I started as a concubine, and I made the crown prince cry with my delicious food.

Chapter 40: A poor imitation turns lipstick into sausage lips!

Facing the curious gazes of the crowd, Ye Yunyun proudly raised her chin, like a proud little peacock.

"This," she said, gently touching her full, moist lips with her fingertip, deliberately drawing out the words, "is a new color that my older sister just specially made for me last night."

She said the color is called "grapefruit coral".

"Grapefruit Coral?" All the noble ladies present looked puzzled. They had never heard such a novel and poetic name before.

"Yes," Ye Yunyun continued to boast, "My older sister said that everyone's skin tone and temperament are different. Therefore, the right lipstick color should also be unique."

"I'm lively and active, and my skin tone is warm, so this coral color with a hint of orange suits me well. It makes me look energetic."

"And my third sister," she pointed to Ye Jinjin beside her, who had a serene expression, "is gentle and has skin as white as snow. My eldest sister mixed that soft, dusty rose color for her. After applying it, she looked like a classical beauty who had stepped out of a painting."

Her words were like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, stirring up ripples in the hearts of all the noble ladies.

Unique? Tailor-made? This was the first time they had ever heard of such a novel and professional concept.

They subconsciously glanced at their own lips and those of their friends. All of them were the same, a deep or light shade of bright red. After a while, it did become somewhat monotonous and boring.

Then look at the Ye sisters' unique lip colors—one vibrant and energetic, the other gentle and charming. The little flame of envy, jealousy, and hatred within them instantly ignited.

Why? Why do they get to have such beautiful, unique colors?

Zhang Qinghe watched as the Ye sisters instantly became the center of attention, listening to the suppressed gasps and whispers around her. She felt that her meticulously planned "tasting event" had turned into a joke in an instant.

Her prized "traditional formula lip balm" paled in comparison to someone else's modern and customized "grapefruit coral" lip balm, which looked incredibly tacky.

A powerful sense of humiliation and crushing defeat welled up inside her. She was unwilling to accept it!

"Miss Ye," she said, forcing a smile as she walked over, her voice still soft, "the color of your lip rouge is indeed unique."

"But..." she changed the subject, a hint of subtle superiority in her voice, "I find this color rather frivolous. It's probably only suitable for unmarried young girls like you to play around with."

"For those of us who are about to get married or are already married, a dignified and elegant bright red like mine is more suitable."

She was subtly implying that Ye An'an's work was subpar and petty.

Ye Yunyun understood the implication in her words, and her face instantly flushed red. "You're talking nonsense!"

Just as she was about to retort, a slightly older noblewoman, also dressed in splendid attire, suddenly stepped out from the crowd. She was the heir apparent of the Duke of Anguo's mansion, and she usually had a good relationship with the Ye family.

She walked up to Ye Yunyun and said with a smile, "Yunyun, since your older sister can make such beautiful colors, could you also make a color suitable for a 'married woman' like me?"

Her words seemed to be a plea for help, but in reality, she was trying to get the Ye sisters out of a tight spot.

Ye Yunyun immediately understood what she meant. Her eyes darted around, and a plan came to her.

"Of course!" she assured, patting her chest. "Sister An, you wait! I'll go find my older sister right now and have her perform a magic trick for you!"

With that, she grabbed the Princess Consort of the Duke of Anguo and hurriedly handed over the imperial edict to enter the palace. Zhang Qinghe was left standing there awkwardly, her smile completely frozen.

……

The ladies around them lost all interest in "appreciating" the art and gathered in small groups, excitedly whispering among themselves.

"Oh, I really want to go and see it! This 'tailor-made' service sounds so appealing!"

These whispers, neither too loud nor too soft, were like tiny needles, precisely piercing Zhang Qinghe's ears.

With a smile, she tried to steer the conversation back on track: "My dear sisters, the formula for this lip rouge is an ancient one from a previous dynasty, and it emphasizes..."

Before she could finish speaking, a straightforward young woman interrupted her, looking expectantly at the door: "Miss Zhang, how long do you think it will take them to come back? Is half an hour enough?"

Another girl chimed in, "Yes, yes, I can't wait to see the Crown Princess's new lip color!"

Finally, half an hour later, when Ye Yunyun appeared before everyone again with the Princess Consort of the Duke of Anguo, the entire place fell into a deathly silence once more.

The Princess Consort of the Duke of Anguo wore a color on her lips that none of them had ever seen before. It was a retro, true red with a hint of blue.

The color is rich and full, with a luxurious velvet texture. Far from being frivolous, the color actually accentuates her fair skin and beauty, making her exude confidence and charisma!

She exudes a powerful aura of confidence that says, "I am the queen!"

"OMG! This color is absolutely gorgeous!"

"Sister An, you look like you're glowing with this color on!"

"What...what kind of divine color is this?!"

Zhang Qinghe looked at the Princess Consort of the Duke of Anguo, who had instantly become the queen of the entire room, and then looked at her own so-called "dignified and elegant" bright red lips.

She felt like a country girl who had just learned how to apply lipstick. Meanwhile, she was already an international supermodel at the forefront of fashion. This wasn't even a competition between them!

She lost. She lost miserably, utterly and completely. And what made her even more desperate was yet to come.

Then, the Princess Consort of the Duke of Anguo took out a small, exquisite bamboo tube from her sleeve. In front of everyone, she gently twisted it, and a tube of red ointment was pushed out.

She gently applied the lipstick to her lips, and a perfect queenly red lip was achieved.

"What...what is this?!" Everyone was dumbfounded.

"This," the Princess Consort of the Duke of Anguo said proudly, shaking the bamboo tube in her hand, "was a gift from my sister An'an. It's called 'Rotating Lipstick'."

She said, "How can we women touch up our makeup by dipping our fingers into those unclean containers?"

"With a gentle twist and wipe, it's convenient, clean, and elegant."

Convenient! Clean! Elegant! These three words struck Zhang Qinghe's heart like three heavy hammers.

She glanced down at her mother-of-pearl box, which required her to carefully dip her fingers into it, and then looked at the other person's small bamboo tube that could be easily rotated. She felt like a complete joke.

What she meticulously planned as a "tasting event" to suppress Ye An'an and highlight herself ultimately turned into a "large-scale launch event" and a "ruthless crushing scene" for Ye An'an's new products.

She looked around at the noble ladies who had completely ignored her and were chattering and staring at the Princess Consort of the Duke of Anguo and the Ye sisters.

She felt like a clown jumping around on the beam. She couldn't stand it anymore. She covered her face and fled the scene amidst suppressed laughter.