Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 521 White Jade Guanyin Statue (2)

The Guanyin statue given to her by Rong Meiren on that day was found to be without any impropriety upon inspection.

In the palace, caution is the key to survival. Given Meng Shu's personality, even gifts from the Emperor would be carefully inspected to ensure they were free of poison, unusual fragrances, and any hidden mechanisms before being stored in the Lingcui Palace storeroom.

Not only her, but Aunt Mei and Mengzhu, under her instructions, acted with meticulous care and without any oversights.

Upon seeing the Guanyin statue in Yunbaolin's sleeping quarters, whose form was so similar to that of the one Rong Meiren had presented years ago, she immediately felt a sense of unease.

Rong Meiren was not lying that day. The only Guanyin statue that was truly consecrated by a high-ranking monk at Ci'en Temple was probably the one she sent to Lingcui Palace.

If the statue in the Yunbaolin Palace originated from the same source, then its provenance must be fraudulent. However, if it is not from the same source, yet is deliberately imitated in such a similar form, there must be something fishy about it.

......

Jian Zhi carefully examined the statue for about half an hour, his expression gradually becoming serious. He took out a thin, willow-leaf-like silver blade and gently scraped it at a hidden spot at the bottom of the statue for a moment, revealing a small hollow area. There were still very faint traces of glue around the edge of the hole, indicating that it had been sealed by someone.

This white jade Guanyin statue contains a hidden mystery.

Yun Baolin's face turned deathly pale as he watched from the side, and he swayed as if he were about to collapse. If Gui Qiu hadn't been there to protect him, he would have fallen to the ground.

"Your Majesty," Jian Zhi reported in a deep voice, picking up a small amount of dark brown powder from the hollow part with his fingertips. The powder was as fine as dust and fell into the white porcelain dish, carrying a faint fragrance.

He brought the porcelain dish to his nose and sniffed it lightly, then picked up a little powder with a silver dagger. "Judging from its appearance, it seems to be made from several medicinal herbs such as musk and safflower, which are secretly prepared, dried, and ground. The medicinal properties are slowly released, and even if left indoors for a long time, it will not harm the surface of the body. It is also extremely difficult to detect with ordinary pulse diagnosis..."

These words struck Yun Baolin like a thunderbolt. Staring at the Guanyin statue beside her, tears instantly welled in her eyes: "No...it's impossible! Mother said this was something she went through great lengths to find..."

Baolin was not without precautions, but she never expected that despite all her precautions, she would ultimately fall victim to her own family.

Meng Shu stepped forward, “Auntie must have been deceived and doesn’t know the secrets behind this. The most urgent thing is to immediately send someone back to the mansion to find out where this Buddha statue came from and who handled it.”

Such insidious methods, hidden beneath the solemnity of the statue, are truly chilling.

Consort Chun helped the nearly exhausted Yun Baolin to sit down on the soft couch, gently comforting her for a moment before instructing Mengzhu: "Go to the Marquis's residence and send a message, asking Mother to personally go to the Yun residence..."

As early as the year after Yun Baolin entered the palace, the branch of the Yun family that lived in Chuzhou had already moved back to the capital.

"No! Cousin...you absolutely mustn't let my mother know about this..."

Yun Baolin hurriedly tried to stop her, her voice trembling, "Grandfather and Mother... all their hopes are pinned on me. If Mother knew... if she knew that her loving heart had become a weapon to harm her daughter, she would probably live the rest of her life in guilt and torment..."

She stood there, stunned, tears welling in her eyes, silently streaming down her face. "I...I'd rather bear it myself than let my mother be heartbroken and blame herself."

Consort Chun remained silent upon hearing this. Looking at Yun Baolin's sorrowful face, her nose tingled with emotion. She reached out and gently embraced Yun Baolin. After a long while, she said with self-reproach, "In that case, let's not disturb Auntie for now. Let's investigate secretly."

She turned to look at Jian Zhi, her eyes filled with deep worry: "Imperial Physician Jian, this Guanyin statue has been stored in the Baolin Palace for two years. Is there any chance to save her health?"

Jian Zhi, with a solemn expression, bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, I will do my utmost. The prescription I previously devised needs to be adjusted based on the properties of the medicinal powder discovered today. I need to go back and carefully consider the additions and subtractions. As for whether she can recover... it depends on Bao Lin's subsequent treatment. It is difficult to say at the moment."

......

After leaving the Ganlu Hall, the group remained silent.

Seeing her mistress's gloomy expression, Mengzhu gently comforted her, "Your Majesty, Yun Baolin never revealed anything about this Guanyin statue to you after acquiring it. If we had known earlier, with Consort Jin's discerning eyes, she might have noticed the clues sooner... This matter is really not our fault."

Ruizhu chimed in softly, "That's exactly right."

Meng Shu walked slowly along the palace path, the autumn wind brushing against her sleeves. She sighed, "It is precisely because there is no one else to blame that it is the most heartbreaking thing. Yun Baolin's mother had a loving heart and hoped that her daughter would have a safe birth, but by a twist of fate, she personally sent the root of the disaster to her daughter's side... This kind of cruel twist of fate is what truly makes Yun Baolin's heart ache."

Consort Chun stopped and turned to look at Meng Shu: "In your opinion, Shu'er, who was behind this?"

Meng Shu shook her head slightly.

Although she had many doubts, she had no concrete evidence. Consort Rong seemed unlikely to be a suspect, and after much thought, she figured it was probably a hidden move by the Empress, but this was just her speculation.

Ganlu Palace was not far from Huining Palace, and it took less than a quarter of an hour to get there. Meng Shu did not go in. She bid farewell to Consort Chun at the palace gate and headed towards Lingcui Palace with Green Willow.

Turning off the palace path, you arrive at the entrance to the Imperial Garden. It was late August, and although the garden was gradually turning autumnal, a patch of crape myrtle flowers was still in full bloom, their crimson and pinkish-white blossoms adorning the branches. The petals trembled gently in the breeze, and a faint fragrance filled the air.

Meng Shu was gazing at the crape myrtle flowers in a daze when she suddenly heard Green Willow say, "Your Highness, look, it's Miss Zhixue from Renming Palace."

Following the direction Green Willow pointed, Meng Shu saw several figures walking past the moon gate of the Imperial Garden. Zhi Xue was in front, followed by a group of palace maids carrying sandalwood boxes, walking towards them.

"This servant greets Consort Jin," Zhi Xue said, seeing Meng Shu and her servant from afar and quickly curtsying as she approached.

Meng Shu gently raised her hand, "Miss Zhixue, there's no need for such formalities. With such a grand procession, where are you headed?"

Zhixue bowed her head and replied, "Your Majesty, this servant is acting on the Empress's decree. Just now, the Marquis's residence presented some nourishing delicacies, and the Empress specifically ordered this servant to distribute some to Consort Mu."

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.

There's another chapter I'm currently writing. I'm ashamed to say it won't be updated until after midnight. Sorry!