Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 462 Observe the situation calmly

Two carriages, along with various gifts brought by the Han family from the northern frontier, were carefully carried by special personnel from Yongchangfang all the way to the palace gate, attracting the attention of the people along the street who stopped and whispered among themselves.

Although Madam Han was not born into a noble family, as General Han's birth mother, she had gone through many hardships with her son in the northern frontier over the years. The trials and tribulations had worn away the timidity of an ordinary woman, and she had developed a strong and unyielding demeanor.

She was not without trepidation as she entered the palace to express her gratitude, after all, it was her first time meeting the emperor. However, that unease had been suppressed as soon as she stepped out of the northern border, and her face showed no sign of it.

The carriage came to a stop in front of the palace gate, and the curtain was gently lifted by a palace attendant.

With Han Shuyi's help, Old Madam Han stepped down from the carriage on a footstool. Looking up, she saw Jingming leading two groups of palace servants and eunuchs, bowing their heads to greet her. Beside them stood two palace maids, their collars embroidered with lotus patterns. Judging from their bearing and attire, they must be from the Empress's palace.

Jingming led the palace servants to bow and greet them, saying, "We, your servants, pay our respects to Madam Han and Miss Han."

Madam Han glanced around, her eyes lingering on Zhixue out of the corner of her eye. She understood the significance of the scene and nodded slightly, saying, "Thank you all for waiting."

Zhixue stepped forward and curtsied, saying, "This servant, Zhixue, greets the Old Madam. We are the maids serving Her Majesty the Empress, and we all come from the General's Mansion."

"Good, good." The wrinkles on Madam Han's face smoothed out, and she nodded with a smile. "When I left the Southwest, Her Majesty the Empress was just a young girl. I never expected that we would meet again in the palace."

After the old lady finished speaking, a plump woman who looked like a steward stepped forward and took out a few purses from her sleeve.

Throughout history, whether in the northern frontier or the capital, the act of stuffing purses into pockets has been remarkably consistent.

But this time, no one dared to actually accept it.

Han Shuyi, who was watching from the side, suddenly spoke up: "Aunt Qin, let's get a few wolf teeth to give to everyone. They are from the northern frontier, and wearing them can ward off evil spirits."

Suqin slapped her forehead and laughed, "Look at my memory! Miss specifically instructed me before she came!" With that, she turned around and started rummaging through the back of the carriage.

Upon hearing the words "Wolf Fang," a hint of surprise flashed in Jingming's eyes.

Han Shuyi noticed his expression and said, "If Your Excellency is worried about it being frightening to look at, you can keep it in your purse and carry it with you. It will be just as effective."

Madam Han coughed lightly, "My granddaughter is used to the wild life in the northern frontier and has never seen the rules of the capital. Please forgive her, Your Excellency."

Just as Jingming was about to laugh and smooth things over, the old lady changed the subject, saying, "These wolf fangs were shot by Shuyi during the winter hunt, and she even took them herself."

Jingming and Zhixue both choked for a moment, their smiles freezing slightly.

The two palace maids standing behind Jingming, upon hearing the words "the wolf fang he took with his own hands," were so frightened that they quietly shrank back half a step, their faces turning pale.

Suqin returned carrying a wooden box. Upon opening it, she found several gleaming white wolf teeth inside, their sharp edges exuding a wild, unpolished quality.

Han Shuyi reached into the wooden box and picked out a slightly larger wolf tooth, handing it to Jingming with a hint of youthful pride in her eyes: "Take a look, Your Excellency? This one came from the alpha wolf, which is fiercely protective of its cubs. I chased it for miles in the snow before I managed to shoot it."

Jingming stared at the wolf fangs gleaming with a cold light, then looked at Han Shuyi's clear yet wild eyes, and felt that this mission was even more nerve-wracking than serving the emperor.

He quickly waved his hand with a smile: "You have excellent skills, young lady."

"This old lady will accompany the eunuch to pay her respects to His Majesty." Madam Han spoke up at the right moment, then turned to Zhixue and said, "I would trouble Miss Zhixue to take Shuyi to the Empress's palace first."

Zhi Xue secretly breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. The scene just now, coupled with the old lady's words, clearly indicated that she didn't want her granddaughter to get close to the palace. This saved the Empress a lot of trouble.

She quickly replied, "Don't worry, Madam, I will take good care of Miss Han."

Seeing this, Jingming did not stop her. With his usual smile, he bowed and said, "Madam, please come with me to Funing Palace. At noon, the Empress Dowager will be hosting a banquet. The Empress and Miss Han will also be there. It will be a good time to talk together."

Madam Han nodded gently, turned around and took Han Shuyi's hand, and gently instructed, "Your father prepared a lot of special products from the northern frontier for this trip back to the capital. There are also furs and snow ginseng that Shen Erlang asked us to bring to Consort Yi and the Second Princess. Please stop by Consort Yi's palace on your way and deliver them to her on his behalf."

Jingming's smile froze abruptly, and his brows furrowed slightly.

He naturally knew that the second son of the Shen family mentioned by the old lady was the younger brother of Consort Shen. However, before the new year, Consort Shen had already been stripped of her title and demoted to Consort for her crimes, and the Shujing Palace had been locked up and sealed off.

Although the northern border is far from the capital, such a commotion should have reached the ears of Governor Han and the Shen family by now. Yet, Old Madam Han is still referring to her as "Consort Yi" repeatedly. Is she truly unaware? Or... is this intentional?

......

"Your Majesty, Dong Ming went to Funing Palace yesterday and brought back a message."

Green Willow was grinding an ink stick at her desk when she glanced out the window and added, "They said that Old Madam Han is returning to the capital today to express her gratitude, and she will bring her granddaughter to the palace for an audience. Judging by the time, she should already be in the palace by now."

Meng Shu was writing a letter to her uncle when she heard this and nodded gently. "Your Excellency had already foreseen this. In fact, before the war broke out in the northern frontier before the new year, the Emperor had already planned to issue an edict to summon Governor Han's family back to the capital, but it was only half a year late."

Xia'er, peeling lotus seeds nearby, chimed in, "Your Highness, I heard from Granny Yu that Commander Han was originally from the southwestern border region, but was later transferred by the late Emperor to Sichuan to train troops, and finally stationed in the northern frontier. His adopted daughter is the legitimate daughter of the deputy general in Sichuan, and judging by her age, she's exactly sixteen this year..."

Seeing that she hesitated, Green Willow continued, "Does His Majesty intend to take this Miss Han into the harem?"

Meng Shu put down her pen and gently blew on the letter she had just written to dry it: "The number of women in the palace is neither more nor less important. Whether she enters the palace or not, we should just wait and see."

Mingyue was afraid that the cicadas chirping outside the window would disturb Yu Nu'er's sleep, so she spent half an hour catching all the cicadas in the tree. Now, only the rustling of the wind through the leaves made the palace even more peaceful.

Meng Shu's fingertips brushed the edge of the letter, her gaze calm.

The winds of war in the harem are never stirred by the addition or subtraction of one person; the key is which direction the winds blow.

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There will be one or two more updates tonight.