Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 155 Entering the Palace to Express Gratitude - Part 2

Hua Yan temporarily suppressed her doubts, planning to question the six of them after returning to her residence in the afternoon.

The layout of most of the palaces in the Great Zhou Dynasty was similar, with all the main palaces located on the central axis. The Ruyi Palace, where the princess lived, was located behind the Cunxin Palace in the rear residence.

After leaving Yunyi Courtyard, He Yuan led the way, and after about half an hour, we saw the towering vermilion walls of Ruyi Hall.

The eunuch waiting at the palace gate went inside to report, and Hua Yan helped the second young lady to wait aside.

The prince's mansion is deep and secluded, with red walls and white snow everywhere you look.

The second young lady had her back to the gate of Ruyi Palace, her gaze sweeping across the snow-covered garden in front of her. Yu Heyuan leaned down and whispered a reminder:

“Consort Zhen, the Prince’s usual residence is the Cunxin Hall just ahead. Unless it is an urgent matter that requires him to go to the front hall, the Prince usually works in the East Warm Pavilion study.”

Yu Heyuan has a round, honest face, but he is also quite clever.

Before long, footsteps were heard, and it turned out that Jingming had come out to greet them personally.

"Your Highness, please invite Consort Zhen into the palace."

Jingming bowed respectfully, his right hand lightly holding a whisk as he made a half-arc motion before resting it steadily on his left arm. Having served Prince Jin since childhood, he naturally became the Prince's chief eunuch after the Prince moved to a separate residence. However, being young, he worried about appearing immature in front of outsiders, so he often carried a whisk, feigning maturity...

Mingyue couldn't help but laugh, but dared not show it. She was having a hard time holding back, and hurriedly lowered her head to follow the Second Miss into the palace with Huayan.

The day after the wedding, as a concubine, she should serve tea to the princess and listen to her instructions. This is a matter of etiquette and also the first time that the second young lady formally pays respects to the princess after entering the mansion.

As the second young lady's assistant, Hua Yan strived to ensure that no mistakes were made in her manners and etiquette. She carefully reviewed each key point in advance according to the rules she had written in her booklet: there were roughly three items: performing the kowtow, serving tea, and listening to the instructions.

According to the governess's description, the prince shouldn't have been present when the tea was served. Perhaps it's because it's the same day as the wedding, and the prince stayed at Ruyi Palace last night.

In this way, Hua Yan felt much more at ease, as even if the princess intended to make things difficult, she wouldn't dare to show it in front of the prince.

As the group entered the hall, Prince Jin was talking with his princess. When he saw the second young lady enter, Prince Jin looked up and his gaze lingered briefly on the two young ladies.

Jiang Jie, dressed in a dark blue princess's robes and wearing a phoenix crown, sat upright on the throne, her smiling expression instantly returning to calm.

Jingming stood below the seat, holding a whisk, while two maids came forward with tea.

"When the concubine entered the mansion, she performed the kowtow ceremony to the prince and princess."

The second young lady straightened her clothes slightly, lowered her gaze, and, following the movements she had practiced beforehand, folded her hands and slowly squatted down. Hua Yan and Ming Yue followed a step later and knelt down with the second young lady.

"This humble servant, Tang, greets Your Highness and Your Highness's wife."

When Prince Jin raised his hand to let the second young lady get up, he noticed Hua Yan behind her again. He rubbed the ring on his finger and thought to himself, "This maid... is really quite special. I wonder what she has put on her face. Her appearance is even more pale than when I saw her at the back of Guangci Temple."

Next, they knelt and bowed, offering tea with both hands.

With the prince present, the princess could not offer many admonitions. She simply followed her mother's and the governess's instructions and said things like to be careful to follow the rules, serve the prince diligently, and continue the family line.

After giving her a reprimand, he didn't deliberately make the second young lady kneel for long before accepting the tea that was offered to her. After taking a small sip, he waved for the second young lady to get up.

They really put on quite a show.

After paying his respects, Prince Jin briefly mentioned the arrangements for the bride's return visit the day after tomorrow. The prince would accompany the princess back to the general's mansion, while the concubine would be accompanied by the mansion's steward who would personally prepare gifts.

This was to be expected; the second young lady lowered her eyes and her expression remained unchanged.

Upon entering the palace at Chenshi (7-9 AM), the Second Miss accompanied the Prince and Princess to have breakfast in the Ruyi Hall, served by Luwei and Yunshuang. Huayan Mingyue and Jingming quietly served as human-shaped vases on one side of the hall.

Poor Hua Yan and her companion were busy early in the morning and didn't have time for breakfast. Fortunately, Dong Gua was considerate and gave Hua Yan two purses before she left, containing more than a dozen mung bean cakes slightly larger than a fingernail.

“Our status is the lowest. If you and Mingyue accompany us into the palace, won’t we have to kneel before everyone we see? Bring some food with you so you can secretly eat something when no one is watching.”

There was no court assembly during the Lantern Festival holiday. Prince Jin brought his principal wife and concubines to the palace, and Consort Hui was the happiest among them.

At this moment, Consort Hui's palace was bustling with activity. Consort Hui had instructed the palace servants to make the snacks that Prince Jin liked early in the morning. Only after everything was ready did she get up to go to the Empress's palace to pay her respects. She met Consort Min at the gate of the Empress's palace.

Consort Min's tone was slightly sarcastic: "Consort Hui is late today. She always comes early to flatter us. It makes those of us who arrive on time seem a bit disrespectful."

Consort Hui thought to herself, "Consort Min is too kind. Today is the Lantern Festival, and I must make proper preparations before I dare to come and see Her Majesty the Empress."

Consort Min watched Consort Hui's departing figure with a gloomy expression. Ever since the Ninth Prince was granted the title of Prince of Jin, this lowly servant Consort Hui has really become arrogant.

Meanwhile, the second young lady is currently kneeling and bowing to the emperor.

Because the second young lady's identity was not prominent, it was Prince Jin who specially requested permission to marry her. The emperor couldn't help but take a second look at her. He saw that the second young lady was dignified and polite, neither humble nor arrogant. She was no less than the principal wife from the general's mansion, and even her gestures were more graceful. The emperor couldn't help but be suspicious.

How could a mere merchant family like the Tang family raise such a well-mannered young lady? The emperor has seen many women in the past, and with imperial authority above him, which one wasn't trembling with fear, looking extremely cautious for fear of losing decorum in front of the emperor?

The emperor examined the Tang family for a moment, and then thought that although the Tang family was not powerful, it was still a branch of the Marquis of Huai'an. He guessed that the Tang family must have been raised by their elders according to the etiquette and rules of noble ladies, and thus put aside his doubts.

Prince Jin stood at the lower end, his expression unchanged as always. He was not afraid that his father would become suspicious, since Consort Zhen's family, the Tang family, was only considered somewhat wealthy by outsiders.

How could the second young lady not be afraid at this moment? Her composure was largely due to Madam Yun and Hua Yan.

Madam Yun rarely showed any signs of panic while managing the household. The second young lady, having been influenced by her surroundings, had perfectly mastered the art of composure. Moreover, Hua Yan had repeatedly hinted beforehand that if the main hall were a chessboard, even the high and mighty emperor would be nothing more than a black piece...

The audience with the Emperor lasted no more than a quarter of an hour.

The emperor was in poor spirits, so he bestowed gifts upon them. The princess and the second young lady rose again to bow and express their gratitude, and then were led by eunuchs to the empress's palace.

Hua Yan had no idea how the second young lady had behaved during her time with the emperor. She and Mingyue were not qualified to meet the emperor, and were currently waiting in the corridor along with Yun Shuang and Xing Yu, who served the princess.

Being in the palace, everyone would be careful with their words and actions, for fear of making a mistake and bringing shame to their master. Therefore, the four of them stood in pairs and no one spoke carelessly.

Only Yun Shuang couldn't help but glance at Hua Yan from time to time. Ming Yue was alert and took a small step forward to block her view.

Hua Yan smiled slightly, gave Mingyue a reassuring look, and paid no attention to Yun Shuang's actions.

Anyone with a clear mind would never dress up so extravagantly on the day they accompany their master to the palace. Just now, when serving the prince breakfast, Hua Yan noticed that the princess looked at Yun Shuang with slight dissatisfaction.

In Hua Yan's opinion, even if the General's Mansion specially arranged for you to come in as a concubine, you shouldn't be so eager to show your feelings on your face in the few days leading up to your master's wedding.

It should be understood that the selection of a concubine was merely a pawn used to secure the master's favor when he was pregnant. From the moment Yunshuang had her own ulterior motives, she had already embarked on a path to her doom.

The weather was cold, and although the corridor was sheltered from the cold wind, it was still quite uncomfortable. The palace maid who brought them couldn't stand it and told them not to move around before shirking their duties.

With no one watching, Xingyu glanced at Huayan and the other woman out of the corner of her eye, then chatted with Yunshuang:

"When we return to our bride's home the day after tomorrow, Madam will surely be overjoyed to know the deep affection the Prince has for our Princess."

Yun Shuang put aside her thoughts and immediately changed her expression, taking Xing Yu's arm affectionately and saying, "Aunt... Madam was not worried at all. Our young lady is of noble status and is a perfect match for the Prince."

Xingyu nodded, her face full of joy and pride.

"I never imagined that Your Highness would go to such lengths. Not only is everything in the bedroom arranged according to Miss's preferences, but even the name 'Ruyi' is taken from the courtyard where our Miss lived in the mansion."

Mingyue blinked her large, bewildered eyes repeatedly, too afraid to speak—Aunt Mei had instructed her that, unless absolutely necessary, she should remain a mute martial arts woman after entering the palace...

As for Hua Yan: ... speechless.

Isn't the Prince of Jin's approach a bit too simplistic?

(Something came up tonight, so I'll only be updating this one chapter. I'll make up for it with three more tomorrow.)