Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 167 Two Concubines

After the Second Miss returned to her parents' home, Aunt Mei resumed her routine evening training. After Chunxiaqiudong and the Yu Heyuan brothers left, she would keep Huayan behind alone.

“Once our young lady enters the Prince’s mansion, she will become Consort Zhen. You and Mengzhu must be careful not to address her incorrectly in front of others, lest it make us, the people from the Tang family, seem unruly.”

After Aunt Mei finished speaking, Hua Yan lowered her head and agreed.

“You have always been a person of good judgment, and you are usually the one who serves the concubine the most. Since the Madam and the Old Madam trust you so much, I will stay in Yunyi Palace to manage things for the concubine and will not interfere with the concubine’s affairs with the Prince.”

Hua Yan was stunned for a moment, then quickly came to her senses. It must have been the madam who had spoken to Aunt Mei privately. She said gently:

"Aunt Mei is steady, thoughtful, and experienced in handling affairs. I have benefited greatly from being by your side. Yunyi Palace needs you to steer it."

Aunt Mei felt a surge of comfort, gently patted Hua Yan's shoulder, and said:

"Don't worry, Madam didn't blame me. It's just that after all these years, I really don't have much left to teach you. However, Granny Gui by the Princess's side is not easy to deal with. If you have any difficult decisions in the future, come to me again."

Upon hearing this, Hua Yan could only nod slightly, but instead of feeling relieved, she felt the pressure suddenly increase.

......

The green chrysanthemums in the warm pavilion went from their peak to their decline in just over a month.

On the two days of the wedding, Hua Yan's words of comfort did have an effect. In addition, whenever the concubine went to Ruyi Palace to pay her respects, she could see that the prince's feelings for her and Princess Hua were no different, and she couldn't help but feel disappointed.

Therefore, his enthusiasm waned somewhat.

In any case, the days after marriage are still short, and the scenario of falling in love at first sight like Huanyun and her uncle is unlikely to occur between two people in a marriage of convenience.

Prince Jin was a man of deep thoughts, and Hua Yan repeatedly instructed her concubines never to bring up topics outside the inner quarters.

Some people and matters can only be mentioned by those in higher positions; otherwise, it would be considered presumptuous.

During this time, Prince Jin visited Yunyi Palace several times. Whenever Prince Jin arrived at Yunyi Palace, his concubine would personally prepare tea, and the two of them would either play the zither and play chess, or wield their brushes and splash ink, or discuss the past and present.

The concubine had been immersed in literature since childhood, and her words and actions were all elegant, which was very different from the princess who came from a military family. This often made the tired look in Prince Jin's eyes lessen.

However, to outsiders, the two seemed too respectful to each other when they were alone, and Prince Jin rarely stayed overnight. Aunt Mei hesitated several times before finally letting out a sigh and burying it deep in her heart.

Seeing this, Mengzhu's eyes also showed worry. She privately talked to Huayan about it, and Huayan said:

"I've heard that the Crown Prince's health is deteriorating rapidly. The court has been quite unstable lately. Prince Yu, Prince Heng, and even our Prince have their own agendas. Our Prince has rarely come to the inner quarters recently, and apart from the first and fifteenth of the month, he hasn't stayed overnight at Ruyi Palace."

Whenever the prince comes to our place, he plays the zither and chess with his concubine, intending to relax. If he does or says too much, it will backfire.

If the Prince of Jin stays overnight and the concubine receives too much favor, that would be worrying.

Ruyi Palace kept a close watch on things every day, and Granny Gui did come to Yunyi Palace under various pretexts, deliberately choosing one of the three times to coincide with Prince Jin's visit.

However, she couldn't appear too reserved. After reporting to the concubine, Hua Yan instructed Dong Gua to prepare two cups of warm milk tea every other day after noon and have Xiao Yuanzi deliver them to Cunxin Palace. She also instructed Xiao Yuanzi to personally hand them to Jingming and return immediately afterward.

In this way, even though the Prince of Jin did not enter the inner palace, he would still send some rare food or calligraphy to the Yunyi Palace.

......

These days, the second young lady has gradually adapted to her status as a concubine. Life in the Prince's mansion is ultimately different from her life in her private quarters. In the past, after getting ready in the morning, she would have to go and pay her respects to the Madam and the Old Madam, only now she is the Princess in the Prince's mansion.

Besides Consort Zhen, there were two other concubines in the Prince's residence.

Hua Yan and Meng Zhu would accompany the princess to Ruyi Palace every morning. Most of the time, the princess would say things that were not what they really meant to the concubines and maids. Occasionally, there would be sharp exchanges, which Concubine Zhen could handle with ease.

Speaking of the two concubines of Prince Jin's mansion, they were both originally palace maids in Consort Hui's palace.

One is surnamed Wu, and the other is surnamed Yu.

Concubine Wu was beautiful and skilled in dancing. She had a cheerful personality and often made witty remarks when paying her respects. Unfortunately, the Princess was not one to smile, Consort Zhen was always dignified and composed in public, and the other concubines were relatively quiet. But even without anyone to flatter her, Concubine Wu did not feel embarrassed.

Concubine Yu was originally a candidate for the imperial concubine examination. Before serving Consort Hui in her palace, she came from the Bureau of Imperial Clothing, one of the Six Bureaus and One Department, and was skilled in embroidery. Her appearance was only above average, with a round face and big eyes. She was obedient and usually sat quietly at the end of the line after paying her respects. Even her occasional smiles were shallow and unremarkable.

Because Concubine Wu was always the first to arrive when paying her respects, the Princess took the opportunity to reward her with some jewelry. Among them, a necklace of red gold inlaid with rubies and two fish playing in the water was particularly eye-catching. Concubine Wu loved it very much and became even more attentive. After returning to the Begonia Courtyard, she would often show it off in Concubine Yu's room.

Concubine Yu responded as usual, offering a few compliments before ignoring her. Concubine Wu was not annoyed either; after showing off, she went back to her room to rest.

Incidentally, the palace maids in the Great Zhou imperial palace came from two different backgrounds.

First, the Inner Palace Attendants Department selected eligible women from various regions to enter the palace. After being taught etiquette and manners by the Palace Attendants Department for a period of time, they were then assigned to various palaces by the Inner Palace Attendants Department. Concubine Wu was one such example. In principle, palace maids of this background would usually be released from the palace at the age of twenty-five. Due to their limited background, they rarely received the appreciation of their masters and found better opportunities.

Secondly, there were those who came from the imperial concubine selection process. The Great Zhou Dynasty held a grand selection every three to five years according to the decree of the emperor or the harem, selecting eligible officials' wives of officials of the sixth rank or above to enter the palace. These women were then divided into three, six, and nine ranks. The upper-ranked women were assigned to the harem, the middle-ranked women were assigned to members of the royal family by the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs, and finally, the best of the lowest-ranked women were selected and sent to the Six Bureaus and One Department. Based on their talents, they were assigned to departments such as the Shanggong Bureau, Shangyi Bureau, Shangfu Bureau, Shangshi Bureau, Shangqin Bureau, Shanggong Bureau, and Gongzheng Department.

(Six bureaus and one department, the organizational structure for managing palace maids)

Most of the female officials were selected from the six bureaus and one department. Min Rong, the Imperial Attendant, was one of the best in the Imperial Attendant Bureau.

These two concubines, who were able to gain the favor of Consort Hui among all the palace maids and be sent to Prince Jin's residence as concubines when he established his own household, were naturally not simple characters. Whether it was Concubine Wu, who flattered and fawned over the Princess, or Concubine Yu, whose temperament was somewhat similar to that of Consort Zhen, they were able to serve the Emperor once or twice a month before the Princess and Consort Zhen entered the residence.