Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 434 No Branch to Cling To

Consort Chun fell silent immediately.

In her eyes, none of the concubines in the harem could compare to Meng Shu.

But this is ultimately a daughter's perspective on another daughter.

Having grown up secluded in her chambers, she had never understood how men viewed women, and naturally... she had never truly understood the Emperor. Even the slight flutter in her heart when she married into the Prince's mansion was now nothing more than a young girl's infatuation, long since vanished with the passing of time, and even seemed somewhat laughable when she recalled it.

That little bit of favor was indeed laughable, absurd, unworthy, and somewhat unsettling.

"Appearance? Talent?"

She muttered to herself, these were all she could think of.

Empress Dowager Zhou didn't give her much time to think. She casually plucked a newly sprouted twig with her fingertips and drew her own conclusion as someone who had been through it all: "Three parts are due to her appearance, and seven parts are precisely because she has no one to rely on."

When Empress Dowager Zhou was able to stand out from the other concubines and become the Empress Dowager, wasn't it because of her humble family background?

Although these words were only touched upon briefly, they were extremely insightful.

Empress Dowager Zhou patted Consort Chun's arm, it was unclear whether she wanted to remind her or to give a hint to the Marquis of Lin'an's residence behind her.

Empress Dowager Zhou raised her hand, and Rongxiu stepped forward to help her to the Buddhist hall to chant sutras.

"You're newly pregnant, go back to your room and rest carefully. Don't forget the time when you copy the scriptures, it's just a pretext."

Empress Dowager Zhou's voice came from afar, but Consort Chun did not reply.

She stood in the garden for about half an incense stick's time, slowly exhaling, and her whole body relaxed. The late spring breeze brushed against her temples, bringing with it a feeling that was hard to describe—whether it was relief or some other emotion.

Mengzhu walked up to her with some concern and asked softly, "Your Majesty?"

"It's alright. Is there any new news coming from the palace?" Consort Chun walked along the cobblestone path toward the side hall.

Mengzhu reported, "Consort Qing has been managing the six palaces without any major mishaps. A few days ago, Lady Jiang brought a female physician surnamed Chu to the palace, and the Empress was exempted from the morning greetings, resting in Renming Palace. In the past half month, apart from Consort Qing, only Consort Qu and Consort Yang have each served the Emperor once; the rest of the time, the Emperor has mostly stayed in Lingcui Palace..."

"Qu Meiren and Yang Baolin?" Consort Chun paused slightly in her steps.

Mengzhu nodded.

"...They could be described as 'having nowhere to turn'." Consort Chun curled her lips, a hint of disgust flashing in her eyes.

After a while, she suddenly sighed softly, "Shu'er is still the most clear-headed and insightful, she hasn't made a move at all..."

Meeting Mengzhu's puzzled gaze, Consort Chun smiled but did not continue speaking.

When they returned to the side hall, Ruizhu was already waiting under the corridor.

After Consort Chun was seated, she immediately stepped forward and whispered, "Your Majesty, there is a rather troublesome matter."

"This servant was ordered by Your Highness to return to the manor to visit the Old Madam. Before leaving, I heard from Madam that an epidemic has broken out in the northern border city. The news just reached the capital, and it is said to have originated from the Liao Kingdom. Many soldiers have already been infected..."

Upon hearing this news, Consort Chun's mind raced for a moment, and she abruptly stood up.

......

The Imperial Palace.

Inside the Taiji Hall, just as Jingming finished reading the urgent report from the northern frontier, a series of soft gasps filled the hall.

An epidemic has broken out in Shuanggangzhai, and hundreds of soldiers have been infected, with the disease showing a spreading trend.

The scourge of plague is worse than war. These eight words struck the hearts of the officials like a heavy hammer, and the hall immediately stirred with murmurs among the civil officials. This time, it was happening on the battlefield, and no one dared to think too deeply about it, all turning their gazes toward the throne.

The Emperor frowned slightly and immediately ordered Jingming to summon the chief physicians and other medical professionals from the Imperial Medical Academy.

Before long, Physician He led Physician Sun and Jian Zhiji into the hall.

Doctor He unfolded the urgent report and examined it closely. His voice suddenly became solemn: "According to the report, the patient's whites of his eyes are yellow and his tongue coating is black. He initially had a persistent high fever, followed by coughing up blood and fainting. It is likely... 'corpse plague'."

The court immediately erupted in discussion.

The Vice Minister of Revenue said, "Medicines should be dispatched immediately, and the prefectures and counties along the way should be strictly ordered to block the official roads. All people coming from the four northern prefectures should be quarantined and inspected!" The Minister of War proposed, "The soldiers on the border are short of doctors and medicine. I request that medical officers from the Imperial Hospital be dispatched and escorted by elite imperial guards to provide immediate assistance in order to prevent the epidemic from spreading south."

Jian Zhi was staring intently at the river markings on the map of the northern frontier when the Duke of Qing suddenly stepped forward: "Your Majesty, Imperial Physician Jian once treated an epidemic in Jinzhou. I request that he be sent to the northern frontier immediately to oversee the epidemic prevention!"

......

Lingcui Palace, the inner courtyard of Cuiyu Hall.

Donggua was practicing her horse stance, fine beads of sweat glistening on her forehead. Mingyue stood beside her with her arms crossed, occasionally offering pointers on how to adjust her posture. Suddenly, they heard a commotion outside. Mingyue frowned slightly and was about to go out to investigate when she saw Lvliu returning from outside.

"Something has happened at Cining Palace! The Empress Dowager's most beloved cat named Wu Cang has somehow run away, and all the palace maids and eunuchs are helping to search for it right now."

"Should we tell Shushu?" Donggua stumbled, then stopped, wiping his sweat as he asked.

Green Willow shook her head: "Her Majesty has only recently rested, and this matter has nothing to do with us..."

Before they could finish speaking, a sharp meow came from outside the wall. The three of them turned around at the same time and saw a dark shadow flash across the glazed tiles on the wall.

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