Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 503 Claiming Illness

Meng Shu gently comforted Xia'er, saying, "Granny Yu had long ago resolved to die, and the Emperor must have seen it long ago. Since he didn't stop her, he was intentionally fulfilling her wish. The palace will definitely arrange Granny Yu's funeral properly, and she won't leave in a shabby state."

She paused, her gaze falling on Xia'er's red-rimmed eyes, and said, "Back in the slave quarters, Granny took care of you and Chun'er for many years. This kindness is rare. Get up and go with Chun'er to see Granny off on her final journey."

Xia'er prostrated herself on the ground and kowtowed: "This servant and Chun'er... thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty."

Green Willow immediately stepped forward, reached out and helped her up, and gently instructed, "Chun'er is a soft-hearted girl. She'll probably faint from crying when she sees this. Please comfort her and make sure she doesn't hurt herself. She must take care of herself after all."

Xia'er nodded vigorously, then gave Meng Shu a deep bow before turning around and hurrying out of the study.

The atmosphere in the study fell silent for a moment, and the smile on Xiuyun's face faded.

She gazed out the window, her voice low: "Granny Yu just told me many stories about Miss Qing's past. My...cousin, is indeed a very good person, otherwise Granny Yu wouldn't have remembered her for so many years..."

Some regrets and feelings don't need to be dispelled with words. Therefore, Meng Shu simply reached out and gently patted her arm, without saying much or offering any special comfort.

As the sun began to set, and it had been some time since she entered the palace, Xiuyun suppressed her low spirits, took Wenjie from Donggua's arms, and bid farewell to Meng Shu with a smile: "I have troubled Your Highness for a long time, and it is time to go back so that your uncle will not worry. By the way, my husband has received the Emperor's decree, and we will set off back to Yangzhou the day after tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, a hint of reluctance flashed in Meng Shu's eyes, but she then smiled and said, "When you get back, tell your uncle not to worry about things in the palace. With Wan'er as my backer, I can handle those little troubles in the palace."

Xiuyun understood the meaning behind Meng Shu's words. As before, she reached out and brushed her ear, and said softly, "I know what Your Highness is thinking. I will persuade my husband when we get back."

As she spoke, she leaned closer to Meng Shu's ear and said, "...But Your Majesty must also understand that being in the midst of this situation, one cannot achieve complete success by not fighting. Yu Nu'er does have the advantage of being the eldest. If Your Majesty does not have this intention, you should wholeheartedly support the Second Prince, born to Consort Chun. Given Your Majesty's relationship with Consort Chun, if the Second Prince succeeds in the future, Your Majesty can leave the palace with Yu Nu'er to live a peaceful and prosperous life, which would be an excellent outcome."

Meng Shu nodded with a smile, and Xiu Yun added that they would be going to pay their respects at Qing Zhitong's tomb the next day. The two chatted quietly, and Meng Shu escorted them all the way out of Lingcui Palace, only turning back after the carriage in front of the palace gate had disappeared into the distance.

Returning to the study, Meng Shu dismissed everyone except for Lü Liu.

Green Willow, who had been with her day and night, had long developed a deep understanding with her. Before Meng Shu could speak, Green Willow stepped forward, filled the inkstone with water, and began to grind the ink carefully, calling out softly, "Your Majesty."

Meng Shu smiled brightly, sat down at the desk, held the pen between her fingers, and wrote the three characters "Qu Qingge" under the watchful eyes of Lü Liu. She then instructed, "Tell the madam that Qu has just left the palace and is currently under the spotlight. It's not too late to make a move a year or two later."

Just as she had told Green Willow before, she had never been a soft-hearted person. Regardless of what Consort Qu had promised at Cuiyu Hall the night before leaving the palace, from the moment she intended to harm Yu Nu'er, her life was off the table.

Green Willow nodded, stepped forward to take the paper, walked to the candle flame and gently lit it. Only after all the ashes had fallen into the copper basin did she turn back and stand aside.

However, Meng Shu did not stop writing. She picked up another piece of plain paper, and with a stroke of her pen, the two characters "Jiang Jie" appeared on the paper in no time.

"It's her turn."

Meng Shu put down her pen, her fingertips lightly brushing over the words on the paper, her tone completely calm.

Jiang Jie is the Empress's given name.

This action startled Green Willow, who subconsciously glanced around the door and window before lowering her voice to ask, "Your Majesty... do you already have a plan?"

Meng Shu's gaze was calm as she slowly said, "The Empress Dowager won't be so easily overthrown. Go and call Dong Ming over; I have something to ask him."

When Dong Ming was summoned to the rear hall, several thoughts had already crossed his mind.

Upon tiptoeing into the study, he immediately knelt and reported: "Your Majesty, this morning at the morning court session, Minister Qin of the Imperial Observatory claimed illness and did not attend, so no one in court reported on celestial phenomena... The Duchess of Qingguo suddenly passed away from a serious illness last night, and the Duke, grieving the loss of his wife and daughter overnight, has already submitted a petition for extended leave. In addition, the Marquis of Zhenbei's residence has also submitted a sick note, and Marquis Jiang did not attend court today either."

After he finished speaking, he glanced at Meng Shu discreetly. Seeing that she was holding her teacup and not responding, he carefully continued, "When His Majesty saw that the Marquis claimed to be ill, he immediately issued an imperial edict, ordering Grand Commandant Han to visit the Marquis's residence on his behalf. He also bestowed upon him some nourishing medicinal herbs such as ginseng and fish maw, which was considered a great honor for the Marquis's residence."

Meng Shu nodded slightly. After Dong Ming left, Lü Liu stepped forward, her voice tinged with worry: "Your Majesty, this concerns matters of state after all. Eunuch Dong was formerly a close attendant to the Emperor..."

“It’s alright.” Meng Shu interrupted her. “What happened at court is not a secret. It will spread sooner or later, inside and outside the palace. Now that Marquis Lin’an and Tang Linyuan are in Lin’an, if we rely solely on Madam Yun to handle court affairs, the news will be delivered much slower. If we miss any developments, it will be troublesome to lose the initiative.”

There was something Meng Shu didn't say aloud. Previously, in order to eliminate Consort Qing, she had specially painted a portrait of Xiu Yun. Although with Consort Yun and Consort Chun, her cousins, covering for her, the Emperor might not have suspected anything at first. However, as time had passed, with the Emperor's perceptive and suspicious mind, he had probably already guessed the trick behind the portrait and figured out her scheme.

Even so, the Emperor was still willing to set aside his authority and reveal a softer side in the Imperial Garden. This unspoken indulgence eased the weight in Meng Shu's heart, and at the same time, a secret sense of relief arose: relief that even though the Emperor knew of her methods, he did not pursue the matter, leaving some room for maneuver.

Green Willow pondered these words carefully, and after a moment said, "Your Majesty is right. This servant observes that the Emperor values ​​Marquis Zhenbei so much, does that mean that Her Majesty the Empress will soon be released from confinement?"

"Quite the opposite." Meng Shu's tone was insightful. "The more polite the Emperor is to the Jiang family, the more it shows that the Empress will not be released from confinement anytime soon. The Jiang family is the Empress's maternal family. The Emperor's kindness is just a temporary measure to appease the Jiang family and prevent the Marquis of Zhenbei from making any moves because of the Empress's confinement. However, the fact that he specifically sent Grand Commandant Han to visit the Marquis's residence has a deeper meaning."

It was only the beginning of May, and Han Guangbi would be ordered to return to the northern frontier in early June. Meng Shu pondered that the Emperor's intentions this time were not without purpose, and that intention was quite open.

As she spoke, she fell into deep thought. That night, she stayed in the study for a long time, until the moonlight climbed up the window frame and turned the books on the desk white, while the candlelight in the hall remained lit.