Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 514 Seeking Protection from the Tang Family Business

"This damn weather is killing me!"

A young man dressed in shorts and with a knife at his waist wiped the sweat from his face haphazardly with his sleeve while muttering incoherently. The knife in his hand swept casually across the waist-high weeds, the blade slicing through the grass with a rustling sound.

He had been casually searching for what seemed like the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea when his gaze inadvertently fell upon the bushes diagonally in front of him, and he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

In the bushes seven or eight zhang away, Qin Baolian closed her eyes in despair.

She instinctively reached for her sleeve, where a small dagger was hidden. Her heart pounded; she waited for the other person to come any closer so she could end her life first.

Time seemed to stand still.

However, a few breaths passed, and the expected scolding and arrest did not occur.

Instead, the sound of a heavy object hitting the ground with a "thud" clearly reached my ears.

Qin Baolian's eyelashes trembled violently a few times. With a hint of disbelief, she slowly opened her eyes. The man who had been standing not far away had already turned and walked away, his figure quickly disappearing into the depths of the weeds. Not far away, a water bag lay quietly on the ground.

Her throat was already parched and sore, and she subconsciously licked her lips. A thirst surged through her body like wildfire, almost threatening to engulf her, but she froze on the spot, not daring to move a single finger.

Countless thoughts raced through her mind as she stared at the water pouch, her eyes filled with confusion and wariness.

About half an hour later, a voice drifted from afar: "Boss, no one can hide here. Madam Jiang probably didn't go to this hilltop; she might have escaped along the path..."

The surrounding noise gradually faded away, but Qin Baolian remained lying in the grass, holding her breath. Only when she was sure there was no more sound did she slowly move her stiff body and fix her gaze on the water pouch.

After hesitating for a moment, she finally reached out and picked it up. With a gentle shake, a clear sound came from the pouch, which, to her at that moment, was nothing short of heavenly music.

She hurriedly pulled out the cork, but only carefully moistened her chapped lips.

There was very little water left, so she dared not drink any more.

Just as she was about to put the water pouch away, she caught a glimpse of a note on the ground. She picked it up and unfolded it; on it was a line of hastily written characters:

"Seek protection from the Tang Family Trading Company."

......

The capital city, the imperial palace.

There has been no news from Jian Zhi yet, and at the morning court session...

First, several ministers who were military generals stepped forward and asked the emperor to lift the punishment on the grounds that "the empress is the mother of the nation, and prolonged confinement may harm the foundation of the country."

Immediately afterward, Qin Jianzheng of the Imperial Observatory also bowed and seconded the motion, stating that the recent celestial observations showed that "the Empress Star is gradually brightening," which was an auspicious sign of the Empress's return to power. Finally, even several censors known for their uprightness jointly submitted a memorial, saying that the Empress, during her confinement, "still cared about the disaster situation," and that Marquis Zhenbei was leading troops to provide disaster relief in Yuzhou. "The Empress's relatives are loyal to the Emperor, and her family is virtuous and kind," they said, and therefore the Empress's honors should be restored.

All eyes of the court officials were on the dragon throne. The emperor did not hesitate for a moment, nor did he ask any questions. He immediately issued an edict to lift the empress's confinement in Renming Hall, restore her empress's regalia, and allow her to manage the affairs of the inner palace as usual from that day forward.

When the news reached the inner palace, Meng Shu did not show any worry. Instead, she vaguely felt that what was bound to happen had finally arrived.

That day, as the summer heat gradually subsided, she and Consort Chun strolled together by the flower garden in the rear hall of Huining Palace. Late-blooming hibiscus adorned the branches, their pink and white petals glistening with dew, fluttering down in the breeze.

"August is almost here. Our Emperor is such a benevolent and generous man. Could it be that he's planning to reunite with the 'Mother of the Nation' during the Mid-Autumn Festival, putting on a show of harmony between the Emperor and Empress for the world to see?"

Consort Chun spoke with sarcasm, a cold smile playing on her lips. She emphasized the words "Mother of the Nation" with particular force, her tone chilling.

Meng Shu smiled, but before she could reply, Consort Chun lightly tapped her forehead twice. "You can still laugh? This vixen has been holding back in Renming Palace for so long. Now that she's been released, who knows what kind of wicked scheme she'll be plotting behind the scenes."

"There's no use in being anxious. The Emperor has issued an edict ordering her to come out, and we can't stop him. Why don't we have Mingyue sneak into Renming Palace tonight and burn her bedchamber down to end it all?"

Consort Chun: "...The Renming Palace is not so easy to break into."

Upon hearing this, Meng Shu was stunned.

She paused for a moment, then chuckled, "I was just teasing you, and you've actually started thinking about it? We're in the shadows right now, and she's in the light. The worst thing we can do is rush things."

While the two were talking, Ruizhu came over to report: "Your Majesty, Consort Shun, Consort Mu, and Consort Shen went to Renming Palace. A quarter of an hour ago, the palace servants of Renming Palace went to summon Consort Yang to the palace."

Consort Chun nodded and turned to Meng Shu, saying, "I reckon we'll receive the news today, and we can resume paying our respects at Renming Hall tomorrow."

The next morning, as the rising sun just dipped over the palace walls, all the concubines gathered at Renming Hall.

This was the Empress's first morning audience since her release from confinement, and no one dared to be negligent.

The palace was filled with the delicate fragrance of lilies. The Empress sat upright on the phoenix chair at the head of the table. Although her face was still a little pale, she looked to be in excellent spirits and showed no signs of the dejection that comes with being imprisoned for so long.

After the concubines bowed and took their seats, she slowly began to speak: "These days, I have neglected palace affairs, and the harem has been in turmoil. Lady Qing suddenly suffered from heart palpitations and passed away. Sister Qu also requested to take the Third Prince to Puji Temple to practice Buddhism because of the celestial phenomena. Now, there are fewer and fewer sisters in this palace."

Her gaze slowly swept across the people below.

Consort Chun and Consort Jin sat at the head of the table on the left and right respectively, with Consort Shun sitting next to Consort Chun. Among the nine concubines, only Consort Qi and Consort Mu remained seated. Further down the table, only one Jieyu sat upright, while the remaining six Baolin all had their heads bowed and eyes lowered.

Of the twelve concubines in the entire palace, there were only twelve.

Three years after the Emperor ascended the throne, not counting the concubines, there were only seventeen registered concubines in the harem. In just three years, five of them had already left the palace in sorrow, either by death, imprisonment, or leaving the palace walls, with no possibility of returning.

After the Empress finished speaking, the hall became so quiet that the faint sound of burning incense could be heard.

The concubines all lowered their heads and held their breath, while the high-ranking concubines, including Consort Chun, remained seated and silent, with no one responding.

The Empress seemed unfazed by the awkward silence, lightly tapping the armrest of her phoenix chair with her fingertips. She continued, "Although there are now three princes and two princesses in the palace, the Emperor's offspring are not yet abundant. The disaster situation in Yan and Yu provinces is gradually stabilizing. The Emperor has been preoccupied with state affairs and hasn't paid attention to the harem. From now on, you should all be more attentive, visiting the vicinity of the Funing Palace more often, talking with the Emperor, and helping him relieve his boredom. If you can produce offspring for the royal family, that would be a blessing for you..."

This was nothing more than the Empress's usual cliché, offering nothing new. Next, she would simply use the pretext of "producing offspring for the royal family" to actually regain control of the six palaces. Reorganizing personnel and controlling expenditures were the Empress's primary tasks upon her restoration. Ultimately, the core of controlling the harem lay in manipulating the concubines and allocating resources.

But at this moment, Meng Shu coughed lightly, which seemed somewhat abrupt in the silent hall.

She smiled and said, "Two years ago, when I was at the Changchun Garden Palace for summer retreat, I heard that Her Majesty the Empress was taking good care of her health. Now, two years have passed in the blink of an eye, and Her Majesty looks radiant as soon as she was released from confinement. It is clear that she has taken excellent care of herself. I expect that there will be good news from Renming Palace soon. Your Majesty, we congratulate you in advance."