Her essence, her toner, her black bandage…
All gone!
Even the most indispensable face wash and makeup remover oil were nowhere to be found!
Heavens, how was she supposed to survive in this ancient era?
Ju Yue pulled over the mirror from Lou Buqi’s room.
The polishing technique of ancient bronze mirrors wasn’t bad—it clearly reflected the heavy makeup on her face.
The powder was so thick, it must have weighed at least two catties!
The powder had already clumped into patches from oil and sweat, scattered unevenly across her face, as ugly as could be.
Ju Yue’s eyes reddened, and tears fell in large drops.
In the modern era, she had lived a happy and fulfilling life. Her family was well-off and had always supported her dance studies.
Her talent was exceptional—dance moves that took others days to learn, she mastered in one go. At a very young age, she was admitted to Beijing Dance Academy.
Later, she even became the principal dancer of a national-level troupe.
Who would have thought that on her way to a performance, she would get into a car accident, sending her to this unrecorded dynasty in history?
She had entered an unfamiliar body.
Her incredibly flexible and supple figure, honed through years of training, was gone!
Her dream of dancing was gone!
Here, Ju Yue had no one to rely on. Not only was her dance dream shattered, but she also had to face the suppression and harassment of the Yun Family from the very start.
And then, she was forcibly taken by Lou Buqi.
She had studied history and knew that being taken like this was not a good thing for her!
People wouldn’t blame the man; they would only think she was a seductress who had bewitched him into making a mistake.
From now on, her situation in Prince Su’s Manor would likely be no better than it had been in the Yun Family.
The more Ju Yue thought about it, the sadder she became, and her tears fell even harder.
When Lou Buqi entered the room, what he saw was—
Ju Yue holding a cosmetics case in one hand and a mirror in the other, slumped over the table, crying uncontrollably.
A dozen or so maids and older women surrounded her, flustered and unsure of what to do.
Lou Buqi was startled, and half his drunkenness vanished.
His first thought was that the manor’s maids had bullied Ju Yue.
His face darkened as he asked, “What’s going on? Zhu Ye, you tell me.”
Zhu Ye’s face paled, and she knelt with a thud.
Heaven have mercy, she had no idea why the consort was crying either.
Ju Yue looked up, sniffling as she spoke, “It’s not their fault.”
She stared at Lou Buqi with teary eyes, “I’m crying because I don’t have face wash to use.”
Lou Buqi: “Huh?!”
“What? What wash?”
Ju Yue pouted, “It’s… like the soap you use, but better than soap, gentler and less damaging to the skin.”
Lou Buqi was dumbfounded. He had imagined countless possibilities but never thought she would break down over something as trivial as soap.
“Just because of this?!”
Ju Yue let out a loud “wah” and cried even harder.
She cried until she was gasping for breath.
What else could it be?
This was the only reason she could voice aloud!
Now, not only did she have to face unknown people and situations, but she also had to share a bed with this strange man and do that!
How terrifying!
Sadness, fear, and sorrow washed over her like a tidal wave, and Ju Yue cried even more intensely.
Lou Buqi’s head buzzed, echoing only with Ju Yue’s earth-shattering sobs.
He swallowed hard.
Were all girls this delicate?
Just because she didn’t have the right soap to remove her makeup, she cried like this.
All the romantic thoughts and surging passion he had felt before returning to the bridal chamber were completely washed away by her tears.
Now, Lou Buqi's mind was solely occupied with how to stop this ancestor from crying.
He circled around Ju Yue twice.
"Stop crying, or people will think I bullied you."
It's not you bullying me, it's this damn ancient era bullying me.
Ju Yue couldn't say that.
Lou Buqi was truly at his wit's end, lowering his dignity to plead, "Alright, alright, ancestor, can you please stop crying? That face wash you mentioned—do you have a recipe? I'll make it for you!"
Ju Yue was greatly surprised. She looked up at him with teary eyes, her gaze exceptionally clear after being washed with tears, filled with dependence and doubt. "You'll really make it for me?"
Lou Buqi's heart raced for a moment, and he nodded in a daze. "Yes! I'll make it for you personally."
Only after saying it did he realize what he had promised, wishing he could slap himself twice.
Why promise to make it personally? Couldn't he just have the servants do it? Was there any need to do it himself?
But the words were already spoken, and a gentleman's word is as unchangeable as a galloping horse. He had no choice but to brace himself and go through with it.
Ju Yue reluctantly nodded.
Since he had already compromised to this extent, it would be pointless for her to keep crying.
So, Ju Yue wiped away her tears, pulled over a piece of paper, and began writing down an ancient recipe for face wash.
Fortunately, she had previously researched ancient beauty recipes with her dance class sisters and still remembered the details.
She simply copied a recipe and handed it to Lou Buqi.
Thus, in the dead of night, Lou Buqi gathered over a dozen maids, old women, and servants in the courtyard to fiddle with the ingredients.
Bletilla striata, Angelica dahurica, pearls—they chopped, ground, filtered, and extracted.
They worked until the moon hung over the willow branches, their backs aching and sore, before finally finishing a jar.
Lou Buqi eagerly brought it to Ju Yue for inspection.
Only to find that the girl, unable to wait, had already fallen asleep at the table.
He didn't know what she was dreaming about, but her delicate brows were tightly furrowed, and she occasionally let out a sob.
It was pitiful.
And utterly adorable.
Lou Buqi watched her like this, his gaze softening.
She must have suffered a lot of grievances in her maiden home, to be so troubled even in her dreams.
But from now on, she had him.
He would definitely protect her well.
Carefully, he carried her to the bed, removed Ju Yue's shoes, and pulled the quilt over her.
Seeing her makeup smudged and not properly washed, he decided to try the makeup removal cream he had just made for her.
Afraid of waking Ju Yue, his movements were as gentle as possible.
For the final step, he used a warm towel to wipe her face clean. Ju Yue relaxed her brows, nuzzled into the pillow, and fell into a deep sleep.
Lou Buqi scratched his head, feeling as if something wasn't quite right.
He asked the maid Zhu Ye, "Where is your mistress's dowry maid?"
He remembered a plump, round figure beside Ju Yue's sedan chair, likely her personal maid.
Where was that maid?
Zhu Ye's eyes still held traces of lingering shock.
When had her master ever been so accommodating to a girl?!
Allowing this girl to brazenly invade his territory, letting her cry freely in front of him.
At that time, she had been sweating bullets for Ju Yue, afraid that the master would snap Ju Yue's neck in the next moment to shut her up.
Because Lou Buqi hated noise and commotion the most.
But what happened? Not only did the master not get angry, he even went to great lengths to make something for Ju Yue!
He even served her, washing her face…
Hearing Lou Buqi's question, Zhu Ye quickly composed herself.
She bowed slightly and respectfully replied, "Master, the mistress's maid is called Dui Dui. She… has already gone to bed…"
Lou Buqi was shocked, and it took him a long time to say, "Asleep? Her mistress hasn't even slept yet, and she's already asleep?!"
This was absolutely impossible in Prince Su's Manor.
Zhu Ye nodded with a complicated expression.
Lou Buqi glanced at Ju Yue on the bed.
Hmm…
What kind of delicate creature had he snatched for himself?!
If the mistress was delicate, that was one thing, but the maid was even more delicate!
Lou Buqi coughed and said, "Ahem, that maid is still alright. Today outside the Yun Family, everyone else ran away, but she stayed by her mistress's side without leaving. Just for that loyalty alone, she's better than most people."
"As long as she's loyal, it's fine if she has a few minor flaws. Ah, it's fine."
Zhu Ye: "…"
Enough!
Really, Master, please stop talking!