Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 232 Nine Heavens Jade Pendant and Autumn Landscape Painting

Hua Yan explained to Consort Chun, "There are no clues yet. Fortunately, we are in the open, so it's fine to keep an eye on things for now."

After saying that, he pondered for a while and then turned to Mingyue and instructed her: "Dong'er was bought by the steward of the Prince's Mansion from the people who fled from Jinzhou. Consort Guo and her personal maid are also from Jinzhou. We might as well start from there and see if Dong'er will intentionally get close to the people of Dieqiong Pavilion. Mingyue, you keep a close eye on her."

This is the first time the Empress has contacted Dong'er since the viper incident.

Consort Chun pondered Hua Yan's words and suddenly realized, "Could it be that you are worried... that the Empress might use Dong'er to murder Consort Guo, and then implicate us?"

"It's just a bold assumption. Since Dong'er was assigned to serve in the side hall, she can't easily get close to the Empress's bedchamber. Even if she wanted to frame someone, she wouldn't be able to do it for a while. Besides, the Empress might as well assign Chun Tao to Dieqiong Pavilion. Consort Guo is quite shrewd, and I have been planning to place one or two people there myself."

Consort Chun calmed down. "It's good that you're here, otherwise it would really make people panic. If it were up to my nature, I would have found an excuse to send Dong'er away far away long ago. But that would be a bad idea. It's better to keep an eye on her and make a plan before taking action."

Mengzhu carried the chessboard into the inner room, followed closely by Ruizhu carrying two boxes of chess pieces in her hands.

Consort Chun's eyes lit up instantly. In her leisurely days, she couldn't help but seek out Hua Yan to play a few games of chess to relieve her boredom.

Once the chessboard was laid out, Hua Yan, holding the white pieces, casually asked Meng Zhu as she made her move, "Have the people from the Imperial Kitchen left yet?"

Opposite the daybed was a row of display cabinets. Mengzhu took out a Boshan incense burner from one of them and placed it on the upturned table, preparing to burn incense. Upon hearing this, she replied, "They've all left just now. Aunt Mei is discussing with Donggua the need for some pastries from the kitchen."

"We are still in mourning, so we shouldn't hold a small banquet. The Empress Dowager and the Emperor have both sent word that it would be fine to have a lively celebration at Huining Palace that day." Consort Chun was completely focused on her game of chess with Hua Yan, and she dared not slack off in the slightest.

The late emperor passed away at the end of August, and according to custom, the palace was required to observe a hundred days of mourning, during which no banquets or feasts were allowed. It was a pity that Consort Chun, being in the palace, couldn't even sneak a sip of the chrysanthemum wine for the Double Ninth Festival.

Ruizhu said in a clear voice, "His Majesty cherishes the Empress dearly. We wonder what gift he will bestow upon her the day after tomorrow. We servants are eagerly anticipating it."

Consort Chun's lips twitched slightly. She first took one of Hua Yan's white pieces. Thinking of the hot spring estate that the Emperor had recently bestowed upon the Duke's mansion, she had lost a few pieces with a sense of anticipation.

"No matter what the reward is, it's never as heartfelt as my older brother's."

Hua Yan smiled gently. The Tang family was wealthy and powerful, and the second young lady had grown up in a life of luxury. Apart from the Kunfeng pendant, she would not be fooled by ordinary congratulatory gifts. Even the inkstone that the emperor had bestowed upon her earlier was not one of many similar items in the second young lady's storeroom.

Hua Yan asked Rui Zhu, "What did the young master give you just now?"

Ruizhu chuckled, and seeing that his master did not stop him, he produced a guqin from somewhere.

Hua Yan, forgetting her chess game, stepped forward to examine the instrument closely. The instrument was robust in form, with a paulownia wood top and a cedar wood bottom. It was lacquered in purple throughout, with a rounded head and a double-arched waist that tapered inwards. The sound chamber inside the instrument was slightly raised, and the bottom was recessed into a rounded groove, which was the method of making Lei's qin.

Turning the zither over, one indeed found an inscription in regular script, about an inch long, on the left side of the body: "Made in the third year of the Gui Chou year of the Kaiyuan era." Above the soundhole were the four characters in seal script: "Nine Heavens Jade Pendant." Counting back two surnames, it was indeed a genuine ancient zither. Borrowing the name of the famous Tang Dynasty zither, "Nine Heavens Jade Pendant," Hua Yan exclaimed repeatedly, "Young Master has truly put in a lot of effort."

Back in Lin'an, Mr. Lin taught the second young lady to play the qin (a seven-stringed zither). He often said that the qin made by the Lei family were solid and heavy, with a warm, strong, and powerful sound. Hua Yan was influenced by this and also read a lot of books such as "The Book of Music" and "Essentials of the Qin Garden".

However, she only knows how to appreciate it; she can't actually play the piano.

Consort Chun curled her lips into a smile. "The Nine Heavens Jade Pendant, as recorded in the Record of Zithers, was made by the Lei family during the Kaiyuan era and can be considered the foremost of the famous zithers passed down through generations."

Hua Yan couldn't help but feel a little worried for the Emperor. Consort Chun let Hua Yan enjoy the music for a while, and then instructed Meng Zhu, "It is not appropriate to play music now. Seal it away in the storeroom for now, and test the music after the mourning period is over."

In the Funing Palace, the Emperor was unusually lost in thought.

Jingming shook the whisk in his hand. It was truly a stroke of luck that the loose thread had landed in the eye of the needle.

On the imperial desk was also a zither, which the emperor had specially ordered craftsmen to make a month ago. It was made of paulownia wood, which was obtained when the paulownia trees were moved from Changchun Garden. The craftsmen's office worked day and night to finish the task, and it was only presented to Funing Palace today.

"Keep it in your private coffers."

The Emperor's cold voice rang out, and Jingming's whisk trembled again as he bowed his head in response.

Jingming had served the Ninth Prince in the palace since childhood, watching his master navigate the complexities of court life and the relationships between the princes. Because Consort Jiang was of low rank and little favored, his master was often looked down upon by the princes above him. Only when he accompanied his master out of the palace to the Duke of Qing's mansion did he find solace in the presence of the eldest daughter, who was beautiful and intelligent, and the third daughter, who, though sickly, possessed considerable talent. The two sisters, along with the second son of the Duke's mansion, often sat around the stove with their master, discussing the past and present, their words seemingly offering comfort and encouragement.

It was only then that Jingming first felt a little bit of sincerity from his master.

Although Jingming doesn't have a clear view of Consort Chun now, as time goes by, even if the Emperor's actions are mostly deliberate and driven by imperial cunning, he can sense that the Emperor's feelings for Consort Chun are not entirely genuine. At least compared to the Empress, this genuine feeling is real.

It's a pity that this congratulatory gift has been left to gather dust; I'm afraid even Consort Chun will never know the heartfelt intentions her mistress once had.

Jingming was about to step out of Funing Palace with his zither in hand when he suddenly heard the Emperor say, "Take a painting of an autumn mountain scene and send it to Huining Palace the day after tomorrow."

The Emperor has a particular fondness for the somber beauty of autumn, and he always paints several of them every year. Jingming bowed and stopped, and asked as if possessed, "This servant will fetch the one you painted when you traveled to Lin'an?"

"I see that you have made great progress."

Jingming's fingertips, which were holding the zither, felt slightly cold, and he almost dropped it. He hurriedly knelt on the ground and begged for forgiveness: "This servant has spoken too much. Please punish me, Your Majesty."

Consort Chun was unaware that Tang Lin's gift coincided with the Emperor's wishes. She was engrossed in a game of chess with Hua Yan and had already won two games in a row.

Seeing that Hua Yan was distracted, after the game was over, Consort Chun ordered Meng Zhu to remove the chessboard. "It's getting late. Go and rest in the side hall. Aunt Mei will find an excuse to send Green Willow over later."

Hua Yan rose to express her gratitude without refusing, especially since she had been preparing congratulatory gifts for Consort Chun these past few days. She then bowed and left the bedchamber.

After returning to the side hall, Hua Yan dismissed Xia'er and Dong'er, who served her. About an incense stick's time later, Mingyue arrived with Lvliu.

Green Willow, keeping her head down and fearing that Flower Face would blame her, spoke first: "You sent me to Jinnan back then, which was a great kindness. This time I am determined to come, and you can't drive me away even if you try."

Mingyue, ever thoughtful, stood guard outside the door, giving the two sisters a chance to talk.

Hua Yan led Lü Liu into the inner room, deliberately putting on a stern face and saying, "When did you become such a stubborn girl? What good place is this palace? If I had known this would happen, I would have told Madam Yun to send you to the Northwest to keep the eldest young lady company."

The two chatted back and forth, as if they had returned to the days when they were lowly maids in Langya Courtyard in Lin'an. Hua Yan raised her eyes and looked closely. She saw that there were no traces of her time in Lin'an on Lü Liu. The only thing missing was a simple peach blossom hairpin that Hua Yan had bought for her from a peddler for 120 coins.