Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 349 Summer Banquet

Meng Shu watched with great interest as Rong Meiren gracefully entered. As Rong Meiren bowed to her and Xie Jieyu, Meng Shu's eyes subtly glanced at Qu Cairen.

Qu Cairen, hidden behind the veil, hesitated for a moment, then slowly moved to the window and softly replied, "—Sister Rong is right."

When Rong Meiren saw Qu Cairen respond, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, but then she heard the other woman continue, "Sister Meng's Lingcui Palace is not only elegant in name, but also exquisite in its craftsmanship. Even the lowest-ranking palace maids who sweep the outer courtyard look more refined than those in other palaces."

Xie Jieyu's hand, which was originally holding the handkerchief, suddenly tightened unconsciously. Although she tried her best to maintain a calm expression, she was already filled with anger.

With her eyes sparkling, Rong Meiren knew perfectly well the meaning behind Qu Cairen's words.

She held a round fan to half-cover her red lips, and said with a coquettish smile, "If Sister Qu hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have noticed. Now that you've brought it up, I'll have to take a closer look when we get back."

Meng Shu smiled slightly, "Why go through all this trouble? If Consort Rong likes them, it would be a blessing for them to serve in Ganlu Palace. It's much better than them doing menial cleaning and sweeping in my palace."

Xie Jieyu opened her mouth as if to explain, but then realized that whatever she said would be tantamount to slapping herself in the face. So she quickly changed the subject: "Sister Rong is indeed from a wealthy family; even the housewarming gifts she sent are so valuable."

The Guanyin statue held by Lian Qiao, the maid behind Rong Meiren, was flawless and smooth, and seemed to have a shimmering halo under the sunlight.

"After much thought, I believe that only this white jade Guanyin statue is worthy of someone as virtuous as Sister Meng."

Rong Meiren stepped aside, allowing Lian Qiao to present the jade statue to Meng Shu, and earnestly said, "Sister Meng has lived in Lin'an for many years, and this jade statue was once enshrined in Ci'en Temple in Lin'an. It is the most efficacious."

Meng Shu gestured for Green Willow to take it, and said gently, "You're so kind, Consort Rong."

Seeing that the Cuiyu Hall was still being set up, Xie Jieyu and the other two could not stay any longer. They briefly mentioned the refreshing banquet that evening and then got up to take their leave.

As soon as they stepped out of the palace gate, they ran into Jingming leading two groups of palace servants carrying various imperial gifts as they filed in.

Consort Xie stopped and gazed at her, saying enviously, "Consort Meng is truly favored. Speaking of which, isn't this Lingcui Palace the palace where the favored concubine of the previous dynasty once lived?"

Rong Meiren scoffed lightly and walked towards Ganlu Palace on her own.

Qu Cairen said, "Sister Xie and Consort Meng are of the same rank. Before the Emperor left, he kept Sister Xie to assist in managing the harem. I think the Emperor will reward Sister Xie handsomely at the summer banquet tonight."

Consort Xie lived in Chunxi Palace with Consort Qu. Consort Qu had previously comforted her with kind words. Consort Qu had no family background and her appearance was only above average. Consort Xie originally regarded her as her subordinate.

Unexpectedly, the Emperor for some reason specifically requested that Consort Qu serve him, and now Consort Qu is eagerly trying to please Consort Meng, which makes Consort Xie feel very uncomfortable.

Thinking of this, she said coldly, "Sister Qu has not only climbed up a high branch, but has also learned to be charming and pleasing to all sides. It's a pity that your face is so unfortunate; you only received favor once before getting pity. You are truly an unlucky person."

The light veil fluttered slightly, and Consort Qu still spoke softly: "Sister is right. I am plain and unsophisticated. My uncle sent me to the palace to take care of my cousin. But you are different, sister. Your family background and appearance are both excellent, so you naturally have the Emperor's favor."

Seeing that Xie Jieyu's expression had softened slightly, Qu Cai Ren continued, "But Sister shouldn't have arranged for such conspicuous palace maids to enter Lingcui Palace. Low-ranking palace maids should be unremarkable, but Sister arranged for them to be so eye-catching... Even if I didn't point it out, what kind of person is Meng Jieyu? How could she not see through it?"

Qu Cairen is intelligent and perceptive, good at reading people's expressions. Dealing with someone as arrogant as Xie Jieyu was not difficult for him. He calmed her down with just a few words.

Back at Chunxi Palace, Xie Jieyu was no longer angry, and even had Qingyin, who was by her side, deliver a pair of earrings to her.

Qu Cairen accepted the gift with a smile and naturally said a lot of flattering words. Qingyin was very satisfied with what she heard and then went back to report.

After Qingyin left, Ruixue finally felt relieved and couldn't help but say, "Your Highness really frightened me in Cuiyu Hall just now."

Qu Cairen gently lifted the veil, revealing her face as smooth as ever, without a trace of any imperfection.

"If you want to befriend Consort Meng, you can't do it without putting in some effort. It's just a matter of saying a few words when the opportunity arises. What's there to be afraid of?"

Ruixue admired her mistress the most. Seeing her mistress so at ease, she sighed, "With your poetic talent and appearance, you will surely catch the Emperor's eye sooner or later. It's just a pity that your master's official position is not high. It makes me feel sorry for you to be so careful in the palace."

"Now that Your Majesty's face is all better, I will certainly dress you up carefully for tonight's summer banquet..."

Qu Cairen, sitting in front of her dressing table, interrupted Ruixue: "Bring me the rouge I made a few days ago. My face will take another half a month to heal."

After a moment, Qu Cai Ren carefully applied a red mark to her cheek and slowly said, "His Majesty has just returned to the palace, and countless eyes are watching. I was only able to accompany him because of my uncle's influence, how could I dare to compete with powerful families like the Xie and Li clans?"

The bronze mirror reflected her deep eyes. "Besides, as long as my face isn't fully healed, the Emperor will remember... It won't be too late to seek an opportunity to serve him in bed after these few days."

......

Linde Hall.

The "Cooling-Off Banquet" is, as the name suggests, a banquet held to welcome the emperor back home, bringing with it the coolness of the day.

The banquet was hosted and organized by Consort Xie. This was the first time she had gained favor with the Emperor, so she arrived early to carefully review the details and procedures.

She wore her hair in a snake-shaped bun, a red-gold pomegranate-patterned skirt, and a gold filigree bee and butterfly hairpin. She was lightly made up, and her makeup was very fresh and beautiful.

Meng Shu arrived at the perfect time, and as soon as she entered the hall, she saw Consort Chun waving at her. The Empress had not yet arrived, so Consort Chun held the highest rank.

Consort Guo still requested leave and did not come. Ever since she was schemed against by the Empress before the New Year, she has become more and more cautious. Since becoming pregnant, she has not dared to step out of Dieqiong Pavilion, for fear of any mishap.

Upon seeing Meng Shu enter the hall, Consort Rong and other lower-ranking concubines rose to greet her.

Meng Shu nodded slightly in response to the courtesy, and when she looked up, she was somewhat surprised to see that Consort Shen had actually come.

"Shu'er, I think Consort Shen's expression is a bit off. You should stay away from her." After Meng Shu sat down next to her, Consort Chun leaned closer and whispered a reminder.

Meng Shu nodded slightly, but before she could speak, she heard the eunuch announce "Yes, Your Majesty!" with a loud voice. Accompanied by melodious music, the Emperor and Empress entered the hall together, and Meng Shu and Consort Chun quickly rose to pay their respects.

"I am very pleased to see that everything in the inner palace is going smoothly during this trip away from the palace to escape the summer heat. Consort Xie has lived up to my expectations and made great efforts in preparing this banquet. All of you who stayed behind in the inner palace have also worked tirelessly day and night. You deserve to be commended!"

Jingming unfolded the yellow silk and loudly announced the list of rewards.

Consort Xie received a coral and pearl headdress and a box of lustrous pearls. Perhaps due to the influence of the Li family, Consort Rong also received a jade and white jade ruyi scepter, and the other concubines who remained in the palace each received a piece of jewelry.

The Empress smiled faintly, raised her cup, and said, "His Majesty is considerate of the six palaces and my sisters who have worked hard to stay behind. Thank you, sisters, for assisting in the palace affairs. You are diligent day and night and are truly exemplary."

Upon seeing this, all the concubines rose and picked up their wine cups. Consort Xie's face lit up with joy, and she humbly said, "This is merely my duty, and I do not deserve Your Majesty's praise."

The Empress lowered her phoenix eyes slightly, her face revealing no emotion.

As the banquet reached its midpoint, the jade chimes rang three times, and a group of dancers gracefully emerged from the side of the hall, their snow-white wide sleeves billowing in the wind like a thousand piles of snow waves.

While chatting with Consort Chun, Meng Shu kept an eye on Consort Shen out of the corner of her eye. Consort Shen was now more than three months pregnant, and the pregnancy should have been stable, but her complexion was not as good as it was two months ago.

Consort Chun asked in surprise, "I was wondering why someone seemed to be missing. Why didn't Consort Qu come?"

As soon as Consort Chun finished speaking, a crisp sound of a plate falling to the ground was heard, followed by an abrupt halt to the music.

Sitting opposite her, Consort Shen looked pained. Seeing this, Consort Song hurriedly got up to help her...