Harem Daily Life

Chapter 856 A bad start

The palace maids had no idea what the Queen Mother and Eunuch Qin were talking about under the tree in the yard. When they came back, their eyes were red.

The Queen Mother wanted someone to keep watch at night, so Mu Yu asked everyone to go downstairs and rest, and he himself took a blanket and stayed on the couch in the outer room. The two of them sat across from each other behind the screen, and they never said a word.

The night was as cold as water. When it was just dawn, Mu Yu got up, first looked at his disguise, and then went into the inner hall to see if the Queen Mother was going to get up.

On the couch, the Queen Mother slept in a very proper posture, much more gentle than usual. Her long eyelashes covered her eyes like a dense curtain.

Mu Yu suddenly thought, who did Yunuo's eyelashes look like? It turned out to be her royal grandmother.

Mu Yu couldn't help but carefully copy the Queen Mother's eyebrows and eyes with his eyes, and he couldn't get enough of looking at them.

Suddenly, there was a sound outside. Mu Yu retracted his gaze and walked out. He saw two young palace maids carrying basins coming in and whispered, "Be quiet and let the Queen Mother sleep a little longer."

The two young palace maids naturally obeyed Eunuch Qin's orders. They tiptoed to put the basin of water away and then slowly tried to leave.

"Come in." The Queen Mother had just woken up, and her voice was a little muffled.

The little palace maid then carried the basin of water into the inner hall again.

Mu Yu thought about it, then followed the little palace maid into the hall and just stared at the empress dowager washing.

The Queen Mother was a little embarrassed: "Go and see if breakfast is ready in the kitchen." People who have just woken up always feel resentful. The Queen Mother was worried that her bad temper would ruin her image in Mu Yu's heart.

Mu Yu was stunned and had to give up guarding the Queen Mother and go out to see the breakfast arrangements.

"Huh..." The Queen Mother heaved a long sigh: "Hurry up and comb my hair and put on makeup." Otherwise, I'll be stared at again in a while.

When Mu Yu returned from the kitchen, the queen mother had changed her clothes and was dressed elegantly and luxuriously, sitting at the dining table.

Breakfast dishes were served one after another. There were seven or eight varieties, but each one was made very delicately and made people very appetizing.

The Queen Mother glanced at Mu Yu and said, "Please sit down and eat with me. I can't finish all this."

Mu Yu looked at the palace maids around him before slowly sitting down. However, he did not eat, but kept picking up food for the Queen Mother.

"I...among the jewelry given by Island Master Mu, there is a hairpin made of oriental pearls, which is very suitable for the empress dowager's dress today." Mu Yu said as he picked up a shrimp wonton and handed it to the empress dowager.

"Well, since it's Master Mu's idea, I'll try it on after dinner."

Mu Yu felt relieved and his hands became more diligent in picking up breakfast.

In the past, the Empress Dowager had breakfast quickly, but today, for some reason, she was extremely slow. By the time the palace maid came to collect the plates, half an hour had passed.

"Does the Queen Mother want to go out for a walk to help digest the food?" Mu Yu wanted to accompany her to go out for a walk more often and seize every minute to be with the Queen Mother.

Unfortunately, Mu Yu's idea was dashed because the eunuch outside came to report that Shu Siyi from the Shangyi Bureau had delivered the empress dowager's winter coat and was waiting outside.

The Queen Mother was displeased, but she still let the person in.

"Your humble servant Shu Yunyun greets the Queen Mother. May the Queen Mother live a thousand years and a thousand thousand years."

The Queen Mother said calmly, "Get up. I heard from your mother that you've been working as a tailor in the Imperial Clothing Bureau since you entered the palace. How is it going? Are you used to it?"

Shu Yunyun quickly replied, "It is my great fortune to be able to serve in the palace. I have been learning embroidery since I was young, and I think I am doing quite well in the Imperial Clothing Bureau."

The Queen Mother glanced at her and said, "You are quite confident."

Shu Yunyun didn't know whether the Queen Mother's words were sincere praise or sarcasm, so she quickly said, "However, I have only been in the palace for a short time. I will study hard under the guidance of Master Zhao and will definitely live up to the Queen Mother's expectations."

The Queen Mother sneered, "I have no expectations of you. You just need to remember one thing: don't let the Shu family down. Now that the winter clothes have been delivered, you can go back."

Shu Yunyun presented the winter clothes with both hands. Seeing this, Mu Yu went up to take it.

"Please give it a try, Your Majesty. If there's anything that needs to be modified, I'll take it back and make the revisions."

Mu Yu was displeased. If he wanted to try on clothes, wouldn't that delay their walk? He put the winter clothes aside and swept the dust in his hand. "The Queen Mother just finished breakfast and needs to rest. I'll try on the clothes later. If you need any modifications, I'll call you back."

Shu Yunyun didn't expect that a palace servant would dare to make decisions directly for the empress dowager. She was very unhappy, but she said with a pleasant expression: "This must be the eunuch Qin who has served the empress dowager for decades, right? Eunuch Qin works hard every day. I made a pair of knee pads for you, and I hope you like them." Shu Yunyun handed over the knee pads again, thinking to herself, you have accepted my gift, so don't be so unkind to me in the future.

Mu Yu frowned and glanced at the Queen Mother. The Queen Mother winked at him, and he took it. "Thank you, Shu Siyi."

Shu Yunyun felt a little embarrassed when she could tell that Eunuch Qin's words were not warm. She had originally thought that since one should not hit someone who smiles at her, he should at least say a few more words to her. However, she did not expect that the Queen Mother and the top eunuchs in front of her were so cold and indifferent. She felt a little at a loss for what to do.

"Shu Siyi, is there anything else?" Mu Yu couldn't help but ask when he saw her standing there. He thought to himself, "Please leave quickly. I want to take a walk with the Queen Mother to help digest the food!"

Shu Yunyun was helpless. She had used up all her excuses to get close to the empress dowager. Since she was not responding, she had no choice but to leave.

After everyone left, Mu Yu heaved a sigh of relief and quickly reached out to help the Queen Mother up: "It's not too late to digest the food now. There are some things in the yard that I didn't see enough last night. Now I have to take a good look during the day and remember everything in my mind."

The Queen Mother glanced at him, then helped him stand up. The two of them walked along the path, one in front and one behind. Mu Yu asked everyone who followed them to leave, and the two of them enjoyed their rare time alone.

Shu Yunyun felt like the day had started off badly. She had originally planned to get close to the Empress Dowager, wait by her side while she tried on new clothes, explain the embroidery patterns, and showcase her embroidery skills in an effort to win her favor. But now her plans were disrupted, and she left Changchun Palace feeling completely defeated.

The little palace maid who came with her asked, "Shu Siyi, are we going back to the Clothing Bureau directly now?" She was waiting outside just now and didn't know why Shu Siyi came out so quickly.

Shu Yunyun thought for a moment and said, "There's nothing to do if I go back now, so why not go for a walk in the garden? I heard the Imperial Garden is beautiful, but I haven't had the chance to visit it yet. Do you know how to get there?"

The young palace maid naturally knew, "I know there is a way to go directly back to the Shangyi Bureau from the Imperial Garden. Siyi, please follow me."

As Shu Yunyun and the others were walking, they saw a group of people in the distance. The young palace maid quickly grabbed her and said, "Shu Siyi, it looks like the Empress is ahead. Let's get out of the way."

Shu Yunyun walked towards the group of people, and the little palace maid couldn't stop her.

It was a rare day of good weather. Although it was cold in winter, it was sunny. Tao Yanyan brought He Yunuo and He Xiaobao out to bask in the sun. The three of them chatted and laughed, chasing each other around the imperial garden.

"Mother, come and catch up with me. Mother, you can't catch up with me." He Xiaobao ran very fast with his short legs. It was really difficult for Tao Yanyan to catch him.

"Oh, who is blocking my way?" He Xiaobao almost bumped into someone. He looked up unhappily and saw a palace maid in pink standing in front of him.

"Your humble servant, Shu Yunyun from the Imperial Clothing Department, greets the Empress, the Princess, and the Prince."