Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 484 Mother and Daughter's Dialogue (1)

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Meng Shu woke up.

With something on her mind, she sat up almost as soon as she opened her eyes, and only when she raised her arm did she realize that her arm was a little tight.

"Has Her Majesty awakened?"

Hearing the noise, Green Willow quickly lifted the bed curtains, and Xia'er and the others quietly walked in carrying warm water, handkerchiefs, and makeup boxes.

“Last night while you were asleep, I noticed a bruise on your arm, so Donggua and I found some medicine and wrapped it with gauze. It doesn’t look serious.”

Meng Shu hummed in agreement and allowed the palace servants to help her with her washing and grooming. Her slightly tired face was reflected in the bronze mirror, and the faint blue under her eyes had not yet faded, but it did not diminish the clarity in her eyes.

Consort Qing was confined to her quarters and could not recover her position, while the Empress was imprisoned in Renming Palace, rendering her position as Empress virtually meaningless.

After this battle, the inner palace was temporarily at peace.

The only thing hanging in the balance right now is Qu Jieyu... Meng Shu already has a plan for this pregnancy. However, she still needs to carefully consider which step to take in the end.

After having breakfast, Meng Shu was spared the morning greetings ceremony at Renming Hall, and had half a day of leisure. She sat on the veranda, teasing the baby girl in her arms.

The little one grasped Meng Shu's outstretched finger, its chubby palm warm and inviting, and then unconsciously put it in its mouth, its little tongue licking the fingertip, its eyes crinkling into crescent moons. This adorable sight amused Green Willow and the others nearby, who covered their hands and chuckled softly.

Su, the wet nurse, stood by and, seeing that Yu Nu'er was in good spirits, softly reported, "Your Highness, the eldest prince is now six months old. According to palace custom, it's time for the 'six tests.' Should we have Miss Donggua prepare them in advance?"

The "Six Foods Test" is a ritual performed when a baby is six months old to introduce them to solid foods. Six different ingredients are symbolically fed to the baby, which is also meant to bring good fortune, such as "abundant harvests and protection from all diseases."

Green Willow chimed in, "Winter Melon has been thinking about this for a while now. A few days ago, he even went to ask Physician Li about it. He said that using bird's nest porridge, fish paste, and liver paste as the first choice for meat dishes is the most appropriate, and it can also help strengthen muscles and bones."

Meng Shu looked down at the little guy in her arms who was chewing on his own fingers, gently stroked his little nose with her fingertips, and pondered, "Alright. In another two or three days, let's take off the swaddling clothes. Look at him now, he can even learn to roll over and lift his head by himself. If he's still wrapped up, it will only restrict his movements."

The wet nurse readily agreed.

Yu Nu'er seemed to understand but not quite, making two "ee-ya" sounds, and rubbed her little head against Meng Shu's chest, which made Meng Shu's eyes light up with a gentle smile.

As they were talking, Aunt Mei came over with Ruizhu. The two of them were carrying something in their hands and had smiles on their faces.

Aunt Mei curtsied and said, "Greetings to Your Highness. The Madam has just arrived at Huining Palace and specially asked me to invite you over. These are little trinkets that the Marquis's residence has prepared for the First Prince."

Green Willow stepped forward and took the box. After Meng Shu nodded, she opened the brocade box. Inside lay a small pomegranate-red bib with fine stitches. It was covered with a cute tiger head pattern made of scraps of fabric in various colors, which looked particularly festive.

When Su's wet nurse took a closer look, her eyes lit up immediately. "This...this must have been made from cloth collected from many different families, right? The sentiment behind this is truly profound."

Begging for scraps of cloth from many households to sew baby clothes or bibs is a custom believed to bring good fortune to the baby and ensure its easy upbringing. This practice is particularly prevalent in the north. Traditionally, elders in the family would personally visit each household to ask for the cloth, and every stitch was made with their heart and soul.

Aunt Mei smiled broadly, "Nurse Su guessed correctly. This was sewn by our mistress herself. Madam hasn't touched needle and thread in a long time, so she specially asked me to pass on a message to ask Her Highness to bear with it."

Meng Shu blinked, suppressing the tears welling up in her eyes before saying, "Madam's kindness is more precious than anything else, it's truly the best."

After the last nightmare, Madam Yun had people ask for many monks' robes from temple abbots and sew them into peace sachets. Meng Shu hung them in her tent, and every time she saw them, she felt inexplicably at ease.

Ruizhu was holding a mahogany-trimmed school chair and a small rocking horse toy, which were clearly carefully prepared.

"Madam said that the eldest prince is about to be unwound, and this rocking horse will be just what he needs to learn to sit," Aunt Mei said with a smile. "The rocking horse was specially made by the eldest young master, based on the latest style in the capital."

Green Willow, who was listening nearby, couldn't help but laugh and said, "What a coincidence! Just now, Her Majesty was talking about taking off the swaddling clothes for the First Prince. I didn't expect that even the Madam was thinking about it."

......

Inside Huining Hall.

After visiting the Second Prince, Madam Yun was sitting by her daughter's bedside, holding her hand and talking to her.

Granny Wei and Mengzhu stood guard outside the flower hall with their hands at their sides.

"The news of the old lady's passing couldn't be kept from you after all," Madam Yun sighed softly. "However, the old lady died of old age and passed away peacefully. Just keep this in your heart and don't be sad about it all the time."

The old lady of the Marquis of Lin'an's mansion passed away, and in accordance with her dying wish, she should be buried in Lin'an. Tang Xian and his son submitted their mourning memorial on the same day, and are now escorting the coffin on their journey home.

Madam Yun reached out and tucked the blanket around her daughter, saying softly, "I knew you'd be sad, that's why I kept it a secret. Fortunately, the delivery went smoothly, thanks in large part to Consort Jin's care. Otherwise, if anything had happened to you, I..."

"Mother." Consort Chun interrupted her softly. Every time she thought of her grandmother, her eyes would redden. So she changed the subject and asked in a casual tone, "Why didn't you bring Fifth Sister and Seventh Sister with you this time when you came to the palace?"

"Your younger sisters miss you too. You'll see them when the Second Prince is a month old."

Madam Yun changed the subject and said solemnly, "Times have changed. Wan'er has now been promoted to Imperial Concubine and has given birth to the Second Prince. This is a time of great joy and celebration. If we bring them here, it will only make us seem ostentatious. In the future, the Marquis's Mansion should also be more discreet in its actions."

Consort Chun was silent for a moment, then lowered her voice: "Grandmother has passed away, and Father and Brother will be observing a three-year mourning period... Shouldn't the weddings of my sisters also be postponed?"

"San Yatou's marriage was arranged long ago. Her husband's family are disciples of Grand Secretary Su, and they know each other well, so it's not a problem."

Madam Yun recounted the trivial matters of the household in detail, her tone gradually becoming lighter, "As for your fifth sister, her marriage to the Earl of Wuxing's family has long been agreed upon by both families; they are just waiting for an auspicious day. Although it is not advisable to hold a wedding during the mourning period, we can exchange the betrothal gifts first and complete all the formalities, so it won't cause any delays. As for your sixth sister, Aunt Lu also wants to keep her for a few more years..."

"Is Fifth Sister willing to enter into this marriage?" Consort Chun looked at Madam Yun, her tone solemn. "Mother, please don't wrong her for... anything else."

Upon hearing this, Madam Yun felt a pang of guilt.

Of all her daughters, she and Tang Xian owed the most to Wan Jie'er.

She reached out and brushed the stray hairs from her daughter's forehead. "Wan'er, don't worry, this marriage was agreed to by your fifth sister herself."

Consort Chun smiled faintly: "That's good. Fifth Sister has a cheerful personality, so I imagine the Earl of Wuxing's mansion wouldn't dare to mistreat her easily."

Madam Yun said, "In my opinion, the Earl's mansion should be burning incense in gratitude if it doesn't get bullied by your fifth sister."

After saying this, the mother and daughter smiled at each other, and the atmosphere in the bedroom finally relaxed a bit.

But then...

Consort Chun slowly lowered her eyes.

She gazed at the intricate embroidered floral pattern on the quilt, her fingertips unconsciously tracing its surface. "Mother, your daughter... would rather have been born a princess."