Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 546 Progress in the Zhenbei Marquis Case

At the beginning of the day (around 5-7 PM), inside the Funing Palace.

The eunuch Yu from the Imperial Bedchamber looked worried. He arrived at the entrance of the Funing Palace and waited anxiously for a moment before daring to step inside. He was a shrewd old man who knew that Jingming would be taking a short rest outside the palace at this time.

Sure enough, just as Jingming stepped out of the Imperial Study and was exchanging information with the eunuch guarding the gate, he heard someone calling him in a low voice, as if he were a thief.

"Duke Jing, Duke Jing."

(Note: "Mr." is a common honorific title for a third-rank eunuch.)

“Yu Sishe is becoming increasingly ignorant of the rules,” Jingming said, lightly flicking his whisk and leading him to the pillar in the corridor. “What’s the matter with this sneaky behavior?”

With a pained expression, the eunuch Yu approached and bowed, saying, "Lord Jing, please understand, this servant is truly in a dilemma. Tonight is the fifteenth, and according to custom, His Majesty should be staying at Renming Palace. However, Her Majesty the Empress has already moved to the temporary palace. When this servant meets with His Majesty later, how should I ask for instructions regarding this matter?"

Jingming pondered for a moment: "His Majesty has not entered the inner palace for many days. This morning, the Empress Dowager even asked about it. You may ask as usual."

Yu, the palace official, secretly lamented – how could the fifteenth of the month be like any other day?

In his opinion, if the emperor wanted to go to the inner palace, he would only go to the palaces of Consort Chun, Consort Jin, or Consort Shun.

At present, Consort Chun holds the most prestigious position, Consort Jin assists in managing the six palaces, and Consort Shun comes from a prominent military family. If the Emperor goes to Consort Jin's palace, he can explain it to her. However, if he goes to Consort Shun's or the palaces of other concubines, Consort Chun, despite her usual kindness, will likely be suspicious.

He stole a glance at Jingming's expression, and finally swallowed the rest of his words.

Jingming was well aware of what Consort Yu was thinking, but in his opinion, the Emperor was definitely going to Lingcui Palace. Consort Chun and Consort Jin were like sisters, so they would certainly not have any other intentions...

To everyone's surprise, when he led the eunuch Yu inside to report, the emperor only glanced at him, his vermilion brush still in his hand: "I will stay in Funing Palace tonight, you may leave."

Upon hearing this, the eunuch Yu was taken aback and subconsciously looked at Jingming.

Jingming stepped forward to the imperial desk, bowed, and advised, "His Majesty has not entered the inner palace for several days. Perhaps... this servant should go and invite Consort Jin to come and accompany His Majesty?"

Upon hearing this, the Emperor's lips curled slightly, but his words caused Jingming and the eunuch Yu to kneel down with a thud: "You servant are getting bolder and bolder, daring to try and guess my thoughts."

Jingming bowed deeply and kowtowed: "This servant dares not! But... Her Majesty the Empress Dowager asked about it this morning..."

"Get out of here."

The Emperor turned his head without looking up. "First, summon Wei Ying to the palace, then deliver my decree, ordering Xu Shou and the Xu family father and son to come to the palace for an audience immediately."

Jingming felt a chill run down his spine, realizing that there had been new developments in the case of Marquis Zhenbei. He dared not say anything more and hurriedly bowed and withdrew with the eunuch Yu.

The door to the Funing Palace slowly closed, locking the candlelight and the approaching night within the turning scrolls.

The Emperor reached out and slammed the memorial from Shu Prefecture shut, his face frosty.

......

Lingcui Palace, the lights are just beginning to shine, and the atmosphere is warm and inviting.

Meng Shu had already eaten dinner and was currently taking care of the child with Dong Gua in the warm pavilion. Yu Nu'er was getting sleepy and nestled comfortably in Dong Gua's arms, her little hands unconsciously clutching her sleeve.

The wet nurse lowered her voice and said in surprise, "It's really strange. Miss Donggua seems to be particularly popular with the princes. Even the eldest princess always likes to come closer to her whenever she sees Donggua."

Donggua's lips curled up slightly, revealing a hint of unconcealed smugness. "Being able to share in the Crown Prince's good fortune, this servant will surely have even greater luck in the future."

Hearing this, Meng Shu couldn't help but chuckle. "You're always busy in the small kitchen, and you always carry a warm, comforting feeling about you. Children are the most innocent, so naturally they love to be close to you."

Donggua sniffed her sleeve lightly and said shyly, "Your Highness is teasing me again. I always change my clothes before coming to the warm pavilion."

Su, the wet nurse, smiled and shook her head: "Miss Donggua, you've misunderstood. What Her Majesty meant was that your down-to-earth and gentle nature is more reassuring than any incense, and that's what's truly precious."

"If that's what the wet nurse says, then I'm going to get all cocky," Donggua replied with a grin.

After Yu Nu'er fell into a deep sleep, she carefully placed the child on the bed, gave the wet nurse and Xia'er detailed instructions on keeping watch, and then left the warm pavilion with Meng Shu.

The two entered the bedroom, and Meng Shu said gently, "Although 'wet nurse' is a compliment, it is quite apt. Back in the manor, Miss Qi also loved to cling to you the most."

Donggua helped Meng Shu sit down on the edge of the couch. Touching her slightly cool fingertips, he hurriedly said, "Why were Shu Shu's hands so cold when we came out of the warm pavilion? Let me go and get another charcoal brazier." As he spoke, he headed out to the outer room, intending to first find Hongyu to get a hand warmer.

Before she finished speaking, Green Willow had already brought in a charcoal brazier. After hearing what Winter Melon said, she said softly, "Imperial Physician Jian came to see me this morning and said it's nothing serious. Winter Melon, you can stew some angelica and mutton soup tomorrow. Mutton is warm in nature and can dispel cold. It's very nourishing. Your Highness should have more of it."

“That’s easy. I’ll stew a chicken soup with red dates, add some longan and ginger and simmer it over low heat. Doctor Jian said that this soup is the best for strengthening the spleen and replenishing qi, warming yang and dispelling cold.”

Green Willow joked, "Our Winter Melon remembers Physician Jian's words most clearly. That's good. Since Her Majesty doesn't like medicinal cuisine, we can use more red date chicken soup."

"Stop your busy work, sit down and have a chat." Meng Shu waved her hand, feeling a warm glow in her heart as she watched Green Willow and Winter Melon take care of everything for her and Yu Nu'er.

She looked up at the darkening night sky outside the window and instructed, "It looks like it's going to snow tomorrow. Green Willow, go to the Palace Affairs Bureau early in the morning and check if the charcoal fires for the palace servants and eunuchs have been arranged properly."

The Six Bureaus never dared to neglect the allowances of the concubines in the harem, but the servants were inevitably wronged. There were frequent cases of embezzlement of the palace servants' expenses. The accounts were made flawlessly, but they were all shady dealings.

Green Willow replied, "This servant understands. I went to check and visit early this morning. After Your Majesty took charge of the six palaces, you severely punished several ringleaders. This unhealthy trend should have been stopped."

After finishing the business, Green Willow reported: "Your Majesty, today is the fifteenth... His Majesty stayed at Funing Palace and did not summon any of the concubines."

Meng Shu lightly tapped her palm, "The case of Marquis Zhenbei has not yet been settled, so how can His Majesty have the leisure to care about the harem at this moment?"

"Your Majesty is right. The eunuchs of Funing Palace summoned the officials of Dali Temple to the palace overnight."

Donggua was taking out some snacks from his purse when he heard this and pouted, "The officials of the Dali Temple are not as quick-witted as Shushu and Madam Yun. If we rely on them to solve cases, we're afraid we'll be waiting a long time."

Green Willow glared at her hastily: "Watch your words!"

Meng Shu smiled and said, "I heard that Vice Minister Xu of the Left Court found several pottery shards on the official road that day. It is not difficult to find out the origin of these items. I have been thinking about this many days and suddenly remembered something. Do you still remember Consort Yang's background?"

Although Green Willow was confused, she was always familiar with the family backgrounds of the concubines in the harem: "This servant remembers that Consort Yang is from Shuzhou. Her father is the Registrar of Shuzhou, a local official of the seventh rank."

A sharp glint flashed in Meng Shu's eyes: "Consort Yang previously relied on the Qing family, but after the Qing family's death, she turned around and tried to curry favor with the Empress, who is still imprisoned. At first, we just thought she was eager to curry favor, but now, thinking about it more carefully..."

She tapped the table lightly with her fingertips. “This change is too fast and too coincidental. Have Hongyu keep a close eye on things. You should also go to the Palace Records Office to check if anyone from Shuzhou has sent a letter or had any contact with any palace servants in the last two months.”

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Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, dear readers!