Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 468 It's time to bring her back to the palace to prepare for childbirth.

Meng Shu raised her hand, her fingertips lightly touching the characters in the scriptures on the table, without directly responding to the Empress's words.

She said slowly, “When Your Majesty copies the Heart Sutra, every stroke has a set number. The beginning of the stroke must be concealed, and the ending stroke must be returned to the wrist. If a stroke is missing or a dot is added, it is not the true sutra.”

"General Shen and his son fought bloody battles on the northern frontier to protect the peace and stability of our vast land. Your Majesty, I draft this ceremonial register in strict accordance with palace rules to protect the peace and stability of the inner palace."

At this point, she bowed slightly and looked directly at the Empress: "If I may be so bold as to ask, in Your Majesty's opinion, which of these two forms of security is more important?"

The Empress was silent for a moment, then waved her hand and said, "Very well, let it be as you propose. I will discuss the matter of Consort Shen with the Emperor. I summoned you here today not to inquire about the rites."

As she spoke, she rose and walked to the soft couch under the window of the flower hall. "Please sit down, Consort Jin." She gestured for Meng Shu to sit down and then called out to Zhi Xue to serve tea and snacks.

After Zhixue served the tea, the Empress slowly lifted the lid and looked at the tea leaves floating on the surface, saying, "What I need to inquire about is the selection of the imperial physician to ensure Qu Jieyu's safe delivery. Which imperial physician does Consort Jin prefer?"

Physician Sun, over sixty years old, had submitted his resignation before the New Year, but the Emperor, mindful of his superb medical skills, allowed him to stay on as usual. Two days ago, Physician Sun's wife passed away, and the old man, overwhelmed with grief, formally submitted his resignation, awaiting the Emperor's approval before retiring to his hometown.

He has been taking care of Qu Jieyu during this pregnancy, so it is worth considering carefully before changing her caregiver.

"This matter concerns the safety of the imperial heir; we should petition the Empress for a decision."

Meng Shu gently deflected the conversation, speaking respectfully but not responding.

"I've been busy with the details of the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet lately, and haven't made up my mind yet. Does Your Majesty have a preferred imperial physician in mind?"

The Empress said, "His Majesty trusts you and has granted you permission to assist in managing the six palaces. Consort Jin should take this matter, which concerns the imperial heir, to heart."

Meng Shu picked up her teacup and replied slowly, "I am not knowledgeable in medicine. Perhaps I should ask Physician He to make a recommendation. Once a candidate is chosen, I will present the decision to His Majesty."

The Empress's open inquiry stemmed from her desire to ensure Cui Huan's safe pregnancy, but Meng Shu could not possibly follow her wishes and make the decision.

"...Very well, the medical skills of Physician Lu and Physician Cui are evident to all. Speaking of which, if Physician Jian were here, he would be the most suitable, given his experience in ensuring the safety of Consort Qi and Consort Jin's pregnancies."

Meng Shu didn't reply, but stared at the pattern on the teacup, lost in thought.

......

At this moment, in the Chunxi Palace.

Qu Jieyu was casually flipping through a collection of books in her study, the sound of the pages turning seemed particularly quiet in the hall.

Cuiping entered from the outer room, bowed her head, and whispered, "Your Majesty, the Empress summoned Consort Jin and stayed for a full half hour before Consort Jin returned to Lingcui Palace."

"Oh?" Qu Jieyu put down her book, got up and paced around the room, her plain skirt sweeping across the carpet on the floor.

This blanket was brand new, just replaced last month. Its pristine crimson velvet surface is woven with lotus scroll patterns, and it feels as soft as walking on clouds. Since she was diagnosed with pregnancy, most of the furnishings in Chunxi Palace have been changed according to the rank of a concubine.

Finally, the first house has some semblance of dignity.

"I suppose it's about the Mid-Autumn Festival palace banquet." Qu Jieyu suddenly stopped and turned to look at Cuiping, a hint of sarcasm on her lips. "Cuiping, what do you think about this palace banquet? Should I go and join in the fun?"

Cuiping hurriedly advised, "Although Your Majesty's pregnancy is more stable, there are many people and distractions at the palace banquet, and it involves all-night socializing. I think it would be best to avoid it to avoid harming the fetus."

Qu Jieyu chuckled softly, raised her hand to stroke her slightly protruding belly, her eyes filled with an indescribable complexity, "With Consort Jin presiding over the palace banquet, how could someone as meticulous as her let me easily encounter danger?"

These words sounded like a compliment, but the ending tone was slightly deep, as if hiding a thorn that hadn't been fully revealed.

"Has anything else happened in the palace these past two days?"

Cuiping lowered her eyes and replied, "Since Old Madam Han entered the palace a few days ago, and Miss Han delivered things to Shujing Palace, Consort Mu has acted out of character, taking the Second Princess to Funing Palace twice to meet the Emperor."

Consort Qu remained silent for a moment upon hearing this, her tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible envy: "Consort Mu and Consort Shen are on good terms. When the incident happened before, she refrained from pleading for her, all for this very moment."

She had never experienced such affection before.

Seeing that she didn't speak again, Cuiping continued, "There's something else. These past two days, the palace servants have been talking about it privately. They say that it's been seven or eight days since Old Madam Han returned to the capital, and there hasn't been a single sound from inside or outside the palace. It seems that Miss Han won't be entering the palace."

Qu Jieyu gently shook her head and didn't reply.

The following day, the Emperor approved Physician Sun's resignation and, based on Physician He's recommendation, appointed Physician Lu Zhen to take care of Consort Qu's pregnancy.

When Meng Shu led Lü Liu to Funing Palace, the Emperor had just changed into his everyday clothes and was preparing to travel to Lingcui Palace.

Upon seeing her approach, the Emperor's face softened, and he said gently, "Shu'er hasn't visited me for over a month. I had intended to go and talk to you."

Meng Shu curtsied from a few steps away, "Yesterday, I presented the Mid-Autumn Festival gift list to Her Majesty the Empress. I was thinking of showing it to His Majesty, so I sent it over."

As she spoke, Green Willow stepped forward and handed the booklet to Jingming with both hands.

Jingming took the document and presented it to the Emperor, but the Emperor did not open it. He simply placed it on the table and said, "You and the Empress can decide on matters concerning the inner palace."

He paused, then suddenly said, "Before the Mid-Autumn Festival, I have decided to personally go to the temporary palace to bring the Empress Dowager back to the palace for a reunion. This year's palace banquet needs to be more grand than in previous years, so I will trouble you, Shu'er, to take care of this matter."

Finally, as if suddenly remembering something, he added, "And there's Consort Chun. Counting the days, it's been quite a while since I've seen her. The temporary palace is rather simple, so we should bring her back to the palace to prepare for childbirth, where she can be taken better care of."

Upon hearing this, Meng Shu's heart skipped a beat, and her fingertips instinctively clenched her sleeves.

The Emperor had never hinted at this before.

These two events came suddenly, like undercurrents surging beneath a calm surface, leaving her momentarily speechless.