Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 247 The root of all suffering is greed.

Before the news of the Empress's miscarriage arrived, Hua Yan had already been summoned to Shou Kang Palace, where Empress Dowager Zhou "forced" her to join the army.

A large screen made of rosewood inlaid with jewels depicting pine trees and deer symbolizing longevity separates the Buddhist hall from the outer study. Consort Chun and Hua Yan sit on either side of the desk, as if they were in the Yunyi Hall of the Prince of Jin's residence, each holding a scroll and slowly copying. However, this time, Aunt Rongxiu specifically instructed Hua Yan not to imitate Consort Chun's handwriting.

Hua Yan blinked, while Consort Chun raised the Lotus Sutra in one hand, covering her face in shame. Seeing this, Empress Dowager Zhou pointed at her with her prayer beads, a half-smile on her face, and scolded, "You dare to do it but not listen?"

Hua Yan hurriedly got up to apologize, and Consort Chun also knelt on the ground with Meng Zhu's help. Empress Dowager Zhou let them kneel and watched the two of them with great interest.

"Get up, all of you. Carefully copy the Lotus Sutra. You must not give anyone a handle to use against you in the future. Although it may not seem like a big deal, in the eyes of those with ulterior motives in this harem, it will be a different story."

Empress Dowager Zhou personally helped Consort Chun up, patted her arm and sighed softly, "My Shou Kang Palace can only protect you for a while."

After speaking, Empress Dowager Zhou walked around the screen and went to the Buddhist hall. Rongxiu, looking dejected, followed her in to serve her.

Hua Yan seemed lost in thought as she looked around at the furnishings in the hall. They were still as simple and unadorned as ever, quite different from the Cining Palace, and exuded a Zen-like atmosphere everywhere.

Consort Chun gazed at Empress Dowager Zhou's thin figure, and a sudden, inexplicable sorrow welled up in her heart. She exchanged a glance with Hua Yan, and seeing Hua Yan gently shake her head, she sat down again.

Hua Yan picked up her brush and turned to the second volume, "The Parables." She was copying the passage, "The cause of all suffering is greed. If greed is extinguished, there is nothing to rely on," when she suddenly heard footsteps. Rui Zhu followed a eunuch and hurriedly entered the hall.

The eunuch bowed slightly to Consort Chun, then quickly stepped into the Buddhist hall.

Ruizhu stepped forward and whispered, "News has come that Her Majesty the Empress suffered a miscarriage due to an impact. Imperial Physician Sun and others are treating her at Renming Hall. The chief physician is not in the palace, and the people from the Imperial Hospital have already left the palace to deliver the message."

"How is Consort Guo?"

"Is Her Majesty's life in danger? Where is His Majesty now?"

Hua Yan and Consort Chun asked in unison, but Green Willow was not quite sure. "Little Nianzi only said those two sentences. Renming Palace is under martial law, and there is no more news."

The information received by Shou Kang Palace was more detailed. After hearing the eunuch's report, Empress Dowager Zhou knew that Consort Guo was involved. She couldn't help but recite a Buddhist saying, which was exactly the one that Hua Yan had just copied down.

All suffering originates from greed.

......

The candlelight in Renming Hall flickered, resembling a giant beast poised to devour its prey in the night.

Guo Xiuyi was inside the main hall, feeling a chill run through her bones.

Only then did she realize that Consort Chun and her servants had been preparing for this event, as if they had anticipated the Empress's actions.

But if she asked herself honestly, she was just a lowly concubine, without the family background or favor of Consort Chun. Why was she treated like this? Could it be that the Empress was truly so narrow-minded and intolerant?

My mind raced, and I suddenly realized I was in dire straits.

Hua Jin's eyes were bloodshot. The two of them, master and servant, watched the palace servants in Renming Hall come and go in a hurry, their hearts filled with despair.

Zhi Xue stared blankly from the side, coldly saying, "Consort Guo is ungrateful and harbors treacherous intentions. If Your Majesty's pregnancy is in danger, His Majesty will certainly not let you off easily."

Guo Xiuyi's eyes were stern, and her clear voice suppressed her anger, "Your Majesty, I have never approached you. This is clearly a deliberate frame-up."

“We saw it with our own eyes. How can you make excuses in the Renming Hall? Guards, take Consort Guo to the side hall and keep her under close guard until His Majesty and the Empress decide her fate.”

Hua Jin gritted her teeth and said, "This servant was right behind you, Your Highness. It was clearly the Empress who lost her footing. How can you slander me so baselessly..."

At this moment, the emperor rushed over and saw that Consort Guo looked dejected. Hearing Zhixue's insubordination and rampant slander, his eyes were as cold and sharp as ice blades. "How dare a mere maidservant have such audacity!"

Zhixue hurriedly kowtowed and tearfully pleaded, "Your Majesty, we servants witnessed Consort Guo shoving Her Majesty the Empress. We beg Your Majesty to uphold justice for Her Majesty."

All the palace maids knelt on the ground and refused to rise. Consort Guo, with tears in her eyes, also knelt on the ground and said, "Your Majesty, I am innocent! I came to Renming Palace today only to discuss matters with Your Majesty..."

"Guards, escort Guo Xiuyi back to Dieqiong Pavilion to await trial."

The Emperor glanced at the scene and knew exactly what was going on. After giving Jingming a few instructions, he didn't look at Guo Xiuyi again and turned to walk into the inner hall.

Guo Xiuyi suffered this undeserved calamity, and coupled with her already weak constitution, she fainted in Hua Jin's arms.

......

As night fell, Empress Dowager Zhou returned from Renming Palace and summoned Consort Chun and Hua Yan to the Buddhist hall alone.

"The Empress is fine. This pregnancy was congenitally weak, and the miscarriage will actually prevent further damage to the mother's body. In addition, Physician Sun arrived in time, and Physician He gave the Empress acupuncture after returning to the palace. After a few months of recuperation, she will be safe and sound."

Do you all know how His Majesty judges cases?

Hua Yan was secretly alarmed. The Empress was originally healthy, but after that incident, it was impossible that she hadn't developed any hidden ailments. Why was Physician He hiding it? And how could he dare to hide it?

Upon careful consideration, a bold guess surfaced in her mind. She slightly lifted her eyelids, and contrary to the calm expression on her face, two ice flowers froze in her dark pupils.

Consort Chun spoke first: "How could Consort Guo harm the Empress for no reason? Such a fabricated charge is truly chilling, and such methods are disgusting."

Empress Dowager Zhou, her fingers twirling Buddhist prayer beads, stared at Hua Yan and asked, "...What does Consort Meng have to say?"

Hua Yan composed herself and said slowly, "Although the matter is clear, the charge of 'plotting to harm the imperial heir' is a capital offense. I dare to speculate that only by 'finding' other 'evidence'... can Consort Guo be kept safe."

Empress Dowager Zhou showed a hint of approval.

"Two palace maids who were cleaning Renming Palace were negligent and left water stains unremoved, causing the Empress to slip and miscarry. They have been beaten to death."

Consort Guo failed in her duty to protect her and cannot escape blame. She is demoted to the rank of Consort and confined to her quarters for three months, in order to reflect on her mistakes.

Hua Yan had anticipated this outcome and was therefore not surprised, while Consort Chun murmured softly, "That palace maid was utterly innocent..."

Empress Dowager Zhou sighed softly and waved for Hua Yan to leave.

Thinking of his decision to leave the palace and live separately after the New Year, he reached out and brought Consort Chun to his side to give her gentle guidance, which he considered as fulfilling his duty to Yun Yue.

"The Marquis of Weibei has just made great achievements in the Northwest. Moreover, the Grand Commander guarding Liaodong is the Empress's uncle. The Khitan people have been in a long-term standoff with our Great Zhou, and a battle is inevitable in the future."

Our emperor is young and ambitious. From the day he ascended the throne, he began to attach importance to the management of Liaodong and the southwest. I suppose the Marquis of Lin'an also received relevant imperial edicts.

In other words, the Jiang family was at the height of its power, which emboldened the Empress. Upon closer examination, it's possible that the Marquis of Weibei was acting on her behalf...

(As mentioned earlier, the general guarding Liaodong was Jiang Wei's sworn brother.)

These past few days you have stayed at my Shou Kang Palace, thus avoiding this calamity, but you have not seen the Emperor for a long time.

After the hundred-day mourning period, the Emperor favored Consort Guo greatly. In the inner palace, if the Empress, knowing of her miscarriage, were to take the opportunity to eliminate her, what need is there for reason?

Consort Chun understood the key point, and a fine layer of sweat appeared on her forehead.

Fortunately, Hua Yan had foreseen this, and her mother had communicated with the Empress Dowager in advance, securing protection from the Shou Kang Palace through her great-aunt's connections. If she were in Guo Xiuyi's situation today...

Having said so much, Empress Dowager Zhou might as well offer one more piece of advice:

"Consort Song is like a stubborn rock and a withered tree, Consort Shen and Consort Wu are attached to the Empress, and Consort Qu has not yet served the Emperor and is unlikely to achieve great things. You and Consort Meng should avoid this situation. Only Consort Guo's troubles stem from her greed."

There was something else that couldn't be said openly, but Consort Chun seemed to have already sensed it.

As Hua Yan said, if the charge of "murdering the imperial heir" were pinned on Consort Guo, she would certainly face death, or at the very least, be banished to the Cold Palace.

The Emperor's act of protecting her was also a warning to the Empress and the Jiang family.

The war in the Northwest had long since ended, but Marquis Weibei remained in the capital, and the Emperor had yet to issue a new appointment. Instead, before Jiang Wei returned to the capital, Song Chengrui and Xiao Ling (former commander of the Jin Prince's Guard) were dispatched to jointly take over the defense of the Northwest. Fortunately, the Northwest army owed a debt of gratitude to the Tang family, allowing Song Chengrui, the Tang family's son-in-law, to smoothly take over.

The inner palace and the imperial court were closely intertwined, and Consort Chun felt this deeply this time.

......

With Mingyue holding a palace lantern in front, and Lüzhu following behind with scriptures and writing brush, Huayan and the others walked towards Huining Palace. When they reached the palace gate, Huayan slowly turned her head and gazed in the direction of Funing Palace, her suspicion becoming more and more certain.