Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 356 Do you want something sour or sweet?

As soon as they entered Chongyi Ward, the carriage traveled straight along the main bluestone street. Suddenly, the sound of rapid hoofbeats grew louder as Zheng Shan spurred his horse to catch up, his robes fluttering in the morning breeze.

He reined in his horse and blocked the carriage, taking out a letter from his pocket. "Granny Wei, there is a letter from the palace saying that it must be presented to the Madam."

When Granny Wei lifted the carriage curtain and took the envelope from Zheng Shan's hand, her heart skipped a beat. There were four short red lines on the edge of the envelope—Jian Zhi had actually sent a letter at this moment!

Madam Yun was no longer as composed as before. She lowered her eyes and stared at the few lines in the letter. It felt as if a piece of burning coal was stuck in her throat, hot and painful, and even her breath smelled of rust.

— Meng Shu became pregnant at this time.

The ink on the letter blurred before my eyes, turning into a hazy gray shadow.

Madam Yun suppressed the bitterness surging in her heart and suddenly recalled the scene when she first met Meng Shu.

When Meng Shu first entered the Tang family, she was only ten years old. It was Zheng Shan's family who took a liking to her first and specially wrote a letter to inform the old lady that she was originally one of the candidates to be Wan'er's dowry maid.

Unexpectedly, before they could be delivered to the Tang residence, something went wrong en route. That shameless maid, Ju Chang, was so audacious that she actually sold the person chosen by the residence to the Chunfeng Pavilion.

After the old lady and Madam Yun learned of the news, they instructed the steward to go and redeem the person and bring her back. Logically speaking, after Meng Shu's experience in the brothel, she shouldn't be able to remain Wan'er's personal maid.

The steward, following the old lady's instructions, arranged for her to work as a lowly maid in Langya Courtyard, which was already considered a kindness from the Tang family.

As a result, in less than a month, this girl had won the praise of all the stewards in the outer courtyard. Madam Yun immediately sent Granny Wei to take a look.

After her trip, Granny Wei returned and told Madam Yun, "...She truly has a beautiful face, a delicate little girl, and although she's dressed in coarse cloth, her natural intelligence shines through. She interacts with the other maids in the outer courtyard with grace and tact, a truly rare quality."

Madam Yun then took it to heart.

Later, when Qian Wanlai of Yongtai Money Shop embezzled funds by falsifying accounts, Meng Shu's keen observation proved crucial, earning her the greatest credit. After that, she went to great lengths to ingratiate herself with her second uncle in her search for her relatives. With her intelligence, resourcefulness, and deep loyalty, she was truly the best choice for a dowry maid.

In the eyes of Madam Yun and Tang Xian, a mere half-month experience in a brothel was nothing—after all, the girl was only ten years old and still a virgin, and the Tang family had plenty of ways to erase this past.

Madam Yun then had a real idea and immediately informed the old lady, who then transferred her to Wan'er's Yunyi Courtyard.

At Yunyi Courtyard, Meng Shu's performance became increasingly outstanding. Not only did she get along well with the other maids, but she also possessed exceptional embroidery skills, and her knowledge of poetry, literature, and chess earned her private praise from Mr. Lin...

Madam Yun knew her daughter's character better than anyone, and seeing that she and Meng Shu were as close as sisters, Madam Yun was even more satisfied and at ease.

But what truly made her decide was Meng Shu's act of avenging a maid named Chun Ya. Meng Shu's decisiveness and meticulous planning amazed her.

Meng Shu stayed in the manor for seven years, and Madam Yun observed her for seven years as well. During this time, she showered Meng Shu with favors and carefully nurtured her, ultimately leading Meng Shu to voluntarily change her name and become a concubine...

Admittedly, choosing Meng Shu was a carefully considered plan by Madam Yun and Tang Xian, but they never expected that fate would take two unexpected turns:

What was unexpected was Zhou Bai's fate, and what was unexpected was that the Emperor would re-establish Meng Shu's palace status.

Now that Meng Shu is the favored concubine Meng Jieyu, and is pregnant with the emperor's child, and has the support of her maternal uncle's family, who is a fourth-rank official in charge of the Jianghuai canal transport, will she still be wholeheartedly devoted to planning for Wan'er and the Marquis's mansion?

The letter crumpled in her palm, and Madam Yun's fingertips trembled slightly.

For the first time in her life, she felt a pang of regret for her decision.

......

The inner palace, the Jade Hall.

Meng Shu sat alone at her desk, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the unfinished embroidery pattern on the desk.

Jian Zhi must have already secretly informed Madam Yun of her pregnancy. Meng Shu smiled bitterly, wondering what Madam Yun would think after finding out... At this critical moment when the jade cicada was shattered, Madam Yun must also feel that fate is playing tricks on her.

Light footsteps came from outside the window. Meng Shu looked up and saw that Consort Chun had returned with Green Willow and a few others.

She hurriedly got up and went to the outer room to greet her. Perhaps because she had been up all night, Consort Chun's face no longer showed the panic of yesterday, only a few streaks of blood in her eyes faintly revealing the traces of a sleepless night.

"Shu'er..."

As soon as Consort Chun entered the room, she took Meng Shu's hand and recounted the scene when she paid her respects at Renming Hall. When she mentioned that Consort Qu had caused trouble again and had been dealt with according to palace rules, Meng Shu gently patted the back of her hand.

"For the past few months, she has been trying to curry favor with the Empress, but little does she know that in the Empress's eyes, she is nothing more than a pawn that can be discarded at any time."

A cold glint flashed in Meng Shu's eyes. "I've asked Xiao Nianzi to keep an eye on her and Consort Shen. Wan'er, don't get angry over these fools."

Consort Chun sat at her desk and casually remarked, "The Qu sisters have very different personalities. I think Consort Qu is quite good."

Upon catching sight of the embroidery frame on the table, Consort Chun's eyes lit up with surprise: "Did Shu'er embroider this for me? Is this perhaps a birthday gift for me?"

"Qu Cai Ren is adept at navigating social situations and quite cunning; she should not be befriended too closely." Meng Shu shook her head, got up, and went into the inner room to retrieve a nearly finished garment, which she then had Consort Chun compare it to.

"It will be ready in another day or two, just in time for Wan'er's birthday banquet."

Consort Chun stroked the fine stitches on the garment and said with heartache, "I wonder how much effort it must have taken to make such an outer garment. Shu'er hasn't been sleeping well these past few days. Could it be because she was preparing this gift for me?"

The two stood facing each other, the sunlight streaming through the lattice window casting their shadows obliquely onto the ground, where they intertwined.

Looking into Consort Chun's clear, watery eyes, Meng Shu hesitated for a moment before finally uttering the words, "I'm pregnant."

Because she knew that Consort Chun would genuinely be happy for her, she did not want the news to reach Consort Chun's ears through other people.

Consort Chun was taken aback upon hearing this, as if she hadn't heard clearly, or perhaps afraid she had misheard. Her voice was so soft, as if she didn't want to disturb something: "Shu'er...you just said..."

"That's wonderful...wonderful!" Her voice was filled with surprise. "We should have known! You've been so lazy for a whole month, it turns out you're actually pregnant!"

Consort Chun held Meng Shu's hands, her eyes glistening with tears: "Do you want something sour or sweet now? Mother sent two cooks from Lin'an to my palace; I've had the small kitchen prepare them. By the way, what about the prescription for pregnancy support written by Imperial Physician Jian? I need to take a look..."

His rambling manner completely obscured any trace of his usual elegance and composure.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

(Note: 1. Zheng Shan is the husband of Zheng Niangzi of the Zheng family's brokerage firm and also Tang Xian's most trusted and trusted servant; he has appeared before. 2. Due to the long serialization period, this chapter interweaves a large number of flashbacks, taking advantage of Madam Yun's emotional turmoil. 3. As the matriarch, it's only natural for Madam Yun to experience such emotional changes, so please don't scold her (please). 4. Regarding whether Madam Yun wasn't afraid of losing control of Meng Shu, this has already been explained above. PS: In the context of this story, if Meng Shu didn't have an official uncle and was reassigned by the Emperor, with only the status of a concubine, she would definitely not have been able to surpass Consort Chun.)