Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 382 Qu Meiren, Yi Xiuyuan

The conversation lasted less than a quarter of an hour. Madam Yun noticed that Meng Shu looked somewhat tired, so she took her leave and returned to the main hall.

Two months had passed since their last meeting at the imperial palace, and Lady Yun and Consort Chun, mother and daughter, naturally had much to say to each other. Lady Yun held Consort Chun's hand, inquiring in detail about her daily life and offering many words of advice.

Mengzhu and Ruizhu stood by, and Madam Yun had not forgotten them. She had already asked Wei Mama to prepare some exquisite little trinkets, which Wei Mama then smiled and gave to them.

As dusk settled, the palace banquet was drawing to a close, with a lingering festive atmosphere still present in the hall.

Qi Zhaorong's maternal family was far away in Jinzhou. The emperor issued an imperial decree, and the wife of Prefect Guo was also allowed to come to the capital. She was talking to her daughter according to the etiquette of a noblewoman, but her expression was not like that of a mother and daughter.

Marrying into the royal family seemed to sever ties with family.

"Mother, please don't be distant from your daughter." She gently handed the sleeping Lingyi to her mother, her fingertips touching her mother's palm, and subconsciously squeezed it.

"Is everything alright at home?"

Madam Guo hurriedly rose, carefully taking the swaddling clothes with both hands, and replied with lowered eyes, "Thanks to Your Majesty's blessings, my husband has served as the Assistant Magistrate of Jinzhou for many years, and this year he was just promoted to Prefect. Your eldest sister had a daughter the year before last, and this spring she gave birth to a son. Luo'er is also doing well; last year she passed the imperial examination and became a scholar..."

"And what about you, Mother?" Qi Zhaorong suddenly interrupted. "Father has been promoted, and my elder sister and younger brother are doing well too. Mother, are you content in the manor?"

Madam Guo was carefully examining Xiao Lingyi's features when she suddenly heard her daughter ask this question, and her expression froze.

She forced a smile and said, "Your Majesty is too kind. I am the mistress of the Guo household and the birth mother of the current Consort Qi. No one in Jinzhou dares to bully me..."

Qi Zhaorong listened with a frown, and when she saw the new silver strands at her mother's temples, a bitter feeling rose in her throat.

She took the opportunity of tidying up the baby's swaddling clothes to say softly, "Mother, please call me Jia'er. This restraint will only make me feel sad. Before you return to Jinzhou, Mother, come to the palace to say goodbye. I will write two letters home then, which you can give to Father when you get back."

Every family has its own troubles. When Prefect Guo was serving as Assistant Prefect, he favored his concubine over his wife, and Madam Guo became the talk of the town among the many officials' wives in Jinzhou. If it weren't for Consort Qi's own shrewdness, she might not have been the one to enter the palace in the first place.

After instructing her mother, Qi Zhaorong looked up and saw Consort Chun talking to Madam Yun. Madam Yun's eyebrows were relaxed, her cheeks were flushed, and her every move exuded the composure of a noble lady. It was clear that she had never been troubled by matters of the inner quarters.

Her gaze unconsciously shifted to Consort Chun, a hint of envy appearing on her face.

......

The day after the full moon celebration, while Lord Tong of the Yeting Bureau was still investigating the case of the madwoman in the warm pavilion of Cining Palace, the palace issued two imperial edicts promoting her to a higher rank.

Consort Qu is still recuperating in Chunxi Palace, and the imperial decree to promote her to the rank of Fifth-Rank Beauty has been announced to the six palaces.

However, he was only promoted one rank, and the emperor did not bestow any title upon him.

Consort Shen, on the other hand, was promoted to the rank of one of the Nine Consorts on the same day for her meritorious service in giving birth to a princess.

The Emperor selected the character "宜" from several titles drafted by the Ministry of Rites, and from then on, Consort Shen became the title of Yi Xiuyuan.

It not only incorporates her real name but also subtly implies gentleness and harmony. This dignity is far more valuable than that of a concubine without a title.

There was much discussion about it within the palace.

Consort Rong and Consort Yun lived in Ganlu Palace together. When she heard the news, Consort Rong joked, "After all, the offspring of the emperor are precious. If they don't have a good family to support them, even if they are promoted, they will still lack something."

Yun Baolin wholeheartedly agreed, adding, "Sister is right. Even someone as favored as Consort Jin was only granted a title after she became pregnant."

“Sister Yun, you are mistaken. How can Consort Qu be compared to Consort Jin? Not to mention that Consort Jin’s beauty is unparalleled in the six palaces, even in terms of background, Consort Qu does not have a maternal uncle who holds an important position.”

Rong Meiren's father has been frequently associating with Zhou Bai in official circles lately, so Rong Meiren naturally knows more about the intricacies of court politics than others.

Inside the Chunxi Hall.

Qu Meiren leaned against the soft pillows, her expression so indifferent that it was impossible to discern whether she was sad or happy.

Ruixue offered a dry consolation: "Your promotion is a joyous occasion. With your looks and talent, you will be granted a title sooner or later."

Qu Meiren chuckled lightly: "Suitable for living and family, gentle and compliant is the word 'suitable.' Sister Shen's personality has absolutely nothing to do with those four words..."

Before he could finish speaking, the wound on his back suddenly throbbed with pain, as if even his flesh was mocking the absurdity of the title.

......

Cuiyu Hall.

Green Willow carefully helped Meng Shu stroll in the garden. It was a crisp autumn day, the best time of year in the capital.

"Your Majesty, the Emperor has often summoned Consort Qu to his bedchamber before, so why hasn't he bestowed a title upon her this time?" Green Willow began to ponder this after receiving the news.

Meng Shu was tired from walking, so she leaned on the vermilion railing to rest for a while.

She gazed at the birds circling on the distant palace wall and said calmly, "They were probably implicated by Qu Baolin."

In the imperial harem, favors and imperial affections are always intertwined, with one action having far-reaching consequences.

That's why Meng Shu had people keep a close eye on Yun Baolin, for fear that she might implicate Consort Chun.

This incident involving Consort Qu shows that Consort Qu's act of risking her life to protect Princess Lingyi was indeed a great achievement. However, if it weren't for her foolish cousin, why would she need to sacrifice herself to protect her?

The Emperor didn't care what caused Wu Cang's madness; he only cared about the result. His refusal to grant her a title when promoting her to the rank of Consort Qu was the clearest indication of his attitude.

Holding a bowl of freshly cooked astragalus and angelica crucian carp soup, Donggua carefully walked through the vermilion corridor of Cuiyu Hall.

Meng Shu glanced at the milky white crucian carp soup in the celadon bowl and felt a fishy smell rush to her throat. Seeing this, Green Willow quickly brought over a small dish with gold thread: "Your Majesty, please suck on a piece of pickled ginger to calm your nerves. Imperial Physician Jian said this soup is the best for nourishing the fetus, you must drink it."

Just as Meng Shu was frowning and trying her best to drink the fish soup under the watchful eyes of Donggua and Lvliu,

Inside the Funing Palace, Tong Bo was kneeling on the ground, reporting the case to the Emperor.

"After two days of thorough investigation, I have found that not only is the palace maid Anu, who tames beasts, of impeccable character, but the dancers have also not come into contact with any foreign objects in recent days. Only the brocade outer garment worn by Consort Qu on that day tested positive for fine powder of Polygonum hydropiper..."

Tong Bo stared at the crack in the brickwork and continued, "This fabric was originally a gift from the Empress to Consort Qu, who then gave it to Consort Qu. As for the Yun brocade... it was a new tribute fabric from Yongxiu Cloth Shop, which was part of Consort Chun's dowry, and it was delivered in July."

He investigated thoroughly and found that the material had changed hands several times without any issues, but since it involved imperial merchants and was related to Consort Chun, he had no choice but to report the truth to the Emperor.

The Emperor lightly tapped his fingertips on the imperial desk and reached out to open the Shanggong Bureau's account book: "Of the thirty-six bolts of Yun brocade that were newly presented as tribute in July, apart from the one the Empress bestowed upon Consort Qu, have the rest been inspected?"

"Your Majesty, I have just finished inventorying the Shanggong Bureau's warehouse, and there are no abnormalities in the materials stored there."

At this moment, in the Renming Hall.

The Empress's phoenix eyes flashed with murderous intent. With a flick of her wide sleeve, the set of celadon-glazed tea utensils on the table shattered. Before Granny Gui, kneeling on the ground, could even apologize, she received a solid kick to the chest.

"I asked you to keep a close eye on the Imperial Workshop, and you did a great job! All thirty-odd bolts of fabric are 'clean'?"