Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 491 Consort Jin

In the end, Consort Qu was promoted in rank because of her merit in giving birth to the third prince.

Standing outside the maternity ward of Chunxi Palace, in front of Meng Shu and the others, the Emperor casually said to Jing Ming, "Qu Shi has made a contribution in giving birth to children, and shall be promoted to Consort from this day forward."

There was neither a particularly auspicious title nor any additional favors bestowed upon him.

Even if she were included among the Nine Concubines, she would only be the lowest-ranking concubine, Chong'ai.

This imperial decree, rather than signifying a great honor, seemed more like a routine task to be completed. She had given the royal family an heir, and the emperor granted her a corresponding rank, barely maintaining the proper decorum expected of a prince's mother, nothing more.

The concubines looked at each other in bewilderment, but only Cuiping, along with the palace maids of Chunxi Palace, expressed their gratitude on behalf of their mistress.

Everything has been settled.

Since Meng Shu was in charge of the six palaces, she made arrangements according to the duties of a concubine. Qu Jieyu had decided on the wet nurse in advance. After settling the aftermath, everyone dispersed.

When Meng Shu left Chunxi Palace, Cuiping saw her off.

"Your Majesty, Consort Qu suffered a difficult childbirth that damaged her health. Imperial Physician Cui said... she may have difficulty conceiving again in the future," Cuiping whispered as she bowed respectfully.

Meng Shu did not stop walking and stepped directly across the threshold of the palace gate.

On the palace road leading to Huining Palace, Green Willow whispered, "Your Highness, Ruizhu and I sent out the message an hour ago, and everyone probably knows by now."

Meng Shu raised her hand to her forehead, her gaze fixed on the distant end of the palace wall, where the sunlight shone brightly but could not penetrate the shadows cast by the eaves.

She nodded slightly, her tone calm and even: "The Empress Dowager only sent her personal nanny to visit for a short while, and the Empress is too busy to take care of herself. As for Lady Qu... she probably won't be able to cause any trouble in the palace from now on."

Green Willow looked around, then leaned closer and whispered, "Your Highness is... giving them a taste of their own medicine. When Consort Qu first harbored thoughts of harming the First Prince, she should have foreseen this fate..."

Meng Shu turned to look at her and saw that Green Willow's eyes were full of careful comfort.

A faint smile curved her lips as she placed her hand on Green Willow's arm. "Green Willow, I am not a 'good person,' so dealing with her is no burden at all."

......

Consort Chun looked particularly well today. As soon as Meng Shu turned to the back hall, she saw her standing at the entrance of the flower hall, wearing a moon-white cloak trimmed with mink fur, and frequently looking out into the courtyard.

"The wind is still chilly, why are you standing outside?" Meng Shu quickened her pace to greet her.

Mengzhu and Ruizhu stepped forward with smiles and curtsied. Mengzhu's tone was light and cheerful: "Her Majesty has arrived. Our Majesty is in a good mood today. She said that getting some fresh air makes her feel more comfortable. Look, her complexion has indeed improved a lot."

Meng Shu chuckled and reached out to take Consort Chun's arm: "You're right."

"I've been waiting for you for so long, but there's still no sign of you," Consort Chun said, her voice tinged with curiosity as she was led by the concubine towards the study. "Did the Emperor go to Chunxi Palace to see the child? Did he say anything...?"

The two entered the study, where Mengzhu served them hot tea.

After a short while, Consort Chun put down her teacup, raising an eyebrow slightly: "Only promoted to the rank of Consort? This is the lowest rank among the Nine Consorts, which is hardly respectable." She clicked her tongue softly, dismissed Mengzhu and the others, and the hall instantly fell silent.

Consort Chun leaned forward slightly, her gaze falling on Meng Shu's face, and lowered her voice: "Shu'er, what exactly happened to the birthmark on that child's face? Could it be that you did something to it beforehand?"

Meng Shu shook her head slightly, then nodded uncertainly, "How could I have such extraordinary abilities to influence a child's appearance? But..." She paused, tracing a half-circle on the rim of the teacup with her fingertip, "I wonder if it's that thing that's affecting it."

"Cuiping was originally someone planted in the palace by the manor. Through her, I tampered with the batch of ancient books that Lord Qu sent her, staining the edges of the pages with some strange substances from the Western Regions—colorless, odorless, and leaving no trace. If a pregnant woman were to smell them for a long time, it would at least damage her blood and energy, and at worst…"

She didn't finish her sentence, but a lingering chill remained in her eyes.

“The medicine was originally intended for her and should not have harmed the fetus. I figured that if she had behaved herself during her pregnancy and hadn’t been reading those books that flaunted her learning, it would have been fine. But if she had been holding those books every day for months on end, then today, when she was about to give birth, only the child should have been born safely.”

After saying this, Meng Shu let out a soft sigh, her tone surprisingly calm. "I didn't expect it to turn out this way either. Perhaps she wasn't meant to die, or perhaps the medicine was simply too weak to end her life, and instead... it affected the child."

Consort Chun gazed at her serene profile, and it took her a long while to recover her senses.

"Alright."

She reached out and squeezed Meng Shu's palm, her voice as soft as a sigh: "In this deep palace, there is no such thing as absolute innocence."

“Shu’er, rather than letting her die on the delivery bed, keeping her to watch over this child and suffer the torment of heartache every day is perhaps more unbearable for her.”

......

Orioles sing by the green window, and mist shrouds the riverbank.

It was early March, and the pear blossoms in the Imperial Garden were already in full bloom, like clouds and snow. Remembering that Empress Dowager Zhou had always loved pure white flowers, Consort Chun invited Meng Shu and Consort Yun to go and admire the flowers early in the morning.

Ruizhu carried a bamboo flower basket and followed behind the crowd with her hands hanging down.

The Imperial Concubine Chun would linger on any pear blossom for a moment, then, after a short while, she would quietly go over and cut it off, carefully placing it in her basket. In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the basket was already overflowing with a handful, dazzlingly white.

On the way back, when we passed Shou Kang Palace, the vermilion palace gates were locked, and a thin layer of dust covered the copper rings. The palace servants who used to stand guard at the foot of the steps and the eunuchs who used to sweep the corridors had all gone to their places. Only the old trees inside the walls sprouted new green leaves and swayed gently in the wind.

Three days after Empress Dowager Zhou's death, Rongxiu volunteered to go to Yongling Mausoleum to guard the tomb, taking with her five or six of the Empress Dowager's closest palace maids. The Emperor, moved by her loyalty, issued a special decree to move the small Buddhist hall in Shou Kang Palace to the side of the mausoleum, so that she could recite scriptures and pray for the Empress Dowager every day.

Consort Chun raised her hand to smooth the double-looped bun at her temples. This hairstyle had been personally styled for her by Meng Shu this morning, and a pear blossom hairpin made by Yongbaolou was adorning her temples. As her fingertips touched the cool pearl flower, a tear welled up in her eyes and quietly slid down her cheek.

Meng Shu didn't try to persuade her, but simply stood quietly by her side. The wind on the palace path carried the crisp scent of pear blossoms, causing people's clothes to flutter slightly.

After a moment, she said softly, "Let's go back, otherwise Yu Nu'er and Kang Ge'er will start making a fuss again."

......

(Sorry I went to bed early yesterday, this is to make up for yesterday's chapter)