Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 321 Tinea versicolor

Inside the Bilangxuan Pavilion, candlelight flickered. Meng Shu leaned against a soft pillow, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the peony embroidery on the brocade quilt.

Green Willow entered quietly, carrying a gilded bronze basin. She wrung out a warm handkerchief and carefully wiped the fine sweat from her forehead. After she finished, Green Willow lowered her voice and said, "Shu'er, did you notice anything unusual? I thought... His Majesty's actions just now were all deliberate."

Meng Shu's eyes flickered slightly, and a smile that seemed both mocking and sighing curved her lips: "Are you referring to him carrying me so ostentatiously through most of the palace, or...?"

She paused slightly, her gaze falling on the celadon bowl on the table, still containing traces of medicine. "Did you deliberately choose to feed me the Five-Juice Drink that Her Majesty sent when Mengzhu was here?"

Suddenly, the candle wick burst open, casting flickering light and shadows on Meng Shu and Lü Liu's faces.

Donggua carried a vermilion food box into the bedchamber. A light veil around her head swayed slightly with her movements. When Meng Shu saw that she was finally willing to wear the veil obediently, a smile finally appeared in her eyes.

"By the way, did Consort Qu contract hay fever like Winter Melon?"

Green Willow nodded first, then shook her head: "Doctor Sun diagnosed her with 'tinea versicolor,' which is much more severe than Winter Melon's symptoms. The red spots on Qu Cairen's cheeks and neck are shaped like flower petals, each about the size of a coin. She probably won't be able to show her face for a while." As she spoke, she unconsciously touched her neck.

"Where did you pass by on your way back from the Imperial Workshop yesterday? Besides Consort Qu, did you encounter anyone on the road?" Meng Shu frowned. She and Consort Chun had been walking around Yujin Lake for the past two days and had not noticed anything amiss.

"The Shanggong Bureau was temporarily located in the northwest corner of the palace," Green Willow recalled. "When Donggua and I took out bamboo materials and fish glue, we only encountered Qu Cairen and Ruixue by her side when we returned. Donggua also said that he didn't smell anything special."

Donggua had already arranged the congee and side dishes in the food box and interjected, "Because of what happened with Qu Cairen, I took a special trip to the lakeside and didn't find anything unusual."

She scooped a bowl of porridge and handed it to Meng Shu, saying, "I heard that Consort Qu has moved to a clean room to recuperate."

Green Willow looked somewhat fearful. "I wonder if we've been tricked. I thought things would be calmer once we arrived at the palace, but it seems we really have to be careful everywhere we go. Speaking of which, Consort Qu is quite pitiful. She's only recently gained the Emperor's favor. I heard from the palace servants that when the Emperor went to visit her, Consort Qu avoided seeing him."

Meng Shu took the bowl of porridge and gently stroked the rim with her fingertips: "She is a sensible person. If the Emperor really sees her like that, she will probably have no chance to be favored again even after she recovers."

The emperor's favor in the palace is most susceptible to the slightest flaw. If he were to actually see that red spot, the impression would be branded into his heart and would never fade.

Donggua sighed, wringing the handkerchief in her hands with worry, "The Xiefang Garden is full of flowers and plants. Shushu is currently ill; could Consort Chun also...?"

After finishing her porridge, Meng Shu said softly, "I have already instructed Aunt Mei and Mengzhu to keep a close eye on things. As long as we control their diet, there will be no problem."

She turned to Green Willow and said, “Go to Xiefang Garden again and tell them that all items presented to Xiefang Garden recently should be detained and handed over to the Imperial Physician for examination. Also, if I’m not mistaken, the Empress and the Empress Dowager will most likely summon the concubines to the palace again, so that Your Highness can be prepared.”

After speaking, Meng Shu seemed somewhat listless.

Green Willow quickly stepped forward to take the bowl of porridge and helped Meng Shu lie down again. "Doctor He repeatedly told me that your illness is caused by excessive worry. Now that you are still sick, you are worrying about these things again."

Seeing this, Donggua was filled with remorse and hurriedly said, "It's all my fault for being so talkative. Shushu, please rest. I'll be on night duty tonight. Call me if anything happens."

Meng Shu smacked her lips childishly and looked longingly at the winter melon: "The porridge was too bland just now. I want to eat winter melon dumplings made from winter melon."

After a long pause, Donggua replied with a wry smile, "...Okay, I'll do it first thing tomorrow morning."

Green Willow gave Winter Melon a few instructions and then left. Winter Melon got up and tucked the blanket around Meng Shu. This illness had been troubling her for a long time, and it was now already past midnight.

Meng Shu closed her eyes, then slowly opened them again after a moment. A wave of weariness washed over her, but she couldn't drift off to sleep.

Just as Donggua was about to extinguish the candle, she suddenly spoke up: "Donggua... let's leave two lamps burning tonight."

Her voice trembled slightly, without her even realizing it.

Under the quilt, she curled up into a ball. The sudden fear of the dark that followed the nightmare made her feel like a stranger to herself.

Back in Mengjiazhuang, I dared to venture alone into the dark, even to the cemetery on the back hill. Now, in this magnificent palace, I feel fear in the face of darkness.

She could even feel countless eyes watching her in the darkness, ready to pounce and devour her the moment the candle went out. This inexplicable fear was more suffocating than any real threat...

Winter Melon responded, then suddenly froze as he turned around.

She was somewhat incredulous, and her voice unconsciously became extremely soft: "Shushu, are you scared?"

In Donggua's mind, Meng Shu always appeared calm and composed. She had always thought Meng Shu was invincible, as if she could hold up the sky even if it collapsed.

But in the flickering candlelight, she caught a glimpse of a sense of unease she had never seen before in Meng Shu's eyes.

Donggua suddenly felt a pain in her chest. She was annoyed at herself for being tongue-tied. If Green Willow were here, she would surely be able to say something comforting.

She could only awkwardly move the palace lantern closer to the bed, allowing the warm yellow light to spread wider across the brocade quilt.

It seemed that this would put Meng Shu at ease a little more.

"Winter melon, give me a hug."

The soft call brought a lump to Donggua's throat. She quickly bent down and sat on the footstool, reaching out to gently pull Meng Shu into her arms.

Only then did she realize that Meng Shu's fingertips were terribly cold. Dong Gua subconsciously covered them with her own hand, and warmth seeped through her skin. She even unconsciously swayed her body, as if that would transfer more warmth to her.

......

Meng Shu fell ill and lay in bed for two days. After paying her respects to the Empress each day, Consort Chun would go directly to Bilangxuan to keep her company.

That day, as soon as Consort Chun stepped into the inner room, she said to Meng Shu, "Shu'er's prediction is correct. Her Majesty the Empress has just issued an imperial decree, summoning Consort Song and Imperial Concubine Pei to the temporary palace to serve Her Majesty tomorrow."

"Is Consort Song coming?" Meng Shu was startled upon hearing this and sat up, supporting herself.

Seeing her sudden change in expression, Consort Chun couldn't help but ask, "Consort Song is the Empress's person, what's wrong with her coming?"

A sharp glint flashed in Meng Shu's eyes as she explained, "If the Empress truly wanted Consort Song to come along, she would have taken her with her when she came to the temporary palace earlier. Besides, how could they possibly leave Consort Shen alone in the palace? Aren't they afraid of miscarrying this pregnancy?"

Before Consort Chun could react, Meng Shu had already thrown off the covers and stood up: "Your Majesty, go see the Emperor right now..." She hesitated for a moment, "Just say that you miss Cousin Yun and would like to invite her to stay at the Imperial Palace for a while."