Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 497 is merely a reflection of people's thoughts and fears.

As dusk approached, the distant outlines of the palace eaves were shrouded in the inky darkness of the night.

The eunuch who was supposed to fetch Zhou Bai and his wife from outside the palace had only been gone for a quarter of an hour, and Meng Shu estimated that it would take another half an hour for him to arrive.

Upon reaching the outside of the Funing Palace, the palace servants on duty were visibly tense, even their breathing became slightly lighter. Reflected in the lattice window of the Imperial Study, a solitary figure stood motionless before the desk.

She paused slightly, raised her hand, and waved gently.

Upon seeing this, Jingming immediately stopped and bowed gratefully to Meng Shu's retreating figure. Lvliu stepped forward and gently handed over the food box she was carrying.

Meng Shu took the food box, her fingertips touching the slightly cool handle. She glanced at the lonely figure in the window before gently pushing open the palace door.

With a very soft creak, I slowly stepped into the hall.

The Emperor seemed completely oblivious to the commotion, his gaze fixed intently on the open scroll on the corner of his desk. He was usually so composed; such a dazed and lost expression was truly rare.

Meng Shu walked slowly forward, gently placed the food box on the empty space beside the table, and then curtsied: "Your Majesty, I pay my respects. Just now, Eunuch Jing said that Your Majesty has not had dinner since this afternoon. I brought a bowl of hot porridge, Your Majesty, please have some."

"You've arrived."

The Emperor slowly raised his eyes, his gaze shifting from the files on the corner of the table to the white porcelain bowl of porridge that Meng Shu was taking out of the food box.

It was a simple bowl of millet porridge, served with two small plates of refreshing side dishes.

His voice was slightly hoarse from just emerging from deep thought, and although the anger in his eyes had not completely faded, it was a little gentler than before: "So simple, is it that I have deprived Shuer of her allowance?"

The soups and desserts brought by the other concubines were always exquisite and elaborate, such as bird's nest stew or mille-feuille cheese, as if they wanted to inscribe the word "care" on the ingredients. The bowl of plain porridge and side dishes in front of me was simply too simple.

Meng Shu pushed the bowl of porridge to the Emperor's side, then took a pair of silver chopsticks and placed them on the side of the plate. She said calmly, "I haven't been able to eat much lately. Every day I cook a bowl of soft and sticky millet porridge with winter melon, topped with a thin layer of rice oil, and paired with crisp green bamboo shoots. Such a homely taste is comforting. I thought that Your Majesty might like it."

These words were all spoken of himself, without a single word of "comfort" or "peace of mind," yet to the Emperor, every word seemed to convey tenderness.

He listened quietly, watching Meng Shu's profile as she lowered her eyes to arrange the food box. The gloom in his heart was gently dispelled by these few words.

Then the Emperor sighed softly, gently pinched Meng Shu's fingertips before taking the silver chopsticks, "In the entire palace, there is no one more meticulous than Shu'er."

Having said that, he said no more, scooped up a spoonful of porridge and put it in his mouth.

The warmth slid down my throat into my stomach and spleen, and my body gradually relaxed. Before I knew it, I had eaten half a bowl.

Meng Shu promptly placed a cup of warm tea beside him.

The Emperor put down his silver chopsticks, wiped his lips with a handkerchief, rinsed his mouth with tea, and then looked out of the palace.

Jingming immediately bowed and said, "Your Majesty, it will take about a quarter of an hour for Lord Zhou to arrive."

The Emperor steadied himself and turned to Meng Shu, saying, "When Madam Zhou arrives, Shu'er, you can talk to her in the side hall. I... won't ask her any questions, and I'll just take a look at her from afar later."

Meng Shu replied gently, "Yes. It has been over a year since I last saw my aunt. I received a letter before the New Year that I now have a cousin."

"I have instructed Jingming to prepare gifts. Tonight's events were unexpected. I hereby grant permission for Madam Zhou to enter the palace at any time before returning to Yangzhou. This will allow Shu'er to get closer to Minister Zhou's child."

Meng Shu bowed and expressed her gratitude, saying, "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."

The Emperor gathered the documents on his desk, his fingertips touching the star chart presented by the Imperial Observatory, and his gaze darkened. He traced the star trails on the chart with his fingertips and said in a deep voice, "There were celestial signs that warned us, and then the wet nurse who served the Third Prince went mad. I have decided to build a meditation hall next to the Puji Temple and allow Lady Qu to take the Third Prince out of the palace to practice meditation."

These words, seemingly describing the outcome, actually contained a hint of probing and warning. The fact that Lady Qu and her son left the palace indicated that the matter was settled, and regardless of whether the wet nurse's madness was real or not, or whether it was intentional or not, it would not be pursued further.

Meng Shu understood that the Emperor was not only informing her, but also observing her reaction.

She stood to the side with her hands at her sides, trying to stay alert: "Your Majesty's considerations are thorough. Puji Temple is a peaceful place with dedicated caretakers. It not only spares the Third Prince from further gossip and trouble, but also allows Consort Qu to focus on her practice. It is truly a win-win situation."

"What does Shu'er think of this celestial phenomenon?"

The emperor suddenly changed the subject and simply unfolded the star chart completely, spreading it out on the imperial desk. The vermilion star trails seemed to reflect into one's eyes under the candlelight.

Meng Shu didn't look at the picture, but instead stepped forward and gently lifted the food box on the table.

She walked to the outer room, placed the food box on the low table prepared by the palace servants, and turned back to the inner room before slowly speaking: "Recently, I have been copying scriptures and came across a sentence that says, 'In the space of the mind, a clear thought can ward off all evil, while a confused thought can give rise to all kinds of demons.' At the time, I felt that this sentence was very insightful, but now I think it is somewhat in line with the current situation."

She lowered her eyes and continued, "The ignorant in this world live their days in a daze, completely unaware of what is going on. Whenever fortune or misfortune rises or falls, they say it is due to some unseen force, or divine retribution, or divine protection. Little do they know that gods, ghosts, and celestial phenomena are nothing more than the thoughts and fears of the human heart."

"A single thought of clarity dispels all evil; a single thought of confusion breeds all demons..."

The emperor murmured this sentence to himself, as if something had been revealed to him, and he felt a sense of enlightenment.

Meng Shu reached out and gently rolled up the star chart, her movements unhurried, as if she were rolling up an ordinary scroll.

After rolling it up, she casually tossed it into an open porcelain bottle beside her.

Then she looked up at the Emperor, her eyes clear as stars: "Your Majesty, you possess a vast empire, yet you can share a simple meal with your people. Now that drought is raging, if the emperor and his ministers are of one mind, they can split rocks and open canals. Your Majesty, if the people can hold their plows and look out for each other, what is there to fear about thousands of miles of barren land?"

Upon hearing this, the Emperor abruptly stood up, as if the stagnant air in the hall had been shaken away.

He looked at Meng Shu, and his mind suddenly went blank.

·

"Your Majesty, Lord Zhou has arrived outside the palace and is awaiting your summons."

Jingming's voice came through the palace door, breaking the subtle silence that had just filled the imperial study.

Upon hearing the sound, Meng Shu snapped out of her reverie and immediately bowed her head and knelt to apologize, saying, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I spoke too much just now, making presumptuous comments about politics and celestial phenomena, which was beyond the bounds of my duties as an imperial concubine."

The Emperor raised his hand to help her up, preventing her from actually kneeling.

His gaze fell on the top of her simple hair, and his tone carried a hint of barely perceptible affection: "What crime has Shu'er committed? Your words have relieved my worries of the past hundred days. It is my good fortune to have Shu'er by my side."

Hearing this, Meng Shu's heart finally settled down, and she replied softly, "Your Majesty, I will not disturb your meeting any longer. I will go to the palace to see my aunt so that she can feel at ease."

At this moment, Zhou Bai and Xiu Yun, who were waiting outside the hall, learned that Meng Shu was inside. The couple exchanged a glance, and their hearts tightened even more.