Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 405 Climbing the Social Ladder

Consort Chun was born with a cold exterior but a warm interior. This temperament had a fatal flaw: once her heart was chilled, it was difficult to change her mind.

Admittedly, she was not as clever as Meng Shu, but this innate pride was a quality that Tang Xian and his wife had cultivated in their lives amidst luxury.

So what if the Emperor hasn't come for over a month? Consort Chun has never relied on that little bit of favor. With her family backing her up, she can still maintain her power in managing the six palaces. People in the palace are always obsequious to the powerful and domineering to the weak, and no one dares to look down on her.

If it weren't for the sake of having offspring, she wouldn't bother going along with Meng Shu's pretense of politeness towards the Emperor.

It was so late, and the Emperor had come from Cuiyu Hall. It was clear that Meng Shu had secretly put in a lot of effort, so Consort Chun felt even more that she couldn't afford to mess things up.

When she approached the Emperor, her expression softened somewhat. She first explained the arrangements for the New Year's Eve banquet, then poured tea with her delicate hands and exchanged a few casual words, feigning intimacy.

Following the emperor's preferences, she talked about everything from the elegant verses of the Book of Songs to the chapters of the Songs of Chu. Then, with her jade fingers gently plucking and twisting, she produced a string of clear and melodious sounds on her jade pendants.

From his initial aloofness and composure to the unintentional softening that followed, the Emperor had moved to sit beside the zither when the music ended. As the moonlight shone through the latticed window, a genuine interest was reflected in his eyes.

Aunt Mei was overjoyed, and quickly called Ruizhu to bring over the simmering ginseng tea...

The red candles wept, casting a warm glow on the gilded curtain hooks. The silk curtains swayed gently, and a pair of gold-threaded shoes were kicked off the side of the bed. The sashes rustled, and a hint of spring was secretly revealed in the room.

......

During the few days that the Emperor and Empress were away from the palace, the six palaces remained as usual.

The only thing worth mentioning is related to Consort Qing. She sent Granny Yu to Huining Palace and, on the grounds that "Zhaoqing Palace is too deserted," requested permission for Consort Yang to move to a side hall.

This arrangement was in accordance with palace rules, and Consort Chun did not object. She hovered her vermilion brush over the two characters "Yang Shi" for a moment before finally writing down a bright red "Approved".

"Since Consort Pei and Consort Qing got along so well when Consort Pei was in the imperial palace, why not move her from Hanxiang Pavilion there as well? That way, Zhaoqing Palace won't be so empty," Consort Chun said meaningfully.

These past two days, Granny Yu had been somewhat absent-minded. Upon hearing Consort Chun's words, she was a little confused. After a while, she hurriedly curtsied and said, "Your Majesty, please understand. We are merely servants who carry out orders and dare not presume to discuss the arrangements of our masters."

"Let's exchange a few words with Granny Yu. Granny Yu is getting on in years. Mengzhu, please take a seat and bring some more tea and snacks."

Mengzhu moved an embroidered stool over from the side and asked with a smile, "Granny, you look to be forty this year..."

“This servant was born in the thirteenth year of the Qian Yuan era, and will only turn thirty-eight next year.”

Granny Yu dared not actually sit down; it was only with Mengzhu's strong support that she managed to barely touch the edge of the embroidered stool.

Mengzhu maintained her expression, but inwardly she was horrified. She had already underestimated the situation; judging from Granny Yu's appearance, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she was in her fifties.

Consort Chun was also somewhat surprised, and said gently, "It seems that Granny Yu suffered a lot when she was in the slave quarters. Mengzhu, go to the storeroom and get some nourishing medicinal herbs for Granny Yu to take back."

Mengzhu responded and left the flower hall.

Upon hearing this, Granny Yu immediately stood up, her withered fingers tightly gripping the hem of her clothes: "How can this lowly servant be worthy of Your Highness's favor, nor dare I beg Your Highness for pity."

Aunt Mei stepped forward and helped Granny Yu sit down again, saying, "Granny, you are too modest. You are someone even the Emperor trusts to some extent, and you have a certain degree of respect in the palace. You don't need to be so reserved in front of our Lady."

These words warmed Granny Yu's heart, and her tense shoulders relaxed a little.

She couldn't help but recall the past, when the eldest young lady was as kind and generous as Consort Chun, while the second young lady was somewhat indescribable. The two sisters, who were blood relatives, not only had very different personalities, but were also worlds apart inside.

Before long, Mengzhu brought over the medicinal herbs from the storeroom. Consort Chun said a few words in a gentle voice and then went to her study, as she had to discuss matters with several clerks from the Shanggong Bureau in the afternoon.

With her mind full of thoughts, Aunt Mei affectionately pulled Granny Yu to the tea room for a short rest.

When Meng Shu arrived with Green Willow and Winter Melon, she happened to see Aunt Mei seeing Granny Yu off.

In the flower hall.

After Meng Shu sat down, Rui Zhu handed over a hand warmer with fresh charcoal and said, "I often saw Granny Yu going to the plum grove these past few days. I didn't notice it from a distance, but now that I'm right in front of her, she's become even thinner."

Green Willow replied, "Xia'er mentioned it once. A few days ago was the anniversary of the death of the eldest daughter of the Duke's mansion. Granny Yu is someone who misses her former mistress. It's a pity that the mistress she serves now doesn't seem to miss her deceased sister at all."

Mengzhu said in a low voice, "How could there not be? Two days ago, that person used this as an excuse to leave the Emperor's carriage at Zhaoqing Palace."

Ruizhu immediately became interested, muttering that Mengzhu hadn't told her the gossip in time. Donggua, on the other hand, wasn't interested and had gone straight to the small kitchen in Huining Palace when she arrived.

Meng Shu and Consort Chun moved to the study to check the account books together, while Meng Zhu and the others chatted.

After a while, she instructed Mengzhu to collect the account books. Consort Chun said, "Shu'er saw things very clearly. Yang Huixin (Yang Baolin's maiden name) has climbed up to Consort Qing so quickly. But I think Consort Pei is even more scheming. After all this time, she hasn't been hoping to move to Zhaoqing Palace."

"Anyone with eyes can see that the Emperor treats Consort Qing differently, so it was predictable that Consort Yang would choose to attach herself to her," Meng Shu said casually, rubbing her wrist.

Previously, Yang Baolin had used the incident involving Consort Wu to feign weakness and beg for mercy. When Consort Chun ignored her, she finally managed to climb the social ladder to Zhaoqing Palace.

Ruizhu interjected mysteriously, "Just look at Granny Yu. Even loyal servants from the Duke's mansion don't have an easy time in front of Consort Qing. In my opinion, Yang Baolin will regret it later."

......

Magnolia Pavilion.

Cuijuan, Yang Baolin's maid, was busy packing her trunks when she pointed to a basket of charcoal and asked, "Master, should we take this basket of charcoal with us?"

"No need, Zhaoqing Palace won't run out of supplies. Leave the rest to Sister Wu."

Yang Baolin looked at herself in the bronze mirror. Today, she had her hair styled in a cloud-like bun and was dressed in a simple palace dress.

It's not that I don't want to dress up, but I'm really short of money. All my food and daily necessities are provided by the palace. After deducting the expenses for favors and gifts, I can't even afford a decent piece of jewelry. The filigree butterfly hairpin I'm wearing now was a gift from Consort Chun when I first entered the palace.

Her family managed to get someone to send silver to the palace, but for a family without power or influence, even sending silver was difficult. Each layer of the money was deducted as a kickback, and she was lucky if she received even 100 taels out of the 200 taels of silver.

Cuijuan pursed her lips: "Your Highness is so kind-hearted. Back then, Consort Wu relied on her seniority and came from the Empress Dowager's palace to treat you so badly. Even I couldn't stand it."

Seeing that Yang Baolin remained unmoved, she suddenly leaned closer and lowered her voice, saying, "This servant has heard that Eunuch Huang of the Imperial Bedchamber Bureau is secretly collecting these items, perhaps..."

"Snapped!"

Yang Baolin slammed his hand on the table, his cold and stern gaze sweeping over the table, all traces of his former naivety vanishing from his face.