Concubine - TRUE STORY [English Version]

15) the making of a beauty

Li Yu woke up with eyes red from crying and a big bruise on her back side. Her headache was more or less gone. The pain in her wrists too.

Dai Yu woke up for a short moment of time but Li immediately convinced her that everything was alright and that she should continue sleeping. With doubt, Dai listened.

Dai now woke up and sat down on Li's bed.
"Don't cry Li."
"Easy for you to say!"

Dai nodded.
"Wait just a little more. You're going to love it."
"Shall we take a bet on it?"
Dai turned her head.

"I don't gamble. But you will agree with me."
Li moves the blankets and sat on the edge of the bed.
"I hope so. I don't want to be here."

Dai took Li to the hairdressing room.
Chu was already there, with about ten other girls.

All of them very young. Even though you are seen as an adult at the age of sixteen.

"This court is still new" Dai whispered in her ear. She showed where Li could sit down.

"Think about the rules" she reminded Li.
With inner protest, Li sat herself down as asked. Half of the girls where seated as well, the other half remained standing.

They started doing each other's hair. Li felt how something very fatty en oils were put in her hair.

"Just sit down and try to remind for yourself what I was doing."

Li tried to look and remember everything without turning her head too much. All of the girls around her are the same. Young, innocent and not knowing and every single one of them is of exceptional beauty.

And probably all sold to the palace.
"The previous court is buried with the previous king. That's how it goes. But don't worry, times are changing rapidly."

What a reassurance! Li's wild fantasy exploded in her head.

Dai was doing about the same style as Mama did when she was about to meet Yan Tao.

A very secure bun in sticking oil and tied up with a bun. The rest of her hair is left as it is and tied in a low ponytail  on her back, with a beautiful red silk band.

Dai opened a little box. Out of it came a hairpin.

"You have to wear this one everyday. It shows the status you have now."

Dai places the pin in Li's hair. The bun itself was already sticking to itself because of the fats, but the pin secured everything in place for an entire day.
"Don't try to touch or adjust it."

Now Dai took the little jars from the table. She explained what is is.

"This is powder. You put this on your entire face."
She opened the jar and showed the white powder. She took something that looks like a sponge and pressed it firmly into the jar.

"Always check if you have too much or too little."

After that she moved the sponge towards Li's face and with a steady hand she pressed the sponge against Li's face.

"Your skin is very dark from    sunburns. If you have a light colored skin you will look even more pretty."

Li wanted to say something about how 'dark' she is looking, but she had to keep her mouth shut until Dai had finished.
"You have to put powder on your entire face. It had to look like an even and thin layer. You have to firmly tap it in, not smearing. Not like you fell into rice flour. Also you have to be careful about not putting it in your hair."

She put the sponge down and closed the jar. She put it nicely back in place.
Now she took another one.

"This is for your nails. It has to dry, so don't touch anything."

Dai opened the jar and took a brush. It looked like one for calligraphy, but Dai dipped the bristles into the jar.
When it came out, it was red colored.

"Stretch your fingers and then don't move."

Li did as asked. With great concentration, Dai painted Li's nails.

"Why is that?"
"Because it's pretty."
"And why is everything red?"
"It's a fashionable color. And the king likes red."

Sure.

"Why do I need all this?"
"I'm now going to color your lips. Leave your nails to dry."

Dai took another jar and in it was once again something red. Dai dipped the brush carefully into the substance.

"Don't talk for a second and don't move your head."

Dai went over Li's lips with the brush.

When Dai was ready with that, li asked: "is that all?"
Dai shook her head.
"The bottom of your lips have to been done too."

With what is left on the brush, Dai colored Li's cheeks slightly red, like she is blushing.

"I think we're about done."
Dai took a mirror.
"Have you seen yourself like this before?"
Li was speechless, but shakes her head slightly. She didn't believe what she was seeing.

"Look and convince yourself. What did I tell you this morning?"

Li was deeply looking into the polished bronze mirror.

She had heard many times from people that she is an exceptional beauty. Now she is surrounded by beauty and she had an idea about how she would look. But with all the make up on and the hair?

Li thought she would be entirely painted white by the rice powder. But she was looking like a naturally pale young woman. With her finger she touched her cheek.
"It's..."
Li sighted wordless.
Dai nodded.
"You are very pretty."

"Is this really how I look?"

She had seen vague images of herself, but had never looked into a mirror before.