Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 216 You'll always be Meng Shu

Aunt Mei and Mengzhu and the others had been waiting outside Huining Palace. Jingming saw them off at the palace gate and then bowed and took his leave.

Huining Palace is much more spacious than Yunyi Palace in Prince Jin's Mansion. The entire palace is divided into three parts: the front courtyard, the main hall, and the sleeping quarters.

Consort Chun raised her right hand slightly and took Hua Yan's hand as they stepped into the palace. Inside was a wide avenue paved with bluestone, which stretched straight ahead. On both sides of the front courtyard were two rows of houses, with the guardhouses on the side closest to the palace gate and the rest used as warehouses.

The front courtyard is very spacious and decorated with crabapple trees.

Walking along the main road, passing through a magnificent ceremonial gate, you arrive at the front hall.

The front hall is grand in scale, with as many as nine rooms. The main hall is spacious, with a four-panel screen inlaid with jade and antique patterns in the center. On both sides of the screen stand two large peacock feather palace fans. On two high tables on the side are a pair of green jade vases. On the footrest is a sandalwood throne covered with a light yellow brocade cushion, which is very majestic and luxurious.

Consort Chun was ordered to take charge of the six palaces in place of the Empress, and she met with the concubines here.

There are four side rooms on each side of the main hall, which are connected to the main hall and are used as a study and a reception room, respectively.

After passing the screen, leave through the back door of the main hall, and then pass through a hanging flower gate, you will enter the sleeping quarters.

Two days ago, Aunt Mei brought Chun'er and the others to tidy up the place. The furnishings in the bedroom were roughly the same as those in Yunyi Palace. Aunt Mei also introduced the side halls on both sides. As a concubine, Hua Yan lived in the side hall in the inner courtyard. Behind the bedroom were the servants' quarters and the kitchen where Meng Zhu and the others lived.

Before they could even rest, according to custom, after returning from their visit to their families, they still needed to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager and the Empress.

Hua Yan checked the gifts to be sent to the Empress Dowager's palace one by one. Meng Zhu said, "Dong Gua is being prepared in the kitchen. Rui Zhu has already gone to fetch the vegetarian dishes."

Empress Dowager Jiang was fond of the vegetarian food at Guangci Temple, so Lady Yun specially ordered the steward to ride a fast horse to Guangci Temple on Longshou Mountain to retrieve it early in the morning, and had Donggua carefully protect it and bring it to the palace.

Aunt Mei felt sorry for Consort Chun's long journey and exhaustion, so she took the opportunity to massage Consort Chun's shoulders and instructed Mengzhu to bring up the tea that had been prepared. Consort Chun cheered herself up and, after a short rest, left Huining Palace with Huayan.

Of the two empress dowagers, Empress Dowager Zhou was the most respected, and Consort Chun was allowed to go to Shou Kang Palace first.

Since the new emperor ascended the throne and she was honored as Empress Dowager, and moved to Shou Kang Palace, Empress Dowager Zhou had always disliked seeing people. Early in the morning, she sent someone to say that Consort Chun had a long and arduous journey back to the palace and did not need to go to Shou Kang Palace to pay her respects. Although she said this, she could not fail to fulfill her filial duty.

The Shou Kang Palace was unusually quiet. The palace servants who came and went were extremely respectful to Consort Chun. Kong Lian, the head maidservant beside Empress Dowager Zhou, came out to greet her personally.

"Greetings to Consort Chun. The Empress Dowager is currently in meditation in the Buddhist hall and cannot interrupt, so she has sent me to convey her message: 'I know you are filial, and that is enough. I will come to serve you and talk another day.'"

Consort Chun was slightly taken aback, but still followed the rules and performed the kowtow outside the palace before leaving.

Kong Lian returned to the Buddhist hall with a brocade box in her hands. After reporting, she said to Empress Dowager Zhou, "After returning to the palace yesterday, Her Majesty the Empress did not pay her respects at Shou Kang Palace. Consort Chun, on the other hand, was more courteous than the Empress. She came to pay her respects to you as soon as she came out of Huining Palace. Why did you not see her?"

Empress Dowager Zhou was over fifty years old, but due to her good health, she looked very energetic. She reached out and took the brocade box, and was slightly surprised when she saw what was inside: "Was this Avatamsaka Sutra just sent by Consort Chun?"

Kong Lian had just finished reading the Buddhist scriptures and nodded in response: "This Buddhist scripture is a handwritten copy, with elegant and fresh handwriting, but the paper seems a bit old."

Empress Dowager Zhou examined the book for a long time, her face showing sadness. She said wistfully, "This was written by Yueming himself. Yun Shi... is very thoughtful."

Kong Lian had served Empress Dowager Zhou for a long time and naturally knew this close friend who had been with the Empress Dowager since childhood.

Back when Minister Yun was still alive, his daughter Yun Yueming and Zhou Yi (Empress Dowager Zhou's maiden name), the daughter of the Chief Administrator of Shangzhou, were both young and beautiful. The Yun and Zhou families lived next to each other, and the two women got along well and received imperial edicts to enter the palace at the same time.

However, Yun Yueming came from a superior family and possessed exceptional talent. Before entering the palace, her rank was significantly higher than Zhou's, but she unfortunately died of illness. Zhou Yi, on the other hand, was granted the title of Jieyu and successfully entered the palace. (Yun Yueming, Lady Yun's aunt, mentioned in Chapter 59)

"I did not wish to get involved in the affairs of the inner palace. Fine, later you will take the gold hairpin with cloud and phoenix patterns from your makeup box and personally deliver it to Huining Palace."

"That phoenix hairpin was a gift from the late Empress Dowager when you were made a Noble Consort..."

Empress Dowager Zhou shook her head slightly and said nothing more.

......

After leaving Shou Kang Palace, Consort Chun and Hua Yan lingered at Empress Dowager Jiang's residence in Cining Palace for half an hour before paying their respects to the Empress. Only then were they able to return to Huining Palace to rest.

The two were utterly exhausted. After returning to their bedchamber, they exchanged a glance, neither wanting to speak...

It wasn't until Kong Lian delivered the Empress Dowager Zhou's reward that Aunt Mei saw her off.

Consort Chun stared at the gold hairpin on the dressing table. "Empress Dowager...why did you suddenly give me this gold hairpin?"

Hua Yan pondered, "Perhaps it's because of that Buddhist scripture. The lady specifically instructed the Empress to give it to Empress Dowager Zhou. This item must have some history with the Empress Dowager."

Madam Yun did not tell the two of them, after all, decades had passed, and Madam Yun dared not say whether Empress Dowager Zhou would still remember the affection she had for her aunt.

"That Buddhist scripture was handwritten by my maternal great-aunt. Could it be that my maternal great-aunt knew the Empress Dowager?" Consort Chun pondered for a moment, then speculated hesitantly.

"In any case, Empress Dowager Zhou has been in the palace for decades, and the Emperor has also shown her great respect. If the Empress Dowager is there to support you, Your Highness will have a much smoother time in the palace."

Hua Yan deeply appreciated Madam Yun's methods, which reassured her considerably.

Lunch was delivered by the Imperial Kitchen. After finishing her lunch, Consort Chun stood up and said to Hua Yan, "Let's go and see your room."

Hua Yan felt slightly awkward, and suddenly remembered the words "Consort Meng" that the Emperor had blurted out earlier that morning in Ganlu Hall.

With Consort Chun in front, Hua Yan had no choice but to hurry to catch up.

Aunt Mei said, "According to the status of a selected concubine, there are certain rules in the palace regarding the furnishings and utensils in the side hall. However, I made some minor adjustments according to Hua Yan's preferences."

The side hall was less than 100 meters away from Consort Chun's bedroom. After a moment, Consort Chun nodded in satisfaction.

"Aunt Mei is meticulous and organized things very well. Mengzhu remembered to take a few sets of official kiln teacups from the storeroom to replace them, and also brought over the two pairs of plum vases that the old lady gave her."

Mengzhu responded that it was true.

Just as Hua Yan was about to speak up to stop her, Consort Chun waved her hand, signaling Aunt Mei and the others to step back.

"They're just decorations. Do you want to distance yourself from me? Now that you've entered the palace, your status is different. There's no need for us to distinguish ourselves."

Hua Yan remained silent, and finally only nodded slightly.

......

The master-servant relationship gradually became blurred, and their long-standing relationship changed in an instant because of the emperor's words, "Consort Meng."

Hua Yan was no longer needed for night duty, and Rui Zhu took her place when she got up to do her hair and makeup in the morning. They could no longer sit at the same table with Hua Yan to eat, nor did they often play around like they did in Lin'an. Even Aunt Mei became more and more respectful to Hua Yan without realizing it.

Although there was no sign of estrangement, all of this still made Hua Yan feel a little sad.

Fortunately, the winter melon was still the same.

When the two were alone, Donggua carefully picked a ripe, spicy eggplant from the flowerpot and said to Huayan:

"But in my heart, you will always be Meng Shu."

A tear silently fell from the corner of Hua Yan's eye; at this moment, she missed Lin'an terribly.

But there's no going back.