Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 338 The Survival Methods of a Talented Woman

Just as I awoke from my afternoon nap, the green willows were helping Meng Shu to rearrange her hair.

Xia'er carried two bolts of fabric into the bedchamber. "Your Majesty, as you instructed, I have selected some soft satin from Suzhou this year. One is sky blue after rain, and the other is moon white and breeze clear. Although they are not as good as the Shu brocade supplied to the emperor, they are superior in that they are soft, light, and breathable." As she spoke, she presented the satin to the dressing table.

Qu Cairen had previously sent a message, and regardless of her motives, Meng Shu accepted the favor.

She lightly stroked the satin with her fingertips and nodded, saying, "The value of Suzhou satin lies in the craftsmanship shown in the details. You've chosen a good one. Qu Cairen has fair skin, and this fabric suits her perfectly."

Green Willow looked up and saw Xia'er's hesitant expression reflected in the bronze mirror. She asked, "Is something the matter?"

Xia'er hesitated, then said, "When I went to the kitchen, I ran into Granny Yu on the way." She glanced at Meng Shu's expression. "Granny Yu looked a little pale, so I asked her a question, but she didn't say anything."

Meng Shu said, "There's no need to ask deliberately next time. Granny has taken good care of you and Chun'er in the past, so just treat her with kindness. Have you finished embroidering the plum blossom pattern I asked you to practice last time?"

Xia'er hurriedly took out a handkerchief from her sleeve. "I've been working day and night to embroider this, but I just can't capture the spirit of the plum blossoms."

Meng Shu took it and examined it closely. The stitches were fairly fine. She wanted to point out the shortcomings, but then she swallowed her words.

"It's already quite an achievement for a beginner to embroider like this," she added as she handed the handkerchief back. "Remember to send it to Granny Yu when she has some free time. If she brings up old gossip, don't ask any other questions, but make sure you have a good memory."

"Yes. I've got it."

After dressing up, Meng Shu carefully checked the sleeping robe and purse she had embroidered for the Emperor.

This nightgown was meticulously crafted, featuring a purple brocade base with crane and cloud motifs, embroidered with gold thread depicting egrets against a blue sky—a truly picturesque sight from afar. In contrast, the purse appears rather plain.

He instructed Green Willow to wrap it up and send it to Yingzhou Hall, while he himself took Xia'er to Chengguanzhai.

Qu Cairen's residence was not far from Cheng Guan Zhai. When Rui Xue led everyone into the flower hall, they saw that even indoors, Qu Cairen was still wearing a plain gauze veil. When she greeted the guests, she bowed slightly, and her voice, through the light gauze, revealed a hint of apology: "The imperial physician repeatedly instructed that I should not be exposed to the wind for more than a month. Please do not blame me for being impolite, my three sisters."

Consort Chun comforted her, saying, "Tinea versicolor is different from ordinary ailments, so we should be extra careful. Fortunately, it should be fully healed before we return to the capital."

Ruixue served tea and refreshments and stood behind Consort Qu. Mengzhu, at the signal of Consort Chun, stepped forward and handed over a brocade box containing several pieces of jewelry from Yongbaolou.

Qu Cairen's mother's family was poor, and she usually relied on her uncle for support. Her dowry rarely contained any decent jewelry. It was a thoughtful choice for Consort Chun to send a few pieces of jewelry under the pretext of visiting her in her illness, since the jewelry from Yongbaolou could be sold to make ends meet if necessary.

When Consort Qu saw them, she did not refuse them and instructed Ruixue to carefully put them away. She even had the leisure to joke, "These treasures that Your Majesty sent can last me two or three years if I wear them in rotation."

Yun Baolin presented a Zen tea, a specialty of Chuzhou. Qu Cairen clapped his hands and recited the line, "Tea and fruit invite true companions, wine and cups harmonize hearts," and immediately ordered the tea to be brewed to entertain the guest.

Facing the Suzhou satin that Xia'er was holding, Consort Qu pointed to the light blue one and said with delight, "Sister Meng, this material is just right. I've been feeling bored these days, so I'll have a few new clothes made to cheer myself up." After speaking, she instructed Ruixue to bring the embroidery pattern book so that everyone could discuss it.

Since entering, Meng Shu had been subtly observing Qu Cairen from head to toe, and now she couldn't help but secretly admire Qu Cairen's cleverness.

In just a quarter of an hour, he not only accepted everyone's kindness but also found a suitable reason for each gift. His actions were not only thorough but also seamlessly arranged the elegant activities of tea tasting and tailoring.

After Meng Shu and her entourage left, Ruixue carefully put the fabric into the sandalwood box and said happily, "I was wondering why you didn't present the flower petals you found to the Emperor for his approval. Now I understand what you were thinking."

"Oh? Then tell me, why did I do that?"

Seeing that the talented woman had removed her veil before the mirror, Ruixue hurriedly went to close the window.

“Your Highness is outnumbered and powerless. It won’t do any good to make a scene before the Emperor with just a few flower petals. It would be better to use this opportunity to remind Consort Chun, which would both do her a favor and build a good relationship with her. But I still don’t understand why you had to tell Consort Meng first?”

The bronze mirror reflected half of Qu Cairen's face. She gently touched the red mark on her face. "Consort Chun is an upright person. As long as you don't offend her, you will be fine. The person I really want to befriend... has always been Consort Meng."

The Qionglin ointment melted in her palm, and Consort Qu carefully applied it to the affected area. "I have neither a maternal clan to rely on nor stunning beauty. If I want to live peacefully in this palace, I must find myself a 'master.' The Empress..." She suddenly scoffed and didn't continue.

After a long pause, she continued, "Consort Mei is domineering and sickly. Even with the Duke's mansion as a powerful backer, she will hardly amount to anything. Consort Xie comes from a good family and might not even look up to me. As for Consort Rong, there's no need to mention her. Therefore, relying on Consort Chun is the safest option."

Ruixue was even more confused, "Then you..."

"Silly girl, even when relying on someone, you have to be careful not to do it too closely. Consort Chun is good, but she is in a dangerous situation, and she could be ruined if she is not careful. Therefore, even if you want to befriend her, you can't get too close."

Ruixue didn't understand the intricacies of the situation, but she knew that Consort Qu in the palace was a troublesome person: "My lady's cousin offended Consort Chun. Before leaving the palace, I saw her going to the Empress's palace very frequently."

After applying the ointment, Qu Cairen reached into her dressing case and took out a gold hairpin. She examined it closely in the sunlight and spoke with a hint of coldness: "She chose to walk the path of death herself. Could I possibly stop her?"

After speaking, she put the gold hairpin aside and picked out an eight-treasure hairpin, pushing it in front of Ruixue.

"The jewelry sent by Consort Chun is valuable. Send these two pieces away and have Mother sell them to keep for her private savings. Instruct her not to keep subsidizing the public funds, otherwise, she will not be able to get a single penny in the future."

......

After Meng Shu sent him the nightgown, the Emperor's favor towards her increased daily, and he summoned her to his bedchamber for three consecutive days.

In addition, since it was an imperial decree personally issued by the Emperor, everyone from the Imperial Household Department to the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs did their utmost and completed the change of registration in less than ten days. The jade tablet of identity was also personally delivered to the imperial palace by the Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs.

Such extraordinary treatment is truly rare in this dynasty. It not only alarmed the two empress dowagers, but also brought about considerable repercussions.

Rumors were rampant in the capital, the most common of which was that the Marquis of Lin'an's family was reaping what they sowed.

Fortunately, Meng Shu was, after all, the niece of Zhou Bai, a high-ranking official of the imperial court, and her background was beyond reproach. Although the Marquis of Lin'an's family was newly wealthy, they had a good reputation among the people due to the Tang family's long-standing charitable deeds of disaster relief and poverty alleviation. In just a few days, those unpleasant rumors vanished without a trace.

Interestingly, after this incident, whether it was an official's family or a gentry family, when choosing dowry maids for their daughters, they all specifically selected those who were plain-looking...

In the harem, people like Consort Mei often mocked Consort Chun, but they only dared to say it behind her back, never daring to say anything openly.

Empress Dowager Zhou usually spent her days in Buddhist meditation, but upon hearing the news, she specially ordered Rongxiu to invite Consort Chun.

Upon seeing the worry etched on Consort Chun's brow, Empress Dowager Zhou initially assumed it was due to Meng Shu's increased favor with the emperor and was about to offer her some words of comfort when Consort Chun spoke of another source of trouble.