Me and Empress Dowager Cixi

Chapter 55 The Queen Mother Likes to Eat Human Milk (1)
The queen mother is very attentive to facial beauty, and has invented quite a few secret beauty recipes. If these secret recipes are made public, those Europeans and Americans who show off their makeup skills to the world will also be willing to bow down.Since I have been with the Queen Mother for many years, I am quite familiar with her beauty secrets. I believe there are several makeup secrets that the world has not known until now.Every time I follow the queen mother to the grooming room, I feel like I have gone to a beauty salon.The queen mother can give me a new experience every time, and will never let me, a student, be disappointed.The Queen Mother has always been very enthusiastic about keeping her face clean.As long as I have a chance, I will quietly follow the Queen Mother to the dressing room, and watch the Queen Mother make up with special fascination.The Queen Mother's dressing table is crescent-shaped, and as long as you stand behind the Queen Mother, you can clearly see the whole process of her makeup.

The Empress Dowager's dressing table deserves a special mention. The style was designed by the Empress Dowager herself, and the height and length are also very satisfactory to the Empress Dowager.Not only does it look good, but it is also very convenient to use. People who have not seen it in person will find it hard to believe the convenience it brings to people.Take the mirror on the dressing table as an example. Although there was no concave mirror as it is now, mirrors were installed on the top, bottom, left, and right sides of the Queen Mother's dressing table, and the connection between the mirrors is very tight. It would never have occurred to me that it was made of pieces of glass spliced ​​together.I remember that when I first came to the palace, I was very surprised when I first saw the queen mother’s dressing table, wondering why there was such a strange mirror.With these mirrors, the Empress Dowager did not need to move her body when she was putting on makeup. She could see all parts of her upper body while sitting upright.

Because she pays too much attention to makeup, it takes a long time for the Queen Mother to make up every time.After many observations, I found that the first thing Her Majesty used was powder.Perhaps the queen mother noticed my enthusiasm for makeup, so she told me many secrets one after another, and the first thing she talked about was powder.

"To be honest, all the cosmetics I use are high-quality products. If it is not a high-quality product, the Ministry of Internal Affairs will never dare to buy it back, and those local officials will not dare to offer it. The face is very important to a woman. If it is not good Things, I don’t use them on my face. Ordinary women will give up makeup once they are widowed, but I can’t. You may be surprised, but it didn’t start with me, the ancestors of the previous generations It’s all like this step by step. People in my position have to receive many people every day. Our clothes are very bright and look very beautiful from a distance. Because of this, we can’t make our faces dirty. It’s very bad, if that’s the case, not only will the clothes be wasted, but also those who come to worship me will be sorry. It is precisely because people want to see that I have to dress up carefully. It’s a pity that many people don’t understand my difficulties.”

The Queen Mother paused for a moment, and then said to me: "First of all, let's talk about the powder I use. Like the method outside, it is also made by putting together ground rice and lead powder. If only from the appearance Look, its color is slightly yellower than those sold outside, but as long as you know some basic makeup skills, you will know which one is a good powder. The powder I use is not so easy to make , it has several characteristics: First, the raw materials are not the same as the outside. Most of the noodles sold outside use the new rice of the year, and my noodles are not only made of new rice, but also slightly yellowed old rice, so as to ensure the quality of the ground rice. The flour is exceptionally fine and soft; second, the grinding techniques are different. The flour I use cannot be made by grinding a few times. After the raw materials are selected, they must be ground in a coarser mill to obtain coarse powder with larger particles. , and then put it into a finer mill and grind it again and again, and finally get a little fine powder. After the two kinds of rice flour are ground, they need to be blended, and the ratio between them will be very different, isn’t it? Most people can grasp it. The people responsible for grinding rice noodles for me are a few very experienced old eunuchs; third, the combination of rice noodles and lead powder is very particular. In order to prevent the rice noodles from sticking together, lead powder needs to be added. People outside I don't know the severity, often too much lead powder is added, and we only need to add a small amount of lead powder to prevent the rice noodles from sticking together. Of the three points mentioned above, the third point is especially important. Lead powder is not What a good thing, if you don’t use it carefully, you will be the victim in the end. Many folks don’t understand this truth. As a result, after a year or so, they are poisoned by lead, which even leads to facial disfigurement and dark skin. Think about it, if my face suddenly turned dark when I was presiding over the ceremony, wouldn't that scene make people laugh out loud?" Near the end, the Queen Mother even made a proper humor, and I almost laughed out loud.I can't even imagine the situation that the Queen Mother said. If it is true what the Queen Mother said, it will definitely make people laugh out loud.No matter how much I wanted to laugh in my heart, I didn't dare to show it on my face. If the Queen Mother saw my expression in the mirror, maybe she would be angry.

Although the queen mother's powder is exquisitely made, she only uses a small amount each time, unlike some ignorant women who paint their faces like Peking opera actors.Every time she does her makeup, the Queen Mother only applies a thin layer on her face, which is probably one of the tricks of makeup.

Immediately afterwards, the Queen Mother told me about the magical effect of rouge. She said: "Compared with powder, the rouge I use is more sophisticated in making technology. It is purely made of rose juice. Using roses as a raw material for making rouge is not Strangely, ordinary people often use them when making rouge, but our production technology is unmatched by them. There are thousands of roses in the world, and there are thousands of colors. If you pick all kinds of roses Down, and then put together messy, the final rouge is definitely difficult to compare with the color of roses in nature. For this reason, we only pick roses with positive colors, and roses with wrong colors or variegated colors are not used. After the collection, another work must be done, which is to pick out rose petals of the same color. These two tasks not only require a lot of manpower, but also consume a lot of time and financial resources, which ordinary people simply cannot afford, let alone these tasks It is not something that a novice can do. After the rose petals are ready, they must be put into a clean stone mortar and pounded slowly until the petals become a thick paste. The next thing to do is to filter, using a special The filter removes the impurities and makes them the purest flower juice, thus completing the most important step in making rouge..." When the Queen Mother said this, the expression on her face was very proud, and it was obvious that she was very proud of herself. I am very satisfied with the rouge made by my staff.After listening to what the Queen Mother said, I realized why I always saw some eunuchs picking flower petals in the side hall.

The method of making rouge was not finished. The Queen Mother deliberately paused, and then used scissors to cut off a piece of red silk floss that was placed on the table.I have noticed those silk flosses a long time ago, the color is the same as rose petals, and it is accompanied by bursts of fragrance, but I don't know what they are and what are their uses.The Queen Mother went on to say: "After the rose juice is prepared, the freshly made raw silk of the year, that is, the white silk that has not been dyed, must be prepared. After obtaining these raw silk, they need to be pressed into squares like moon cakes. The size is consistent with my rouge tank. Then soak these clumps of silk in the rose juice for five to six days. Only in this way can they ensure that they fully absorb the rose juice. After soaking, what needs to be done is to take them out one by one , put them in the sun to dry. After about three or four days, they will be completely dry. At that time, they can be sent to me for use. It does take a lot of work to make such a piece of silk floss, but I don't waste it. Making it once is enough for me to use it for the first half of the year and a few months."

Let's take a look at how the queen mother puts on her rouge.The aesthetic point of view at that time was different from now, so the way of makeup is also different.The Empress Dowager first dipped the cut piece of silk floss in warm water, then took it out and wiped her palms until the color was even and she was satisfied.In the past, the palms of women were painted very red, so the queen mother's first step was to paint the palms first.After the palms were painted, she painted her cheeks in front of the mirror. The queen mother was very focused on this work. She had to put her eyes close to the mirror to ensure that the paint was neither too thick nor too light.After the cheeks are painted, the last thing to do is the lips.People in the past did not have to paint their entire lips like now, they only put a little rouge on the middle of their lips, probably influenced by the aesthetic concept of "small cherry mouth".

After the face is dressed, it's the turn of the queen's barber to be on duty.The barber was a eunuch, and his skills were learned after entering the palace.Even so, others told me that this person's craftsmanship is unique in the world, and his technology has reached the point of perfection.The Queen Mother was quite satisfied with him and often asked him to do her hair.But in my opinion, this person is not willing to do the Queen Mother's hair.The queen mother has a bad temper, and she would beat and scold her if something goes wrong. Every time she does her hair, it is undoubtedly scratching the tiger's itch for him.If you don't pay attention and brush a few more hairs from the Queen Mother's head, or touch the Queen Mother with a little strength, you have made a big mistake, and you will inevitably be dragged out to play dozens of boards, and what is even more hateful is that after the board is finished In the future, he will come back and continue to make hair for the Queen Mother.The good news is that that kind of situation is not common. In the end, even if he accidentally lost a few hairs, he would hide them in a very fast way and secretly hand them to Gong'e behind the queen mother, and let her quietly go out to help him dispose of.Since that maid dared to take the risk of colluding with him and cheating, she must have gained a lot of benefits from him, but spending a little money is much better than suffering on her own ass.The Queen Mother attaches great importance to her hair, and often says to me while fiddling with her hair in the mirror: "Hair is really an annoying thing, especially when a person is a little older, the black hair will change one by one. It's really infuriating. There are many reasons why a woman in my position can't let her hair go gray. It's not vanity. It's real reasons. I hope you understand. So , even if there is gray hair on my head, I have to dye it black."

Since the queen mother cares so much about her hair, I really want to see how she can make her hair black.After the barber came in, he first untied the Queen Mother's long hair and combed it carefully.After her hair became extremely smooth, the Queen Mother opened a drawer on her left, and there were several jars of dark black, gelatinous-looking stuff in it. She took a jar from it and put it on the table.Afterwards, the Queen Mother picked up a small brush and dipped it in the jar a few times, then lifted it up and applied it on her head.The black thing can indeed turn white hair into black hair, but it also has disadvantages, the Queen Mother's scalp is often also dyed black.The Empress Dowager was very careful every time she brushed her hair, lest someone accidentally dye her scalp black.The Queen Mother was dissatisfied with her labor and seemed about to lose her temper, but after all, she had experienced similar experiences for more than 20 years, and her endurance had been greatly improved, so she did not vent her anger in the end.Ever since the Queen Mother's hair turned gray, she has been using this dye, but it only works in the short term and is not a good cure at all.Seeing Her Majesty working so hard reminded me of my time in Paris with my mother.At that time, my mother's hair turned gray, and she tried western hair dye, which worked well.On a whim, I told the Queen Mother about this method. Afterwards, I thought that I was too enthusiastic and did not consider the consequences at all. If the Queen Mother uses it and the effect is not satisfactory, then I will inevitably make fun of myself.

After wiping my hair, the queen mother gave me a wry smile and said: "This kind of thing really troubles me very much. I once sent people to look for a good medicine for hair dyeing, hoping to change the color of the hair without damaging the scalp, but after so many years It always ends in failure. Judging by the current situation, I am afraid I will never find this hair dye in my life."

I didn't know where the courage came from at the time, and volunteered to say that I could help the Queen Mother find it.The Queen Mother looked at me with a smile and said, "You must have seen some hair dyes in the West. I have heard that there is a medicine in the West that can easily dye people's hair into various colors. Westerners have always Known for their dexterity, if it were them, this kind of thing should be able to be done, but do you know how those medicines are made?" I didn't know how to answer the Queen Mother's last question, so I had to try my best to explain the French Raw materials, types and functions of hair dyes.Since my knowledge of chemistry is really limited, it is difficult to explain it very clearly to the Queen Mother. Fortunately, the Queen Mother did not pursue it carefully, so it is fine to listen to it.But I explained the effect of this hair dye sufficiently, and fortunately, the Queen Mother was so impressed that she agreed to let me try it.I said: "I will write a letter to France to order and let them send it by mail. It will inevitably take forty or fifty days. I hope the Queen Mother will not think it is too late." They’ve all come here, let alone these dozens of days. As long as the hair dye is really as good as you said, it’s worth waiting for dozens of days.” I was amazed where the queen mother got this patience.

This matter was settled like this. I was still young at the time, and I finally got a chance to contribute to the Queen Mother, so I was naturally very happy.On that day, I asked an eunuch to come to my home and tell my father that I hoped he would send a telegram to France, and asked an acquaintance to buy some of the best hair dyes and send them to me.That night when the eunuch came back from my father, he brought a secret letter from his old man. After I closed the door and window, I opened the letter, which roughly meant: "You shouldn't be so enthusiastic, but since you have I promised the queen mother, and I have to do it for you. At the same time, I want to warn you, no matter what you do in the palace from now on, you must keep the following two points in mind: first, don't talk too much; second, don't brag about yourself in front of others. Well-informed, especially bragging in front of the Queen Mother. Your memory is not supposed to be that good. If only you could forget about what happened in France, it would save me a lot of trouble. If those hair dyes sent After coming here, if you damage the Queen Mother’s hair, or if the effect is not obvious, the Queen Mother will definitely punish you. At that time, even if I want to save you, I will be powerless. I hope you can understand the painstaking efforts of being a father, and don’t do so much to let you down. Worried about my father." From these exhortations, I can see my father's painstaking efforts, but I was too young to understand this painstaking effort.I was sure my head wasn't going to move, and absolutely believed that those hair dyes would do the trick.Many years later, my experience has become richer, recalling that letter from my father, I am really moved.What my father said is indeed very insightful. My behavior is indeed tantamount to setting fire to myself. If there is a slight mistake, my head will definitely move.

(End of this chapter)