Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 520 White Jade Guanyin Statue (1)

After the Mid-Autumn Festival, Jianzhi also sent a letter.

Based on just a faint, almost imperceptible smell of blood, even someone as experienced as the Zhen family physician couldn't immediately determine what kind of medicine it was. After all, there are countless medicinal herbs in the world, with many having mixed smells and conflicting properties; without seeing it with one's own eyes, one dared not make a hasty judgment.

However, there was one thing. After carefully examining Yun Baolin's pulse diagnosis, the Zhen family physician concluded that even though she was currently healthy, her internal qi and blood were difficult to gather, and the fetus had no support. He feared that even if she were to become pregnant in the future, she would have difficulty maintaining the pregnancy until full term.

Upon receiving the news, Consort Chun was shocked. "My cousin Yun has been living in Ganlu Palace since she entered the palace. Could it be that Lady Li (formerly Consort Rong) secretly did something to her?"

Meng Shu pondered for a moment, then gently shook her head: "Logically speaking, it shouldn't be the case. When Lady Li was favored, Consort Yun had not yet been granted the Emperor's favor and could not even see him. Lady Li would not bother to go to such lengths for a Consort Yun who was not favored. Wan'er, do you still remember that Consort Yun once accompanied the Emperor to the Changchun Garden Palace to escape the summer heat?"

"You mean...the Empress?" Consort Chun looked up abruptly, a hint of shock flashing in her eyes. She paced slowly around the hall for a long time before stopping and looking at Meng Shu, her eyes filled with solemnity and sigh: "If that's really the case, it's truly impossible to guard against...it's best to keep this matter from my cousin for now."

Meng Shu replied, "We need to verify this before we can feel at ease."

"Two years have passed, how can anything be found out? Even if there are traces, they have probably been erased long ago." Consort Chun sighed softly. "Very well, I will send a few reliable people to conduct a thorough investigation at the place where she stayed in the palace that day."

Marquis Zhenbei was ordered to go to Yuzhou for disaster relief, and nearly two months have passed since then, but there has been no news of his return.

Meanwhile, news came from Madam Yun that Miss Qin's whereabouts were still unknown. The people sent to Yuzhou only discovered that she had encountered some mishap when leaving Yuzhou, and since then, she had disappeared without a trace.

Having received these two pieces of news in quick succession, Meng Shu did not make any further arrangements for the time being. The inner palace was relatively peaceful at the moment. Since the Empress was released from confinement, she seemed to have become a different person, quietly staying in Renming Hall and making no other moves except to occasionally summon Consort Shun and others to speak.

Besides visiting Renming Hall to pay her respects every morning as usual, Meng Shu spent the rest of her time quietly in the palace accompanying Yu Nu'er.

The little one is now one year and four months old, and is growing more and more adorable. According to ancestral custom, a palace banquet should be held for his first birthday, and a "grasping ceremony" should be performed. However, it coincided with the mourning period for Empress Dowager Zhou, and the drought in May was also urgent, so the event was postponed.

Yu Nu'er was cheerful and always smiled broadly at people, his round eyes as clear as black jade immersed in water. He could already babble some simple names, and when Meng Shu first heard him utter the word "Mother" in a garbled voice, even she, with her usually resilient nature, couldn't help but feel her eyes well up with tears.

As for the Emperor, he was overjoyed to hear the child call him "Father" so innocently, and his smile lingered for a long time. He then bestowed many rewards upon the Emperor.

......

Two or three days passed, and the people Consort Chun sent to investigate the palace naturally found nothing. Meng Shu then arranged to go to Ganlu Palace with her. One reason was to check on Consort Yun's recent situation, and the other was to see if they could detect anything unusual.

Yun Baolin's Ganlu Palace was usually quiet. Apart from Consort Qi occasionally coming to chat with her, and Consort Wu sending her some handmade pastries every now and then, there were very few visitors. Today, seeing Meng Shu and Consort Chun arrive side by side, her originally serene face immediately lit up with joy. She quickly stepped aside to let the two of them into the room, and then turned around to order the palace servants to serve tea.

Meng Shu followed her into the flower hall, her gaze subtly sweeping over the surroundings. Yun Baolin was gentle and timid by nature, yet her residence was arranged neatly and elegantly, revealing a thoughtful and meticulous approach. The utensils and furnishings were all appropriate for Baolin's status, without any transgression.

This was not Meng Shu's first visit; she had visited several times in the past, but had never stepped into Yun Baolin's bedroom.

Seeing Meng Shu's gaze fall on the inner room, Yun Baolin said with a smile, "If Your Highness does not mind the simplicity of my place, why not take a look inside? I have recently acquired a Qingtian stone seal engraved with orchids, and I would like you and my cousin to appreciate it."

Upon hearing this, Consort Chun's eyes suddenly lit up, and she replied with a smile, "It's rare to find someone with such refined tastes, so of course I must take a look." With that, she and Meng Shu followed Yun Baolin into the inner room.

The interior was decorated in a simpler style. Meng Shu's gaze swept over a display cabinet against the wall, on which was a Qingtian stone seal and a pair of light blue glazed porcelain vases. Her eyes finally stopped on the cabinet next to the display cabinet, and her brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

On the cabinet is a white jade Guanyin statue, over a foot tall, with a lustrous jade texture, a compassionate expression, and exquisite carving.

Meng Shu stared intently at the statue for a moment, then casually asked, "This white jade Guanyin statue looks incredibly spiritual. Where did you get it from?"

Upon hearing this, Yun Baolin smiled and replied softly, "It was sent from outside the palace by my mother. She said it was offered at Ci'en Temple and blessed by a high monk, who said it could protect me in the palace and also help me have a child."

As she finished speaking, her voice trailed off, a hint of melancholy flashing in her eyes. "It's a pity... after these two years of offerings, my belly still hasn't shown any signs of pregnancy. I've let my mother down."

Consort Chun pressed further, "Was it sent two years ago when we were at the summer palace?"

Yun Baolin nodded slightly.

Seeing Meng Shu's expression, Consort Chun became suspicious and was about to step forward to take a closer look when Meng Shu gently stopped her with her hand.

Green Willow whispered from the side, "This servant remembers that two years ago, when Her Majesty returned from the temporary palace and took over Lingcui Palace, Consort Rong also presented a white jade Guanyin statue as a congratulatory gift. Judging from its shape and size, it is very similar to the one in Baolin's palace."

"Could it be...something is amiss?" Yun Baolin's heart tightened, and she unconsciously clenched her sleeves. She had always respectfully enshrined this Guanyin statue in a corner of her bedroom, and every morning she would go before the statue to pray devoutly, never showing the slightest negligence.

Meng Shu hesitated slightly before admitting, "The shapes are indeed similar, but the jade materials are slightly different. If Yun Baolin doesn't mind, why don't you ask Physician Jian to examine it carefully next time he takes your pulse, so you can have peace of mind?"

Consort Chun hurriedly said, "Then what are we waiting for? Mengzhu, go to the Imperial Hospital and ask Physician Jian to come to Ganlu Palace if he is on duty."