The Three Kingdoms of the Widow

Six years later, when Zhen Shi recalled this day for the last time, she could still clearly remember a very dark night with no moon in the sky, strong winds, and then a heavy rainstorm.

This day is a day that many people have been waiting for.

Guo Xu brought only one maid, and came to Zhen's room in person, asking her to get ready: "Ma'am, today is the day."

The oil lamp on the bronze tree was blown flickering by the occasional wind that leaked in. Sitting alone in the beating shadow, Zhen felt that her heartbeat seemed to follow the frequency of the light and shadow.

"Madam, please change quickly."

Zhen sneered in her heart, the means to seduce a man, of course, included exquisite makeup.

She took out a set of beautiful costumes that Cao Pi threw to her before he left - her own had already been charged for military expenses at the last banquet where she framed Cui Shi, so Cao Pi seemed to have a conscience and knew to provide uniforms.

Take a bath with Wuyun and Qixiang soup, and pour on your body with dewy Baiying powder.These two items originally belonged to the Han Palace, the former was reserved for the empress, and the latter was specially offered by Jieyu, but now, Cao Jie is happy to provide these items in order to repay his younger brother Cao Pi for his "enthusiastic help".

Comb a tall and fluffy bun, twist the thin strands of hair to create a complex style, because it is so beautiful that even the maids learn to do it, and it is spread outside, and it is compiled into the "Zhen Mrs. Zhen can comb such beautiful hair because she has a snake with precious pearls in it. This snake twists its body into different shapes every day, and Mrs. Zhen takes care of her hair according to the same absurd story. Forget about the story, there are still people who are serious about it and call it "Spiritual Snake Bun".After the hair is combed, it needs to be shaped with wood flower water, and some fragrant Lanze should be applied to make the hair look smooth.

Apply a layer of layer grease on the face-this thing is also used to apply on the lips to prevent cracking, and then cover with a thick layer of white lead powder. The mixture of the two will produce a wonderful effect: people's face It has both the luster of facial fat and the creaminess of lead powder.Then, of course, the cheeks should be painted with red and blue flower rouge. This kind of rouge from the Huns has been paid tribute by Shan Yu every year since Wen Ji returned to the Han Dynasty. Can't afford to provoke Cao Cao.

Point the Dai block made of bluestone, mix it with water, and point out the slender, long and slightly curved eyebrows. It is said that this is the "frowning eyebrow" specially created by Sun Shou, the wife of "Domineering General" Liang Ji.

By the way, by the way, in the end, don't forget the red lip gloss.

After finishing the makeup, Zhen Shi let out a sigh of relief. The face in the bronze mirror was very strange, and the eyebrows drawn seemed to be slightly frowning, and she felt like crying in the next second.

The next step is to insert the gold beads jewelry given by Cao Pi in the hair bun. A string of tiny pearl tassels hangs from the golden leaf pearl hairpin, hanging down the sideburns pitifully.

Putting on the light blue embroidered train and the emerald green cloak—these two things are extremely extravagant—people seem to have become a clothes rack.

Zhen Shi walked a few steps in the room, thinking of what she was going to do, she suddenly had the urge to tear off her clothes and wipe off the makeup on her face.

"lady?"

Guo Xu was already urging, thinking he was impatient to wait any longer.

Only then did Zhen restrain her emotions, opened the curtain and walked out.

This appearance stunned the little maid beside Guo Xu, and Guo Xu lost his mind for a moment.

Zhen Shi looked at Guo Xu coldly: "Lead the way."

Guo Xu woke up, looked at Zhen Shi again, and suddenly smiled: "Where are you going, madam?"

"Isn't it up to you where I go?"

"If it's the place I'm talking about—madam's makeup, it won't work." Guo Xu said with a smile, and turned around to take a set of clothes from the handmaid. "Madam, please change into this."

"This is the clothes Mr. Pi gave me." Mrs. Zhen didn't intend to follow Guo Xu's words every time.

"That's because Mr. Pi doesn't know." Guo Xu's answer was a bit inexplicable, and he still handed over the clothes in his hand.

Zhen looked at it: Xuanyi, Jinxian crown. "This is the court uniform of civil servants."

"Yes." Guo Xu admitted.

"Why should I wear the court uniform of civil servants?"

"If you don't wear this suit, Madam won't be able to do the job. If you go in, Mr. Zhi will see through and drive you out, and then it will be over."

Zhen looked at Guo Xu suspiciously.

"Ma'am, don't doubt me. If Ma'am fails, I will do no good."

This is indeed the case, but Zhen Shi didn't mean to follow suit: "I don't know how to wear men's clothes."

Guo Xu smiled brightly: "The concubine will. The concubine assists the wife to change clothes."

Guo Xu did what he said, not only helped Zhen's change of clothes, but also helped Zhen's hair to be loosened and recombed into a common bun for ordinary scholars.

"Madam will wash her face in a while, just put on a thin layer of white powder, and most importantly, please put this in your mouth."

While combing her hair, Guo Xu reached out to Zhen Shi.

Zhen Shi saw what she was holding in her hand: "Chicken tongue?"

"Exactly."

"This is something that those ministers used when they went to court. How could you have it?"

Guo Xu giggled: "It was stolen from Duke Wei."

"Steal it from Duke Wei? You are so brave!"

"What are you afraid of?" Guo Xu didn't care, "Wei Gong is very generous. He wrote a letter to Zhuge Liang, and the gift that came with it was five catties of chicken tongue. I just stole such a small one. What's the point?" ?”

"A letter to Zhuge Liang? Do you still dare to peek at Duke Wei's correspondence?"

"Actually, it was said by the general of the five senses. I also asked him for the chicken tongue fragrance. Steal Wei Gong's things? I don't have the guts!"

Zhen took the Chicken Tongue Fragrance half-believingly.

"Madam is indeed a blessed person. Just now someone came to report that Mr. Zhi had broken his drinking habit today. It is estimated that he was already drunk when Madam went. Madam only needs to persuade him to drink a few more drinks so that he cannot go out tonight. "

Mrs. Zhen was silent for a long time, and then suddenly said: "The clothes don't look like new."

"Ah, Ma'am, this court dress? I think the concubine wears too much."

"What are you doing in this dress?"

"Which night will the five-featured gentleman come, the concubine will wear it that night. It has been so long, it should be old." Guo Xu answered the wrong question.

After re-makeup, Guo Xu hung a token engraved with a strange ponytail-shaped object on Zhen's waist.

"Okay!" Guo Xu said cheerfully.

Zhen knows that anyone holding this token can come to Cao Pi at any time.

Guo Xu helped Mrs. Zhen into the carriage.

There were also two horses on the street corner, snorting in the dark, unobtrusive. Behind the horses, there were countless soldiers with long knives in their hands, waiting more quietly than the horses.

Zhen Shi got out of the carriage, and a masked person led her into Cao Pi's temporary office.

There was a little distance from the door to the inner room, but the masked man was clearly aware of the time difference of the patrolling personnel, and led Zhen Shi to avoid other people along the way.

Once outside the door, the masked man handed Zhen a small jar of wine and signaled Zhen to knock on the door.

Mrs. Zhen looked at the other party, at the wine jar in her arms, and at the door in front of her, hesitated again and again, and finally knocked lightly on the door under the menacing eyes of the masked man.

"Who?" Cao Zhi's voice inside contained a kind of drunken decadence.

Zhen shi gently opened the door and walked in.

She saw Cao Zhi in front of the case opened his hazy eyes wide, and then she heard Cao Zhi standing up excitedly and said with incredible surprise: "Zhongda, are you here?"

Someone whispered something to the soldiers on the corner, and the group began to advance in silence.

Zhen Shi was beyond shocked.

But Cao Zhi immediately sat back, his expression was very painful, as if he didn't want to see the other party, and his words were incoherent: "They said you will come...you go back! Although I want to see you, I didn't expect you to come. Me! But I'm still taking chances! I..." Cao Zhi finally looked at Zhen Shi, and said in a pitiful voice, "Did I make a big mistake by doing this?"

Zhen Shi didn't know what to say.

"Second brother always shows off in front of me. He did it more than ten years ago, saying that his teacher is very good, that you will accompany him to recite poems, write poems, drink tea and eat snacks, and that you spend most of the day with him. , At that time, I was also very envious! But I never told anyone, because Shu Da said that it would be childish to do so!"

Cao Zhi began to babble about what happened more than ten years ago. When Zhen saw the crooked wine jars and wine glasses on the cases in front of him, he knew that Guo Xu hadn't lied to him on this point. Cao Zhi had indeed drunk, and Not a lot.

Noticing Zhen's gaze, Cao Zhi looked in front of him, and then tidied up those crooked wine jars with some embarrassment. Unfortunately, he was drunk and his hands trembled slightly. straighten.

"You gave this to me... You were afraid that I wouldn't believe it, so you asked someone to bring my father to Azhao's red jade as proof... They said you wanted to come to see me, but the condition was that I drink... Look at me I drank it all..."

Zhen couldn't listen any longer, and she was also a little anxious seeing Cao Zhi's ineffective actions, so she went to the case and attached herself to help Cao Zhi tidy up.

Seeing Zhen Shi's actions, Cao Zhi excitedly held Zhen Shi's hand, which was completely unexpected by Zhen Shi, her first reaction was to pull Cao Zhi away desperately: "Young Master Zhi, let go!"

Then, Cao Zhi let go.

Then, Zhen Shi was surprised to find that Cao Zhi was crying.

"You didn't want to come, so why did you come? You don't want to see me at all, you are all for the second brother, right?"

Zhen's first reaction was to comfort the little uncle, but she hesitated again.

Cao Zhi, who was drunk and teary-eyed, saw the jar in Zhen's arms: "Zhongda, you brought wine again..."

Zhen Shi remembered her mission and hurriedly put the jar on the case.

Cao Zhi fixedly looked at the jar, then at Mrs. Zhen, smiled wryly, and suddenly opened the seal, picked up the jar and poured it into his own wine glass, and also poured a glass for Mrs. Zhen.

"I know why you came!" Cao Zhi drank a glass by himself, and then filled it up again, "There must be something going on tonight! My brother doesn't want me to go out, I know it all. Well, I won't go out, it's me Brother’s wish is also your wish, Zhong Da, and I will help you realize it! As long as my brother can control the situation, that’s all right. Other things, I don’t want any heirs, marquises or princes.”

It turns out that Cao Zhi knew about it, Zhen thought.

"Zhongda, please accompany me to have a drink! I haven't had a drink with you for a long time! The last time I drank was 15 years ago, when my father was Sikong, we were drinking in the courtyard of Sikong's mansion, and the wine glass arrived. Whoever is in front of you will have a drink and write a poem, you will not write poems at that time, and my second brother will drink the wine for you..."

Cao Zhi began to babble about the past again, and it was obvious that his mind was very confused, and Mrs. Zhen felt sorry for him: Speaking of which, his youthful thoughts must have been around 15 years ago.Maybe he really just wanted to drink some wine, but this humble wish could not be realized.

Zhen picked up the earcup and took a sip, she didn't dare to drink more, this must have been arranged by Guo Xu, God knows what's in the wine.

Seeing Zhen's willingness to show face, Cao Zhi became happy. He drank another glass, then knocked on the table, singing "White Horse Decorated with Golden Chains" with a slightly hoarse throat.This is one of his most proud works.

Mrs. Zhen listened quietly to Cao Zhi's singing: "...to sacrifice one's life to go to the country's calamity, and to see death as one's home..."

The words are still generous.

Suddenly someone knocked eagerly on the door, startling Zhen.

"Young master Zhi! Young master Zhi! Someone came to report! The lights at the north gate flickered five times in a row!"

"I'm drunk." Cao Zhi said.

"Young Master Zhi, Young Master Zhi!"

"Go! I said I was drunk!" Cao Zhi suddenly yelled.

"But those people..."

"I don't care about anything tonight! No one is allowed to bother me! Otherwise, I will be dealt with by military law!" When it comes to "disciplined by military law", Cao Zhi is very serious, and there is an invisible but palpable evil spirit on his body.

The people outside retreated.

Soon, the sound of shouting and killing could be heard even here, the torch shook, and the shadows of the people were illuminated, and then the flames shot up into the sky, and the flames were so high that I don't know how many houses on the street were set alight.

Zhen looked around anxiously.

"Don't be afraid," Cao Zhi comforted softly, "Second brother must have made arrangements, and it will be over soon."

Zhen couldn't bear it anymore: "Young master Zhi...don't you really want to go and see?"

Cao Zhi shook his head: "I said, for you, for my second brother, I won't go out tonight, I'm drunk, so drunk - unconscious, I can't go out."

"Young Master Zhi, in fact, you don't have to..."

"Do you know, Zhongda?" Cao Zhi interrupted Zhen Shi suddenly, "I regret it, I missed you so much that day, and then I heard that you went to see my second brother, so I couldn't help running to find you... I waited for you all night, and when you came out, I suddenly woke up...you belong to my second brother...and then I came back. But I think my second brother must know, otherwise he wouldn't have thought of it Let you come today... If I don't go that day, my second brother won't do this..."

Mrs. Zhen thought to herself, that day—that day Cao Pi was going to spend the night with me, if Sima Yi hadn't paid a sudden visit...

The neighing of people outside gradually faded away.

Cao Zhi looked at Zhen Shi: "Zhongda..."

click-

Suddenly a bolt of lightning struck down, bright as day.

Then came the torrential rain.

Cao Zhi burst into tears: "I regret it—why didn't I meet you first, I will protect you and never let you do this—"

Zhen Shi also burst into tears: "Why didn't you meet first?"

Cao Zhi cried and crawled towards Mrs. Zhen, fell into her arms, and murmured repeatedly: "Why didn't you come earlier? Why didn't you come when my brother still has Mr. Teacher Xi? Then you can be my husband." ..."

This is the biggest rain in Jian'an in 20 years.

It was very quiet outside, it started to be noisy outside, it was very noisy, it gradually became quiet, and there was no sound.

Zhang Chunhua guided Master Sima to study.

"The public will fight with him, Yu Changshao..."

"Wrong, Master. This is 'the public rides with it, and the battle is fought with a long spoon'."

"Thank you mother for your teaching." Master Sima picked up his pen and was about to add a sentence to the wooden slip——

Swish.

"oops!"

A long line of ink was scratched on the wooden slip.

"Mom! Ah Zhao made trouble again!"

Sima Zhao, who has already been able to crawl freely, has begun to show his mischievous nature. It is his favorite thing to do when his elder brother is studying.

Zhang Chunhua came over and took Sima Zhao away: "Hey, don't make trouble with your brother. Master, don't blame Ah Zhao, who let his precious Chiyu be taken away, he is bored."

It was raining outside.

Zhang Chunhua listened for a while, with a smile on his face: "Master, it's raining so hard, the street should become a river."

"Yes, mother."

"Tell me, what color is this river?"

"..."

"Master, have you heard the hexagrams about the warlock that your father said?"

"No."

"My mother has heard of it. 'The moon reflects away from the fire, and the sun shines on the Red River. It has been stable for several years, and this calamity will not hide.' However, the current redness seems not red enough."

The author has something to say:

The situation in this section is like this: I don't know what I want to write at the beginning, and I don't know what I wrote at the end.

But I still know what I didn’t write: I was going to write the plot of Zhen’s seduction and being rejected by Cao Zhi, but I deleted it after writing, because it didn’t match Zhen’s character, so it had to be deleted no matter how easy it was written.

The lively and cheerful personality of the future Jin Wendi has already begun to take shape~

Six years after the beginning... 221 years...

Please regard the more than 1000 words at the beginning as "Summary of Han Dynasty Makeup Techniques", thank you!