Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 443 Foxes Gather Together

Consort Qi and several other concubines followed suit, stepping forward to offer their congratulations with respectful tones. Currently, in the harem, only Consort Chun could securely hold the position of Consort. Now that Meng Shu has given birth to the eldest prince and been promoted to Consort Jin, the position is now shared by two people.

When offering congratulations, even Consort Qu glanced at the Emperor, her eagerness barely concealed. Although the Emperor already had two daughters and a son, it was always better for the royal family to have more children than fewer. Whichever of the remaining women could conceive a royal heir first would truly have someone to rely on in the palace.

Meng Shu was weak after giving birth, and the Emperor instructed the palace maids, including Lvliu and Donggua, to take good care of her. When they saw Aunt Mei, Chen Mama from Cining Palace, with her keen senses, stepped forward and took the swaddling clothes from Aunt Mei's arms. Upon seeing this, Donggua immediately tiptoed over and stared at her.

Aunt Mei curtsied and replied softly, "Your Majesty, I was ordered by Consort Chun to rush back to the palace from the temporary palace to take care of Consort Jin. I plan to return to Changchun Garden to report back after Consort Jin has finished her confinement period."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor's expression softened: "Consort Chun is very kind. With Auntie taking care of things at Cuiyu Hall, I can feel more at ease."

He turned to the outside of the hall and called out "Jingming". After Jingming bowed and came in, he said, "Go to the Imperial Study and send the jade paperweight with the inscription 'Watching the Sea and Listening to the Waves' on the desk to the Imperial Palace. Tell Consort Chun that she has worked hard and that I will personally go to Changchun Garden to bring her back to the palace on the day when the mission is accomplished."

"This servant obeys the decree." Jingming immediately bowed and agreed.

The Empress, standing to the side, saw everything clearly. Seeing how concerned the Emperor was, and how he even mentioned the phrase "successful and fulfilling," she became even more certain that Consort Chun must be pregnant, otherwise the Emperor would not have been so concerned.

She quietly took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in her heart, and subtly glanced at Qu Meiren.

Consort Qu noticed the gaze, but her face remained gentle and demure. However, Ruixue beside her nodded slightly to Zhixue, who was standing before the Empress.

The Emperor gave Meng Shu a few more instructions, saying, "Take good care of yourself, I'll come to see you another day," before leaving Cuiyu Hall with everyone else.

Outside the gates of Lingcui Palace, Dong Ming tugged at Jing Ming's sleeve. "Lord Jing, should I...should I return to Fu Ning Palace to serve, or stay with Consort Jin?"

Upon hearing this, Jingming raised his whisk and tapped him on the head: "Who in the entire palace isn't envious of Consort Jin's job here? If you don't want to stay, I'll bring Xiaotianzi here right now, and I guarantee he'll move in tonight."

"No, no, no, this servant wants to stay," Dong Ming quickly waved her hand to explain.

Although the job in front of the emperor is good, it requires constant vigilance. On the other hand, Consort Jin only needs to attend to the needs of the main hall, and her meals are specially prepared by the small kitchen every day. The key is that she receives two monthly stipends! Unless Dong Ming is stupid, he would rather die in Lingcui Palace!

"Don't worry about working here. We'll reserve a place for you in the Emperor's presence. You can come back to serve the Emperor once Consort Jin has recovered."

Dong Ming immediately said, "Consort Jin is of noble character and treats the palace servants with the utmost kindness. I am happy to serve her here. It is Duke Jing who truly cares for me! I will remember your kindness for the rest of my life!"

Jingming didn't have time to chatter with him any longer; he swept his whisk and headed ahead.

......

After the noise subsided, the inner chamber of Cuiyu Hall finally fell silent.

Meng Shu's nerves, which had been tense all day, relaxed. She only had time to tell Lvliu to "take good care of the child" before her eyelids became too heavy to hold open, and she fell into a deep sleep.

This sleep felt like an eternity, and when I opened my eyes again, it was already pitch black outside.

"What time is it?" Her voice was still a little hoarse.

Green Willow, who was dozing by the bedside, was immediately startled awake by the sound: "Your Majesty is awake? It's already midnight. You've been sleeping for six or seven hours."

Hearing the commotion, Donggua came in from the outer room carrying a lacquered tray with a white porcelain bowl on it. She said softly, "Shushu, would you like some rice porridge? It's been kept warm on the stove in the small kitchen."

Green Willow brought a soft pillow and placed it behind Meng Shu's waist, saying gently, "Doctor He came to see you this evening and specifically instructed that you should eat some warm and soft liquid food to replenish your energy after childbirth. Your Highness, please eat some of that. The little prince is being looked after by Aunt Mei and Mingyue."

Meng Shu was still somewhat dazed when her fingertips touched the edge of the brocade quilt. Suddenly, her heart skipped a beat, and she abruptly raised her hand to grope the bedding.

"Is this what Your Highness is looking for?" Green Willow picked up a small jade pendant from beside her pillow. The jade was warm and smooth, and it was carved with a love lock. "I put it by your pillow while you were sleeping."

Donggua placed the lacquer tray on the table and leaned over, saying, "This piece of jade looks familiar. It seems to have been given to the Second Miss by her mother when she came of age."

Meng Shu traced the patterns on the jade pendant with her fingertips. "It's made of the same material as the Yunshang pendant. Back then, Madam gave Wan'er half a piece of raw stone. Wan'er had the master craftsman at Yongbaolou carve two love locks these past few days, and specially asked Aunt Mei to deliver them..."

Donggua wrinkled his nose and sighed, "Second Miss is so kind. No matter whether Second Miss gives birth to a prince or a princess in the future, with these love locks connecting them, the children will be close from a young age and will be able to take care of each other in the future."

Green Willow was more thoughtful than Winter Melon. She felt that this gift was far too heavy. "When I was working in the manor, I heard that Madam's keepsake was a rare piece of jade. Since it was carved from the same piece of material, I'm afraid... it can also be used as a keepsake, right?"

Meng Shu lowered her eyes and didn't reply. After a while, she handed the hairpin to Lvliu and said, "Lock it up and put it with the five-tailed phoenix hairpin that Wan'er gave you earlier."

......

Changchun Garden Imperial Palace, a side hall of Yichun Palace.

Consort Chun was also caressing the same love lock, its jade quality and patterns exactly the same as Meng Shu's.

After hearing that Xiao Yuanzi had come by fast horse to report that Meng Shu and her child were safe, her heart finally settled down.

“Your Highness, it’s already past midnight. If you stay awake any longer, I’ll have to call the Zhen family physician to come and take your pulse tomorrow.” Mengzhu squatted down next to the footstool, looking up and sighing.

Consort Chun continued, "Childbirth is a life-or-death experience for women. I'm far away in the imperial palace and can't visit her in person, which is somewhat regrettable. I wonder if the child looks like Shu'er..."

"This servant has something to say." Mengzhu finally spoke after hesitating for a long time.

Consort Chun placed the love lock beside her pillow and turned to look at her: "If you're going to be disappointed, just keep it to yourself."

Mengzhu rested her elbows on the couch: "This servant insists on saying that if Your Highness wants to send a congratulatory gift in advance, our storeroom is full of gold locks and necklaces. Why send that one made of raw jade? When Madam gave it to you, she said that this jade could be used to carve anything and could be used by more than a hundred branches of the merchant guild..."

"Didn't Mother also give Yunshang to Shuer?"

Consort Chun shut Mengzhu up with just one sentence.

In the main hall of Yichun Palace, Empress Dowager Zhou was also awake. Rongxiu said softly, "This servant saw that Consort Chun was probably even happier than the Emperor when she learned that Consort Jin had given birth to a little prince."

"Fools are sometimes lucky."

Empress Dowager Zhou fiddled with her Buddhist prayer beads and uttered a vulgar phrase.

Rongxiu smiled and said, "I wonder what the Lady of the Marquis will think? In the afternoon, even I heard the gossip outside, saying that the Marquis of Lin'an's mansion is 'making wedding dresses for others,' and that Consort Jin is destined for wealth and honor. From a maid in the Marquis's mansion to giving birth to the eldest prince, such extraordinary fortune is something that others can only dream of in several lifetimes."

Empress Dowager Zhou turned to the side and gazed at the deep night.

"What do they know? Tang Xian and his wife are a bunch of foxes together, why would they do a losing business?"

Regardless of whether Consort Jin was a maid in the manor or a concubine by Consort Chun's side, her roots in the Marquis's manor had long been intertwined.

Now that she is the mother of the eldest prince, this status ensures that even if Consort Chun fails in the future, as long as she remains in the palace, the Tang family can secure their wealth and status for generations.

"Your Majesty is right. I have served you in the palace for decades and have seen many once-glorious wealthy families fall from grace. It is rare to see a family like the Tang family that has been able to maintain its steady progress."

Empress Dowager Zhou finally felt sleepy, turned over to face the inner couch, and said in a slightly muffled voice: "In the end, all the wealthy merchants in the world are the emperor's private treasury. If Marquis of Lin'an had not thought of change, he would have been swallowed up by the storm more than 20 years ago when the late emperor was still alive. How could he have survived until now?"