The Secret Records of Misty Rain: The Rouge Poison Letter

Can a dab of rouge sustain a woman's livelihood in the aftermath of disaster, or does it conceal more than just the warmth of a means to survive?

Nangong Hong, a modern cosmetics artisan, transmigrates to another world just as a dynasty begins rebuilding from ruin, where women have no way to earn a living. Drawing on her mastery of traditional rouge-making, she defies all objections and opens a workshop to teach the craft. She even writes down the essentials of rouge-making herself, imparting fifty secret techniques, from blending cinnabar for crimson lips to grinding lotus blossoms for a hibiscus look. With Murong Bo's wholehearted support, workshops are established throughout the disaster-stricken region. At last, destitute women can earn money with a skill of their own, and long-missed smiles return to their faces.

But the more successful the workshops become, the more turbulent the undercurrents grow. A hidden hand coveting the secret formulas has begun to reach for them. Political power struggles at court are drawing the rouge workshops into their vortex, while strange rumors in the martial world twist "life-saving rouge" into "death-dealing poison." Is Murong Bo's support truly for the people, or does he have political calculations of his own? Can Nangong Hong's modern techniques withstand the conspiracies closing in around her? Will the rouge that made women smile again ultimately become a light of salvation, or a blade that wounds?

This novel and its characters are entirely fictional. Any resemblance is purely coincidental. Do not imitate.