Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 467 Mid-Autumn Festival Gift Book

Seeing her like this, Old Madam Han felt even more disheartened.

Seeing this, Suqin deliberately changed the subject: "Miss, I did see that person once from afar. He is handsome, but his background is what it is. The second son of the Shen family is different. Not only is he the descendant of a military general, but he has also repeatedly distinguished himself in battle in the northern frontier. His future is promising..."

"Our Han family doesn't care about social status." Old Madam Han patted Han Shuyi's back, her tone softening but still carrying weight: "But you must never have anything to do with the Marquis of Lin'an's mansion."

Han Shuyi's eyes lit up when she heard the first half of the sentence, but the second half of the sentence was like a bucket of cold water being poured on her, and she immediately wilted.

She muttered under her breath, a hint of resentment in her voice: "But he's a vanguard under Commandant Song, and he even made the greatest contribution in the last encirclement. His future isn't..."

Before she could finish speaking, Madam Han's face had already turned ashen.

"Who cares about the future! You'd better give up that idea as soon as possible. If you still dare to have any thoughts about it, I'll personally go to the Shen family first thing tomorrow morning to deliver an invitation and set a date!"

"Grandmother! Please don't..."

Han Shuyi suddenly looked up, her eyes glistening with tears. She bit her lip, finished speaking, and then turned and ran out of the pavilion.

The maid Xiaodie behind her quickly curtsied and hurriedly called out, "Miss, wait a minute!" before lifting her skirt and catching up.

Only Madam Han and Suqin remained in the pavilion. Madam Han gazed in the direction her granddaughter had run off into and sighed heavily, "The roads in the capital are nowhere near as easy as those in the northern frontier. One wrong step and you're plunged into an abyss of no return."

......

"Your Majesty, it has been seven or eight days since the old lady of the Han family entered the palace last time, and there has been no news from inside or outside the palace. It seems that His Majesty has no intention of taking that Miss Han as a concubine."

Lvliu has been spending a lot of time around the Sixth Bureau these past few days, and has been getting a lot of information.

Meng Shu was sorting out accounts at her desk. As the summer heat gradually subsided, the Mid-Autumn Festival was just around the corner. The palace would be holding a banquet, and all expenses had to be calculated in advance.

Hongyu, who was moving the gift book aside, said upon hearing this, "Although Miss Han comes from a high social standing, she is ultimately an adopted daughter, which puts her at a disadvantage from the start. I heard she was rather unruly and impolite on the day she entered the palace..."

"Shut up." Meng Shu suddenly looked up, her gaze falling on Hongyu's face. "If you think such things to yourself, that's fine. But if outsiders hear it, they'll think that all the people in my Cuiyu Hall are so shallow and love to gossip?"

Hongyu blushed and hurriedly knelt on the ground to beg for forgiveness, "This servant misspoke, this servant knows her mistake, please punish me, Your Majesty."

"We don't know the full story about the Han family's daughter, so how can we make preconceived notions?"

Governor Han holds military power in the northern frontier, and Madam Han enjoys considerable prestige among the families of military officers; even the Emperor treats her with respect. Even if Miss Han is an adopted daughter, given the Han family's influence, her status is far beyond that of ordinary daughters of noble families.

Meng Shu paused, her gaze sweeping over the silent, focused green willows in the hall before returning to Hongyu: "From now on, do not mention these baseless rumors again. If you cannot keep your mouth shut while serving in the palace, you will get into trouble sooner or later."

Hongyu pressed her forehead to the ground, her back already damp with a thin layer of sweat, and said repeatedly, "This servant will remember Your Highness's teachings and will never dare to do it again."

"Get up."

Meng Shu's voice softened a bit, and she pointed to the stack of books on the table, "Move these to the front hall for filing."

After Hongyu left, Lvliu suddenly knelt down: "Although I didn't say much just now, I did intend to agree with her. I was really inappropriate. Please punish me, Your Majesty."

Meng Shu stepped forward and helped her up personally. "You are different from Hongyu. Even with Hongyu, I only told her to be careful. Has Madam sent any message?"

"Not yet." Green Willow stood with her hands at her sides.

Meng Shu walked to the window, pondered for a moment, and then turned around: "Tomorrow, go to the imperial palace and tell Aunt Mei to have Madam Yun withdraw her men and stop investigating the Duke of Qing's mansion."

Green Willow paused for a moment, then realized, "Your Majesty means..."

“Tong Bo has been frequently leaving the palace these past few days. Since the Emperor is already suspicious, he must have sent him to investigate secretly. It would be better if we withdrew now.”

"This servant understands." Green Willow nodded. "This servant will set off first thing tomorrow morning."

“The palace is relatively peaceful right now.” Meng Shu thought for a moment, then added, “Take the winter melon with you too, and we can get back before the Mid-Autumn Festival.”

"Yes, I've got it." Green Willow replied.

·

In the late afternoon, the sun slanted across the eaves of Lingcui Palace, casting a warm glow on the glazed tiles.

Zhixue arrived at Lingcui Palace, saying that she had received an imperial decree from the Empress, requesting Meng Shu to go to Renming Hall for an audience immediately.

Meng Shu had just finished compiling the gift list for the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet when she heard this. She asked Green Willow to bring a brocade box, carefully placed the prepared gift list inside, and then changed into a moon-white dress embroidered with magnolia flowers. She then walked unhurriedly toward Renming Hall.

Stepping through the palace gates, I walked along the corridor toward the Empress's study. As I approached the main hall, a faint medicinal scent drifted over on the breeze.

This slightly fishy smell was strangely familiar; I had smelled it before in the Phoenix Palace where the Empress lived, back when I was at the Changchun Garden Imperial Palace.

Meng Shu slowed her pace slightly and casually asked, "I saw Her Majesty the Empress looking quite well a few days ago, and I thought she was already fully recovered. Why is she still taking medicine?"

Zhixue lowered her eyes and carefully replied, "Your Majesty, Physician He recently prescribed a recuperation formula for Her Majesty the Empress, and instructed that it will take some time to complete."

Meng Shu nodded slightly and didn't ask any more questions. When she reached the door of the study, Xingyu, who was guarding the steps, saw her and quickly lifted the curtain to go in and report.

"Consort Jin has arrived? Please come in quickly."

The Empress's voice came from inside the room. Meng Shu nodded to Green Willow and stepped into the study.

The Empress was copying scriptures at her desk when she saw Meng Shu enter, at which point she put down her pen.

"You've arrived," the Empress smiled, raising her eyes, and pointed to the Xuan paper on the table. "Come and see how my calligraphy is?"

Meng Shu stepped forward slowly, her gaze falling on the paper. The Empress came from a military family, so her wrist strength should have been somewhat vigorous, but the characters she wrote were gentle and soft, with a deliberately restrained elegance hidden in the strokes, much like the style of a lady from Jiangnan.

Meng Shu said, "Her Majesty the Empress's handwriting is dignified and beautiful, and has a natural elegance; it is naturally excellent."

Upon hearing this, the Empress asked with a hint of feigned inquiry, "Oh? How does it compare to Consort Chun's calligraphy?"

Meng Shu glanced at the scripture and said, "The quality of the writing is secondary; the most important thing is the state of mind when writing. Just like when Your Majesty copied the Heart Sutra, your writing was gentle and soft. If you were copying the Minister now, I imagine your writing would be more powerful and forceful, and it would not be written like this."

The Empress paused slightly, a meaningful smile playing on her lips: "No wonder the Emperor is so fond of you, sister. If I had met you when I was still a young lady, I might have had to put in some effort to bring you into my harem as a personal concubine."

Meng Shu remained calm. As soon as she reached out her hand, Green Willow understood and opened the box, bringing over the gift book.

Meng Shu took it and gently placed it on the desk. "The Mid-Autumn Festival gift list and the banquet list have been prepared according to the regulations of previous years. Some new Suzhou embroidery handkerchiefs and new tea from Jiangnan have been added. Please take a look, Your Majesty."

The Empress reached out and turned the pages, her fingertips tracing the gold-flecked pages. Her gaze swept over a few lines before stopping at the section for "Consort Qu's" rewards.

"Consort Qu is more than three months pregnant this time. I think she should be given more nourishing foods. What do you say?"

Meng Shu lowered her eyes and replied, "Your Majesty's consideration for the concubines is a blessing for Consort Qu. I will immediately add ginseng and donkey-hide gelatin, and prepare double portions."

The Empress hummed in agreement, her fingertip pausing on the words "Consort Chun": "Consort Chun's pregnancy is quite advanced, so she deserves more attention. Go and report to the Emperor later to see if he has any special gifts to give her. Yesterday, I dined with the Empress Dowager at Cining Palace, and she specially selected a glass mirror from a foreign country, saying it was to cheer Consort Chun up; please include it in the gift list as well."

She slowly closed the book of gifts, her fingertips gently stroking the cover. "I think it's because Consort Jin seems to have omitted one person."

As he spoke, he looked up at Meng Shu.

“Shen Jieyu is currently reflecting on her mistakes in Shujing Palace. According to palace rules, apart from her daily expenses, she will no longer receive any rewards.”

"But she is, after all, Princess Lingning's birth mother, and the Shen father and son are currently leading troops in the northern frontier..."

The Empress paused, her tone becoming more meaningful: "Some rules are rigid, but people are flexible. We must be lenient when necessary and strict when appropriate; we must always assess the situation. What does Consort Jin think?"