Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 144 The Social Interactions Within the Gift List

Ruizhu dawdled over, and when she saw Huayan and Donggua enjoying bird's nest, her tiger eyes lit up.

Before she could speak, Donggua casually pointed to the room and said, "It's what I left for you, right on the table."

Ruizhu thanked her with a smile and was about to go get the bird's nest when she suddenly turned around and slapped her forehead. "Look at me, I almost forgot. Mengzhu asked me to call Huayan to the storeroom. Miss received many congratulatory gifts today that need to be put into storage."

The second young lady was left alone at Fu'an Residence, and Hua Yan and the others were also busy all day.

Seeing Hua Yan get up, Dong Gua also planned to go and help.

"I'll go. The Second Miss doesn't have much of an appetite tonight. Go to the small kitchen and ask Steward An to make some delicious soup for her when she comes back."

Hua Yan then instructed Rui Zhu to take Ming Yue to Fu An Ju to wait for her. Aunt Mei was also at Fu An Ju, and everyone in Yun Yi Courtyard was at Hua Yan's beck and call.

Ruizhu hurriedly agreed, but her hesitant expression suggested that the imperial decree of marriage had given her quite a shock.

At noon, the people from the Imperial Clan Court asked for the second young lady's birth date and time. She was to marry into the royal palace as a concubine. The formalities of the marriage ceremony were not as elaborate as those of wealthy families. The betrothal letter, gift letter, and welcoming letter were all omitted. Fortunately, the six rites still had to be performed according to the rules.

In the storeroom, Mengzhu was instructing several maids to categorize the gifts. When she saw Huayan arrive, she quickly presented the gift list to her and personally collected the valuable gifts separately.

"I reckon our second young lady will be busy again starting tomorrow. This afternoon, many households sent her birthday gifts."

Mengzhu presented Huayan with a set of sky-blue official kiln tea set.

Hua Yan added with her brush: "The residence of the Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, Zhuang Mansion, includes a set of official kiln tea set, a pair of red gold headdresses, and a pair of jade hairpins inlaid with gemstones and phoenixes."

"This gift is a bit too much. Don't put it in the storeroom yet. Store it separately and we'll inform Madam when we go to Yun Gui Courtyard to pay our respects tomorrow morning."

Mengzhu nodded and said, "The jade hairpin isn't particularly precious, but this tea set looks better than the one sent by the Yun family a few days ago."

The two looked at each other, both feeling that it was too hot to handle.

The fact that the Second Miss is now merely a concubine of Prince Jin, yet the Tang family seems to be on the verge of a wildfire, is truly an exaggeration.

Hua Yan's thoughts ran deeper. Lady Yun had mentioned the political situation at court, noting that while everyone was vying for power over Prince Heng and Prince Yu, Minister Zhuang had maintained a neutral stance, demonstrating keen insight. Now, however, he seemed to be taking sides...

The congratulatory gifts sent from the residence of Imperial Censor He were also quite intriguing, as there were as many as two items, one of which seemed to have been added at the last minute.

The remaining gifts were rather ordinary, except for those from the Yun family, the Hou family, and the Su family, who were already close to each other and sent items that the Second Miss liked, showing that they had put thought into it.

As she was putting the gifts into storage, Hua Yan flipped through the gift list and suddenly asked, "Meng Zhu, isn't the gift list for the fourth branch of the Yun family here?"

Mengzhu was instructing her maid to carry a folding screen with lotus patterns made of huanghuali wood into the storeroom when she heard this and took out a small wooden box from above a pile of boxes behind her.

His expression was indescribable: "The Fourth Madam didn't come, nor did the Old Master. Only the Second Miss's uncle showed up. He didn't bring any gifts at first, but later he sent someone to bring a wooden box."

Hua Yan: "......"

The second young lady's uncle was a half-brother of Madam Yun, holding the minor official rank of Chengzhilang, an eighth-grade official. Hua Yan had accompanied Madam Yun and the second young lady to the Yun residence several times, observing that the siblings only maintained a superficial harmony.

In order to register the items, Hua Yan slightly raised her head and gestured for Meng Zhu to open it.

Inside the wooden box was a jade ruyi (a type of scepter).

The two were stunned for a moment. Hua Yan registered the list and then made a separate copy of it, placing it together with the list of congratulatory gifts from the Zhuang family.

A month ago, the Rongxing Earl's Mansion was raided and the family exiled. Just as Hua Yan had expected, the Fourth Master did not speak to Madam Yun. Instead, the Fourth Madam used the excuse of feeling unwell to send someone to invite Madam Yun back to the mansion.

When Madam Yun returned, she brought the Second Miss and Hua Yan with her. She stayed in the Fourth Old Madam's room for less than a quarter of an hour. When Madam Yun came out, Hua Yan vaguely heard the sound of a cup being smashed inside the room. After that, the Fourth Old Madam stopped making noise, as if she was really sick.

Through a few thin gift lists, one can see through the complexities of human relationships.

The value of a gift is not in its price, but in the thoughtfulness of the giver. Among the many gifts, Hua Yan saw one that caught her eye – a calligraphy copybook by Chen Yuyi of the previous dynasty.

Mengzhu smiled slightly, holding the calligraphy scroll, and said, "The Cao family truly lives up to its reputation as a Grand Scholar of the Guanwen Hall. The Second Miss made the Eldest Young Master search for this calligraphy scroll for a long time without success."

Hua Yan accepted the gift and placed it together with the congratulatory gifts from Miss Su and Miss Sun. "Miss Cao is very thoughtful. Miss Cao spoke up for Her Highness the Princess at the poetry gathering, and our young lady has a very good impression of her."

"It's a pity that Miss Cao went to her uncle's house in Jinan recently and couldn't come, but the gift is so thoughtful, it's clear that she prepared it carefully when she received the invitation."

Hua Yan nodded and made a separate list of the congratulatory gifts sent by the young ladies from each household, and had Meng Zhu keep the ones that matched the Second Miss's preferences separately.

In the past, when Mengzhu was in charge of the storeroom, she would categorize and record everything, but she was not as meticulous as Huayan. After tidying up, Mengzhu waved for the maids to leave.

The candlelight flickered in the storeroom. Mengzhu hesitated and asked, "You...already knew?"

Hua Yan closed the gift list booklet, pursed her lips and said, "The matter was accomplished in secret, so I did not inform you and Ruizhu beforehand."

Mengzhu was more sensitive than Ruizhu, and Huayan felt it was necessary to lay things out on the table. If Mengzhu had any grudges, they should be resolved as soon as possible. After entering the Prince's Mansion, they would definitely have to work together.

"Sister Mengzhu has served the Second Miss since childhood, and her position in the Second Miss's heart is beyond doubt..."

Mengzhu quickly waved her hand and stepped forward to take Huayan's arm. "Sister, you've misunderstood. I was indeed a little jealous at first, but I haven't had such thoughts for a long time. Aunt is right. Compared to me and Ruizhu, you are more suitable to assist Miss."

I was just very uneasy. Now that Miss has entered the Prince's residence, the royal family has extremely strict rules, and with the Empress above her, I'm afraid Miss will suffer.

Hua Yan paused for a moment, then said, "Madam has her own methods; we just need to do our job well."

Mengzhu was somewhat worried because the choice of dowry attendants had not yet been finalized. Although she was not old, she thought about it and realized that with all-around talents like Aunt Mei and Huayan as role models, she was not as clever as Ruizhu, did not have Mingyue's martial arts skills, and did not have Donggua's cooking skills.

If it comes to giving up, it's probably her turn.

Fu An Ju.

The old lady was indeed discussing the selection of dowry attendants with Madam Yun and others.

"Judging from the words of the Imperial Clan Court, the wedding date of the Empress is probably set for the end of the year. I wonder if Wan'er will be on the same day?"

Tang Lin pondered and said, "When I was drafting the decree, I heard that Consort Hui in the palace was quite anxious, and Wan'er should also be anxious by the end of the year."

Seeing his daughter's flushed face, Tang Xian comforted her, "The dowry prepared for Wan'er has been ready for many years. Although it's rushed at the end of the year, it's still in time."

Since the birth of the second young lady, Tang Xian and Madam Yun had been preparing to store her at a manor in Lin'an, entrusting her to reliable people to guard her. Now, they should have sent word to have her delivered.

Seeing that her daughter was uncomfortable, Madam Yun found an excuse to instruct Aunt Mei to take the second young lady away.

"Although the dowry cannot exceed that of the principal wife, in terms of the selection, apart from Hua Yan who must enter the mansion, the others from Yunyi Courtyard..." Madam Yun withdrew her gaze from the receding figure of the second young lady and began to speak.