Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 577 is clearly aimed at the Chen family.

Zhou Bai stood alone outside the Cuiyu Hall, the faint sounds of children's laughter mingling with a few intermittent "woo-woo" sounds.

He raised his eyebrows slightly and turned his gaze toward the direction from which the sound came.

This is the tone of a porcelain ocarina. Without proper playing techniques, it's difficult for an ordinary person to produce a sound.

Inside the warm pavilion, Yu Nu'er also raised her eyebrows.

He had tried for a long time, his little face turning red, but the porcelain ocarina still couldn't produce a sound. However, Kang Ge'er only held it in his hands and fiddled with it for a while before the clear "woo-woo" sound rang out.

Yu Nu'er stared at the little bird-shaped ocarina in Kang Ge'er's hand, her eyes filled with confusion.

Inside the Cuiyu Hall, Zhou Bai entered the flower hall.

Normally, Meng Shu would never accept her uncle's courtesy when they met. But at this moment, her emotions were still churning, and she forgot to stop him, simply staring at him intently.

After Zhou Bai bowed, seeing his niece's expression, he knew that Xiu Yun had already told him what she needed to say.

He stopped beating around the bush and went straight to the point: "Forgive my boldness, but Your Highness has been loyal to the Marquis's mansion for so many years and has never been negligent in your treatment of the Imperial Concubine. Now... it's time to plan for yourself and for the Crown Prince."

“Your Majesty need not be troubled. Do you know that the Marquis’s mansion sent people to Yangzhou in secret several months ago? If it weren’t for the Emperor’s secret guards protecting us, my family of three might have already been killed by the Marquis’s mansion.”

Meng Shu's pupils constricted sharply, and she abruptly looked up. "No, impossible! The Marquis's mansion... the Marquis and his wife wouldn't lay a hand on my uncle!"

She might be an eyesore to the Marquis's household now, and in order to control her, the Marquis placed Chen Lin as a pawn in the Palace Guard. But she never imagined that the mansion that once sheltered her would go so far as to kill her closest relatives.

Zhou Bai's voice was solemn as he slowly revealed the truth: "Your Majesty, you may not know this, but three years ago when I left the capital for Yangzhou, His Majesty secretly sent the bodyguard Lu Qi to accompany me, ordering him to protect my safety. When I first arrived in Yangzhou, with Chen Lin in the open, I was relatively safe. But looking back over the next two years, there were several times when my life was hanging by a thread... Only recently did I learn that it was all Lu Qi who secretly resolved the situation."

"Now that he has come out of the shadows, he has come to inform you that several months ago, a highly skilled woman in black was hiding near the mansion, spying on us. The woman's movements were secretive and her skills were extremely swift; she was clearly after the Chen family. Perhaps she sensed Lu Qi's presence, which is why she did not dare to make a move easily."

He paused for a moment, his gaze turning to Meng Shu with a heavy expression: "Does Your Majesty know where that woman went after I left Yangzhou...?"

Meng Shu felt a chill run through her body, and her back was soaked with cold sweat, so she didn't notice the look of shock on Xiu Yun's face.

She had found it hard to believe what her uncle had said, but upon hearing this, a name unconsciously surfaced in her mind. If the woman her uncle spoke of was indeed sent by the Marquis's mansion, then it was most likely—Madam Zhou.

Madam Zhou's skills surpass even Zheng Shan's. She is not only Chen Lin's master but also Madam Yun's most trusted right-hand woman; otherwise, Madam Yun wouldn't have arranged for her disciple Mingyue to be by the Second Miss's side...

Seeing that Meng Shu was lost in thought, Zhou Bai couldn't help but sigh: "That woman went to Yongfeng Grain Shop next to Yangzhou Wharf and has now headed south... According to the people Lu Qi left behind, she should have been ordered to go to Quanzhou."

......

Half an hour later.

Green Willow led the way, escorting Zhou Bai and his wife across the Taiye Pond. Seeing that no one was around, she curtsied and said, "Lord Zhou, Her Majesty's kindness to this servant is as heavy as a mountain, and this servant will never betray her master in this life. There is something I must report to you now."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Bai solemnly cupped his hands and said, "Please tell me, young lady."

"Does Lord Zhou still remember that Chen Lin and the Empress have known each other since childhood, and you once strongly urged him to join the army? Now he has made military achievements under General Song and has been admitted to the Palace Guard through the Marquis's arrangement."

Green Willow spoke very softly, "Also... what Your Highness has learned these past few days is that Consort Shun in the palace... apparently knew Chen Lin in the Northern Frontier. This matter is quite unsettling."

Zhou Bai's expression turned serious. After a moment of silence, he said in a deep voice, "Don't worry, young lady. I have received many great favors from this young man Chen. He is not a reckless person. Now that he has the opportunity to move within the palace, it may not be entirely a bad thing. As for Consort Shun..."

Several hundred meters away, on another palace road.

Consort Shun, clutching her handkerchief, personally helped her grandmother walk slowly along the road.

"I earnestly hope that Your Highness will prioritize the family and take good care of yourself." Old Madam Han's eyes drooped, and her voice fell heavily.

Consort Shun blushed slightly and lowered her head, replying, "Granddaughter will remember Grandmother's teachings and will never...never make a mistake again."

Madam Han patted her arm lightly, then suddenly stopped and raised her arm.

Aunt Suqin understood and immediately led Xiaodie and the other palace maids back a few steps. Once the surroundings were quiet, Old Madam Han said earnestly, "The position of Empress is currently vacant, but your grandmother and father have long told you that Your Highness does not need to compete for this position."

Her gaze was like an ancient well, looking deeply into Consort Shun's eyes: "The most urgent matter is that Your Highness must find a way to conceive a royal heir. A royal heir... is the key. As long as Your Highness gives birth to a prince, your father will make proper arrangements for you. At that time, with the Han family supporting you and your son, who in the harem will dare to look down on you?"

Consort Shun gave a soft "hmm," and as she lowered her eyes, a faint hint of mockery flashed across them.

Outside the palace gates, the carriages of the Zhou family and the Han family drove away from the imperial city one after the other.

Inside the Zhou family's carriage, Xiuyun leaned against the wall, her face pale. She had just sent a letter to the Marquis of Lin'an's residence yesterday to pay her respects to Madam Yun, and the madam treated her as usual.

She simply couldn't believe that the Marquis's mansion would send someone to Yangzhou to carry out an assassination.

"Master, just now..." Her voice trembled slightly as she looked at Zhou Bai beside her, "What you said about Consort Jin... is it true?"