Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 579: Neither of the two main characters have spoken yet, but she's already started acti

As the last rays of sunset slid down from between the eaves and brackets, the palace lanterns lit up one after another, gently outlining the contours of the Cuiyu Hall.

In the flower hall, having received the news early, Donggua, calculating the time, was leading Dou'er and several other quick-moving palace maids to serve the meal. Just as the steaming dinner was being served, they heard Dong Ming's greeting coming from the hanging flower gate outside the hall.

Meng Shu, holding Yu Nu'er's hand, waited at the steps. When she saw the bright yellow ceremonial guard enter the inner courtyard, she led the child forward a few steps and bowed slightly to greet them.

"Your subject greets Your Majesty!"

Yu Nu'er's soft, sweet voice carried an undisguised joy. Her small body leaned forward slightly, and her bright, dark eyes shone like stars. She hadn't seen her father for many days, and at this moment, she was filled with affection.

The emperor smiled slightly upon seeing this, feeling quite pleased.

He quickened his pace, gently taking Yu Nu'er's small hand in one hand and naturally putting his other arm around Meng Shu's shoulder, and said softly, "It's getting windy, let's go into the hall first." With that, he led the mother and child into the flower hall together.

Jingming quickly gestured for the eunuchs carrying the brocade box behind him to stop in front of the steps, then bowed and stepped forward, whispering, "Your Majesty."

The Emperor paused, turned to look at Meng Shu, and then said, "Bring the things in."

The eunuchs gently placed the brocade box on the table. Meng Shu's gaze fell on the items inside the box, but she automatically ignored the exquisitely crafted pipa and examined the other items.

She frowned slightly, looking somewhat surprised.

Having spent many years in the imperial harem, I have seen many rare and exotic treasures. My surprise is not because I am astonished that these gifts are all rare items from overseas.

Rather, these tribute items, which were incredibly precious even to eunuchs like Jingming, she had seen in the Second Miss's private treasury shortly after being sold into the Tang family. Especially the transparent and pure glass bottle in the middle. At that time, she didn't know the origin of these rare items and simply thought they were common treasures due to the Tang family's wealth.

It was at this moment that Meng Shu understood why the Emperor was so wary of the Marquis of Lin'an's residence.

These tributes, which required vassal states to send envoys to pay homage and travel thousands of miles to reach the imperial palace, had already appeared in the private treasury of a merchant's daughter ten years ago. This is enough to show that the Tang family's trading company had already connected with overseas countries back then, and now, after all these years, the Marquis's mansion's power has probably long since exceeded the control of the imperial court.

The Emperor slowly spoke: "Zhou Bai spent three years in Yangzhou managing the grain transport, dredging the waterways, stabilizing grain transport, and consolidating the foundation of the grain transport for the court. He has made great contributions to the country. He is Shu'er's only blood relative in the world, and Shu'er should rightfully receive a reward."

Upon hearing this, Meng Shu curtsied and knelt down to express her gratitude.

The Emperor reached out to support her, his fingertips gently supporting her elbow: "No need for thanks. Over the years you have been well-behaved in the harem, diligently assisting in managing internal affairs. You deserve this reward."

Meng Shu looked up at the Emperor and saw that his gaze was deep, as if he still had something to say.

But the Emperor did not speak again. He simply took her wrist and led her to sit down at the table.

During dinner, Meng Shu reached out and placed a piece of crystal pork jelly on the Emperor's plate, then softly asked, "My uncle came to the palace today and mentioned to me that he has been promoted to Vice Minister of Revenue by the Emperor's grace, and has also been appointed as the Commissioner of Maritime Transport. He will be setting off for Quanzhou soon."

The Emperor paused in his act of picking up food, looked up at her, and remained calm.

"That's true."

Since my ascension to the throne, I have observed the old systems of my ancestors, which relied heavily on land routes and river transport. Although maritime trade offices were established along the coast, they were not given much importance, resulting in sparse maritime activity and meager customs revenue. Now that the world is at peace, I intend to embrace all nations and establish trade routes across the seas. Opening up maritime trade requires a reliable person to oversee it, and Zhou Bai, familiar with waterway transport and meticulous in his work, is the most suitable candidate.”

He noticed the worry hidden in Meng Shu's eyes, put down his silver chopsticks, and said gently, "Don't worry about Zhou Bai's safety. I have arranged for people to guard him and protect him throughout the entire process."

Zhou Bai did not say what the purpose of his trip to Quanzhou was or how long it would last, and the Emperor did not seem inclined to speak either. Seeing this, Meng Shu did not press him about state affairs.

She could only reply, "I understand. With Your Majesty's arrangements in place, I am at ease."

Before long, dinner was over. Donggua led the people to clear the table, and Lvliu served tea to help people rinse their mouths.

The Emperor chatted with Yu Nu'er for a while, and seeing the weariness gradually appearing in the child's eyes, he stood up and said, "It's getting late, and I still have official business to attend to, so I'll head back now."

Meng Shu quickly got up and led Yu Nu'er to the steps.

After the Emperor left, the wet nurse Su stepped forward and softly asked, "Your Majesty, it is late at night. His Highness must be tired. Let me carry him back to the warm pavilion to rest."

Meng Shu nodded in agreement, watching as the wet nurse Su carefully picked up the yawning Yu Nu'er, turned and disappeared at the end of the corridor before she looked away. She stood alone on the steps, gazing absently at the night sky.

Before today, Meng Shu had already speculated in her heart whether the Emperor would arrange for her uncle to be placed in the Ministry of Revenue when his term of office expired. To be honest, she had always been vaguely afraid that such a scene would actually come to pass.

The current Minister of Revenue is none other than Lady Yun's eldest uncle, Yun Qian.

It's important to understand that the Ministry of Revenue was a place the Yun family had managed for many years, and also a pillar of the Marquis of Lin'an's influence in the court. Lord Yun was already advanced in years and had reached the age of retirement. Yet, at this very moment, the Emperor promoted Zhou Bai to the Ministry of Revenue as a fourth-rank Vice Minister, specifically in charge of overseeing matters related to people's livelihoods and taxes.

This was brought into the open; the intention was to use Zhou Bai to gradually dismantle the Yun family's influence within the Ministry of Revenue.

In fact, it wasn't just the Ministry of Revenue. Appointing Zhou Bai to concurrently lead the Maritime Trade Office, giving him control over maritime transport, trade, and customs, was a direct attack on another vital aspect of the Marquis of Lin'an's estate.

With these two moves, the Emperor precisely targeted the vitals of the Marquis of Lin'an's residence. Perhaps, there are other hidden plans.

Green Willow was there the whole time, and even she could sense the difficulties that Meng Shu and Consort Chun were caught in the middle. She sniffed and whispered, "Your Majesty, I'm afraid the days ahead will never be as peaceful as before."

Meng Shu felt a pang of sadness. After a moment of silence, she faced the cool breeze and said, "How things are fought outside is their business."

......

As expected, Zhou Bai's job transfer not only caused a stir in the court, but also quickly spread rumors in the inner palace.

Consort Yun was the first to be affected. As Consort Chun's cousin, she used to be very respectful to Meng Shu and never neglected her. But these past two days, not only did her eyes lose their intimacy, but she even deliberately distanced herself from Meng Shu in her words.

She was on good terms with Consort Qi and often visited Consort Qi's palace. Her words and actions were subtly aimed at winning over the hearts of the people for Consort Chun.

Consort Qi was quick-witted and adept at reading people's expressions. That day, after Consort Yun left, she shook her head and said to her head maid, Hua Jin, "Even the Noble Consort herself isn't angry and is getting along well with Consort Jin. It's as if she's rushing to worry for others. Neither of the two main characters have said anything, yet she's already putting on an act."

Meng Shu was aware of these developments, but she pretended not to notice and continued her usual visits to Huining Palace. The undercurrents in the court and the inner palace did not affect her relationship with Consort Chun. There was no suspicion, no resentment, and no estrangement arising from their respective positions; they continued to interact as before.

Even at the Marquis of Lin'an's residence, it seemed as if nothing had happened. The fresh produce, brocades, and jewelry that the Marquis's residence used to send to Consort Chun's palace were still being sent to Lingcui Palace in the same manner, without any change.

Although Meng Shu had her own thoughts, she didn't overthink things regarding the Marquis's mansion or Madam Yun. As for her uncle's claim about the Marquis's mansion sending assassins, she had a general idea of ​​what was going on after calming down that night. Such a reckless and risky approach was definitely not Madam Yun's doing.

And just like that, September 26th arrived in the blink of an eye.

The day has come for Donggua to marry and leave the palace.