Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 219 Whom Does He Have Feelings For?

Qing Zhifei gently helped him up and softly comforted him:

“Sister Xiu’er, there’s no need for this. The place of exile is bitter and cold. Since we’ve met, it’s fate. Besides, you are the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Rongxing. Although the Emperor granted a general amnesty and your father’s title was not restored, you still have your maternal family to rely on.”

Zou Xiuer knelt in the carriage, tears welling up in her eyes.

During the exile, just after entering the Northwest, my mother suddenly developed a high fever. When my maternal grandmother hurriedly asked someone to take the money, clothes and medicine she had sent from the capital, the guards forcibly took them away. As a result, before even reaching the Northwest mines, my mother became delirious due to the lack of timely medical treatment, and spent more than half of her time cursing Yun Jin's name.

However, the supervising officer and the constables, after reviewing the register, including those from the other branches of the Zou family, all knew that their mother's given name was Yun Jin. Therefore, apart from their grandmother, father, and brother, everyone believed that their mother had truly gone mad; otherwise, why would she curse them all day long...?

The mines were no place for humans. Except for my grandmother, who was too old to work, everyone else had to go into the mountains. But for some reason, my aunts and the few illegitimate children were not only not harassed by the officials on the way to exile, but were also assigned the easiest jobs when they arrived at the mines.

As a result, the father became more attentive to his concubines, and gradually began to resent his mother and her two siblings.

Thinking of this, Zou Xiuer's eyes turned venomous, and she unconsciously uttered the words "Aunt Yun" with hatred. The Tang family's business empire was widespread in the Northwest, and even with a general amnesty, the Zou family still could not return to the capital.

Upon seeing this, Qing Zhifei's eyes narrowed slightly, and she glanced at her personal maid, Tan Yun, out of the corner of her eye.

Tan Yun said softly, “Miss Zou, there is no need to worry. When I passed through Jinnan a couple of days ago, even the common people on the street knew that the Tang family is now a rising star in the capital. Not only was the head of the Tang family granted the title of Marquis of Lin’an, but the second young lady of the Tang family has also entered the palace as a concubine. Given your mother’s relationship, the Yun family and the Marquis’s family will surely take good care of you.”

"Hmph...you don't know, my aunt is the most ruthless. After the decree of general amnesty was issued, my father tried every means to prepare to return to the capital a month ago. He sold both of my aunts to raise enough money for the journey. But every time they got near Guangyang Prefecture, bandits would suddenly appear...After this happened five or six times, my father and mother had no choice but to give up the idea of ​​returning to the capital. If I hadn't disguised myself and run away, and hadn't been lucky enough to meet the Duke and Sister Qing in Guangyang Prefecture, I'm afraid..."

Zou Xiuer still feels lingering fear. The thought that her cousin, who used to be a merchant, has now married into the Prince of Jin's mansion and is now a concubine in the palace makes her unable to hide her jealousy.

Unbeknownst to the Zou family, after being sold, the two concubines and their children are now living a life of even greater wealth in Lin'an than they did in the Earl's mansion...

After hearing Zou Xiuer's words, Qing Zhifei's face was full of disapproval.

"How could this be? All the way from the Northwest, the people along the way have been grateful for the Tang family's kindness. How could Madam Yun be as wicked as Sister Xiu'er thinks, not thinking of bringing your family back to the capital, but instead obstructing and suppressing you at every turn?"

Zou Xiuer hurriedly defended herself: "Sister and Duke must not be deceived by the appearance of the Tang family. The Tang family has always used petty benefits to win people's hearts. Aunt's thoughts are even more hidden. She has been jealous of my mother's favor and marriage to the Earl's family since she was a child. Now that she has gained power, I don't know how arrogant she will become."

With the Duke reinstated and about to be welcomed back to the capital by the Emperor's personal guards, Zou Xiuer naturally wanted to seize the opportunity to befriend the Duke's third daughter.

"The Marquis of Lin'an has been promoted by the Emperor, which is indeed due to his merits to the country. Sister Xiu'er, you should be careful with your words."

Now that you're in the capital, the truth will become clear once you return to the Yun residence. As for your cousin, I'm quite interested in her; I wonder about this second young lady…”

Zou Xiuer suppressed her thoughts and, in order to please Qing Zhifei, tried her best to find out about her cousin's past.

"My cousin is very good at putting on a dignified and aloof demeanor in public. I remember at the poetry gathering hosted by the Princess last year, there was something quite intriguing. My cousin had a personal maidservant by her side, whose appearance and demeanor were..."

Qing Zhifei frowned. She knew very little about Consort Chun in the palace, having lived in the Northwest for more than ten years, but her intuition told her that Consort Chun would be her rival.

The motorcade slowly drove towards Yongxingfang, where Lady Chen, the Duchess, was discussing Zou Xiuer with the Duke.

"His Majesty granted a general amnesty, but did not restore Rongxing Earl's title. Fei'er is kind-hearted. Will taking in that girl from the Zou family in Guangyang Prefecture cause trouble?"

The Duke of Qingguo didn't take it to heart and said in a deep voice, "It's alright. The Zou family is among those granted amnesty, so His Majesty won't care about such trivial matters. On the contrary, His Majesty has taken good care of our Duke's family line over the past ten years or so; otherwise, I'm afraid Fei'er wouldn't have made it through."

"Both Consort Jiang and I are from Jiangzhou. It is truly a matter of time and fate. Who could have predicted that the Ninth Prince would one day ascend to that position, and that Consort Jiang would now be the Empress Dowager?"

Qing Guogong had his eyes closed to rest, but now he slowly opened them and earnestly instructed, "When Madam goes to the Empress Dowager's palace to express her gratitude tomorrow, please take Fei'er with you to pay your respects to the Empress Dowager."

Madam Chen nodded slightly, and after a while, she suddenly said with a sorrowful tone, "Back when we went to the palace banquet, Consort Jiang was extremely fond of Tong'er. If Tong'er were still alive..."

The Duke of Qing's joy at returning to the capital was somewhat dampened by the memory of his eldest daughter who had died young. Hearing his wife's murmurs over the same thing, a sense of unease suddenly arose in his heart.

The Ninth Prince had visited the residence many times and was quite familiar with the eldest daughter, Zhitong. However, the second daughter, Zhifei, had been recuperating at Biwu Courtyard for many years, so the two had not seen each other many times.

Was the Emperor's affection for his second daughter, Zhifei, over the past ten years truly for her, or was it out of consideration for his past acquaintance with Zhitong?

Only after disembarking from the carriage and stepping into the newly renovated Duke's mansion, and seeing the two newly transplanted paulownia trees in the Biwu Courtyard, did Duke Qing feel at ease.

......

After the ceremony of bestowing the title of imperial concubine at Hanyuan Hall ended, Mengzhu held the golden book and seal in her hands, while Ruizhu, Mingyue and Xia'er each held many rewards. They followed behind Consort Chun and Huayan back to Huining Hall.

Not long after, Consort Guo came to pay her respects to Consort Chun with gifts.

As if it had been planned, apart from Consort Song not coming, Consort Shen and Consort Qu followed Consort Guo to Huining Palace, and even Consort Wu, who came from the lowest social class, presented a gift.

Lady Wu was out of favor, and even her embroidery skills were subpar, so she couldn't offer anything valuable. The only gift she could give was rouge that she had made herself.

"Before I entered the palace, I learned to make this a few times from the older sister next door. A few days ago, I had nothing to do, so I picked some fresh pomegranate petals and made this pomegranate dessert. I hope that Your Highness will not find it offensive."

Shen Meiren had always been fond of rouge and similar items, and couldn't help but curiously step forward to examine them closely.

"Its color is like the morning glow, and its texture is as smooth as solidified cream. I never imagined that Lady Wu had such skill. It looks even better than what's sold at Rouge Pavilion," Lady Shen exclaimed in delight.

"If Sister Shen likes it, I have more. I'll send them to Qianying Pavilion tomorrow..."

Shen Meiren interrupted, "Why wait until tomorrow? We have nothing to do anyway, so I'll go back to Yulan Pavilion with you later. Speaking of which, this Pomegranate Delight was actually created by the eldest daughter of the Duke of Qing's mansion, and it was only after that that it spread."