Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 510 Qin Baolian (2)

No sooner had Princess Yongping left than Ruizhu quietly entered and whispered her report:

During the morning court session this morning, Marquis Zhenbei attended court for the first time in over a month due to illness. He first kowtowed to thank the Emperor for his compassionate care, and then knelt in court to volunteer to go to the Gun and Yu areas to suppress bandits and escort a new batch of disaster relief supplies.

Consort Chun's eyes narrowed. "His Majesty has given his permission?"

Ruizhu replied softly, "Yes. The decree has been issued, and we will leave the capital tomorrow. However, I heard that the troops will be divided into two groups: one group will take the canal to Yangzhou and Jiangning first, and then transfer to land to deliver grain to the disaster area after receiving the grain ships. The other group will be light cavalry and fast horses, heading directly to the counties near Yuzhou to suppress bandits and then pacify the people."

Aunt Mei, listening from the side, frowned and couldn't help but ask in confusion, "Why would it take someone of Marquis Zhenbei's status to personally go and suppress some local bandits? This... seems a bit illogical."

Mengzhu's eyes flashed. "In my opinion, Her Majesty the Empress is trying to take all the credit for the disaster relief. She donated over ten thousand taels of silver, and then the Marquis personally went to suppress bandits and protect the people. Isn't this just stealing Her Majesty's credit?"

Ruizhu nodded in agreement, her tone revealing a hint of resentment: "This servant also finds it truly hateful. Our Lady has spearheaded the preparations and worked tirelessly for so long, only to have it all end up benefiting someone else? It's infuriating just thinking about it!"

Green Willow, however, chuckled softly at their conversation. Without waiting for her explanation,

Consort Chun said gently, "It's alright. Shu'er and I had anticipated this situation beforehand, which is why we spread the word at the very beginning."

Meng Shu continued, "The Princess's Mansion also intended to help, so no matter how much silver the Empress and the Marquis of Zhenbei donated, Wan'er always held the title of the one who took the lead in organizing it. This credit for the initiative is something that others cannot easily take away."

Moreover, this isn't the only backup plan; the key is the 20,000 dan of grain that Wan'er contributed to the donation. In the next few days, the merchant guild's guards will escort it to Yuzhou as quickly as possible. Once the grain arrives, the people will naturally think of the person who spearheaded it.”

Upon hearing this, Aunt Mei, Ruizhu, and Mengzhu all breathed a sigh of relief. Ruizhu couldn't help but clap her hands and laugh, "That's good! If the Zhenbei Marquis's family had really taken all the credit, I would have been disgusted!"

Aunt Mei gave her a reproachful look and curtsied to Meng Shu, "Fortunately, Consort Jin has thought things through."

"Shu'er, what do you think of the Marquis of Zhenbei going to Yuzhou as an imperial envoy?" Consort Chun turned her gaze to Meng Shu and asked softly.

Meng Shu pondered for a long time, feeling that the matter might not be so simple.

Just as Aunt Mei said, with the status of Marquis Zhenbei, his intentions must not be as simple as just suppressing bandits; there must be other motives involved.

"The situation is still unclear, so there's no need to be too nervous."

She spoke slowly, dismissing Mengzhu and the others, leaving only Aunt Mei by her side. "Aunt, when you returned to the manor a few days ago, did Madam mention Miss Qin's matter at all?"

Aunt Mei was taken aback for a moment, then shook her head. "No. I suppose at that time, the corruption case in Yuzhou had just broken out, and the news about Miss Qin had not yet reached the capital. Madam may not have known about it either."

Meng Shu gave a soft "hmm," then changed the subject: "The military commander is in charge of the training of the local militia, security patrols, and the inventory of weapons and equipment in a prefecture. He shouldn't be involved in the allocation of provisions, right?"

Consort Chun pondered, “The allocation of grain supplies should be under the jurisdiction of the Military Advisor of the Granary, but local affairs are not necessarily governed by regulations. The Jiang family is a prominent local clan in Yuzhou, and the Jiang Supervisor is in charge of military affairs in the region. If they collude with the Prefect and the Grain Commissioner, it is not impossible for them to interfere with the distribution of disaster relief grain.”

"The news brought by the princess is just a rumor, and we don't know the truth yet. But one thing is very important: the disappearance of Miss Qin San means that there may be other hidden things behind the embezzlement case. Madam sent people to search for her, and they will probably follow this clue to investigate. For now, we can only wait for news."

Upon hearing this, Consort Chun's face showed some worry: "Baolian was always timid when she was young, I really don't know how she got through it... I wonder how she is now?"

“For a woman confined to her chambers to obtain secret letters and account books so quietly, and to have her personal maid disguise herself as a refugee and send her out of the city, Miss Qin must have accomplices behind her.” Meng Shu picked up the conversation and then asked Consort Chun, “When she corresponded with you back then, did she mention anything about her husband’s family? For example, the character of Supervisor Jiang, or the Qin family’s attitude towards this marriage?”

Consort Chun recalled for a moment and quickly said, "It was mentioned twice. The Qin family was very satisfied with this marriage at the time. They said that the Jiang family was a prominent local family in Yuzhou, and that Jiang Dujian, as the eldest son of the Jiang family, although he was a military man, could protect Baolian for the rest of her life. They never expected it to turn out like this."

As Meng Shu listened, a thought suddenly flashed through her mind.

Could the Marquis of Zhenbei's request to go to Yuzhou be related to the disappearance of Miss Qin San?

However, she had received too little information at the moment, and the two matters were not related on the surface, so she temporarily suppressed this speculation and said to Consort Chun: "The Marquis of Zhenbei is ordered to go to Yuzhou. The worst outcome is that the Empress will use this merit to lift his confinement. But we have long been prepared, so even if it really comes to that, there is no need to worry."

After leaving Huining Palace, Meng Shu led Lvliu along the palace road toward Lingcui Palace.

Just past the Resting Moon Pavilion, a group of eunuchs came walking ahead carrying gilded trays covered with bright yellow brocade.

The team leader was Jing Ming.

He had sharp eyes and spotted Meng Shu and her maid from afar. As he approached, he stepped aside and bowed respectfully, his voice humble:

"This servant greets Consort Jin. Your Highness is kind-hearted and cares deeply for the people. His Majesty has specially selected a few items for me to deliver to Huining Palace."

Meng Shu nodded slightly, her gaze sweeping lightly over the trays without taking a closer look.

Jingming was about to raise his hand to signal the group to continue when Meng Shu suddenly called out to him. Jingming paused, "Does Your Majesty have any further instructions?"

Meng Shu lightly brushed her fingertips along the hem of her sleeve, her tone calm: "The amount donated by Renming Palace this time is truly substantial..."

Jingming, being as perceptive as he was, immediately understood the implication in the words. However, this matter would likely spread throughout the palace soon, so saying it now wouldn't be a big deal.

"Your Majesty, His Majesty also bestowed several items, but for now... I am still under house arrest, unlike the Noble Consort who took the lead. Therefore, His Majesty instructed me to go to Huining Palace first."

Meng Shu smiled faintly: "The Emperor's attitude towards Renming Palace has softened somewhat, so it should be soon that Her Majesty the Empress will be released from confinement. I am still in charge of assisting with palace affairs, so why don't you let the Steward Fang accompany you?"

Jingming didn't think too much about it and readily agreed.

......

It was evening.

Donggua sniffed, suppressing the urge to sneeze. After leaving Renming Hall, she curtsied to Jingming, who was walking ahead, and said, "Eunuch Jing, this servant will return to Lingcui Palace first."

Jingming smiled and nodded: "Walk slowly on the road, it's getting dark, watch your step."

Donggua replied, "I understand," and then turned and headed towards Lingcui Palace.