kind of “welcome gift”?

Still shaken, her gaze swept over the interior of the brocade box again. She suddenly noticed a corner of an extremely thin piece of paper, similar in color to the velvet lining, tucked near the edge of where the cosmetics were placed. If one didn’t look closely, it would be impossible to spot.

She steadied herself and, with trembling fingers, carefully drew out the paper.

It was a meticulously cut slip of paper with only a line of delicate and familiar handwriting:

“Rouge and powder dazzle the eyes, silver needles awaken the mind. Tokyo is a treacherous path, Young Master, tread carefully.”

There was no signature.

Yan Qing, clutching the light yet heavy-than-a-thousand-pounds slip of paper, slowly sank back into her chair, her back already soaked with cold sweat.

She understood.

This box of rouge was both a reminder and a display of power, and… a form of unspoken acceptance?

Li Shishi was using this method to tell her: I see through your disguise, and I know your situation is precarious (even dangerous). Tokyo, with its superficial glamour, is filled with hidden dangers, much like this box of rouge, which conceals sharp edges beneath its facade of peace. By sending this “unique” welcome gift, she was enlightening her and also demonstrating her own strength and… a certain degree of “sincerity”?

After all, if Li Shishi truly wanted to harm her, she wouldn’t have resorted to such a roundabout method.

“Tokyo is a treacherous path, Young Master, tread carefully…” Yan Qing murmured the words repeatedly, a complex curve slowly forming on her lips.

This Lady Li truly continued to provide her with “surprises,” one after another.

She lit the slip of paper with a candle, watching it turn to ashes. Then, she carefully closed the brocade box and placed it at the very bottom of her luggage, locking it away.

This box of rouge, and the poisoned silver needles within, would become her first secret in Tokyo, and a hidden, dangerous thread connecting her and Li Shishi.

She knew that her entanglement with this extraordinary courtesan had only just begun. And the path ahead, as Li Shishi had warned, was indeed full of slippery traps.

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(End of Chapter Thirteen)