Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 589 New Year's Eve

Three days after Lady Qu's death, she was buried according to the rites for a concubine.

Although she had lost the emperor's favor during her lifetime, she was still the birth mother of a prince, and she would still receive posthumous honors.

However, due to the approaching end of the year, the ceremony was simplified. When the coffin was sent out of the palace gate, the sky was overcast, and only a few palace servants followed far behind. Even the sound of weeping could not be heard, and they were quickly swallowed up by the cold air of the twelfth lunar month.

On the same day, the imperial edict arrived at Consort Shun's palace.

The Emperor granted Consort Shun's request and entrusted the Third Prince, Gu Yun, to her care.

The imperial edict clearly states that the Emperor praised Consort Shun for her "gentle and kind nature, and compassionate heart," and also mentioned that the Third Prince "lost his mother at a young age, and I feel sorry for him," ordering Consort Shun to "care for him well and guide him on the right path."

Consort Shun received the imperial decree, picked up the roll of yellow silk, and ordered, "Go and prepare. Clean up the East Warm Pavilion, as it is closer to the main hall. The child is only one and a half years old, and the wet nurses and nannies will need to watch over him at night."

Upon hearing this, Jingming, who had come to deliver the imperial decree, looked at him with a hint of respect.

He bowed and flattered her, saying, "Your Majesty is kind and virtuous, and compassionate towards the young and weak. This is truly a blessing for the Third Prince. His Majesty was also deeply gratified when he learned a few days ago that Your Majesty had volunteered."

Having said that, he gestured to the side, and four eunuchs behind him stepped forward carrying a vermilion lacquered wooden box. "His Majesty has bestowed upon Her Majesty a bushel of pearls from the East Sea and ten bolts of Shu brocade, to supplement Her Majesty's needs and to reward her for her benevolence."

Consort Shun nodded in gratitude. Jingming said a few more auspicious words, then led his men to take their leave and return to Funing Palace to report back.

After everyone had gone, Xiaodie still stood there, staring blankly at the bright yellow imperial edict. "Your Majesty, once this edict is issued, there's no going back. You're still so young, why... why raise someone else's child? Granny Suqin advised you so much before, but you wouldn't listen. Isn't this just adding another inescapable trouble to your life?"

"Xiaodie." Consort Shun turned to look at her, speaking clearly, word by word: "From this day forward, Yun'er is my child."

She paused for a moment, then said, "I don't want to hear that a second time."

Xiaodie choked up, her heart aching. She had followed Consort Shun since childhood, traveling from Sichuan to the northern frontier, and she knew best that deep down, her mistress was a very tender person.

......

New Year's Eve arrived in the blink of an eye.

After Meng Shu finished tidying up, while waiting for Yu Nu'er to arrive, she heard Lü Liu report: "Consort Shun sent her maid Xiao Die to the imperial palace early this morning to fetch the Third Prince back. After bathing and changing clothes in Chenghui Palace, Consort Shun personally carried the Third Prince to Cining Palace to pay respects to the Empress Dowager. After that, they went to Funing Palace and the Imperial Concubine's palace respectively."

Meng Shu nodded. Consort Shun was always sensible, and from her observation, Consort Shun genuinely wanted to adopt the Third Prince.

Just then, Yu Nu'er ran in wearing a brand-new royal blue jacket, looked up and took Meng Shu's hand: "Mother, will we be able to see Aunt Donggua at the banquet tonight?"

Meng Shu bent down to straighten his clothes and gently shook her head: "Aunt Donggua is now the wife of Imperial Physician Jian. Imperial Physicians are not of high enough rank to attend the New Year's Eve banquet, so you won't be able to see her tonight."

Yu Nu'er let out a disappointed "Oh," and clenched Meng Shu's fingertips tightly in her small hand.

Seeing the child's expression, Meng Shu smiled and comforted him: "Don't worry, your mother specially sent Hongyu out of the palace to deliver a message. Tomorrow morning, you will not only see Aunt Donggua, but also taste the pomegranate pastries she made herself. Haven't you been talking about it all along?"

Yu Nu'er's eyes lit up, and her two little eyebrows twitched happily, causing Green Willow, Xia'er, and the others to cover their mouths and giggle.

At 3:45 PM, a palace banquet was held in the Taiji Hall.

The hall was already properly furnished, as bright as day. The warm fragrance of incense from the corner burners dispelled the chill seeping in through the cracks in the door.

The concubines, imperial relatives, and noblewomen took their seats in order, their elegant attire and graceful demeanor creating a unique, restrained yet lively atmosphere characteristic of palace banquets.

When Meng Shu led Yu Nu'er into the hall, Consort Chun was already sitting calmly to the left of the throne. Their eyes met, and Consort Chun nodded slightly to her. Meng Shu smiled and returned the greeting, then led Yu Nu'er to sit down in front of her.

Before long, the Emperor arrived. Everyone rose to pay their respects, and the Emperor raised his hand to signal them to rise. "On the eve of the Lunar New Year, all things are renewed. Today, the entire palace gathers together to celebrate the New Year. May the coming year bring favorable weather and peace throughout the land, and may all of you present enjoy good health and prosperity."

As the music of string and wind instruments began, the palace servants of the Imperial Kitchen served up delicacies in a continuous stream, and the New Year's Eve banquet officially commenced.

On this occasion, the newly promoted concubines are most concerned about the presentation of purses as gifts. They personally draw the embroidery patterns and embroider the purses themselves, presenting them to the emperor in front of everyone. If the emperor chooses one to wear, it is naturally a rare honor and favor.

Consorts with seniority like Consort Chun usually don't bother with such things. For example, the purse that Consort Chun presented this time was actually a practice piece by Ruizhu, with a common design, embroidered with lotus leaves and a few lotus pods.

This is the fourth year since Consort Chun entered the palace. If we count from when she married into the Prince of Jin's household, it has been five years, and the sixth year is fast approaching. Now that Consort Chun has no intention of vying for the Emperor's favor, Meng Shu naturally no longer needs to be as meticulous and careful in everything she does as before.

Moreover, Meng Shu herself, the purse she presented this time also exuded a casualness, quite different from her previous cautious and meticulous manner.

Right now, Jingming is staring blankly at the purse that Consort Jin has handed over on the tray.

The pattern was crude, the lines were naive, and the shape resembled both a tiger and a cat, as if it had been casually stitched and then left unfinished. Not to mention the exquisite craftsmanship that Consort Jin should possess, even the casual embroidery of an ordinary palace maid might not have been as good.

He was momentarily at a loss. If Consort Jin hadn't personally placed the purse into the plate, he would have almost suspected that someone had secretly switched it, deliberately trying to embarrass her...

Fortunately, the purses presented by Consort Shun and Consort Mu were exquisitely embroidered and made of fine materials. Although it was obvious at a glance that they were not made by themselves, they were still in accordance with etiquette.

Among the newcomers, Zhao Baolin was still under house arrest and unable to attend, while Lin Cairen was the most popular.

She embroidered a pair of lifelike twin lotus blossoms, with elegant colors and even, dense stitches, clearly the result of hard work. When she presented it, she bowed her head slightly, her posture respectful, her eyes filled with anticipation.

On his throne, the emperor had just finished a cup of wine when his gaze slowly fell upon the purse presented on the tray.

He scanned them one by one, his expression indifferent, glancing at most of them with a single glance. When he saw one of the pouches, whose embroidery was so indistinct that he couldn't even make out what it was, he frowned slightly, a hint of displeasure flashing across his face.

As for the lotus-embroidered purse presented by Consort Chun, he didn't even linger his gaze before casually looking away. Finally, he pointed to the exquisitely embroidered purse presented by Consort Shun.

Jingming understood and bowed respectfully to present the purse before the emperor.

The Emperor took it, glanced at it briefly, and then casually placed it on the table before turning his gaze toward where Meng Shu was.