Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 178 Finding New Women for the Prince

Inside the Ruyi Hall, Jiang Jie, looking gloomy, summoned Granny Gui to his side.

"Don't contact Banu for the time being, Granny. It was my carelessness." Jiang Jie pressed her forehead lightly, suppressing the turmoil in her heart, and spoke with a hint of bitterness.

"The princess is always decisive, but unfortunately, that stupid servant Banu made a mistake."

"To be honest, if it weren't for the secret letter the General sent the other day, we wouldn't have known the Tang family had such a trump card. No wonder the Prince personally sought to marry Consort Zhen... Although the Tang family currently only has one member, Tang Lin, in officialdom, their influence through marriage should not be underestimated. If we don't eliminate them soon, it's hard to guarantee that Consort Zhen won't threaten your position once she gives birth to the Prince's child."

Granny Gui sighed, a sudden pang of sorrow gripping her heart.

That night, with all the advantages of timing and location, it was truly the best opportunity to eliminate Consort Zhen. Firstly, there was the cover of night and rain; secondly, the Prince of Jin was absent, and the capital was in turmoil.

Furthermore, since Consort Yu was sent as a gift that day, and the next day was Consort Hui's birthday, Consort Zhen would surely place her in her bedchamber. Besides, there were people in Yunyi Palace secretly doing things behind the scenes.

The timing, location, and people were almost all in place, but fate had other plans. That very night, another group of thieves unexpectedly appeared and ruined the situation. What's most worrying is that, to this day, Banu still hasn't figured out who sent those thieves...

Granny Gui stepped forward and massaged the princess's shoulders, reminding her:

"However, after this incident, it's good that the Princess Consort is more restrained, so we can discuss things further."

With Prince Yu dead and Prince Heng enfeoffed, the prince, a man of great talent and ambition, seems destined for the throne. More women will enter the prince's residence, and even the palace. The princess's immediate priority is to bear him an heir as soon as possible.

Jiang Jie was two years older than Consort Zhen. When she was young, she had seen the Ninth Prince in disguise several times at the General's Mansion and had already developed feelings for him. She also longed to have a child for Prince Jin as soon as possible.

After a long silence, Jiang Jie hesitated and said:

"According to ancestral rules, there are two concubines and two attendants in the Prince's residence. The positions of Zhaoxun, Chenghui, Liangdi, and Liangyuan are still vacant. As a daughter-in-law, I should advise my mother to find some new talents for the Prince."

She gazed in the direction of Yunyi Palace, observing the prince's attitude towards her today. She had no choice but to find another way. If Tang Qingwan were to become the sole favorite during this period, that would be a real problem.

"Three days later will be the fifteenth. Granny Gui will bring the Thousand-Hand Guanyin painting that Father sent and will present it to Mother Consort at the palace on another day."

......

Consort Zhen emerged from the Cunxin Hall, and when no one was around, she gave a self-deprecating smile:

"Hua Yan, I must praise your flawless strategy; Your Highness is truly..."

Hua Yan helped Consort Zhen walk ahead, and said with pursed lips, "Consort, there's no need for this. It's all just the Prince weighing the pros and cons. Although he can't punish that person, he will at least ignore her for a while."

Mengzhu, who cared most for her mistress, walked to the right and took Zhen's other arm upon hearing this. "How could the prince not have true feelings for his concubine? I saw it clearly just now. His eyes were full of you, concubine."

Consort Zhen smiled and said, "You little rascal, you've learned Ruizhu's mischievousness."

With Hua Yan and Meng Zhu offering such comfort, Consort Zhen finally felt a little better.

As they passed by Ruyi Palace, they saw Zhixue standing far away in front of the palace. According to custom, when they encountered the servants beside the princess, Mengzhu nodded and bowed in the direction of the palace gate. Zhixue bowed slightly, scoffed, and looked up as she entered the inner palace.

Mengzhu kept her eyes straight ahead: "...Completely lacking in manners, a testament to the poor upbringing of the General's Mansion."

Hua Yan smiled and said, "Zhi Xue does seem to be quite naive, just like the second young lady of the Marquis's mansion, her emotions are all written on her face. Such a person is not difficult to deal with, but Xing Yu, who is by the Princess's side, seems to be a troublesome one."

After passing through the hanging flower gate of the rear hall, Consort Zhen stopped and patted Hua Yan's arm.

"Your words remind me that my eldest cousin got engaged to the third young master of Prince Rui's mansion before the New Year. The wedding day is set after the Dragon Boat Festival. Mengzhu, remember to prepare gifts."

“Aunt Mei and Hua Yan, along with the rest of us, are keeping an eye on things for the Consort, so there’s no way we’ll make a mistake. A couple of days ago, Aunt Mei went to Yongxiu Cloth Shop and when she came back, she said that the rules at Prince Rui’s mansion are strict. Our Madam personally invited Granny Gao to the Marquis’s mansion to be the tutor of the eldest daughter.”

"That's good. Although I haven't spent much time with my eldest cousin, she was the one who officiated at my coming-of-age ceremony, and I must remember to repay that kindness."

Hua Yan said gently, "The situation is clear now. Prince Rui clearly favors our Prince Jin. The concubine's hot spring estate has been cooperating with the Princess for many years. This gift should not be taken lightly."

The three of them, master and servants, returned to Yunyi Palace after pondering their journey. When Aunt Mei heard that Prince Jin would be coming to dine later that evening, she immediately beamed with joy and ordered the maids to clean and prepare the place inside and out.

Consort Zhen went straight to the study to discuss and finalize the gift list with Hua Yan.

The third son of Prince Rui's mansion is of noble character, which is a great blessing for the Marquis's family. Consort Zhen was also delighted for Tang Yu'er, so the gift list not only included precious items such as coral ornaments, but also several pieces of jewelry made by the Imperial Household Department that Prince Jin had previously bestowed.

Hua Yan carefully put away the gift list, handed it to Meng Zhu after leaving the study, and then went to the tea room.

Donggua and Chun'er were brewing tea together. The two girls were about fifteen or sixteen years old, and they were busy in the small tea room in an orderly manner.

When Chun'er saw Hua Yan enter, she hurriedly stood up and bowed. Then, guessing that Hua Yan probably had something to say to Dong Gua, she carefully prepared to leave.

Hua Yan stopped her, saying, "No need, I only came here to steal a moment of leisure."

"In the evening, Prince Jin will have dinner with his concubine. Does Donggua still have any pomelo jam? Pomelo has a perfect balance of sweet and sour; brew a pot of warm pomelo drink and send it to the main hall. After dinner, remember to brew a pot of light tea."

Donggua took a bunch of keys from his waist, opened the gilded cabinet door in the corner, and took out a large porcelain jar.

“There are still some fresh ones. The old lady asked Zhuzi to bring a basket of them a while ago.”

Chun'er curiously leaned closer. "It's really fresh! It smells fruity and sweet. Could it be that they put honey in it?"

Donggua chuckled and poked Chun'er's forehead. "Your nose is quite sensitive."

"This servant has never seen a fragrant drink made from pomelo before. When I was in the Duke's mansion, the young ladies and gentlemen also liked to drink some fragrant drinks in the summer. However, they were all common street drinks such as those made with fragrant herbs, agarwood, mint, and osmanthus, or sweet and sour plum soup."

Hua Yan remained calm and slowly replied, "I remember Chun'er, you said you were only five years old when you left the Duke's mansion. Now more than ten years have passed, and your former masters still remember you?"

Chun'er lowered her eyes, looking dejected.

"I dare not lie to Miss Huayan, my father used to be a trusted steward in the manor. According to the rules, as a servant born into the household, I was supposed to be assigned to serve as a maid to the Third Miss when I was five years old. Unfortunately, the Duke's manor suddenly suffered..."

At this point, Chun'er paused and didn't continue, perhaps afraid of breaking a taboo. She peeked out of the tea room for a moment and relaxed a little when she saw that only the three of them were there.

Chun'er blushed and then explained, "At the slave quarters, Xia'er told Granny Yu that the Duke's mansion had broken a taboo and that I should not mention it to outsiders. Please ask Miss Hua Yan not to tell anyone else."

"It's just a few words of casual conversation, Chun'er, don't worry."

Donggua blinked, and suddenly had a flash of inspiration. She knew that Huayan was not the type to gossip casually. Her sudden visit today, and her conversation with that silly girl Chun'er, must have some deeper meaning that she hadn't yet figured out.

So she took out a packet of roasted melon seeds from her bosom, placed it on the small stool, grabbed a handful, and stuffed it into Chun'er's hand, saying in a simple voice:

“The case of the Duke’s Mansion is over ten years old. Since our Prince has been able to summon you from the slave quarters to work in the Prince’s Mansion, it means that there is no longer any taboo. Our concubine is the best mistress. Chun’er doesn’t need to be so cautious when working in Yunyi Palace.”

With Donggua starting the conversation and warming things up, Chun'er, being unguarded, started talking and couldn't stop...