Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 575 Simple-minded on the outside, shrewd on the inside

Green Willow had initially dismissed Jingming's words as mere idle chatter. But then she suddenly remembered that Chen Lin had apparently been on duty outside the palace yesterday, and a ridiculous conjecture inevitably arose in her mind.

However, after further consideration, she immediately shook her head and rejected the idea.

In her view, Consort Shun was a noble consort, and the eldest daughter of the Grand Commander's Mansion when she was young. How could someone with such a noble status make a special trip to Funing Palace just to... catch a glimpse of the guards on the way?

No matter how hard one tries, unless Consort Shun is out of her mind, Green Willow simply cannot believe it.

"...Even if Consort Shun insists on doing so, there should always be someone by her side to stop her..." On the way back to Lingcui Palace, Green Willow muttered to Meng Shu.

Here, we must mention Green Willow's thoroughness. She always manages to recount everything she sees and hears clearly and meticulously, never omitting anything. If it were Mengzhu, she might not have reported Jingming's words to her superiors.

As Meng Shu walked, she thought for a while and said to her, "That's easy. Just check whether Suqin, the old maid who served Consort Shun yesterday, is in the palace, and we'll have a general idea."

Green Willow's eyes lit up: "That's a good idea too. Besides going to Consort Mu's place, Granny Suqin usually stays by Consort Shun's side..."

The master and servant chatted quietly as they slowly walked away along the pebbled path.

Before even reaching Lingcui Palace, they encountered Ruizhu.

When Ruizhu saw Meng Shu, she quickly stepped forward and bowed. "This servant greets Your Highness. I had some free time today, so I came to embroider a wedding dress for Donggua. Mengzhu also asked me to pass on a message that there are only a few days left until the 26th. If you are too busy, please go to Huining Palace to send someone over."

“We can manage,” Green Willow nodded with a smile, taking Ruizhu’s hand and instructing her, “But it shouldn’t be too noisy. Let’s work together to prepare the clothes today, and then on the 26th, you can do Winter Melon’s makeup, and we can send her out of the palace in style.”

Hearing their words, Meng Shu couldn't help but smile.

Ruizhu followed beside her with a smile, saying with emotion, "I never imagined that among us, Donggua would be the first to get married."

Green Willow replied, "The Imperial Concubine has been preparing for the three of you for a long time. She's just waiting for you to reach a certain age before assigning you a suitable husband."

Ruizhu's eyes lit up, but she quickly shook her head again: "Mengzhu and Mingyue are just like you, determined not to get married in this lifetime. I... I thought that if I left you and had to deal with a strange man on my own, I might have to deal with his whole family... I don't want that kind of life, so I gave up the idea of ​​getting married a long time ago."

"Donggua is so clever; she secured Physician Jian early on. Firstly, we know him inside and out, so he won't have in-laws to serve her or sisters-in-law to deal with. Secondly, once she's married, she can enter the palace at any time..."

Ruizhu became more and more convinced of its truth as she listened, clapping her hands excitedly and saying, "You're right! Donggua may seem simple-minded on the outside, but he's shrewd on the inside!"

"What nonsense! She earned this good fortune herself." Meng Shu smiled and pulled her to her side, changing the subject: "Has anything interesting happened in the palace these past couple of days?"

When it comes to gossip, it really hits the nail on the head for Ruizhu. She practically blurted out, "There really is something interesting."

"Madam Han is quite old and has been living a secluded life since arriving in the capital. Today is the first time that the Han Governor's Mansion has sent a letter to the palace. Madam Han will personally visit Consort Shun in the palace tomorrow."

Meng Shu and Lü Liu exchanged a glance.

"Did anyone leave Consort Shun's palace yesterday?" Meng Shu asked.

Ruizhu immediately replied, "How did Your Highness know? Yesterday, Suqin, the maidservant by Consort Shun's side, went to the Shanggong Bureau to register. She left the palace and returned to the Governor's Mansion, and it took her about two hours to come back."

At this moment, inside the Funing Palace.

Seeing that the Emperor was in a good mood, Jingming stepped forward to join in the fun and said, "Your Majesty, before Consort Jin left, she said that she would have the head chef prepare some new dishes and send them over later."

The Emperor smiled and said, "Why bother sending it all this way? I'll just go there myself."

"Consort Jin is very considerate of those around her. When Donggua leaves the palace to get married, pick out two exquisite items from the storeroom and send them over as a dowry."

"The head cook is truly blessed," Jingming replied with a smile. "Even the daughters of third-rank officials might not receive imperial gifts as dowries when they get married. With such a distinguished appearance, everyone will have to say... that Imperial Physician Jian is climbing the social ladder."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor did not speak again. He first drank half a cup of tea to moisten his mouth, and after a while, he got up and walked to a row of rosewood bookshelves, where he took out two scrolls of nautical charts.

He slowly unfolded one of the scrolls on the table, his gaze sweeping across the winding coastline, finally settling on the ports of Quanzhou and Mingzhou.

On the right, two memorials handed over by Zhou Bai were unfolded. At the end of one of them was a simple sketch with clear directions, depicting Quanzhou Port.

......

The next day.

Meng Shu met her aunt Xiu Yun and her younger cousin Zhou Yunzhi, nicknamed Wen Jie'er, at Lingcui Palace. She had received this name more than two years ago at the Changchun Garden Palace.

Wen Jie'er was younger than Yu Nu'er, and was very cute. As soon as Yu Nu'er saw her, her little face lit up with joy. The two children greeted each other politely, and then Yu Nu'er took the other's hand and went to the East Warm Pavilion, saying that she had prepared many little toys to give to her younger sister.

Upon hearing this, Meng Shu smiled and corrected her: "Yu Nu'er, you should call her 'Auntie'."

Upon hearing this, Yu Nu'er was stunned. She looked at Wen Jie'er, who was half a head shorter than her, and gestured with her small hands to indicate her height, her face full of confusion.

"Mother, are you joking? My sister is about the same height as Kang'er, and she's clearly younger than me."

Wen Jie raised her little face and said in a serious tone, "I may grow slowly, but I'm quick to climb the ranks!"

The child's innocent words made everyone in the room laugh.

Xiuyun gently patted Wenjie's head, "You've forgotten so quickly? What did your father and I tell you before we came?"

Wen-jie counted on her fingers and said earnestly, "Be good, be polite, and don't cry. Mother, I remember."

Meng Shu gestured to Lvliu, who immediately led Hongyu and the others forward. The tray she was carrying contained several exquisite items, including a nine-linked ring, a tangram, a gold flower and butterfly headdress inlaid with pearls and gemstones, a pair of small red gold bracelets, and a soft satin purse embroidered with koi fish.

"These are for you to play with," Meng Shu said gently, then picked up the purse. "Inside are some lucky gold ingots, a gift from your cousin."

Wenjie first looked up at her mother. Seeing Xiuyun nod, she then extended her little hand and bowed respectfully: "Yunzhi thanks cousin."

When Xiuyun saw that the headdress was extremely valuable, she felt comforted, but she also remembered her husband's words and was at a loss for how to start the conversation.

On the other side, Chenghui Hall.

Madam Han arrived at the palace gate early in the morning by carriage to wait.

Upon entering the palace at Chenshi (7-9 AM), I first went to Cining Palace to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager. Since the position of Empress Dowager was vacant, there was no need to linger. However, by the time I arrived at Consort Shun's palace, it was already nearly Sishi (9-11 AM).

She refused Suqin's help and, leaning on her cane, followed the palace maid leading the way into the reception hall.

Consort Shun happily stepped forward to greet her, but the old lady stepped aside and instead gave her a respectful kowtow.

Consort Shun's face turned pale instantly, and she knelt down in front of the old lady with a thud. "Grandmother, you are... trying to make your granddaughter suffer."

Madam Han slowly straightened up, her aged face devoid of any smile: "Your Majesty is now a concubine, a member of the imperial family, while I am but an old woman with one foot in the grave. How can I be worthy of Your Majesty's kneeling?"