Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 399 Winter Melon Becomes an Official

In the Jade Hall, bright candles burned high on gilded candlesticks, illuminating the warm chamber.

Donggua, with his head bowed and eyes lowered, served at the Eight Immortals table, his silver chopsticks constantly serving the emperor food.

The hot pot on the table was exactly the same as at lunchtime, and a dish of bright red chili sauce was placed in front of the Emperor. But the Emperor was clearly not as tolerant of spiciness as Consort Chun; after only two bites, fine beads of sweat had already appeared on his forehead.

But he refused to touch the warm milk tea beside him. Meng Shu noticed this and turned to Xia'er, saying softly, "Go to the small kitchen and get a cup of cool tea."

Since the Emperor arrived at Cuiyu Hall, both the Emperor and Meng Shu have remained unchanged.

He spoke with a touch of intimacy, and her eyes crinkled with a smile. The two chatted and laughed as usual, as if the plum blossom hairpin from that afternoon had never existed.

"I never imagined that this spicy eggplant could taste so good. It's an excellent ingredient for warming up in the icy and snowy northern frontier." The Emperor picked up his chopsticks and lightly touched the sauce dish.

Meng Shu followed up, saying, "Your Majesty is wise. This spicy and warming substance is indeed suitable for military supplies."

She rose and took the teapot from Xia'er, adding a cup of chilled tea to the Emperor's cup. "If you add ginger and garlic, it will further dispel the cold."

The Emperor raised his eyes, his gaze filled with admiration. "Shu'er is intelligent. If she were a man, she would surely be one of my most trusted advisors."

"Your Majesty's words are rather narrow-minded..."

Before Meng Shu could finish speaking, there was a "clatter" sound. Dong Gua was so startled that she dropped her silver chopsticks, and the bamboo shoot tip rolled to the ground. Dong Gua was so anxious that she didn't know whether to stand or kneel. Fortunately, Jing Ming quickly bent down and picked up the bamboo shoot tip from the ground.

The Emperor was not offended; instead, he asked with a smile, "Oh? What are your thoughts, Shu'er?"

Meng Shu lowered her eyes and slowly said, "What about men and women? Men can achieve great deeds on the battlefield, but women cannot have their country and family in their hearts? People often say that women should only support their husbands and raise their children, and manage the household affairs, but what does the word 'support' mean? What does the word 'raise' mean?"

This bold question startled Jingming, causing his whisk to tremble, while Donggua stood frozen in place.

The warm pavilion was utterly silent for a moment.

But the emperor's expression remained unchanged, and his eyes even became clearer.

“I have read the ‘Admonitions for Women’ and saw Ban Zhao say, ‘Be upright and virtuous in serving your husband.’ In fact, the last few sentences are even more important.”

A woman who manages her household well can ensure her husband has no worries. A reasonable and righteous mother can raise a son who is both loyal and filial.

Although the inner quarters are small, women manage them, mediating between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law, raising children, and handling household affairs. Although they cannot make a name for themselves like men, they treat managing the household as their battlefield, weaving countless small families together in a dense and solid manner, so that the pillars of the nation's "greater family" will not be shaken.

Therefore, although we live deep within the palace, we still wish to alleviate Your Majesty's worries and do our utmost for the country and its people.

The candlelight suddenly flickered, illuminating half of Meng Shu's face exceptionally brightly.

The Emperor gazed at her, and felt as if there were stars flowing in the clear eyes of the beauty before him. He couldn't help but clap his hands and sigh, "Today I have rarely seen such a wonderful theory on governing the country in the inner quarters. Such a mind is far superior to that of all the civil and military officials in the court."

Meng Shu gently shook her head, "Your Majesty is joking. It's not some brilliant idea at all; it's just something I made up on the spot. I only thought of this because I saw Your Majesty working so hard day and night on the matter of the northern frontier, so I dared to show off my ideas in front of Your Majesty."

The Emperor said in a deep voice, "In the preparations for war in the northern frontier, what the soldiers lack most is something to keep warm. This chili sauce may be insignificant, but it can warm their bodies and hearts. I will remember Shu'er's thoughtfulness."

Meng Shu took out the recipe she had prepared in advance and pointed to the winter melon standing to the side: "Your Majesty, I dare not take credit. This is not only due to the winter melon. If it weren't for Consort Chun saying today that 'food can soothe the body and spiciness can dispel cold,' I wouldn't have thought of this."

Upon hearing this, Donggua hurriedly knelt down, her forehead pressed against the brocade carpet: "This servant dares not take credit..."

The Emperor pondered for a moment, then turned to Jingming: "This girl is clever and quick-witted. I heard she also has a share of the profits from Yongxing Restaurant, so she's quite wealthy. I can't think of anything else suitable to reward her with, so I'll just appoint her as a sixth-rank official in charge of food preparation. Tomorrow, you will go to the Imperial Food Bureau and the Imperial Kitchen to deliver the imperial decree, and personally go to the Imperial Clothing Bureau to deliver my oral order to make a set of official robes for Donggua."

Donggua knelt on the spot, her almond-shaped eyes wide open, her mind filled with thoughts like, "Mingyue was right, I really am going to become a lady-in-waiting in the Imperial Kitchen!"

She hurriedly kowtowed to express her gratitude. Meng Shu smiled and teased, saying to Green Willow and the others, "From now on, you must call Donggua 'Master Fang's Kitchen'."

(Note: Donggua's original surname was Zhang, but she took the surname of Aunt Mei's husband's family when she entered the palace.)

After dinner, Meng Shu followed the Emperor into the inner chamber, where two plum blossom hairpins on the dressing table reflected each other in the bronze mirror.

The Emperor strolled to the dressing table, his fingertips brushing against the pearl hairpin: "I don't recall ever seeing Shu'er wear this before?"

Meng Shu held the pearl hairpin in her hand, her fingertips gently stroking the hairpin, and said softly, "This is a congratulatory gift from Consort Qing to congratulate me on my promotion to the rank of Consort. At first, I was pleased to see it, but upon closer inspection, I felt something was amiss."

The emperor's gaze had already been drawn to the hairpin, and he remained silent for a moment.

Meng Shu said to herself, "The pink beads on this hairpin have obviously been skillfully decorated, but old things are valued for their authenticity. Forcibly refurbishing them will only make them lose their original luster."

Though small, jewelry is the most expressive of sentiments. Although I do not know who its original owner was, I imagine it was greatly cherished. Now that I have received the ruby ​​plum blossom hairpin bestowed upon me by His Majesty, I intend to return this one to Consort Qing.”

The candlelight crackled, casting shifting shadows in the Emperor's eyes. He took the hairpin, which he had personally given away years ago, from Meng Shu's hand, his face showing displeasure.

"Since Consort Qing doesn't cherish it much, Shuer doesn't need to return it. Just seal it in the storeroom to avoid... tarnishing the friendship between old friends."

Amidst the flickering candlelight, a barely perceptible hint of sarcasm flashed across Meng Shu's lips.

As the night deepened and the dew grew heavy, Meng Shu stood alone in the corridor, watching the imperial carriage depart from Cuiyu Hall. Upon returning to her bedchamber, she found only a letter on her dressing table; the two hairpins that had been there before had long since been neatly tossed into the storeroom by Green Willow.

While Meng Shu was reading the letter, Jing Ming, carrying a ram's horn palace lantern, followed beside the imperial carriage. He had originally thought the Emperor would stay the night, but Consort Jin dismissed him with a few words, saying it was inconvenient for her to serve him in bed...

He asked cautiously, "Your Majesty, shall we... return to the Funing Palace?"

The night wind swept past the palace lanterns on both sides of the imperial road, making the emperor's voice sound particularly cold: "Return to Funing Palace and summon the Minister of Revenue and the Marquis of Lin'an to an audience immediately."

......