Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 186 The Tang Family is the Source of Confidence

Which new concubine will the prince favor?

Not only was Consort Zhen anxious and insecure, but the Princess was also clenching her teeth.

Inside the Ruyi Palace, Xingyu was nervously reporting to the Princess: "...From mid-March to now, nearly thirty days have passed. The Prince has spent seventeen days in the Cunxin Palace and more than ten times at Consort Zhen's residence in the Yunyi Palace."

Apart from the fifteenth of March and the first day of April, even when Prince Jin came to Ruyi Palace, he would only have lunch with the Princess or discuss the arrangements within the palace. He did not rest in Ruyi Palace in the evening.

The princess sighed coldly, murmuring with a hint of self-mockery, "Concubine Wu is all looks and no substance."

"Have Granny Gui inquire whether Tang Qingwan has summoned the family physician in the past two days."

Xingyu bowed her head in agreement and then bowed as she left the bedchamber.

Hong'e Courtyard.

Shuyao entered the room and saw Huajin sorting through the gifts sent by the princess and concubine. She glanced at them and scoffed.

Hua Jin carried the two bright green brocades to a separate spot, raised her eyes, and looked at Shu Yao with a questioning gaze.

"Why do you look like you want to say something but can't? Miss is new to the capital and is unfamiliar with the Prince's mansion. If you have any news, you should report it immediately."

Shuyao then said angrily, "Miss, I just overheard the maids around Consort Qu gossiping. Consort Zhen is quite adept at judging people by their status. She only gave us ordinary cloth and a hairpin, but Consort Qu received a box of hairpins and rings. Just now, the maids in the Qu family said that they were the latest styles from Yongbao Tower."

"How can Consort Qu be compared to our young lady? What does Consort Zhen mean by this?"

Hua Jin's face darkened, and she muttered, "You shallow-minded thing, what did Master say when we left Jinzhou? The Tang family business is not to be underestimated, and we must not offend Consort Zhen."

The three prefectures, including Jinzhou, suffered a severe drought. Only the people of Jinzhou truly understand the immense manpower and resources the Tang family merchant guild contributed to the disaster relief efforts. Countless shrines dedicated to the Tang family patriarch were spontaneously built...

Guo Zhaoxun smiled faintly, and with her delicate white fingers picked up a red-gold parrot holding a peach and a precious gem from the cloth. The tourmaline gemstone was pink and full, and the turquoise-inlaid leaves were even more lively and eye-catching.

"Do you know how much this gemstone hairpin alone would cost at Yongbaolou in Jinzhou?"

Four hundred taels.

"It's just a formality. The fact that Consort Zhen's gift is still so generous shows how wealthy the Tang family is. Sister Qu comes from a respectable family, so what's wrong with Consort Zhen taking good care of her?"

Moreover, I've heard that the eldest son of the Tang family is an editor at the Hanlin Academy, and a colleague of Miss Qu's father; it's only natural that they would look out for each other.

After saying so much, Guo Zhaoxun looked tired and waved for Hua Jin and the other person to leave.

Just as Hua Jin stepped over the threshold with the fabric in her arms, her master's voice sounded behind her, "Bring the gifts Father prepared. Come with me to the Ruyi Palace to express our gratitude later."

Hua Jin responded and gestured to Shu Yao not to say anything more.

On the octagonal table, inside a brocade box sent by the princess, lay a multi-layered coral bead necklace. Guo Zhaoxun twitched the corner of his mouth, revealing a hint of disgust.

Then, Guo Zhaoxun rested his chin on his hand, staring blankly at the osmanthus tree outside the window, his cheeks quickly turning crimson.

It was as if I could see that figure standing atop the gates of Jinzhou once more—the Ninth Prince, clad in a moon-white robe, a man of refined elegance and noble bearing...

Yunyi Palace.

The master and servant played seven games of chess.

Consort Zhen and her concubines all failed.

With Aunt Mei absent, Hua Yan spoke frankly and seriously: "Miss, we cannot predict who the Prince will favor, but the Prince's heart is as deep as the sea, and he will certainly not favor one person over another. These mere four newcomers are not worth your attention."

Hua Yan carefully placed the chess pieces one by one into the celadon-glazed covered jar.

Consort Zhen's face paled slightly, then she quickly composed herself and said to Hua Yan with a wry smile, "It's good that you comforted me; I was just being too attached to appearances."

"Miss is not feeling well, so I asked Donggua to make some Eight Treasure Cake. It's important that you take good care of yourself."

Aunt Mei carried a bowl of soup into the study, followed closely by Donggua, who carried a plate of pastries.

Seeing that Consort Zhen's face was pale, Aunt Mei said with heartache, "This servant has prepared a Four-Substance Decoction using Angelica sinensis, Ligusticum chuanxiong, Paeonia lactiflora, and Rehmannia glutinosa, according to the prescription given by the Zhen family physician. Consort Zhen, please have some."

Hua Yan stepped forward to take it, giving Aunt Mei a reassuring look. Dong Gua placed the Eight Treasures Cake on the table and whispered, "Xiao Nianzi told me that Dong'er has gone out, with Mingyue following her."

Hua Yan nodded slightly.

In the afternoon, Guo Zhaoxun and others came to Yunyi Palace to express their gratitude. Consort Zhen received them with great effort, but only said a few words before sending them away.

Hua Yan noticed that Guo Zhaoxun not only inserted the red gold parrot-shaped hairpin with a peach in its mouth into her hair, but also added a string of bright red coral beads to her neck.

When I paid my respects at the Ruyi Hall in the morning, the other person had not yet worn it.

It was evening.

In the Cunxin Hall, Prince Jin was engrossed in official business, staring blankly at a secret letter from the Northwest. Jingming glanced at the sky and coughed lightly, saying:

"Master, it's getting late. Tonight..."

The King of Jin seemed oblivious for a long time.

Jingming focused his mind and concentrated on his nose and heart. His master was not in a hurry, and he, a mere eunuch, could not help but be anxious.

"Go to the Red Calyx Courtyard."

Guo Zhaoxun, who had the highest ranking among the newcomers, took the lead.

Overjoyed, Guo Zhaoxun also felt a sense of obligation. Granny Gong, having received advance notice, had prepared the bedchamber. Guo Zhaoxun bathed and changed, gazing shyly at the brocade red quilt...

......

Several days passed, and Song Chenghui and Qu Liangyuan still hadn't served the emperor. When they paid their respects, Hua Yan looked at the two of them. One was composed, while the other's face was practically filled with anxiety and helplessness.

Shen Liangdi was beaming with joy and dressed in exceptionally pink.

She had been dependent on Jiang Jie since childhood and was prepared to drink a contraceptive soup after serving him in bed, but the princess did not make such a arrangement.

Not only that, the day after Consort Shen served the Prince, Xingyu delivered a large amount of nourishing supplements to Ronghe Courtyard early in the morning, saying, "The Princess Consort instructed me to tell Consort Shen to serve the Prince diligently."

With tears of gratitude in her eyes, Consort Shen, despite her exhaustion, dragged her weary body straight to the Ruyi Palace to express her loyalty.

This action caught the eye of the all-knowing Ruizhu, and immediately before Consort Zhen went out to pay her respects, the four of them, mistress and servants, huddled together and gossiped about it to their hearts' content.

Hua Yan couldn't help but laugh and said, "He is indeed a loyal one."

......

Fuqian Street, Tang Mansion.

At Yun Gui Courtyard, Aunt Mei reported everything that had happened in the Prince's Mansion to Madam Yun.

Even though she already knew about the crisis in the inner quarters of the Prince Jin's mansion on the night of Prince Yu's coup, Madam Yun still listened attentively to Aunt Mei's account with a tense expression. After listening, Granny Wei put her hands together and said, "Fortunately, Madam made arrangements in advance, and Madam Zhou acted prudently, otherwise... the Jiang family would have been so ruthless."

"There is no swordplay in the inner quarters, but the conflicts there are no less intense than those in the previous dynasty."

Madam Yun said calmly, her eyes suddenly turning cold.

"Xiangmei, what Huayan said is correct. If you want to compete for the empress's position, you should appropriately show your strength."

Go back and tell Wan'er and Hua Yan that they can do whatever they want, because the Tang family is their support.

"Once war breaks out on the northwestern border, the Prince of Jin will know whether our Tang family or the Jiang family can truly provide him with assistance."