Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 465 How could there be such a coincidence?

Everything went as Meng Shu wished, but when she actually heard the name, a hint of mockery still flashed in her eyes.

Then, her fingers, which were holding the pen, paused, as if she had just realized someone was behind her. She slowly turned her head around.

There was no need for any deliberate performance, because the emperor's gaze was always fixed on the woman in the painting.

"Zhi...Tong?"

Meng Shu suddenly spoke, her tone carrying a hint of bewildered hesitation, but the last syllable held a perfectly timed understanding.

The voice pulled the emperor back from his daze, and his gaze shifted from the painting to Meng Shu's face.

At this moment, perhaps because of Meng Shu's tone, he himself couldn't explain why a strange sense of fear suddenly welled up inside him.

The woman before him was Consort Jin, who had given birth to his first prince. She was stunningly beautiful and exceptionally talented.

He was struck by her beauty the moment they first met, and could never forget her. In the Prince's mansion, she was unassuming and quietly helped the concubine with her daily affairs. Perhaps it was because her beauty was so captivating, but whenever she was around, his gaze would involuntarily follow her.

As they spent more time together, the initial amazement gradually blossomed into infatuation. So he repeatedly promoted her, willingly breaking ancestral rules to change her social status, and even bestowing upon her the title "Jin," offering her all the honors and favors he could.

But he still couldn't forget that afternoon many years ago, under the sycamore tree at the Qing family mansion, a young girl in a moon-white dress looked at him, her eyes showing no reverence for a prince, only a clear and bright gaze.

"The Ninth Prince is an exceptional man, why should he be bound by his birth and dare not realize his grand ambitions?"

These words were resounding and full of spirit, like a wedge driven into the hardships of his youth, still faintly burning in his heart after so many years.

That was the first time he felt his heart flutter in his youth, the first ray of light to break into his darkest days.

This also marked the beginning of his determination to embark on the path of seizing the throne.

Even now, with the world at his feet and surrounded by beauties, the image of him looking up and asking a question under the sycamore tree remains as moving and vivid as if it were yesterday.

.

Meng Shu turned back to look at the painting on the table, her voice filled with doubt: "The eldest daughter of the Duke of Qing's mansion? Your Majesty has mistaken me for someone else. I have no chance to meet the most talented woman in the capital who was once famous. What I painted is my aunt, Xiuyun."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor stared at the eyes in the painting again, his fingertips almost touching the paper.

Although she doesn't look exactly like Zhi Tong, the aloofness in her brows and the haughtiness in her eyes are clearly hers.

He remained silent for a long time.

"She looks like her, very much like her."

The Emperor lowered his eyes and sighed softly, his voice carrying a tenderness he himself was unaware of.

Looking at his absorbed expression, Meng Shu felt a chill run through her heart. She had put so much effort into drawing these few strokes, not to see him reminiscing about the past.

Seeing that the Emperor seemed momentarily lost in thought, she took the initiative to speak, pulling him back to his senses: "Oh? How could there be such a coincidence in the world?"

She raised her hand, pointing to another painting on the table, and said, "Yesterday, Consort Yun asked me to paint a picture for her. Consort Yun and Wan'er are cousins, which is why they look somewhat alike."

As she spoke these words, the melancholy between the emperor's brows gradually faded, his reason returned, and a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes.

Meng Shu said to herself, "My maternal aunt has no dealings with the Duke of Qing's mansion and has no kinship with them. How could she look so alike? Moreover, the person in the painting does not resemble Consort Qing at all."

As expected, the emperor fell into deep thought, following her words.

Meng Shu saw that he was already in her trap, but it wasn't enough.

She suddenly slammed her hand on the desk, startling the Emperor, and then uttered a more intriguing remark: "No wonder Granny Yu had such a strange expression when she saw my aunt at the palace!"

"Hmm?" The Emperor's attention was completely drawn, and he looked up at Meng Shu with a look full of inquiry.

"Last year, when I was at the summer palace, did His Majesty recall summoning my uncle and also granting my aunt permission to visit me? That day by the Thousand Carp Pond, Granny Yu bumped into her and remarked that my aunt resembled an old friend. Now that I think about it, she must have been referring to the eldest daughter of the Qing family, right?"

These words were quite shocking, but Meng Shu said them as if they were just casual remarks.

But when it reached the emperor's ears, it was like throwing a huge rock.

He was still somewhat restless during dinner.

Jingming was absolutely mortified.

Upon arriving at Cuiyu Hall, he went directly to the East Warm Pavilion to inquire about the wet nurse's situation, thus remaining completely unaware of what was happening in the study. Seeing the Emperor's furrowed brow and frequent absent-mindedness, he felt both curious and apprehensive.

He initially thought it was Consort Jin who had angered the Emperor, but it didn't seem like it, since the Emperor remained silent throughout the banquet without showing any anger. He then glanced at Green Willow and saw that she was also completely composed, so it was clearly not Consort Jin's fault.

What on earth just happened?! Jingming's heart pounded with anxiety, his fingers trembling as he gripped the whisk, but Green Willow wouldn't heed his hints...

After barely finishing his dinner, the Emperor got up and went to the East Warm Pavilion, as was his usual habit.

Yu Nu'er was awake, held in her wet nurse's arms, and began to babble incoherently when she saw him. The Emperor played with her for a while, but his eyes remained veiled by a thin mist, and he lost all interest in staying overnight.

As he stepped out of the Lingcui Palace gate, the night breeze caused the palace lanterns to sway gently, casting his shadow on the blue brick ground in varying lengths.

Without even riding in the imperial carriage, the Emperor walked several dozen steps before pausing, his face hidden in the lamplight. He then instructed Jingming behind him in a deep voice, "Find an excuse, away from Consort Qing, to have Granny Yu come to the Funing Palace to see me immediately."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.