Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 273 The palace is about to get lively.

Although they had only known each other for a few months, Empress Dowager Zhou had shown great care for Consort Chun, and their relationship was quite close. However, on the fifth day of the month, Empress Dowager Zhou did not allow Consort Chun to see her off.

Only Hua Yan, along with Aunt Mei and Meng Zhu, delivered the gifts prepared by Consort Chun to Shou Kang Palace, and entrusted Granny Kong Lian to deliver them to Shanglin Garden for safekeeping.

On this day, a gentle breeze was blowing, and the Emperor specially suspended court for a day to show his filial piety, and personally escorted Empress Dowager Zhou to Shanglin Garden.

Inside the palace, Empress Dowager Jiang spoke while supporting Empress Dowager Zhou's arm, her words filled with reluctance.

In Hua Yan's opinion, there might be some genuine affection involved. After all, Empress Dowager Jiang entered the palace as a maid and rose through the ranks from a low-ranking concubine to the noble Consort Hui. Empress Dowager Zhou had always taken good care of her and her son. Otherwise, under the influence of Consort Shu and Consort Min, how could the Ninth Prince have grown up peacefully in the harem?

This favor must be appreciated, but that doesn't preclude making this choice when one's own interests are involved.

Human nature is so cold and indifferent.

Hua Yan only glanced at it for a moment before turning her head away and quietly leaving the main hall. Just then, Consort Mei and Consort Guo arrived together, with maids behind them carrying several brocade boxes.

Consort Mei walked up to Hua Yan and stopped. She looked around, as if searching for Consort Chun.

"Consort Meng, the Empress Dowager is leaving the palace today. Why didn't Consort Chun come to see her off?"

Hua Yan smiled slightly and bowed to Consort Mei and Consort Guo. Consort Guo, who was behind Consort Mei, slightly turned her body to avoid Hua Yan's bow.

"Her Highness Consort Chun has been busy with the imperial selection recently. Yesterday, she caught a cold when she returned from Linde Palace, and specially ordered me to bring her gifts."

"That's a bit of a shame..."

Guo Xiurong stepped forward and announced, "Her Majesty the Empress and Consort Jieyu have arrived."

Consort Mei glanced at the Empress and Consort Song approaching together, gave a swaying bow, and then entered the main hall on her own.

Guo Xiurong lagged behind, unconsciously reaching for the coral beaded necklace on her chest, and casting a grateful glance at Hua Yan. Hua Yan nodded slightly, and together with Guo Xiurong, turned to bow to the Empress.

"Sister Xiu Rong has arrived as well; I am indeed late."

After learning the reason why Consort Chun did not come, the Empress said to Hua Yan, "Consort Chun has been working hard these days. After seeing her off with the Empress Dowager, Consort Meng and I will go to Huining Palace to visit her."

Hua Yan curtsied and said, "On behalf of Consort Chun, I thank Your Majesty the Empress for your concern. I have already summoned the imperial physician, so I don't want to pass on my illness to you ladies."

The Empress smiled and said it was alright, then led the palace servants behind her into the main hall.

The Empress Dowager's entourage was already waiting outside the palace gates. About half an hour later, Empress Dowager Zhou, supported by Rongxiu, walked out of the main hall, and the Empress and the others knelt down to bid farewell before the steps.

Empress Dowager Zhou stood on the high steps, her robes fluttering in the wind. Her gaze swept over the people prostrate on the ground, and her voice sounded like the tolling of an ancient temple bell.

"My departure from the palace is not only to cultivate a pure heart, but also to pray for blessings and accumulate merit for the world and the harem. If you can behave yourselves and cultivate your virtues, that will be the greatest filial piety you can show to me."

Buddhist scriptures speak of cause and effect, reincarnation, but in this palace, cause and effect are always immediate. After I leave the palace, you must all maintain good intentions, uphold the rules, and maintain proper hierarchy. If you can understand my good intentions, it will be a blessing for the harem.

These words were quite meaningful, and Empress Dowager Jiang was slightly surprised, but her gaze was fixed on Consort Mei and the Empress.

"Your subject will humbly follow the teachings of Your Majesty the Empress Dowager."

Empress Dowager Zhou walked past the concubines, boarded the palanquin, and was escorted by guards from Shou Kang Palace to the front of Taiji Palace, where the Emperor would greet her. Afterwards, she would pass through Chengtian Gate to cross the Imperial City, and finally through Zhuque Gate to go to Shanglin Garden.

Empress Dowager Jiang and the other concubines rose and waved to summon Chen, the old nanny standing nearby. She said to Consort Guo, "Consort Guo is six months pregnant. From now on, you should focus on ensuring a safe pregnancy. Chen, please take her back to Dieqiong Pavilion to rest."

Guo Xiurong bowed and thanked her, then left with the help of Granny Chen.

The Empress, accompanied by her entourage, escorted Empress Dowager Jiang back to Cining Palace. Empress Dowager Jiang then spoke, saying she would discuss the imperial selection in two days with the Empress, and thus kept her in the palace. Hua Yan and the others bowed and took their leave.

Huining Hall.

Consort Chun had indeed caught a cold. When Hua Yan returned, she had just taken her medicine and was resting. Aunt Mei said with concern, "Your Highness has worked so hard. She has had trouble sleeping these past two nights because of the Empress Dowager's affairs. Let her rest a little longer."

"Aunt is right, we'll be busy for the next couple of days. Has Madam sent any news?"

“Yesterday, the First Madam of the Yun family sent a letter, sending a lot of things to the palace.”

It was obvious without asking that it was for the general election. To be precise, the one participating in the selection of imperial concubines was not the eldest daughter of the Yun family, but the granddaughter of the third daughter of the Yun family.

After the passing of the late Minister Yun and his wife, the four branches of the Yun family separated. The eldest branch, Yun Qian (Madam Yun's eldest uncle, now the Minister of Revenue), and the fourth branch (Consort Chun's maternal grandfather) remained in the capital. The fourth branch was Madam Yun's father, who was originally a seventh-rank official in the Ministry of Revenue's granary department, but was dismissed from office for making a mistake in his early years.

The second branch of the family was skilled in business. After the family split up, they left the capital and went to the southwestern border. Madam Yun had previously sent people to the southwest to inquire about the Jiang family, mostly relying on the foundation of the second branch.

The third son was a proper Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) who took up his post with his family. However, he wasted more than 20 years and is now only the prefect of Chuzhou. His children have also accomplished nothing. He has only one granddaughter named Yunyao, who is seventeen years old and is said to be very beautiful. Therefore, she has the idea of ​​being selected for the imperial concubine selection.

When Hua Yan saw Yun Yao's name on the list of imperial concubines, she wondered if the emperor might keep her out of consideration for Consort Chun.

"What should Your Majesty do?"

Aunt Mei replied, "Her Majesty sent someone back and conveyed a message to the First Madam, saying that whether or not one can enter the palace depends entirely on one's fate, and if one does enter the palace, she will take care of them."

Hua Yan smiled and nodded, "That's indeed something Consort Chun would do."

Aunt Mei smiled as well, and after a while, hesitated and said, "The Marquis has been summoned to Shu Prefecture after the New Year to handle official business. The Madam is not only busy taking over the business affairs, but also has many social engagements with various families after the New Year. I heard that the eldest daughter of the family in Lin'an... has caused quite a stir..."

Hua Yan frowned: "What happened? Isn't the eldest aunt's daughter already married?"

"It's all because the eldest aunt is incompetent."

Aunt Mei pulled Hua Yan to the side hall to gossip. She sighed and said, "You know that the eldest son-in-law used to work as an official in the Lin'an Prefectural Government. A few years ago, the old lady sent a few nannies to support the eldest daughter-in-law in the backyard. The eldest son-in-law behaved himself for a while, and the eldest daughter-in-law mistakenly thought that he had reformed."

Afterwards, the head of the family was granted the title of Marquis of Lin'an, and the second young lady entered the palace as a concubine. The eldest son-in-law became even more attentive, and after many years of hard work, he was promoted to the rank of Military Advisor, an eighth-grade official.

"At the eighth rank, you barely qualify to participate in the talent show," Hua Yan sneered.

"That's right. I don't know what tricks the eldest son-in-law used, but the eldest aunt not only registered the daughter born to her concubine under her own name, but also insisted on sending her to the capital to participate in the imperial concubine selection."

In her fury, the old lady berated her eldest daughter-in-law severely, wrote a letter and sent it to the capital, instructing the head of the household to use his connections to find a pretext to dismiss the eldest son-in-law from his post. She initially intended to let the eldest daughter-in-law divorce and return home, but feared that such a matter would damage the Empress's reputation... What a farce!

These two aunts are truly a handful. Luckily, the second son-in-law doesn't hold any official position, otherwise, the second aunt would be even more troublesome than the eldest aunt. It's also fortunate that the old lady returned to Lin'an; otherwise, if the eldest aunt had brought a large entourage to the capital, who knows what kind of ridiculous situation would have arisen.

The people present sighed after hearing Aunt Mei's gossip.

Hua Yan took out a thin booklet from her sleeve, and when she opened it, she found a list of dozens of women waiting to be selected again.

Hua Yan stared at the list, "I wonder how many of these people are doing this willingly, and how many are carrying the expectations of their parents and brothers."

Aunt Mei, Mengzhu, and Lvliu leaned closer to take a closer look and saw that Huayan had circled and marked many things on the list.

Ruizhu couldn't help but ask, "The second selection isn't until two days later. Does Your Excellency already know who will be able to enter the palace?"

Aunt Mei glanced at the list briefly, filled with admiration. "Did the beauty make a preliminary judgment on the family backgrounds and in-law connections of the concubines in the harem?"

Hua Yan shook her head and said, "Although the Emperor and Empress Dowager's considerations are mainly focused on balancing the power in the harem, I guess this time, girls from aristocratic families will occupy a few spots."

The intricate entanglements between the imperial court and the harem have led the Emperor to send the Duke of Qing to Jiangzhou before the new year, presumably to curb the power of aristocratic families. After the new year, he also intends to suppress the influence of meritorious nobles by abolishing the recommendation system. While meritorious nobles have served as officials for generations and are currently not a problem, the powerful and entrenched families are well-established and can be appeased through the imperial concubine selection process.

Of course, this is just Hua Yan's speculation, and we will have to wait two days to see the official list to verify the truth.

Green Willow murmured to herself, "The palace is about to get lively."

"Your Majesty manages the six palaces, and there are many things to consider. Although the final selected ladies-in-waiting will officially enter the palace in early May, some arrangements need to be made in advance. These range from the selection of tutors and the choice and placement of palace rooms to the arrangement of the entrance banquet and the allocation of palace maids and eunuchs."

This involves various factions, requiring one to understand the thoughts of the Emperor and Empress Dowager, while also taking into account the necessary changes on the Empress's side.

Furthermore, given Her Majesty's high position, the gift for our first meeting must be prepared in advance. It cannot be too expensive, nor can it be beneath her dignity, and most importantly, it cannot give anyone the opportunity to tamper with it...

Hua Yan turned to the last two pages of the booklet and explained everything in detail.