Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 162 The Princess's Reward?

On the seventeenth day of the first lunar month, the family returns to their parents' home after three days.

At the beginning of the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), Jingming arrived early at Yunyi Palace with a whisk in his hand, followed by a palace maid who had been in palace attire for many years. Aunt Mei personally led him to a side hall to wait.

Hua Yan's four maids, who had accompanied her on her dowry, filed in one after another with toiletries and entered the bedchamber to serve her.

Winter Melon, along with Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter, were setting up breakfast in the outer room. Since the concubine had slept with the emperor the previous night, the breakfast was being delivered by maids from the Prince's kitchen.

The servants in the manor have their own set of survival skills. At any time, the stewards in the manor are the most informed. Judging from the prince's attitude towards his concubine these past few days, they are naturally much more attentive to the affairs of Yunyi Palace. Therefore, the kitchen not only sent breakfast to the servants, but it was also more abundant than the previous two days.

Unfortunately, no matter how good the kitchen's skills were, Donggua and the others, who came from the Tang family, were used to it. As Donggua served the dishes, he made his own judgments. In the end, he began to miss the small kitchen in Yunyi Courtyard.

There are no soft, fluffy pastries or dumplings here, no fresh bok choy delivered from the hot spring resort every morning, and no chestnut cakes made by the chef.

As Hua Yan helped the second young lady change her clothes and do her makeup, she immediately noticed the bluish-red bruises on the inside of the young lady's arm. Hua Yan felt sorry for her and made her movements even gentler, while secretly glancing at Prince Jin with a slightly unfriendly look.

Jingming looked at the main hall through a door. As soon as he entered the courtyard, Yunyi Hall had been cleaned inside and out. In addition, hot tea and two plates of snacks had been prepared for him in the side hall. The charcoal brazier at his feet had obviously been placed in the hall in advance to keep warm.

Looking at the maids serving him, who were neatly dressed and moved about quietly and methodically, he couldn't help but nod in satisfaction.

Turning around, she saw Aunt Mei offering her a purse under the guise of flattery, and she felt even more pleased. Although she had received a similarly generous reward from the Princess yesterday, she hadn't been so thoughtful.

Inside the bedchamber, Mengzhu helped Prince Jin wash and dress, while Ruizhu, her face flushed, made the bed. This old nanny from the Prince's residence was an old servant of Consort Hui. At this moment, she smiled and put a white silk handkerchief stained with blood in the middle into a carved rosewood box before taking her leave.

The layout of the bedroom has changed a lot. Mengzhu has been organizing the storeroom and dowry for the past few days, and has taken out the second young lady's frequently used items and put them in their proper places. Not only have the tea set, ornaments and screens been changed according to the young lady's preferences, but also a lot of calligraphy and paintings have been placed in various places. Among them, there are one or two pieces that have attracted the attention of Prince Jin.

Prince Jin observed everything carefully. While strolling leisurely in the palace, the Second Miss was still getting ready, attended by Hua Yanmingyue.

The main hall is made up of three interconnected main rooms. Prince Jin strolled to the central hall, walked around the screen to look at the chess game from last night, and turned his head to see the two chess manuals he had sent on the table. Looking at the center of the table, his eyes were unconsciously drawn to the writing on the Xuan paper.

The second young lady's calligraphy was greatly influenced by Tang Lin from a young age, and she is particularly skilled in running script, with graceful and smooth lines that are lively and unrestrained.

Prince Jin raised an eyebrow as he flipped through the book, finding the calligraphy style quite bold and unrestrained, a stark contrast to the way his concubine presented herself in public.

As he turned to the last page, a mixture of surprise and delight gradually appeared in his eyes.

The sixteen characters, “The wind and rain are dark, but the rooster crows incessantly. Now that I have seen my lord, how can I not be happy?” are written with continuous strokes and flowing lines, indicating that they were written very quickly, and unconsciously have the momentum of cursive script.

Upon hearing footsteps, the Prince of Jin returned the chess manual and the handwritten paper to their original places, untouched.

When they sat down to eat, the Prince of Jin's slightly probing gaze unconsciously lingered on his concubine's face.

When Hua Yan was doing her makeup, she noticed that the second young lady looked quite well, so she only applied a thin layer of rouge. The second young lady already had fair skin, and this made her look even more beautiful.

Just as Prince Jin was about to speak, Jingming led Gui, the wet nurse who served the princess, into the hall.

Granny Gui held a wooden box carved with red lacquer peony patterns in her hands. After bowing, she respectfully said:

"Greetings, Your Highness and Consort Zhen. Consort Zhen is returning to her parents' home today, and the Princess has specially sent her a century-old ginseng that the General's Mansion obtained from Bai Geng County on the banks of the Daling River."

The second young lady paused for a moment, then habitually exchanged a glance with Hua Yan before standing up.

"Thank you for your kindness, Granny. I am very grateful for the Princess's gift. I will definitely go to Ruyi Palace to express my gratitude in person after I return home."

Prince Jin, with his keen mind, observed the Second Miss's actions without making a sound.

"Your Highness is very kind. Although Bai Geng County is located in Liaodong, century-old ginseng is quite rare."

Prince Jin's voice was cold and clear, unlike his gentle and warm voice just now. Granny Gui had just arrived and did not notice that Prince Jin's expression seemed to become more serious when he mentioned Liaodong.

Granny Gui nodded slightly and said with a smile:

"There were two of these in the Princess's dowry. It would be a waste to leave them lying around, as they would diminish their medicinal properties. One of them has already been sent to Consort Hui's palace. The Princess said that Consort Zhen had contributed a milk tea recipe at the banquet last night, which showed her thoughtfulness. Therefore, this old servant was asked to deliver the remaining one to Consort Zhen."

After saying this, Granny Gui said no more. After finishing her errand, Aunt Mei saw her out.

Upon hearing this, the second young lady's face darkened, but she covered it up by picking up food.

"The steward presented the gift list yesterday, and the Prince's Mansion has prepared various gifts. I need to accompany the Princess back to the General's Mansion. I will personally go to the Tang Mansion to pick you up at the beginning of Shenshi (3-5 PM)."

The second young lady placed a piece of food on the prince's plate and said shyly, "This concubine thanks Your Highness for your kindness."

The Tang residence at this time.

From Yun Gui Yuan to Fu An Ju, preparations were underway everywhere. The Second Miss's return home on the third day after her wedding was a momentous occasion, and she would not be able to easily return to the mansion afterward. Therefore, the masters sent people to keep watch on the street in front of the mansion early in the morning, waiting for the Prince's carriage to appear before rushing back to report.

As the second young lady sat inside the carriage, Ruizhu couldn't help but say, "Miss, what does the Princess Consort mean by this? Why did she deliberately choose to send such a ridiculous reward when the Prince was here? Our Tang family business has businesses in Liaodong, after all."

Surrounded by her own people, Mengzhu no longer maintained a serious demeanor. "We've already sent Consort Hui our gifts, and the Prince has also sent us the chess manual. Why is she jumping out to accept this favor? The General's Mansion is always trying to pat herself on the back."

The second young lady was silent for a while, then said softly, "This is hardly a gift. It's just a ginseng root. Why bother to explain its origin so clearly?"

Ruizhu didn't understand, while Mengzhu looked at Huayan with a nervous expression.

Hua Yan shook her head and said in a deep voice, "This servant noticed that the prince's expression was solemn when he mentioned Liaodong, perhaps it involves the situation in Liaodong?"

Whether the princess has any deeper intentions is still unclear, but this incident should serve as a reminder for us to be more vigilant in the future. We cannot focus solely on the inner quarters; we must also address our shortcomings in dealing with external affairs.

The Jiang family is known for its bravery, producing many military generals in each generation. While their influence in the military may not be as great as that of the Lu family, it is likely more complex than it appears on the surface.

The Tang family is, after all, a merchant family. Although they are now considered half imperial merchants, they may not be able to know some secret information from the previous dynasty in a timely manner.

As long as Prince Jin still needs the Jiang family's support, the position of the Princess will not be replaced. Prince Jin has been lying low for too long, and his power is not yet fully developed. Now, even the slightest change in the court will indirectly affect the inner palace.

In short, the Tang family of Lin'an can barely be considered a rising star; compared to the accumulation of the Jiang family over several generations, they are simply not up to par.