Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 429 Long Time No See

Green Willow entered the palace lightly, seemingly unaware of the strange expression on Consort Qi's face. She curtsied and reported, "Your Majesty, Consort Qu just went towards the Yeting Palace."

Consort Qi, hearing the voice, asked in surprise, "The Imperial Palace? What is she doing there?"

Meng Shu hesitated for a moment and said, "March 24th is Qu's birthday. Consort Qu should have gone to the side courtyard where she is being held captive."

"It should be so. I heard that Ruixue, who is beside her, is holding a food box," Green Willow replied.

Deep within the inner palace grounds lies a solitary palace, its vermilion paint peeling away, moss growing on the eaves. The palace women privately call it the "Cold Palace." It has always been a nightmare for the concubines. Lady Xie was once imprisoned here. If it weren't for her father's high position and the remaining palace women's restraint, she would probably have gone mad long ago.

Consort Qi sighed, "Consort Qu is ultimately mindful of sisterly affection; she has been quite tolerant of her cousin in the past."

A mocking smile appeared on Meng Shu's lips as she glanced at Consort Qi. "Consort Qi is wrong. Have you ever seen how a hunter treats his prey that has fallen into his trap? The victor treats the loser not only with feigned pity, but also with a fondness for admiring the sight of the other crawling on the ground."

Consort Qi was shocked, and a look of doubt clearly appeared on her face. "This...how could this be? I've heard that Consort Qu's family relies heavily on Lord Qu's protection. How could she possibly have such a sinister thought?"

Meng Shu remained silent, picked up her teacup, and said no more.

Seeing this, Consort Qi had no choice but to get up and take her leave. She was in a daze, feeling as if she had never really seen Consort Qu clearly.

After leaving the Lingcui Palace, Huajin supported her arm as they headed towards Dieqiong Pavilion. "Your Highness," she said, "this servant thinks that Consort Jin's words make sense. Consort Qu has been so tolerant in the past; who knows how much resentment she has accumulated in her heart."

"There's one more thing. This servant thinks Consort Qu is somewhat two-faced..."

Seeing Consort Qi stop, Hua Jin quickly continued, "In the past, Consort Qu forcibly took many of her rewards, and Your Highness advised her to fight back, but she always claimed that she didn't like those jewels. But this time, the gold hairpin Your Highness gave her, isn't she wearing it brightly in her hair today?"

Consort Qi said coldly, "Go to the Yeting Palace. I want to see with my own eyes how she 'visits' this cousin."

Seeing from afar that Consort Qi and her servants had turned towards the direction of the Imperial Palace, Green Willow quickly returned to Cuiyu Hall.

Inside the flower hall, Meng Shu was extremely bored and was imitating Consort Chun, playing chess with a white piece in her left hand and a black piece in her right. Seeing Green Willow enter, she paused, her fingers hovering over the chess piece: "Did Consort Qi go to the Imperial Palace?"

"Just as Your Majesty predicted." Green Willow smiled, stepped forward to collect the teacups from the table, and then magically produced a celadon stew pot containing freshly stewed winter melon, astragalus, and black-boned chicken soup. As soon as the lid was lifted, the rich aroma instantly filled the room.

Meng Shu glanced at the specks of oil floating on the soup, shook her head and said, "I just had breakfast not long ago, so I don't have much of an appetite right now."

Green Willow peeked out the window and, seeing that Winter Melon hadn't come, quickly covered the celadon stew pot and whispered, "Then I'll let Mingyue use it secretly later, and Winter Melon won't see it."

She hesitated for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "Your Highness Consort Qi is usually so wise, how could you not see through Consort Qu? Just now, I noticed that she was clearly hesitant."

Meng Shu lightly tapped the chessboard with her fingertips and said calmly, "After all, Consort Qu did save Princess Lingyi, and has always been keen to befriend her. Besides, Consort Qu's actions are meticulous, and although her actions are for her own benefit, they are indeed beyond reproach."

Such a temperament is quite suitable for survival in the palace... however, she is too clever for her own good.

Consort Qi is currently relying on Wan'er, so I need to find a way to keep her away from Consort Qu. Otherwise, if something goes wrong, Wan'er will lose Consort Qi as a support in the future.

With a gentle wave of her slender hand, Meng Shu gathered all the chess pieces on the board, then picked up two black pieces.

"Her Majesty the Empress comes from a military family; her father, brothers, and uncles all served in the army. This is her foundation."

As he spoke, a black stone fell heavily to the ground.

Another black piece followed closely: "Consort Qing is the legitimate daughter of the Duke's mansion and grew up with the Emperor. Now that Wan'er has left the palace, the power to manage the six palaces naturally falls into her hands."

Then, Meng Shu pointed out a few more loose pieces with her fingertips, "Song Shen and the two Baolin who entered the palace through the selection of concubines are attached to the Empress, while Yang Baolin, Pei Yunu and others follow Qing Pin."

Finally, Meng Shu picked up a white piece and placed it between the two black pieces, saying, "As for Lady Qu..."

Her gaze turned slightly cold as she pondered, "Initially, she used the incident with the flower ringworm at the imperial palace to curry favor with Wan'er, and later she addressed Consort Qi as a sister. On the surface, she was friendly towards us, but secretly..."

With a click, the white chess piece between her fingers fell to the edge of the chessboard. Meng Shu shook her head and said, "I haven't fully figured out her playing style yet. But keeping her around is like letting a poisonous snake roam freely. If there's an opportunity... it's best to get rid of her as soon as possible."

Looking in that direction, Green Willow saw that the white piece was isolated on the outside of the game, yet it maintained a subtle distance from all the forces involved.

"This servant is personally keeping an eye on Chunxi Palace..." Before Green Willow could finish speaking, a sudden thought struck her. "Your Highness, if she is truly that clever, could she have noticed something? No one in the palace knows yet that Consort Chun is pregnant."

A hint of approval flashed in Meng Shu's eyes. "It's alright."

She picked up the white chess piece with her slender fingers and casually tossed it into the chess box. "Wan'er is already at the palace. Even if she guesses it now, it's too late."

......

Inside a desolate palace on the west side of the Yeting Palace.

Consort Qu followed the eunuch through the palace gate, her embroidered shoes rustling softly as they stepped over the weeds growing in the cracks between the stones.

"This is it."

The eunuch raised his chin, revealing a hint of impatience. "Your Excellency, please remember the time. Don't make things difficult for me."

Ruixue handed over a purse at the right moment and said gently, "Thank you for your help, Eunuch. Our master will leave this place in a quarter of an hour."

The eunuch tossed the purse between his fingers and immediately changed his tune: "Then please continue your conversation. I'll wait outside."

After saying that, he backed out of the courtyard, not forgetting to close the palace door slightly behind him.

Qu Meiren stood in the courtyard, looking around. Her gaze swept over the peeling red paint, and as she lowered her eyes, she suddenly saw a gray rat dart across the corner of the inner wall. With Ruixue letting out a scream, she couldn't help but reveal a strangely delighted smile.

Inside the hall, Qu Cai Nu and Fu Ling huddled in a corner, their faces ashen. The damp, musty smell mingled with the decaying odor of the wooden furniture, filling the cramped space.

"Master, I think I heard that wretched girl Ruixue's voice." Fuling opened her eyes wide upon hearing the sound and suddenly sat up straight.

Qu Cainu weakly lifted her eyelids, struggling to sit up. "Ruixue? I think I heard my cousin's laughter too. Go see if that bitch is here..."

"boom--"

The door was pushed open forcefully, and a blinding ray of sunlight pierced into the dimly lit room.

With a flick of her wide sleeves, Qu Meiren dispersed the swirling dust. When her vision cleared, she saw her cousin slumped on the filthy carpet, her once beautiful face covered in dirt, her once-gloss black hair now dry and tangled like weeds.

"Cousin," Qu Meiren said with a slight smile, "How have you been?"