Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 264 Hua Yan Serves the Emperor (1)

Others might not know, but Consort Mei already minded her sister's existence. Hua Yan's words were like rubbing salt into her wounds. Just as she was about to speak again, Hua Yan gracefully walked into the Funing Palace.

Seeing this, Dong Ming bowed to Consort Mei and followed closely behind Hua Yan.

"Your Majesty, let's go back to Zhaoqing Palace," Liuli said cautiously as she stepped forward to persuade her.

This is the Emperor's residence, the Funing Palace. Even if she felt wronged or dissatisfied, could she possibly show it? Consort Mei took a deep breath, a flash of fierceness crossing her brows.

Inside the palace, after Hua Yan finished bowing to the Emperor, she looked up and met a gaze.

Hua Yan lowered her head calmly, "Your Majesty, I have come to express my gratitude. The pink and white crystal chess pieces are extremely precious. I am unworthy of such a generous reward. I pray that Your Majesty will rule over all the land and that all the people will praise your virtuous rule."

Then, Green Willow respectfully presented a long brocade box to Jingming, who then presented it to the Emperor.

The Emperor smiled slightly and said, "This chess piece was a tribute from Khotan to the previous dynasty. After the previous dynasty fell, the tribute disappeared. It was only after the founding of this dynasty that a wandering monk accidentally discovered it in an antique shop in the old market of Luoyang. I received this as a congratulatory gift when I ascended the throne. The lady's chess skills are superb, which is a perfect match for it."

Hua Yan never expected that there was such a story behind it...

Jingming carefully opened the brocade box. The Emperor was very curious when he saw that what Consort Meng had sent was a painting. He personally unfurled the long scroll and saw that it depicted the scene of people climbing to the top of a mountain at Guangci Temple on the Double Ninth Festival.

Gazing at the long scroll, one feels as if transported to a serene ancient temple. The Guanyin Hall stands solemnly in the center. The hall's doors are half-closed, and the golden statue of Guanyin can be vaguely seen, its compassionate face seemingly overlooking all beings. Scattered around the temple are meditation rooms, and ancient, vigorous cypress trees stand tall. Passing the temple, the mountain behind suddenly comes into view. A clear mountain stream flows, its water splashing and its melodious sound almost audible.

The painting before him reminded the Emperor of the day he first met Hua Yan and Consort Chun, and his smile deepened. Jingming was slightly taken aback; the Emperor hadn't shown such an expression in a long time.

The Emperor pointed to a spot in the painting, a hint of amusement in his eyes: "Why isn't the Lady Consort depicted in the painting of our meeting on the back mountain that day?"

Hua Yan was slightly taken aback. This painting was just a casual doodle, and she had never thought of depicting the events of that day.

But that was clearly not the right answer. After a moment's thought, she replied softly, "Your Majesty, because... this painting is not yet finished."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor raised an eyebrow, only then noticing that the painting had no inscription and was merely marked with a seal.

Therefore, the moment Hua Yan was pondering just now took on a different meaning in the Emperor's eyes—the Emperor naturally misunderstood Hua Yan's intentions, and today he would never be able to let go of that smile...

Hua Yan noticed the Emperor's unusual expression and immediately realized what was going on.

Jingming had already cleverly begun preparing the brushes, ink, and paints... While instructing Dongming to prepare, he secretly thought: Consort Meng is truly clever and resourceful! Compared to Consort Meng, the Empress, Consort Mei, and Xiu Rong are far inferior.

Hua Yan lowered her head, pretending not to know, her expression revealing a complex and unspeakable feeling.

This was just a casual practice piece she made, and it was already finished. As for inscribing it, she didn't have that habit... Just now, when Dong Ming hinted that he wanted to come to the Funing Palace to express his gratitude, she casually instructed Green Willow to bring him.

The emperor had studied painting since childhood. With just a few strokes, he first sketched a man and a woman on the scroll, gazing at each other from afar across a mountain spring.

Hua Yan said, "Since this is to recreate the scene of our meeting, I am not talented enough to do so, but I am willing to help. I wonder what words Your Majesty would like to inscribe?"

The Emperor naturally agreed, allowing Hua Yan to paint Consort Chun, Mengzhu, Mingyue, and others. Hua Yan even included Jingming in the painting, including the whisk that Jingming had hidden at his waist that day.

However, although it is a long horizontal scroll, the figures are no more than the length of a thumb, so the whisk in the painting looks like a stick stuck in the paper...

Jingming saw this from afar and his lips twitched slightly. This time, everything was taken care of.

......

As they left the Funing Palace, Green Willow couldn't help but whisper, "His Majesty... has he misunderstood?"

Hua Yan remained silent.

At dusk, Hua Yan ate her dinner alone and rested for a while. Xia'er, along with several palace maids, prepared to help Hua Yan with her washing and grooming.

Donggua and Mengzhu arrived at the side hall. The two of them and Lvliu stayed behind, while Xia'er and the others were sent away.

When Hua Yan saw Meng Zhu arrive, she asked softly, "Why aren't you with Your Highness?"

Mengzhu smiled and held a basket of colorful flower petals, taking a small handful and placing it into the bathtub. She replied, "It is a joyous occasion for the young lady to serve the emperor, and Her Majesty has specially sent me here to attend to her needs."

"There's no need for you to trouble yourself. Did anything happen at the Empress Dowager's palace today, Your Majesty?"

"Empress Dowager Zhou instructed the Empress to visit Cining Palace more often, and the Empress did so. She had lunch at the Empress Dowager's place, where Consort Mei was also present and spoke to her in a rather unfriendly manner."

"What did you say?"

Mengzhu remembered Consort Chun's instructions and tried to brush it off, saying, "Actually, it was nothing, just some provocative words, which Your Highness ignored."

Hua Yan frowned, her expression darkening.

After washing up, Mengzhu helped Huayan dress, and Ruizhu also brought Mingyue over to do Huayan's makeup. Donggua knew he was clumsy and didn't dare to step forward, but just stared at Huayan for a long time, occasionally turning away to gently wipe the corner of his eyes.

Green Willow, being observant, noticed that Winter Melon's mood was off. She stepped forward, took Winter Melon's hand, and said softly, "Shu'er is serving the Emperor, and we sisters should be happy for her."

Donggua nodded slightly and whispered, "I just feel sorry for her because she has no choice in the matter. Master also said that the hardest thing in life is to be free. If only we hadn't entered the palace."

Green Willow still remembers that when they were in Yunyi Courtyard, Winter Melon was focused on saving money and planning to open a restaurant after leaving the mansion. He even said that he would ask Meng Shu to be the accountant and let her run errands... The fates of all of them changed when Hua Yan became a concubine.

After Hua Yan finished dressing up, she saw Dong Gua and Lv Liu whispering to each other. She immediately noticed that there seemed to be tears in Dong Gua's eyes.

She suppressed her turbulent emotions, stood up, and smiled at her girlfriends, saying, "How is it? Isn't Meng Shu beautiful tonight?"

Upon hearing Hua Yan call out her original name, Dong Gua and Lü Liu's eyes immediately lit up, and Rui Zhu was the first to praise, "Her beauty is unparalleled."

Mengzhu followed immediately with: "A lotus emerging from the water."

Green Willow: "Beautiful as a fairy"

Mingyue scratched her head, only managing to stammer out, "It's beautiful!"

Winter melon sobbed, "It's so beautiful."