In ancient times, facial balms—also known as facial creams or facial salves—did more than just moisturize. Most formulas incorporated numerous traditional medicinal ingredients, offering benefits like skin whitening, wrinkle reduction, and spot removal.
Furthermore, these balms could be paired with orally ingested medicinal pills, nourishing the body from within while protecting it from without, to achieve everlasting beauty.
Speaking of facial balms, Gu Jiaojiao recalled a story she had heard from her master.
The story went that there was a man named Zhang Wenzhong, who had served as an Imperial Physician and later as Chief Imperial Pharmacist. One day, Wu Zetian suffered a sudden heart ailment during a court session. Although she recovered, the prolonged illness took its toll, leaving her with more facial wrinkles. Thus, the beauty-conscious Empress Wu Zetian summoned Zhang Wenzhong and ordered him to develop a formula to eliminate them.
