Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 209 Tears Wet Her Robe, Her Face Covered in Powder

"When Madam Wei brought me to the guest house just now, she mentioned that with the head of the family as guarantor, plus my uncle's merits in the Northwest war, it doesn't matter even if there are guards outside."

Hua Yan comforted him gently.

The emperor was not someone who couldn't distinguish right from wrong, and he was most adept at leveraging power.

In Hua Yan's opinion, as long as the emperor sends someone to investigate, he might even give her uncle an important position... After all, her uncle had been trapped in the Xiongnu royal court for many years and was able to instigate internal strife during a war between the two countries on his own, which was something that ordinary people could not do.

Zhou Bai didn't care about this, but instead looked at Hua Yan with a worried expression.

"There's no need to worry about your uncle. The Marquis has already sent a letter to the palace about the situation on the border while he was in the Northwest."

Hua Yan smiled gently, the head of the family probably worried that General Jiang might not report the truth.

"Shu'er, is there truly no room for negotiation regarding her entering the palace? With the current power of the Marquis's mansion, Consort Chun may not even need to select attendants to assist her in vying for the emperor's favor after entering the palace..."

Hua Yan shook her head, her expression remaining calm: "From the moment I entered the Prince's mansion with Miss, I was already in the game, with no room for retreat."

Although the selected concubines did not hold official ranks, they were included in the register of concubines in the Prince's residence while still there. After entering the palace, although they were not eligible to be recorded in the imperial genealogy, they were still recorded in the palace register. [Note 1]

They only met today, but after Huayan enters the palace tomorrow, the uncle and nephew may never see each other again in this lifetime.

Thinking of this, Zhou Bai felt a wave of helplessness wash over him again. He subconsciously clenched his fist and muttered, "It's my fault for being useless. I couldn't protect you. I've let you down and I'm ashamed of your mother. If only I had gone back to Mengjia Village before leaving for the grasslands..."

"Uncle, there's no need for that."

Hua Yan interrupted softly, and slowly said, "Fortune and misfortune are intertwined, and life is unpredictable. Besides, the Second Miss and Madam Yun have treated me very well. Although entering the palace is not my wish, I have no regrets."

Chen Lin stepped into the flower hall, and a palace official summoned Zhou Bai to the palace for an audience.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Bai was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly and said, "I never thought that a commoner like me would have the chance to meet the Emperor one day."

On the way back to the capital, as he and Tang Xian had originally expected, the matter was either big or small, but it would eventually be subject to investigation by the Dali Temple. They did not expect that the emperor would actually want to see him in person.

"Sister Shu, don't worry, the Emperor has also summoned the Marquis to go together," Chen Lin reassured her.

Hua Yan nodded slightly; she was indeed not worried.

"Shu'er, please wait here for me until I return..." Zhou Bai suddenly fell silent. He didn't know what would happen if he entered the palace, and he didn't know if he would be able to return today.

Hua Yan smiled and said, "Uncle, don't worry. Sister Huanyun should be arriving soon. Since you're not here, I can have a private chat with my future aunt."

Zhou Bai: "...You still want to talk nonsense in front of Yun'er."

Zhou Bai was worried that his niece had grown up to be such a mischievous girl. He gave her a few more instructions before turning to leave, making sure to kick Chen Lin out of the flower hall before he left.

Although Chen Lin wanted to catch up with Meng Shu, he knew it was not the right time. After sending Zhou Bai to the front yard to meet the Marquis, he listlessly went to the small kitchen to find his master and senior sister.

Sixth Senior Sister (Mingyue) will also be entering the palace with Consort Chun. Chen Lin intends to ask her to take care of Meng Shu in the palace.

Hua Yan stayed alone in the guest hall, enjoying a rare moment of leisure. Looking at the furnishings in the hall, which were almost identical to those in Yunxi Courtyard in the former Lin'an Mansion, she couldn't help but recall the old days when she and Mengzhu accompanied the Second Miss to be taught by Granny Gao.

"Nearly five years have passed," Hua Yan murmured softly.

Upon closer examination, it was from that time that Hua Yan had already anticipated that she would one day become a dowry maid.

But no one could have imagined that the second young lady would marry the future emperor...

Around 1:15 AM, the sound of Donggua speaking could be heard from outside.

Hua Yan smiled slightly. As soon as she stepped to the door, she saw Huan Yun, Dong Gua, Ding Xiang, Lv Liu, and Ying Chun all looking at her with concern.

"Meng Shu!"

Green Willow shouted and rushed to Flower Face, embracing her tightly.

When Hua Yan smelled the faint scent of soapberry on Lv Liu, her heart instantly calmed down. She had been using perfumes frequently lately, but she never expected that the most ordinary scent of soapberry would be the most comforting.

Green Willow and Ying Chun came to the capital in Steward An's carriage. When Hua Yan saw that Green Willow was carrying a bundle, she quickly led everyone to the flower hall.

Donggua opened the food box he had brought and took out several plates of delicate pastries.

"This was just made by Master. We haven't had it in a long time. Meng Shu, come and try it." Dong Gua kept smiling憨憨地, clearly happy to see Master.

There were no outsiders in the guest courtyard, so the group didn't need to be reserved. Hua Yan stole a glance at Huan Yun and saw that Huan Yun was trying her best to hide a hint of worry.

"Sister Huanyun, with the Marquis here, Uncle will be fine."

Huanyun suddenly blushed and said reproachfully, "I'm not worried about Zhou... but rather that you're entering the palace tomorrow. The palace rules are strict, and we might not see each other again in the future."

These words instantly brought tears to Green Willow's eyes, and she took out a bag of loose silver from her personal bag.

"Keep these loose silver coins; you'll need them to bribe the palace servants later. Yingchun is skillful; she made several pairs of insoles and a few thin knee pads for you and Donggua. After entering the palace, you'll inevitably have to kneel before this master or that nobleman; you can secretly tie them to your knees... Also, there are some local products from Jinnan that you haven't tasted in a long time..."

As she spoke, Green Willow couldn't help but sob, which also brought tears to the eyes of Huanyun and the others.

"Hmm...and this too. You and Donggua should carry it with you. It's a talisman that Green Willow and I got from the Medicine King Temple in Jinan. It can ensure peace and good fortune."

Ying Chun was able to escape Chunfeng Tower thanks to Hua Yan's rescue, and at this moment, he handed two amulets to Hua Yan with both hands.

Huanyun and Dingxiang also brought many food and daily necessities, as well as a bag of silver ingots specially made in the shape of small silver fish.

"After entering the palace, it will probably not be as comfortable as it is in your residence. You will have to pay money to order around the palace servants. Consort Chun will certainly not lack money, so you should carry plenty with you just in case."

Hua Yan: "......"

Winter Melon: "...Master also prepared a lot of loose silver for me, saying that the palace has everything, but it can't do without silver."

"After all these years, has our Green Willow become a landlady?"

Hua Yan didn't want the atmosphere to become heavy. She reached out to wipe away Lv Liu's tears while laughing and joking.

The group hadn't seen each other for a long time, and it was a rare opportunity for them to get together. They chatted for quite a while, and finally, Huanyun pulled Huayan aside.

"Last time you told me to keep an eye on the Duke of Qing's residence, and recently the Ministry of Works has indeed..."

......

[Note 1]: Only those who bear imperial offspring and are of the rank of concubine or above, or those of the rank below concubine, will be recorded in the Imperial Genealogy.