Operation Red Book

In the Chinese dock area in east London, the Chinese market was as bustling as ever, and the backyard of Muyunzhai was also bustling with activity.

The girls and servants of Muyunzhai were working back and forth, one after another, tinkering with the goods and decorations on the carriage outside the yard.

"Hongyu, put the batch of Suzhou embroidery I just bought into the car. It must be bright red and must reflect the grandeur of our China!"

Mr. Zhu stood in the yard giving orders, constantly turning the dark brown Buddhist beads in his hands. Seeing that the carriage was almost loaded, he breathed a sigh of relief and turned around and walked into the house.

Several girls from Muyunzhai were dressing up Ivy. Her waist-length black hair was tied up in a complicated bun, with a bunch of hair on the right side hanging on her chest. Gold hairpins and hairpins were inserted in the bun.

Ivy's makeup today was very simple and her eyebrows were trimmed into thin eyebrows.

Mingcan's hands were so skillful that she drew a pair of curved willow-leaf eyebrows for Ivy, making the almond-shaped eyes with powder under the eyebrows look even brighter.

The soft eyeliner covers the entire eye, making Ivy's eyes more profound and lively.

She had a light touch of rouge on her face, which made her oval face, white with a slight red tint, look even more innocent.

Her plump, rosy lips were coated with lip balm, and her peach-like lips were pursed in a smile, making her eyes even more sparkling and charming.

"Are you ready? It takes time to change clothes."

Mr. Zhu walked past Ivy who was putting on makeup and went straight to the shelf where several sets of Qing Dynasty costumes were placed.

Mr. Zhu couldn't help but look at Ivy's face in the mirror again and swallowed unconsciously.

"You look pretty good after you tidy yourself up, like a gentle Jiangnan woman." Mr. Zhu said seriously.

The girls were curling Ivy's eyelashes. The curled eyelashes made Ivy's eyes look bigger. Ivy turned her eyes slightly, making her look even more charming.

When Ivy heard Mr. Zhu's praise, she raised her eyebrows proudly and said without any modesty: "I know."

After saying that, she pouted and admired herself in the mirror after putting on makeup.

"The makeup of the Qing Dynasty is so beautiful. Without too much decoration, just a few strokes can make a person look like a flower."

"Are you ready? If you're ready, come and pick out clothes!" Mr. Zhu raised his voice, urging Ivy who was admiring herself.

"Why is there no cheongsam? Other dynasties are fine, such as the Ming Dynasty, Tang Dynasty, Wei and Jin Dynasty..."

Ivy stood up and walked over, her brows furrowed, looking dissatisfied and critical.

"You've chosen it. Which family are you from?"

Mr. Zhu retorted rudely, his slanted almond-shaped eyes glancing back and forth at Ivy.

"Remember, your mission at the ball this time is to be recommended to several big British bosses, not to be selected for a talent show."

"I know, I know." Ivy felt guilty and replied impatiently.

The place to go this time is the grand ball hosted by the Duchess of Emerson at Macmillan Manor.

Duke Lucas Emerson is the uncle of Her Majesty the Queen, and Lady Emerson is the only daughter of a well-known Marquis.

She is gentle, virtuous, and kind, and is highly admired and liked in the circle of ladies.

Mrs. Emerson's daughter was brutally murdered 15 years ago. Rumor has it that she accidentally released the witch in the manor, and the witch summoned the headless knight to pierce her heart with a sword. Since then, Mrs. Emerson has been depressed.

Duke Lucas Emerson also died of asthma three years ago. A year later, his wife adopted a well-behaved and sensible boy, and her depressed mood improved since then.

The Emersons have always been the center of attention of the upper class and the common people. The tragic rumors fifteen years ago have always been associated with Emerson's name, which can be said to have earned enough attention and concern from the royal family among the upper class and the middle class.

Ivy walked back and forth in front of the three pieces of clothing, touching the material of the clothes from time to time.

"Look, I'm Han Chinese, I don't want this one from the palace, and this gray-blue one is too old-fashioned.

Hmm... let's take this one, the hibiscus flowers embroidered on it are so lifelike, if I sell it in the 21st Century, it will probably fetch several million..."

Ivy chose the light pink heavily embroidered cloak in the middle and the off-white horse-faced skirt. The combination of navy blue, pink and beige is both elegant and lively.

Ivy was admiring the embroidery craftsmanship on the clothes, and was surrounded by the girls and helped them change their clothes while she was muttering to herself.

Ivy picked up a white silk handkerchief, changed into light pink embroidered shoes, and turned around beautifully amid the girls' pleasant praise and applause. At the end, she cleverly winked at Mingcan with her left eye.

Mr. Zhu touched his chin, wondering what he was thinking about.

After a while, he ran out of the house, picked two bright and juicy camellia flowers from the flowerpot in the yard and pinned them on Ivy's bun.

The pink camellia flowers accompanied by the gently swaying hairpins made Ivy look graceful and elegant after her dress-up.

"Okay, let's go to the dance at McMillan Manor!"