Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 535 Serving the Ill (3)

Consort Chun remained silent for a moment, and was about to take the medicine cup over when Meng Shu beat her to it and deftly took the cup away.

Before she could react, Meng Shu had already taken three steps in two to reach the phoenix couch and sat directly on the edge of it.

The Empress abruptly pulled her hand away from the brocade quilt, stunned for a moment, and a thin layer of anger immediately appeared on her face.

The next moment, a spoonful of pitch-black medicine was placed to her lips.

"Your Majesty, it's time to take the medicine according to Physician He's instructions."

Meng Shu uttered the same words as Xingyu.

Zhixue was terrified and rushed forward: "Your Highness Consort Jin, Her Majesty the Empress is questioning the Noble Consort. This medicine...this medicine is still too hot, there's no need to rush..."

Consort Chun took two quick steps, intending to replace Meng Shu, but was quietly stopped by Meng Zhu who was standing to the side.

She frowned, slapped Mengzhu's hand away, stepped forward, and faced the Empress directly, saying, "What exactly does Your Majesty want to ask? Baolian and I have indeed known each other since childhood, but since the Tang family moved to the capital, we haven't seen each other for many years."

Meng Shu gently blew on the medicine in the spoon, and seeing that the Empress's lips were slightly parted as if she wanted to speak, she took the opportunity to feed her the medicine.

The Empress was completely stunned.

The bitter taste of the medicine spread in her mouth, forcibly silencing the words she was about to utter.

"Consort Jin!" She forced down the medicine and said sternly, "How dare you! Was this how you served your master when you were a maid in the Tang household?"

"Your Majesty has misunderstood," Consort Chun's voice suddenly turned cold. "Shu'er never had to do these trivial things when she was in the Tang residence. Your Majesty should focus on taking your medicine first. Your complexion is really not good right now."

Meng Shu slowly said, "Doctor He said that Your Majesty's illness was caused by anger, and you should avoid getting angry and keep your mind at peace."

These words only added fuel to the fire! The Empress flew into a rage, abruptly raising her hand and violently knocking the medicine cup from her hand!

With a loud crash, the porcelain cup shattered, and thick, dark medicine splattered everywhere.

Mingyue reacted swiftly, stepping aside to block Consort Chun. Most of the medicine splattered onto Consort Chun's clothes, quickly spreading into a stain. Green Willow had already moved in front of Meng Shu, but when she sensed the danger and tried to step forward, Meng Shu blocked her with an elbow strike.

"They've rebelled! They've all rebelled!"

The Empress pointed at Meng Shu and Consort Jin, and roared furiously, "Guards! Consort Chun and Consort Jin have shown great disrespect to me and violated palace rules. Drag them out and make them kneel on the steps outside the hall! They are not to rise without my permission!"

Zhixue and Xingyu immediately stepped forward, but due to the imposing presence of Consort Chun and Mingyue's cold and piercing gaze, they froze in place, afraid to move.

"What are you all standing there for! Are you all going to defy me too?!"

Seeing the palace servants hesitate, the Empress's anger intensified, and she abruptly pointed at Consort Chun.

"The embezzlement case that's been making headlines in the capital right now—that Jiang family woman and you were close friends, with a deep bond! It must be you... it must be you who instructed her to falsify the accounts, intending to frame the Zhenbei Marquis's family!"

Upon hearing this, Meng Shu suddenly stood up and stood side by side with Consort Chun.

Her gaze was cold as she met the Empress's. "Your Majesty is mistaken. Whether the Marquis of Zhenbei's residence is involved in the corruption case in Yuzhou has been clearly ordered by His Majesty to be thoroughly investigated and tried by the Court of Judicial Review. The truth will be judged by the public. Your Majesty is now disregarding His Majesty's wishes and is eager to pin the blame on the Consort, even resorting to fabricated accusations. Could it be that you are trying to interfere with the investigation and exonerate the Marquis of Zhenbei?"

Consort Chun shielded Meng Shu behind her, saying, "Your Highness and I are here today to attend to your illness at Renming Palace by imperial decree. Consort Jin was merely fulfilling her duty as a concubine by serving you medicine; how could there be any offense?"

The Empress was so overwhelmed by the two women's refutations, which were both sharp and logical, that her blood boiled. In particular, Meng Shu's words, "interfering with the investigation" and "exonerating the Marquis of Zhenbei," pierced her heart like steel needles.

"You...you all...good, very good indeed!" She gasped for breath. "Eloquent and deceitful! Turning right into wrong! In this Renming Palace, my word is law! If I cannot subdue you today, I, the Empress..."

Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly started coughing violently. Zhixue and Xingyu rushed over to pat her back and help her catch her breath.

"My Empress is virtuous and kind in public, but it turns out she is so despicable in private."

A cold voice rang out from the outer room of the imperial bedchamber. The emperor, dressed in casual clothes, with a gloomy expression, strode into the inner flower hall.

His gaze was piercing, fixed on the disheveled empress lying on the bed. "If the Jiang family of Yuzhou is not at the beck and call of the Marquis of Zhenbei, then I would like to ask the empress: why are the tributes escorted by the Marquis of Zhenbei after his great victory in the capital circulating in pawnshops among the common people? Could it be that the tributes have become the private property of the Marquis of Zhenbei, which he can sell at will?"

Meng Shu was slightly surprised by these words. What tribute? Madam Yun hadn't mentioned it when she came last time.

When Consort Chun saw the Emperor arrive, she felt a sudden sense of relief and quickly pulled Meng Shu to curtsy together, saying, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."

The Emperor raised his hand and gently helped Consort Chun up, his gaze also sweeping over Meng Shu with concern. His tone softened slightly: "Get up, both of you."

He turned to Consort Chun and said meaningfully, "The Jiang family embezzled disaster relief funds, and the evidence is conclusive. It was precisely because Madam Jiang was righteous and made meritorious contributions by secretly reporting them that I ordered that only the ringleaders be executed, and that the rest of the Jiang family be spared. Madam Jiang is no less capable than men, no wonder you were on good terms with her in the past, Wan'er."

Upon hearing this, the Empress trembled violently. She struggled to get off the bed to pay her respects, but due to fear and weakness from her illness, she almost fell, and was quickly supported by Zhixue.

"Your Majesty...Your Majesty, please be wise! My father is utterly loyal to the court and to Your Majesty, as Heaven and Earth can attest! He...he would never commit such a corrupt act! There must be a tremendous secret behind this, or...or someone has meticulously framed him..."

"Your Majesty need not say any more."

The Emperor interrupted her, “I have already issued an edict summoning Marquis Zhenbei back to the capital. When he returns, I will give him the opportunity to refute his statement in court. For now, the Empress should rest and recuperate. I have already ordered Consort Yang and Consort Ye to stay at Renming Palace day and night to serve the Empress her medicine.”

The Empress was filled with bitterness and resentment. She watched helplessly as the Emperor and Meng Shu left the palace. A chilling feeling mixed with despair, resentment and fear spread from the bottom of her heart.

"It's over, everything is over. Father... how could it have come to this? How could he be so foolish!" She slumped onto the bed, her eyes bloodshot, muttering to herself in a daze.

The palace remained deathly silent for a long time. Finally, the Empress waved her hand to dismiss the palace servants. She forced her weak body to get out of bed and knelt down beside the footstool.

Then, with great effort, she reached out and carefully retrieved the earthenware jar from under the bed.

Only when she tightly embraced the pottery jar did the madness and despair on her face gradually fade, replaced by an almost morbid gentleness and obsession.

She gently stroked the jar, her voice barely audible: "Just wait...just a little longer. It doesn't matter if Doctor Chu is gone. As long as the ghost woman comes back...as long as the ghost woman can bring 'that' back..."

......

After exiting the Renming Palace gate,

The Emperor walked in the middle, with Meng Shu and Consort Chun on either side. Green Willow and the others were completely relieved and followed at a distance.

Green Willow glanced furtively at Mengzhu beside her, recalling Mengzhu's actions in the imperial bedchamber earlier, when she tried to stop Consort Chun. However, she felt no resentment at the moment. Ultimately, their desperate efforts were all for the sake of protecting their mistress. Mengzhu did so, and so did she. Especially when Meng Shu sat down beside the Empress's bed, her heart had practically leaped into her throat...

The group followed the imperial carriage slowly. The emperor was talking to Consort Chun when a gust of wind blew in his face. He turned to look at Meng Shu and carefully examined her face: "Shu'er, you don't look too well. Do you feel that something is wrong with you?"

Meng Shu lowered her eyes and said, "I feel inexplicably tired and my head is a little dizzy... but I think it's nothing serious and I'll be fine after resting for a while."

Upon hearing her words, the Emperor's heart sank. He immediately ordered Jingming, "Summon Physician He to Lingcui Palace to await orders!"

Upon hearing this, Consort Chun looked at Meng Shu nervously, her eyes filled with questioning and worry.

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A quick note: My main job is quite busy, especially as this book is nearing its end. I'm experiencing writer's block every day, so please bear with me! For my next book, I'll definitely save up 10 words before releasing it!!