Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 528 Gu Technique? (1)

Meng Shu had only been back at Lingcui Palace for a quarter of an hour when she turned back and headed straight for Renming Hall.

The eunuchs guarding the gates of Renming Palace were surprised to see Consort Jin return, but they dared not be negligent. They greeted her respectfully while quickly signaling to their companions to inform her.

Upon receiving the news, Lu Wei dared not delay and hurriedly turned around and went inside to report to the Empress.

"Your Highness Consort Jin," after a while, Lu Wei hurried to the palace gate and bowed deeply to Meng Shu, "Her Majesty the Empress invites you inside for a talk."

With a calm expression, Meng Shu stepped into the palace gate first.

Behind them, Green Willow and Winter Melon each carried a stack of account books, and the three of them, master and servant, followed Luwei slowly toward the back hall.

Following the vermilion-lacquered corridor, passing the pharmacy, and walking several dozen steps further, through an exquisite moon gate, one arrives at the rear courtyard. The door to the West Warm Pavilion is wide open, and Zhi Xue is leading several palace maids busily sweeping and wiping, their movements swift yet revealing an unusual urgency.

Green Willow glanced at the scene and asked softly with a hint of curiosity, "What's so special about today? Why are you cleaning up in such a big way?"

Lu Wei didn't stop walking, but turned her head and forced a smile. "Miss Green Willow is joking. Her Majesty has always loved cleanliness and will tidy herself up inside and out every three to five days."

Upon entering the reception hall of the imperial bedchamber, the Empress asked with a smile, "Consort Jin, you have returned. Is there something important that brings you here?"

Meng Shu curtsied and smiled, saying, "I apologize for bothering you, but there is nothing urgent. It's just that it's almost October, and the winter allowances for the six palaces have been preliminarily calculated. All expenses, such as charcoal, winter clothing, and the list of rewards given before the New Year are included here. I need Your Majesty to review and decide."

As she spoke, she slightly turned her head to indicate.

Green Willow and Winter Melon immediately stepped forward and presented the account books they were holding.

Meng Shu continued, "This year the weather turned cold early, and the Shanggong Bureau reported that the supply of silver frost charcoal and red silk charcoal to each palace needs to be increased by 15% compared to previous years. I have made a preliminary calculation, and the amount is roughly in line with the requirements. In addition, the floor heating in the Empress Dowager's palace needs to be repaired in advance, and the window screens in Consort Shun's and Consort Mu's palaces have also been requested to be replaced. The Shangqin Bureau's Department of Furnishings has submitted a list, which is also included in the register, awaiting Your Majesty's instructions."

Lu Wei took the account book and gently placed it on the table in front of the Queen.

Meng Shu did not stop there, mentioning another important expense: "There is also the expense for a batch of medicinal herbs that the Imperial Medical Academy just reported. This expense should have been calculated and paid by the Ministry of Revenue, but due to the severe drought in Yan and Yu provinces, the national treasury has been greatly depleted, and His Majesty has specially decreed that it be temporarily paid from the private treasury of the Imperial Household Department. Among the list submitted by Physician He are several extremely rare and precious medicinal herbs. Although the quantity is not large, the preliminary estimate is that it will cost as much as 30,000 taels of silver. I have attached a detailed list of this matter to the register, and I ask Your Majesty to review it personally."

After speaking, Meng Shu looked up at the head of the table.

The Empress lowered her eyes, and the first thing she turned to the page was the Imperial Medical Academy's booklet. "I have read the Imperial Medical Academy's request for funds this time. Although the extra amount exceeds the Imperial Medical Academy's usual practice, it is nothing."

She raised her hand and gently patted another stack of account books. "The palace expenses will be calculated according to the amount calculated by Consort Jin. However, the newly promoted beauties are currently enjoying great favor. Their allowances... will be temporarily distributed according to the rank of a fourth-grade Jieyu, as a sign of consideration. What do you think, sister?"

"Your Majesty's thoughtfulness and compassion are truly a blessing for Consort Yang and the other concubines," Meng Shu readily agreed.

After finishing their business, Meng Shu rose, curtsied, and took her leave. As she passed the West Warm Pavilion, her gaze seemingly casually swept inside, where Zhi Xue and other palace maids stood on the corridor, bowing respectfully to see her off.

As soon as you step out of Renming Hall, the air outside the palace walls seems to become a bit fresher.

Meng Shu slowed her pace, turned her head and asked Green Willow in a low voice, "Did you notice anything amiss just now?"

Green Willow frowned and replied softly, "There's something strange about it. If it were just a routine cleaning, why are the doors and windows of the East Warm Pavilion across the street tightly closed, with no signs of any cleaning? Only this one on the west side is being cleaned up so much."

Donggua pondered for a moment and suddenly said, "Shushu, I noticed that Zhixue and the others even changed the carpet on the floor to a new one. The warm pavilion has been uninhabited for a long time, so the carpet shouldn't need to be changed."

Meng Shu's heart sank slightly. "I still feel uneasy. Donggua, go to Huining Palace immediately and tell Wan'er and Aunt Mei what you saw and heard today. Tell her to be extra vigilant these days and have Physician Jian check all the utensils used when entering and leaving Huining Palace."

Donggua quickly agreed, handed the account book he was holding to Lvliu, and immediately turned at the fork in the road towards Huining Palace.

"Your Majesty, the Empress has stopped giving her medicine and has been promoting Consort Mu and the newly promoted Consorts Yang and Ye. Could it be that she is planning to remove the mothers and keep the children? Consort Mu is one thing, but the two consorts come from ordinary families. If they are lucky enough to gain favor and give birth to princes, the Empress can easily take the children and raise them by her side. Shouldn't we make plans as soon as possible?"

Meng Shu cast her gaze toward the distant, layered palaces, her tone grave: "If it is truly just this kind of scheming, though ruthless, it is at least out in the open, and we will always have a way to deal with it. To be honest, it is my fault for being prejudiced and thinking that the Empress recruited that female physician surnamed Chu in order to improve herself and continue the imperial line. Now it seems that it is clearly not just that."

She frowned slightly, a deeper unease flashing in her eyes.

Something clandestine must have happened in that warm pavilion. The fact that it's being cleaned and tidied up so hastily, inside and out, and even the furnishings have been changed, shows that the Empress is eager to cover up some traces. However, Meng Shu is still unable to figure out exactly what she did.

......

Madam Yun sent people to investigate deep into the southwest several times. Female doctors like Doctor Chu, who lived in seclusion in the area, had another name that struck fear into people's hearts: "Grass Ghost Granny." They were not only skilled in medicine, but also adept at the unpredictable and insidious Gu poison.

This ancient and sinister art, passed down through generations, is extremely insidious. It can silently manipulate people's hearts and take their lives, or leave them bedridden and seemingly dying of natural causes. Even if Hua Tuo were to be reborn, he would find it difficult to discern its origins.

Witchcraft and sorcery have always been a major taboo in the palace and the imperial court, and were strictly forbidden. If one were even slightly suspected of being involved, it would be a disaster that would result in the confiscation of property, the extermination of the entire clan, and rivers of bloodshed.

Madam Zhou, under orders from Madam Yun, sneaked into the manor late at night. Upon seeing the strange pottery jars in the room, she subdued the culprit and secretly took him back to a secluded room, where she interrogated him for several hours. However, no matter what methods she used, the culprit remained meek, kind, and gentle, unable to utter a sound, and seemingly completely illiterate.

Strangely, even from several meters away, Zhou Niangzi, a seasoned expert, felt a chill run down her spine under his gaze, as if she were being entangled by something invisible, sending shivers down her spine.

The interrogation naturally yielded no results.

The estate on the outskirts of the capital was also burned down by the steward of the Marquis of Zhenbei's mansion. Madam Yun frowned, submitted a memorial to the palace, and reported everything she knew to Meng Shu in great detail.

......

Inside the study of Huining Hall,

"Skilled in Gu poison?" Consort Chun's expression changed upon hearing this; she was clearly terrified by these three words.

Meng Shu and Madam Yun exchanged a glance.

She already had some vague guesses in her mind, so she didn't show too much shock on her face. Instead, she looked solemn as if her guess had been confirmed.

"In that case, many of the oddities become clear."

Madam Yun's heart skipped a beat, and she asked urgently, "Has Consort Jin noticed something? Could it be... that they have already taken some action in secret?"

"Leaving aside the eerie smell of blood in the Empress's palace, the Emperor's recent frequent favoritism towards Consort Mu and the two beauties, Yang and Ye, is quite strange. Consort Mu has been in the palace the longest, and she has always been aloof and reserved, never deliberately vying for favor. But ever since she fainted last time, the Emperor seems like a different person. Not only has he stayed overnight at Hanxiang Pavilion multiple times, but he has also shown unprecedented favor to the newly promoted beauties Yang and Ye. This behavior is truly abnormal. If there's anything suspicious about it, the three of them have one thing in common..."

Consort Chun followed the train of thought and blurted out, "Not long ago, they all received rewards from the Empress! If we calculate carefully, it was only after that that the Emperor..."

Meng Shu nodded, her expression solemn.

Madam Yun suddenly stood up, her face pale. "Your Majesty means... a love potion?!"