Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 369 Plum Blossom Hairpin

From Meng Shu's observations over the past few days, Qu Cairen has become very prudent and skillful in her actions, possessing a full range of cunning and shrewdness.

Therefore, I always maintained a degree of wariness towards her.

When she first entered the palace, Consort Qu held a low rank and lived in Chunxi Palace with Lady Xie. She made sure to rely on Lady Xie and befriend her sincerely. It should be noted that at that time, Consort Qu was still under house arrest, yet she was able to suppress the pressure from her family and only befriend Lady Xie, never once thinking of asking for a visit from her.

Afterwards, she accompanied the emperor to the summer palace for a summer retreat and won first place at the lake banquet. Although she contracted tinea after serving the emperor, she handled the situation perfectly and even used it to curry favor with Consort Chun.

Immediately after returning to the palace and recovering, she was in no hurry to regain the Emperor's favor. This composure, ironically, earned her even more favor than others. Now that Lady Xie had been banished to the Cold Palace for her crimes, she had received a tangible benefit—she was granted the privilege of moving into the main hall of Chunxi Palace…

Meng Shu poured out all her doubts to Consort Chun, and then said solemnly, "...Regardless of whether Consort Xie has been stirring things up or not, she is indeed more favored by the Emperor than others now. Wan'er must be even more careful when she associates with her."

Consort Chun said, "Although she has some cunning, her foundation is still shallow, and she can't cause any trouble for the time being. Shu'er, just focus on your pregnancy..."

Seeing that Consort Chun didn't take it too seriously, Meng Shu's tone became more serious: "The more unassuming someone is, the more we should be wary of them. If everyone in the palace were like Consort Shen or Consort Qu, I wouldn't be saying all this to you."

Consort Chun then said, "Alright, alright, you've reminded me a few times before. Anyway, I only meet her when I pay my respects at Renming Hall. I'll just be more careful in the future."

......

In early October, as the air grew cooler, the vermilion gates of Cuiyu Hall remained tightly shut all day long, refusing visitors except for Consort Chun who came frequently.

Aside from feeling tired and sleepy at times, Meng Shu didn't feel any discomfort. This leisurely life made her a little uncomfortable. She often stared out the window in a daze, and even the chess manual on her desk was worn out from being turned over so many times.

Donggua was trying to come up with new dishes in the small kitchen, but most of them were strange combinations.

In her pursuit of improvement, she often went to Consort Chun's palace to learn from the cooks from Lin'an. Upon returning, she would have Green Willow taste the dishes. Poor Green Willow tasted them for two days in a row and ended up with an upset stomach, lying on the couch groaning.

Looking at Green Willow's appearance, Winter Melon sighed, "I really appreciate the stomachs of martial artists." He then turned and took the newly prepared dishes to find Bright Moon.

That day, after paying her respects at Renming Palace, Consort Chun came over to talk to Meng Shu as usual.

Stepping into the Lingcui Palace, I walked past the screen wall with familiarity and saw Meng Shu leaning against the railing under the corridor, engrossed in a book.

"You're doing well, no longer having to deal with those hypocritical scenes at Renming Palace every day. You've truly found great freedom." Consort Chun approached, her tone carrying a hint of genuine envy.

Upon hearing the sound, Meng Shu looked up and saw that it was Consort Chun. She immediately closed her book and stood up to greet her.

A faint smile appeared on her lips as she reached out and took Chunfei's wrist: "It's quiet here, but it's also quite stuffy. I was just thinking that if you didn't come soon, I would have to send Green Willow to invite you."

He then led her into the inner room.

The two arrived at the study and had just set up the chessboard when Green Willow entered carrying a brocade box with a scrolling floral pattern, her expression revealing something unusual.

"Your Highness, Consort Qing from the temporary palace has sent Granny Yu to deliver congratulatory gifts, saying it's to celebrate Your Highness's promotion. Xia'er and Chun'er are outside greeting them; would you like to see them?"

Consort Chun was stunned at first, then frowned and said, "Seven or eight days have passed, what kind of congratulatory gift is she sending to Shu'er now?"

Green Willow hurriedly said, "This servant has just examined it carefully. It is a red gold plum blossom pearl hairpin. Although it looks quite old, the workmanship is extremely exquisite."

He then opened the brocade box.

A hairpin lay quietly in a brocade box. Five plum blossoms were arranged in a staggered manner on the hairpin head. Each blossom was no bigger than a little fingernail, and a rare pink pearl, no bigger than a mung bean, was embedded in the center of each blossom. It was lustrous and shiny.

Consort Chun glanced at it and exclaimed in surprise, "Judging from the craftsmanship... it looks like an old item from the palace."

Meng Shu beckoned Green Willow to hand it to her, and examined it carefully: "It was recently refurbished, but the hairpin itself is definitely an old item."

She suddenly looked up and said, "Ruizhu, you've been taking care of Her Majesty's jewelry all this time. Come and take a look."

Ruizhu, who was standing to the side, stepped forward and took it. After a short while, she suddenly exclaimed, "This servant remembers that Yongbaolou made a replica of a plum blossom hairpin many years ago, and it is almost identical in style to this one."

Upon hearing this, Consort Chun pondered carefully: "Ruizhu's words reminded me that Manager Gong sends many pieces of jewelry to the mansion every year. It seems that there was once a plum blossom hairpin that was similar to this one, which my elder sister liked very much at the time."

Ruizhu clearly remembered it more clearly. She said indignantly, "Your Highness may have forgotten, but that hairpin was later forcibly taken by the young lady from the Marquis of Huai'an's residence, who said that this style was all the rage in the capital..."

Meng Shu gently placed the plum blossom hairpin on the table, a vague guess forming in her mind.

She nodded slightly to Green Willow, indicating that Granny Yu should be brought in.

However, after not seeing her for more than a month, Granny Yu seemed to have aged even more. Just as she was about to kneel down to pay her respects, Xia'er, having received a signal from Meng Shu, quickly stepped forward to help her up.

"This servant greets Consort Chun and has met Consort Jin. I am here on my master's orders to return to the palace to visit the Empress Dowager and to offer my congratulations on your promotion to the rank of Consort."

Granny Yu was respectful, but her gaze unconsciously drifted to the plum blossom hairpin on the table, a hint of lingering affection flashing in her eyes.

This made Meng Shu even more certain.

"Thank you for making this trip, Granny. Please tell Consort Zhaorong that I really like this hairpin."

Upon hearing this, Granny Yu curtsied and stood there, seemingly wanting to say something but hesitating.

Meng Shu waved her hand, signaling Green Willow and the others to leave, leaving only her and Consort Chun in the flower hall. "Granny, please speak freely."

Granny Yu knelt on the ground, hesitated for a long time, and then whispered, "This servant has a private matter that I would like to ask Your Highness."

When she looked up, her eyes held a hint of trepidation: "A month ago, I saw Madam Zhou once by the Thousand Carp Pond. Madam Zhou's features are very similar to those of an old friend I know..."

Granny Yu paused slightly, as if considering her words, "This servant may be so bold as to ask Your Highness, is this Madam Zhou... from Jiangning?"

Meng Shu's gaze fell on Granny Yu's hands, which were tightly gripping the hem of her clothes. Perhaps due to nervousness, her knuckles had turned white.

She understood immediately; Granny Yu must have been secretly investigating these past few days. However, Xiu Yun's background was kept tightly under wraps, so it wasn't something that could be easily discovered.

"My aunt's ancestral home is Lin'an, which isn't very close to Jiangning. I wonder what the name of that old friend of Granny Yu is?"

Upon hearing this, Granny Yu was quite disappointed, but then realized she shouldn't have acted so impulsively. She quickly made an excuse, saying, "Your Majesty, perhaps my old eyes are failing me and I've made a mistake. It's just that the eyebrows and eyes... there's a vague resemblance. The old friend I knew has been gone for many years."

Seeing that Granny Yu looked listless, Meng Shu did not press further. Instead, she picked up a plum blossom hairpin and asked directly, "This hairpin, is it a keepsake of the eldest daughter of the Duke of Qing's mansion?"

————There will be another chapter tonight (maybe after midnight), double update tomorrow————