Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 244 Sharing the Worries

Inside the side hall.

He Yizheng had already reviewed the pulse records recorded by Jian Zhi and Imperial Physician Lu. After exchanging greetings with Hua Yan, he began to take her pulse himself.

Physician Lu, who was of an impatient nature, said angrily while waiting in the outer room: "Nonsense! Utterly absurd! I have practiced medicine for decades. How could I confuse a common illness with an epidemic? Who was the scoundrel who spread this rumor!"

As soon as Aunt Mei entered the hall, she saw several red spots on Hua Yan's face and was so shocked that she burst into tears. She was extremely worried, but Jian Zhi quietly reminded her, which calmed her down a little. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, she glared at Hua Yan fiercely.

Knowing that nothing was amiss, Aunt Mei beckoned Green Willow to her side and instructed her to go to Shou Kang Palace to deliver a message, so that Consort Chun could be at ease.

A woman's appearance is of utmost importance, and Rongxiu couldn't bear it. After Doctor He finished examining her pulse, she asked with concern, "How is she? Is this red spot serious?"

Physician He stroked his beard, looking relaxed, and asked Xia'er for the menu from Huining Palace that had been available recently. After reviewing it, he said with relief:

"It's nothing serious. Lady Meng caught a cold, and last night she ate fish, shrimp, and persimmon cakes at the same time, which is why she has red spots on her face. They will disappear on their own in two or three days."

Hua Yan feigned embarrassment and said shyly, "I was greedy and caused such a misunderstanding, which has worried Aunt Rongxiu."

Rongxiu replied with a smile, "It is Consort Chun who is worried about Consort Cai. Since everything is alright, I must hurry back to Shou Kang Palace to comfort her. The physician is here, and the Empress Dowager has issued an imperial decree ordering you to go to Shou Kang Palace. Once the prescription is written, please come with me."

Physician He dared not delay and stood up, saying, "Consort Meng is fine. The prescriptions given by Physician Lu and Physician Jian are all methods to clear heat and relieve exterior symptoms. She can take them according to the prescriptions."

Before leaving, Rongxiu instructed Aunt Mei: "The Lady is currently ill. It would be unacceptable for one or two people to come and visit, disturbing her rest. Spread the word that the Lady is recuperating in Huining Palace during this period, and outsiders are not allowed to disturb her."

Aunt Mei nodded hurriedly and saw the group out of Huining Palace. Granny Gui and Jingming arrived just in time to hear what had happened. Jingming breathed a sigh of relief, his heart finally at ease. He said thankfully, "It's good that everything is alright. It's good that everything is alright. I didn't dare tell His Majesty when I received the news. I left in a hurry. Now that everything is alright, I'll go back to Funing Palace to attend to my duties."

Rongxiu said to Jingming, "Please ask Supervisor Jing to convey a message to Consort Min that the rules for the palace servants should be properly enforced."

Granny Gui's face tightened, and she dared not raise her head.

Qu Cairen looked embarrassed and said she was going to Shou Kang Palace to apologize to Consort Chun. Rong Xiu said with a half-smile, "If Qu Cairen really wants to apologize, she should apologize to Meng Cairen. Consort Chun is copying scriptures for the Empress Dowager in the Buddhist hall, so don't disturb her during this time."

After everyone left, Qu Cairen was both ashamed and angry, her hands, hidden under her wide sleeves, tightly clutching her handkerchief.

Granny Gui's eyes flickered slightly as she stepped forward and said, "The matter of the epidemic should not be taken lightly. Just now, Her Majesty the Empress praised you, saying that Consort Qu prioritizes the overall situation and that it is not unreasonable to pay more attention to the epidemic. Consort Qu, why don't you come with me to Renming Palace to pay your respects to Her Majesty the Empress?"

After hearing this, Qu Cairen's expression relaxed slightly, and she walked towards Renming Hall with Granny Gui.

The side hall where Hua Yan lived was quite lively. After everyone had left, Hua Yan stared at the curtains, speechless.

Since her promotion to the rank of Consort, the Emperor would inevitably visit her several times whenever he came to Huining Palace, and the Empress would occasionally summon her to Renming Palace for instruction. On several occasions, she almost fell into the Empress's trap...

Knowing that the Empress might miscarry at any time, and to prevent being implicated, Hua Yan discussed with Consort Chun and arranged for Consort Chun to take refuge in Shou Kang Palace.

She deliberately fell ill. Since Consort Chun was not present, Hua Yan used the medicine that Huan Yun had left for her in order to avoid the Emperor's visit.

In this way, the symptoms do indeed resemble those of an epidemic. Hua Yan had anticipated that the Empress or Consort Guo might use this as an excuse to cause trouble. If the Empress were to take the lead today, her arrangements might be able to confine her to the Renming Palace...

Unexpectedly, it was Qu Cairen who stepped forward in the end.

When Green Willow returned from Shou Kang Palace, she saw Aunt Mei scolding Hua Yan with tears in her eyes, "You are too bold! You didn't even consult the Empress beforehand. What will we do if these spots can't be removed?"

Hua Yan pulled on Aunt Mei's arm and explained with a smile. Aunt Mei sighed and said slowly, "This servant sees clearly that Her Majesty does not mind the Emperor's closeness to you. To put it bluntly, in Her Majesty's heart, you are more important than the Emperor. You must not harm yourself in the future. If it weren't for the Empress Dowager stopping you just now, Her Majesty would definitely have come back to see you."

Green Willow thought to herself, "I don't know if Consort Chun minds the Emperor's closeness with Hua Yan, but I do know that Hua Yan minds!"

However, Green Willow could not say this outright, so she could only step forward to help Flower Face "deal with" Aunt Mei.

"Don't worry, Aunt Mei. This is a good thing. No one should dare to come to Huining Palace to cause trouble again. We can finally have some peace and quiet."

Aunt Mei felt melancholy. There were no outsiders present, and she couldn't help but mutter to herself, "I wonder when that lady will miscarry. We've all gone to such lengths to avoid her, so surely it won't implicate our Huining Palace, will it?"

Hua Yan couldn't help but smile, and said quietly, "Let's see if Consort Guo can escape this calamity."

In the evening, Jingming led his men to deliver the bird's nest and other tonics bestowed by the Emperor to Huining Palace, along with a message that Consort Qu was biased and lacked any sense of propriety. The Emperor had ordered her to be reprimanded and confined to her quarters for more than a month to reflect on her actions.

......

Since the incident involving Consort Qu, Consort Guo had a vague sense of foreboding for several days, especially since the Empress had been frequently using excuses to keep her in Renming Palace to talk.

She had just decided to feign illness for a few days when she went to Renming Hall to pay her respects, only to hear the Empress say earnestly:

"Consort Chun was left in Shou Kang Palace by the Empress Dowager to serve with her writing and calligraphy. It was inevitable that she would neglect some matters in the harem. As one of the Nine Consorts, Consort Guo should share the burden for the Emperor and me."

These words moved Consort Guo and made her even more eager. However, she did not show it on her face and declined instead, saying, "Consort Chun has always been diligent in managing the six palaces, and has only been serving you with writing and calligraphy for a little over a month. I am too incompetent to presume to do so."

Shen Meiren said, "Sister Guo is too modest. Her Majesty the Empress is mindful that the New Year is approaching. Although we are in mourning this year, we cannot neglect the proper etiquette. Her Majesty the Empress is pregnant with the Emperor's child and it is inconvenient for her to take on such a heavy responsibility. Among the concubines present, only Sister Guo is capable of shouldering this responsibility."

Lady Wu, not forgetting to curry favor, chimed in, "Sister Guo is intelligent and kind-hearted. I heard that she assisted the Emperor in disaster relief when she was in Jinzhou, which became a well-known story. Now she should also share the Emperor's burdens."