Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 560 Let's move to Fengyi Palace

It was more than ten days later when the news of Consort Mu giving birth reached Lin'an, a thousand miles away.

"Consort Mu has safely given birth to a prince."

Inside the flower hall of the Tang residence, Tang Xian calmly handed the letter in his hand to Tang Lin, who was standing to the side, after reading it.

Tang Lin's expression turned slightly serious as he took the book with both hands and read it carefully.

This letter differed from the usual confidential correspondence; it was a personal letter from Madam Yun. Her elegant handwriting detailed recent developments in the capital, the most important being Consort Mu's childbirth and promotion to the rank of Imperial Concubine.

Upon reading the end of the letter, Tang Lin frowned slightly and looked up at his father: "Mother also mentioned in the letter that my fifth and sixth sisters should return to the capital ahead of schedule?"

"Your third sister has already fulfilled her filial duty by observing a year of mourning for our grandmother. She's not young anymore, and her wedding is set for the end of the year. They're all sisters, so they should spend more time together during this period. Also, although the wedding of Fifth Sister and the second son of the Earl of Wuxing's mansion is still some time away, preparations should begin. Sixth Sister is also of age, and it's time to start looking for a partner..."

Tang Xian picked up his teacup. "Your mother is very thoughtful."

Tang Lin nodded. "Then why don't we let Quan Di return to the capital ahead of schedule?"

"No need to rush."

Tang Xian waved his hand, a deep meaning flashing in his eyes, "Judging by the days... I should receive the Emperor's decree soon. At that time, I will personally lead them back to the capital."

Tang Lin was taken aback by these words. Back when the two prefectures of Yan and Yu suffered a severe drought, the Emperor hadn't summoned his father back to the capital. Now that the capital was peaceful, why was his father so certain of the Emperor's will?

"Father?"

Tang Xian had no intention of saying much. After pondering for a moment, he picked up his pen and wrote a secret letter.

"The Song family can barely be considered a military family, but they have no real foundation. Even if Consort Mu gives birth to a prince, he will hardly amount to anything in the short term..."

Upon hearing his son's words, Tang Xian paused slightly, glanced at him, and said calmly, "It is precisely because the Song family's foundation is not deep that the Emperor allowed Consort Mu to give birth safely."

"With a family background like Consort Shun's, it's likely she'll never have any children in her lifetime."

Tang Lin was stunned for a moment, still digesting the deeper meaning of these words, while Tang Xian had already sealed the secret letter he had written.

"—Zheng Shan."

Zheng Shan entered in response. Tang Xian handed him the secret letter and instructed in a low voice, "Disguise yourself and go to the northern frontier in person. Make sure to deliver this letter to Cheng Rui."

Zheng Shan bowed and accepted the gift, carefully putting it into his inner pocket: "Understood, subordinate."

“I remember Zhou Niangzi has a subordinate named Chen Lin who has some connection with Consort Jin.” Tang Xian tapped the table lightly with his fingertips. “A few years ago, Madam specifically released his indenture. Is he now working under Cheng Rui?”

Zheng Shan bowed his head and replied, "Yes, Master. Back then, Madam Zhou ordered Chen Lin to go to Yangzhou to protect Lord Zhou, and it was then that Madam released his indenture. Later, for some unknown reason, Chen Lin volunteered to be transferred to the Northern Frontier... After Consort Jin learned of this, she asked the eldest son-in-law to secretly take good care of him through the Noble Consort's influence. Over the years, Chen Lin has indeed made something of himself, repeatedly achieving military merits in the Northern Frontier. Last year, he even personally led a team to escort the two young generals of the Jiang family back to the capital for trial..."

He hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "Furthermore, Madam Zhou once mentioned something to me. That lad Chen Lin is quite handsome, and Madam Zhou's eldest disciple, Ming Wu, once fell in love with him, even traveling thousands of miles to the northern frontier to pursue him... Back then, Ming Wu discovered..."

Tang Xian frowned: "Why are you hesitating?"

"This matter involves the palace... Consort Shun." Zheng Shan lowered his voice: "Mingwu secretly discovered that Han Dadu's adopted daughter, now Consort Shun, once... had feelings for Chen Lin."

Upon hearing this, Tang Lin gasped and stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

Tang Xian also showed a hint of surprise: "Is this really true?"

Zheng Shan quickly explained, "This is what Madam Zhou said herself when we ambushed Marquis Zhenbei in the Taihang Mountains last year. It was precisely because she knew about this that Mingwu completely gave up on the idea."

Tang Xian was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "There has been no war in the northern frontier for the next ten years. It would be a pity to leave such a promising talent there. There are plenty of positions in the Palace Guard where he can gain experience."

Zheng Shan understood immediately and bowed as he withdrew.

......

Beijing.

On May 23, Consort Mu, Song Xi, gave birth to the fourth prince safely. The next day, she was promoted to the rank of Consort. The rewards allocated by the Shanggong Bureau in accordance with regulations were sent into Hanxiang Pavilion like a flowing stream.

After the ceremony of bestowing the title of imperial concubine, it was already June. The emperor issued an imperial decree in vermilion ink, ordering that on June 1st, the emperor would take the concubines of the harem to the Changchun Garden Palace for summer retreat.

This was the second time the emperor had moved to a temporary palace since his ascension to the throne, and the entire process was arranged by Meng Shu.

Empress Dowager Jiang not only went to escape the summer heat, but also set off from the capital a day earlier to visit Guangci Temple outside Longshou Canal to worship Buddha.

Perhaps due to her advancing age, Empress Dowager Jiang's tastes became increasingly refined. Because the vegetarian cuisine of Guangci Temple was renowned throughout the capital, she specifically ordered winter melon to accompany her. Not only did she want to sample the vegetarian food at the temple, but she also left the winter melon and two cooks in the temple's dining room, allowing the three of them to immerse themselves in learning vegetarian cooking techniques...

Getting back to the main point, the concubines accompanying the emperor this time included Consort Chun, Consort Meng, Consort Shun, Consort Qi, and Lady Yun. Consort Shen, as the birth mother of the second princess, was originally included in the list by Consort Meng, but Consort Shen declined, citing the need to take care of Consort Mu during her postpartum period.

Of the newly selected imperial concubines, only Consort Zhao was originally in the entourage, but the Emperor personally selected Consort Lin instead.

This is enough to show that Lin Wanqing has some tricks up her sleeve. Although she has not been able to serve the emperor due to bad luck, she has still left an impression on him. Otherwise, she would not have been able to come to the palace this time.

The carriage entered Shanglin Garden, and everyone was about to go to their respective palaces as usual when a minor disturbance broke out in front of Yingzhou Hall.

When Dong Ming, the head eunuch in charge of Meng Shu's palace, was reading out the list of residences, the Emperor suddenly spoke up: "Does Consort Chun reside in Yichun Palace?"

He looked up at Consort Chun and said gently, “This place is not suitable. You have the deepest affection for the Empress Dowager. Staying in Yichun Palace will only cause you grief. You should move to Fengyi Palace instead.”

Upon hearing this, everyone present fell silent.

The Phoenix Palace is the most solemn, built according to the standards for an empress from the very beginning, with every brick and tile reflecting the empress's majesty. Whether the Emperor's arrangement was intentional or arbitrary is unknown.

Even more subtly, as he said this, the Emperor's gaze subtly swept over Consort Shun.

Upon seeing this, Meng Shu frowned slightly.

The travel list and accommodations for each palace, along with the banquet schedule and summer retreat arrangements for the next few days, had already been submitted to the Emperor for review. If there were any issues, why was there no mention of them before? Why change the mind so suddenly in front of everyone?

Everyone else showed a look of surprise, and Consort Chun was completely stunned. Mengzhu, however, behind her couldn't hide her joy and quietly tapped her mistress on the back.

Consort Chun suddenly came to her senses, quickly curtsied and bowed her head: "Your Majesty's kindness is deeply appreciated by me. However, Fengyi Palace is governed by the rules of the Empress's Palace, and I would never dare to overstep them. Moreover, the Buddhist hall in Yichun Palace has not yet been removed. It is quiet and elegant, most suitable for Buddhist worship and practice, which is perfect for me."

Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed across the Emperor's eyes.

Although he did this intentionally, he clearly did not expect Consort Chun to refuse so readily.