Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 377 "Meow!"

The Empress stood at the front, leading the concubines in bowing to the Empress Dowager.

After the ceremony, Qi Zhaorong smiled and led her wet nurse a few steps forward, saying softly, "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager is well. The weather is fine today, and I have taken the liberty of bringing your daughter here to pay my respects and share in your blessings and longevity."

The Empress Dowager leaned forward slightly and eagerly stretched out her hands: "Oh my, my little darling is here! Quickly, bring her here so I can have a look at her!"

A clever nanny stepped forward and carefully took the swaddling clothes from the wet nurse, placing them steadily into the Empress Dowager's arms.

The Empress Dowager skillfully adjusted her posture and held Princess Lingyi comfortably in her arms.

"Look at this little face, she looks just like the Emperor when he was a child, those eyebrows, that nose..." The Empress Dowager's fingertips lightly touched Lingyi's soft cheek, her tone full of undisguised affection, "It's only been a few days, and Afu has become even more beautiful and adorable."

Instead of crying, Lingyi grinned with her toothless little mouth, which made the Empress Dowager burst into laughter.

Seeing this, Consort Rong chimed in, "The way the Empress Dowager holds Princess Lingyi with such loving eyes is truly like a painting."

"The emperor's offspring are the foundation of the nation, and the birth of a princess is also a joyous occasion for the royal family. Afu is a healthy and strong child with such delicate features; I am delighted to see him. Consort Qi has done a great service in bearing the imperial heir; thank you for your hard work."

The Empress Dowager's gaze lingered on Consort Qi for a moment, filled with approval.

The Empress sat to one side, a polite smile on her face.

Qi Zhaorong stood respectfully with her head bowed, her face beaming with the satisfaction of becoming a new mother.

The Empress Dowager teased the child for a while before handing him back to the nanny and indicating that he should be sent back to Consort Qi's side. She kept instructing, "Take good care of him. The weather is getting colder. Don't let my little Afu catch a cold."

Then, she ordered the head palace maid beside her: "Go, give the princess my pair of longevity locks inlaid with red gold and jewels, and also get a few bolts of tribute satin for Zhaorong to make clothes."

After bestowing gifts upon Consort Qi and Princess Lingyi, the Empress Dowager's gaze slowly swept over the concubines in the hall, finally settling on Consort Meng and Consort Shen.

Consort Shen was already quite far along in her pregnancy, and the Empress Dowager couldn't help but show a hint of eagerness in her eyes.

The Emperor currently has no sons, and the two pregnancies of Meng Shu and Shen Jieyu not only concern the hearts of everyone in the harem, but also make the entire court eagerly await their arrival.

Seeing that the Empress Dowager valued her so much, Consort Shen was overjoyed and couldn't help but say a few more words.

Meng Shu sat beside Consort Chun, rarely speaking on her own initiative.

A group of palace servants filed in, quietly serving tea on gilded tea trays.

The Empress Dowager picked up her teacup and slowly skimmed off the foam with the lid. Suddenly, she sighed, "Time really flies. It's getting colder every day outside. I was just looking out the window, and the paulownia leaves have almost all fallen."

Meng Shu understood immediately, her gaze seemingly casually sweeping towards the direction of the Empress, thinking to herself: The Empress Dowager is finally going to bring up Consort Qing.

The Empress, being observant, understood the implication of the words "梧桐" (wutong). These two words had come out of the Empress Dowager's mouth so abruptly; how could she not know their meaning? But she remained focused on sipping her tea, seemingly oblivious to the deeper meaning behind the words.

The Empress Dowager looked displeased and glanced at Consort Rong.

Rong Meiren immediately understood, her voice as sweet and melodious as a nightingale's.

"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager is right. It's only been two or three months, and winter is just around the corner. Speaking of which, I just passed by Zhaoqing Palace this morning and remembered that Consort Qing is still in the temporary palace..."

At this point, Rong Meiren immediately fell silent, as if she had just realized that she had said something wrong.

The Empress Dowager smiled with satisfaction, gently stirring the floating leaves with the cup lid; the crisp clinking sound was exceptionally clear in the quiet hall.

"Since Consort Rong mentioned Lady Qing, I often think of her as well."

The palace was remote and secluded, and Lady Qing had always been frail, like a tender willow in early spring, unable to withstand the cold. She also frequently suffered from palpitations and shortness of breath…

She made a mistake, and there are palace rules to follow. But even in punishment, her health should be taken into consideration.

Confining oneself to one's own palace to reflect on one's mistakes is the same principle.

The Empress Dowager's gaze deepened as she looked directly at the Empress: "As the Empress, you are in charge of the concubines. For the sake of harmony in the harem, you should understand the principle of 'balancing leniency and strictness'."

The Empress said, "Isn't that the truth?"

Upon hearing this, the air in the hall froze instantly. All the concubines held their breath and lowered their heads, none daring to utter a sound.

A flicker of disgust flashed across Consort Chun's eyes, and her lips tightened almost imperceptibly.

----'The palace is remote and desolate? Empress Dowager Zhou could endure it, but Consort Qing, confined for only two months, found it an immense torment. Ten years of hardship in the Northwest hadn't taken her life, yet now she's become pampered.'

Meng Shu keenly noticed the strangeness in Consort Chun's eyes, knowing that she was thinking of Empress Dowager Zhou. Under the cover of her wide sleeves, she gently pinched Consort Chun's trembling fingertips.

Consort Chun then realized her lapse in decorum, quickly lowered her eyelashes, and tried her best to suppress her emotions.

The Empress put down her teacup before speaking, her tone unhurried and deliberate.

"The Empress Dowager is most considerate and kind, which is a blessing for Consort Qing. However, Consort Qing's matter was decided by the Emperor's own will, and your son... really has no right to comment."

The Empress Dowager suppressed her smile: "It's just a matter of bringing her back to the palace to continue her confinement. For the sake of the court and the harem, the Empress should be more lenient. Going too far would be as bad as not going far enough, and it would make our royal family seem...unkind and inconsiderate."

The Empress took the opportunity to leave her seat, curtsied, and apologized, saying, "Your Majesty's reprimand is correct."

He then readily agreed to the matter.

She had no intention of disobeying the Empress Dowager, since Consort Qing would remain under house arrest after returning to the palace. In truth, even with the Empress Dowager's protection, Consort Qing posed no real threat to her...

Having achieved her goal, the Empress Dowager was about to dismiss everyone.

The vermilion-lacquered, carved door outside the hall was gently pushed open, and an elderly woman in an indigo vest entered with small steps. She curtsied beside the gilded crane-beak incense burner and reported:

"Your Majesty, the Imperial Garden Department has recently cultivated several Jade Ruyi scepters. The flower room has specially selected the most beautiful ones and moved them to the warm pavilion. Would Your Majesty like to come and admire them?"

The Empress Dowager's weariness vanished instantly. "What a clever idea."

Her gaze swept over Consort Chun below, a slight smile playing on her lips: "I remember Consort Chun is a very refined person, and has always loved green chrysanthemums..."

Before the Empress Dowager could finish speaking, the Empress replied with a smile: "I've heard that the color of the jade ruyi is like spring water, and it's extremely difficult to cultivate. I'm sure Consort Chun will like it."

Consort Chun slightly curled her fingertips inside her sleeve. Since the Empress Dowager had already mentioned it, she naturally couldn't ask for leave to leave, so she could only say, "Your Majesty's grace is too much for me to bear, so I will certainly serve you."

Turning to Meng Shu, he said softly, "You're feeling unwell, why don't you have Green Willow take you back to the palace to rest first?"

"The warm pavilion is nearby; come with me to take a look."

The Empress Dowager rose as she spoke, and the concubines had no choice but to follow.

Consort Chun deliberately lagged behind by half a step, and Meng Shu whispered, "It's alright. If we don't go, who will the Empress be performing this act for?"

"You, Mingyue, you must take good care of Shuer."

Upon hearing this, Consort Chun gently tapped Meng Shu's brow with her index finger, then turned to Mingyue and instructed, "Take good care of her, and don't let any fools cause trouble."

Mingyue said, "Your Majesty, please rest assured, this servant will definitely not allow anyone else to get close to Consort Jin."

Inside the warm pavilion.

On the central rosewood carved stand, a dozen or so pots of chrysanthemums in full bloom, all of them exquisite varieties, were displayed. The jade ruyi, with its vibrant green color, was particularly beautiful under the autumn sun, pleasing to the eye at first sight.

The concubines dispersed in twos and threes to enjoy the sights.

The Empress held the Empress Dowager's hand, explaining things softly from time to time. Consort Song stood to the side of Consort Shen.

Meng Shu and Consort Chun stood by the window, seemingly casual, but in reality, they were clearly distinct from the others.

Qi Zhaorong remembered Imperial Physician Jian's advice that the princess should not be exposed to the wind since she had just turned one month old, so she took Lingyi and hid behind a screen deep in the warm pavilion.

Consort Rong was also good at reading people's expressions. Just now, she spoke up for the Empress Dowager in the palace. Knowing that she had offended the Empress, she kept her distance.

Qu Cai Ren was the most shrewd, her gaze constantly shifting between the Empress and Consort Chun, and she stood more than ten steps away from Consort Qu.

Qu Baolin had the lowest rank and was placed last; she was the only one who truly wanted to admire the flowers.

She walked in with light steps, her brocade outer garment billowing like water.

Xingyu, who was beside the Empress, stepped forward with a smile, about to lead her to the flower stand closest to the window.

"Meow!"

Just then, a snowball-like cat suddenly darted in from outside the door and pounced on Qu Baolin's skirt!

Mingyue had been on high alert, and upon hearing the noise, she immediately joined Mengzhu and Lvliu to surround and protect Mengshu and Consort Chun.

Meng Shu, supporting Consort Chun's arm, spoke in a clear voice, cutting through the chaos: "Be careful! Protect the Empress Dowager."

The concubines screamed in alarm, and the palace servants and eunuchs were in complete chaos.

Although Qu Baolin was not afraid of cats, he was so frightened that he was completely terrified. He didn't care about losing his composure and instinctively tried to avoid the crowd.

Three steps ahead of her, Shen Jieyu turned around, her hand resting on her swollen belly.

In a flash, a scarlet figure suddenly appeared.

A muffled "bang" was heard.

Song Jieyu raised her leg and swept it horizontally, sending Qu Baolin flying into the air like a tattered piece of cotton, crashing heavily onto the four-season flower and bird screen in the warm pavilion.

Her brocade outer garment billowed like wisps of clouds, and the pearls and jade ornaments in her hair were scattered all over the ground.

With a loud crash as the screen collapsed, a terrified scream suddenly rang out from Qi Zhaorong...