"Dream of the Red Chamber" forty-fourth time to write Ping'er makeup, Baoyu ecstatically took out all kinds of high-end cosmetics in Yihong Courtyard, to ping'er grease and powder. In the novel, it is written that Baoyu waits attentively in front of the makeup table, like an amorous little warm man.
Bao Yu hurried to the makeup table and unveiled a Xuanyao porcelain box, which contained a row of ten jade hairpin flower sticks, and handed one to Ping'er.
Baoyu's deep affection in front of Ping'er, this thoughtfulness, left a deep impression on us, but let many people read it and do not know what, and perhaps the make-up artifact that Baoyu gave to Ping'er - the jade hairpin flower stick.
We are all familiar with the jade hairpin flower, this jade hairpin flower stick, in fact, is the bud of the jade hairpin flower that has not yet opened. Because when the jade hairpin flower contains buds to be released, its barrel flower buds are shaped like small sticks, so it is named after the stick.
The following author also wrote that Ping'er took this jade hairpin flower stick and poured the incense powder inside on the palm of his hand, and when he looked at it, "light white and red incense, all four are beautiful", it can be seen that the quality of this powder is excellent. From this, we also know that this powder is placed in the bud of the jade hairpin flower.
When Ping'er poured out the incense powder from the bud of the jade hairpin flower, Bao Yu specifically explained, "This is not lead powder", and also explained from the side that it is lead powder that is usually put into the bud of the jade hairpin flower.
So, why put lead powder into the buds of the jade hairpin flower? Today we can probably think of taking the aroma of jade hairpin flowers, but this is only one of the purposes, and there is also an important purpose to adsorb the harmful substances contained in the lead powder to the human body.
The Ming Dynasty man Song Xue said in the "Zhuyu Mountain House Miscellaneous Department": Use the best fixed powder, steam it in the beginning of the jade hairpin flower, the flower blue and black is the degree, take out the pairing, and the uniform surface is very bright.
In the early Qing Dynasty, Chen Shuzi also said in the sixth volume of his "Flower Mirror": Take the jade hairpin, fill it with lead powder, tie it with thread to dry its password, and use it to cover her face, and pass through The Su Shangxiang.
The lead powder used for women's makeup in ancient times is actually made of lead powder mixed with various spices, although it has a whitening effect, it also causes great harm to the facial skin. Over time, it will eventually make the woman's skin dull yellow and turn bluish-black.
The lead powder is put into the jade hairpin flower bud and boiled, which can not only absorb the aroma of the jade hairpin flower, but also allow the jade hairpin flower to absorb some of the toxicity in the lead powder, so the jade hairpin flower bud will be blue and black after steaming.
According to the "Chronicle of Shi Lin Guangji", the lead powder is put into the hollowed out eggshell, and after being steamed at high temperature, the surface of the eggshell will also turn black, and the effect is the same, but it lacks the unique aroma of the jade hairpin flower.
Of course, this is all low-end and harmful lead powder makeup, Baoyu's Yihong Courtyard is not used lead powder, but purple jasmine powder, which is made of purple jasmine seeds and crushed, mixed with precious spices.
Purple jasmine is native to tropical America and was introduced to the mainland around the time of the Ming Dynasty. According to legend, the Chongzhen Emperor of the Ming Dynasty did not like women to paint their faces with lead powder, and only the empress and Tian Guifei in the palace did not apply lead, but their faces were like jade, so they were most favored, and they used purple jasmine powder.
When the harem concubines learned of this secret, they followed suit. Therefore, purple jasmine was planted a lot in the Ming Dynasty Palace, and even the Empress's Kunning Palace planted more than sixty plants.
The Qianlong Emperor of the Qing Dynasty did not like purple jasmine, and since then, purple jasmine has gradually fallen into the folk.
Nowadays, in our vast rural areas, it is commonly known as landmine flowers and supper flowers.
In my hometown, we call it a bath flower, because it always blooms quietly at dusk in the summer, when our children bathe, with a faint fragrance.
Purple jasmine powder is made by stripping off the hard shell after the purple jasmine seeds mature and turn black, and the white powder inside is finely steamed, mixed with spices, and can be used. It can be applied to whitening, wrinkle and antifreeze, and acne can also be removed.
The "Xiangyan Series" also details the method of making jade hairpin powder with purple jasmine powder: purple jasmine is harvested in the palace, and it is finely steamed, called "pearl powder". Take the white crane flower bud, cut off its stem, and use the powder used by the folk to steam it, called "jade hairpin powder".
The meaning of this passage is that grinding and steaming the purple jasmine seeds is pearl powder. The jade hairpin flower with buds to be placed is cut off the flower pedicle, and then the purple jasmine pollen is put into the jade hairpin flower and steamed, which is the jade hairpin powder.
In fact, these two different names, the ingredients are the same, both are purple jasmine powder. In the novel, Baoyu is precious and abnormal, and it is also purple jasmine powder that is specially introduced to Ping'er.
Purple jasmine black seed in the white endosperm contains amino acids, peptides, proteins, organic acids, phenols, tannins, sugars, flavonoids, terpenes, lactones, coumarins, volatile oils, oils and other nutrients, after full grinding, you can get a delicate and good ductility of the flower seed powder, is a rare natural plant makeup foundation. Mixed with precious spices, soaked in the special aroma of jade hairpin flowers, the natural preciousness is abnormal.
However, the flower seed powder of pure plants such as purple jasmine powder must be steamed by fire, otherwise it is easy to breed bacteria.
In addition, in addition to adding spices, it is still necessary to add a trace amount of cinnabar and other raw materials to achieve sterilization and antiseptic effect, so the purple jasmine powder in the jade flower bud taken out by Baoyu in the novel must be the finished product that has been sterilized by high temperature and then dried.
When the jade hairpin flowers are in full bloom, the processed purple jasmine powder is put into the buds of the jade hairpin flowers picked in the morning with dew to absorb the aroma of the infiltration jade hairpin flowers again, and when you use it, take out the flower stick of the jade hairpin flower and pour it out.
In the novel, it is written that Ping'er poured out the powder "light white red incense" from the jade hairpin flower stick, and the "light white" here is the texture and color of the purple jasmine powder, "red" refers to cinnabar, and "incense" naturally means jade hairpin flower.
Shen Fu of the Qing Dynasty wrote in the "Six Records of Fusheng" that his wife Chen Yun, when the lotus flowers first bloomed in the summer month, put tea leaves into the heart of the lotus flowers to absorb the aroma of the lotus flowers, just like the jade hairpin flower sticks in Yihong Courtyard:
When the lotus flowers first bloom in the summer moon, they are late and dawn, and yun uses a small yarn sac to pick up a few leaves, put the flower heart, take it out tomorrow morning, cook the heavenly spring water and soak it, and the fragrance is particularly unique.
The flowering period of the jade hairpin flower is from August to October, and the 43rd time before the return, the author explains that the time node at this time is "the eye is already the second day of the first month of September", which shows that the later article writes that Baoyu took out the jade hairpin flower stick, which is the flowering period of the jade hairpin flower.
Imagine the early autumn season, in the Grand View Garden, beside the Qinfang Bridge, under the acacia tree, the woman's fibrous hand, with dew to pick the flower buds like a hairpin, the flowers bloom like jade, and the fragrance is pleasant.
As soon as I looked up, I saw an early flower magpie, with the characteristic cry of Tanabata after the cooling, spreading its wings and flying slowly towards the clear and high blue sky.
In the Grand View Garden, another beautiful autumn has arrived as promised.
Author: Noon Dream Hall Lord, this article is published with the author's permission.