Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 412 New Year's Eve Banquet (2)

The exorcism ceremony is scheduled to begin at 5 PM and last for half an hour. After the ceremony, the banquet will officially begin at 7 PM.

After exchanging greetings with everyone, Meng Shu was led by Meng Zhu to a side hall for a short rest.

Because Princess Ling'an fell ill, Consort Yi Xiu asked the Empress and Consort Chun for leave. Apart from her, all the other concubines attended the event in their finest attire.

Midway through, Madam Yun specially brought her fifth and seventh daughters to pay their respects.

The fifth young lady had grown into a graceful young woman, wearing a light blue jacket and skirt embroidered with orchid patterns. Her black hair was styled into two buns, adorned with two small pearl hairpins, which made her skin appear even more radiant and smooth.

She gently took her younger sister's hand, bowed gracefully to Meng Shuying, and said softly, "Greetings, Consort Jin."

Her voice was clear and melodious, but it no longer had the liveliness and exuberance of her younger days.

After accepting the greeting, Meng Shu's gaze lingered on the Fifth Miss for a moment, and a sense of melancholy welled up in her heart.

The quirky and clever fifth young lady, Tang Qingning, who once had the air of the Marquis of Lin'an, was not so dignified and composed when we met at the imperial palace. Now, in just a few months, her demeanor has become that of a refined young lady.

In fact, it wasn't just her who changed in the grand mansion of the Marquis of Lin'an.

According to Consort Chun, the Third Miss is engaged to a student of Grand Secretary Su. Although they are from a poor family, it is considered a good marriage. The Fourth Miss, who shares the same mother, is still confined to her estate in Lin'an, and it has been a long time since we have heard any news about Consort Liu.

The seventh young lady was only eight years old after the New Year. She wore an apricot-red embroidered jacket with two strings of silver bells tied in her hair, which jingled as she walked. She was innocent and carefree, and showed no restraint when she saw Meng Shu. After bowing, she took two steps closer with a smile, looked up and said, "Your Highness's clothes are so beautiful today, even more beautiful than the fairies in the paintings!"

This caused the surrounding palace servants to cover their mouths and chuckle.

Seeing this, Meng Shu smiled slightly and asked Green Willow to bring a pair of imperial silk bracelets, which she then personally put on the Seventh Miss.

Madam Yun stood to the side, a smile in her eyes, "This child is unruly; please forgive him, Your Majesty."

Meng Shu shook her head and said softly, "Seventh Miss is so innocent and adorable, I like her very much. If I were as fortunate as Madam to have such a lovely daughter, that would be true blessing."

Upon hearing this, Madam Yun's eyes flickered slightly. She picked up her celadon teacup and took a small sip, her expression unreadable amidst the rising steam. Granny Wei and Green Willow exchanged a glance, and Green Willow immediately understood, smiling as she led the Fifth and Seventh Misses to the side hall.

“Shuang’er will return to the capital with the caravan next spring,” Madam Yun put down her teacup and lowered her voice. “The eldest son-in-law has received a secret decree and set off for the northern frontier to prepare for war half a month ago.”

Meng Shu said, "My eldest son-in-law is brave and showed extraordinary military talent back then. He will surely make great achievements in guarding the border this time, and His Majesty will reward him handsomely when he returns in triumph."

"The battlefield is dangerous, and the Marquis sent Zheng Shan and more than a hundred elite soldiers to protect him in secret."

Madam Yun paused for a moment before saying, "There is something I need to report to Your Highness."

Meng Shu was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and the image of a young man standing with a sword in his hand suddenly appeared in her mind. "Is Chen Lin going too?"

"He received the news from Lord Zhou and volunteered to lead the troops to Lady Zhou's side. He has already set off. After all, he has a past relationship with the Lady, so I thought I should inform her."

Chen Lin had previously escorted the young lady to Guangyang Prefecture in the Northwest and stayed there. Later, he went to Yangzhou to protect Zhou Bai. Over the years, the young man who had first met her in the carriage of the brokerage firm had traveled across most of the country.

After a while, Meng Shu said softly, "Since he chose this path himself, you don't need to inform me of his whereabouts in the future."

“I sent a message to my son-in-law, asking him to take him under his command as a personal guard.”

Madam Yun added one more thing.

Hearing this, Meng Shu felt slightly relieved and nodded, saying, "You are very kind, Madam."

The water in the teacup rippled slightly, reflecting the silent images of the two people.

"Once war breaks out in the northern frontier, the Empress's position will undoubtedly be further secured thanks to the military achievements of her father, brothers, and uncles. However, there's plenty of time ahead, so please don't worry, Madam. I already have some ideas..."

Suddenly, the candlelight flickered and sparked, casting a dark glint in Meng Shu's eyes.

......

As the year changed, on New Year's Eve of the first year of the Zhenghe era, the Linde Hall was brightly lit, just like daytime.

Empress Dowager Jiang sat on the phoenix throne, her gold-embroidered phoenix court robe gleaming in the candlelight, smiling as she accepted the homage of the court ladies. Meanwhile, far away in the Changchun Garden Palace, Empress Dowager Zhou sat alone in the desolate Yichun Palace, seemingly forgotten by everyone.

The sound of drums came from outside the palace, followed by the booming sound of fireworks exploding in the sky.

Empress Dowager Zhou gazed at the flickering light and shadows outside the window. In just over three hundred days, this former mistress of the six palaces had become the most desolate figure amidst the splendor of the hall...

"Your Majesty, it is late at night and the dew is heavy. Be careful not to catch a cold."

Rongxiu gently advised, holding the fox fur cloak in her hands.

Empress Dowager Zhou seemed not to hear, only watching the last firework in the sky gradually disappear into the night.

"Consort Chun specially sent Donggua to the palace to serve you. I just went to the kitchen and saw that the maid and others prepared many of the dishes that Consort Chun usually likes to eat, including your favorite crab meat lion's head meatballs."

Empress Dowager Zhou then came to her senses, and a smile appeared on her face: "That girl Wan'er is very thoughtful. She has been quite comfortable in the palace these days, and has written several letters to me in the past two weeks."

Rongxiu instructed the palace servants to serve the meal and also summoned Donggua to keep the Empress Dowager company on New Year's Eve.

"With her father and brothers supporting her outside the palace, and Consort Jin watching over and helping her inside, in my humble opinion, even our Empress is not as fortunate as Consort Chun. If she is not at ease, then there is no one else in the palace who can be at ease."

Empress Dowager Zhou couldn't help but laugh out loud, patting Rongxiu's arm and saying, "You see things very clearly."

Seeing the Empress Dowager in a good mood, Rongxiu chimed in, "I've been by your side for over thirty years. Even a stubborn rock would have picked up some spirit by now."

It is said that people in the palace are the most snobbish, but little do people know that the most adept at judging people and treating them differently are the officials who have struggled in the political arena.

Empress Dowager Zhou's family had declined, and since she went to the temporary palace, very few of the officials' wives and noblewomen who used to come to visit her regularly came. Only Consort Chun not only never missed the proper etiquette for the four seasons and eight festivals, but also sent people to inquire about her well-being on ordinary days.

......

At 3:45 PM, the New Year's Eve banquet in the palace was coming to an end.

Meng Shu's eyelashes drooped slightly, revealing a hint of weariness. When Jing Ming brought over the gilded tray, it was only when Green Willow gently touched her sleeve that she snapped out of her reverie and took out an exquisitely embroidered purse from her sleeve.

Jingming looked down and saw that the purse was embroidered with a lifelike cricket, its front legs slightly raised as if it were flapping its wings and chirping. He was so startled that his hand trembled and he almost dropped the tray.

The concubines' gift-giving was the grand finale of the New Year's Eve banquet. Although everyone in the hall maintained their proper demeanor, their eyes subtly drifted towards Meng Shu's position. At this time last year, although the Emperor did not directly choose Meng Shu's purse, he specifically hung the one she had given him on his dragon bed. Tonight, everyone was naturally paying extra attention to her every move.

The Empress sat at the head of the table, her fingertips lightly stroking her gilded nail guards, her gaze slowly sweeping over the faces of the concubines.

Consort Qing and Lady Rong, among others, had expectant looks in their eyes. Consort Chun, Consort Qi, and Consort Song remained indifferent, appearing detached. The lower-ranking concubines, including Consort Yun, knew they were merely joining in the fun and thus maintained their composure.

Only Qu Meiren's eyes flashed with a hint of unwavering confidence.

The Empress frowned almost imperceptibly, and Zhixue immediately understood. She quietly took half a step back, holding the tray, and slowly walked towards the location of Consort Qu.