Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 463 Oh, Heavenly Lord!

After folding the letter and handing it to Green Willow, Meng Shu got up and went to the East Warm Pavilion.

Su, the wet nurse, was shaking a rattle drum back and forth to amuse Yu Nu'er. The little one stared with her bright black eyes, following the drum's rotation without blinking. Next to the crib was a round winter melon.

The outside was even more lively. Mingyue stood straight with her hands behind her back, sternly supervising the real Donggua as he practiced horse stance.

It was hot in the summer, and Donggua was covered in sweat. Beads of sweat rolled down his chin and into his clothes, and he looked noticeably thinner. Meng Shu felt that it wasn't thanks to Mingyue, but mostly because he had been sweating profusely every day, which had helped him lose weight.

Hearing footsteps, Su, the wet nurse, quickly stood up and greeted her: "Your Majesty."

Meng Shu took the rattle drum from her hand, and Yu Nu'er immediately exclaimed "Ah!" Dong Gua, seeing this, couldn't help but interject, "Young mistress is urging you to keep shaking that drum."

Meng Shu chuckled, holding the rattle drum and playing with Yu Nu'er for a while, then carried him to the outer room to watch Dong Gua practice horse stance.

"The Imperial Household Department sent over a lot of ice today. I'd like to make some ice bowls to cool off in the summer heat," Donggua said to Meng Shu with a pained expression, while doing a horse stance.

When Mingyue heard that there would be iced bowls to eat, she immediately relented: "Alright, half an hour of practice is enough."

Winter Melon felt like he'd been granted a pardon. His legs went weak and he almost collapsed. He gasped for breath and said, "I'll just make one bowl. I won't give you any." Before he finished speaking, he had already run off to the small kitchen.

Mingyue yelled "Hey!" and chased after him, leaving only a trail of laughter fading into the distance under the eaves.

The wet nurse, Su, smiled gently: "I have served in this palace for so long and have been to so many palaces, but Your Highness's Lingcui Palace is the most vibrant."

Although the red spots from the original three wet nurses have all disappeared, they had been ill before, so according to the rules they could no longer return to Lingcui Palace to serve her. Now, the two wet nurses brought by Min Rong are taking care of Yu Nu'er.

Upon hearing this, the wet nurse Li quickly replied with a smile, "Your Highness is so gentle, and the eldest prince is so well-behaved and doesn't cause any trouble. It is truly a blessing for us servants to be able to serve in Your Highness's palace."

Meng Shu gently scratched Yu Nu'er's chin with her fingertips, then looked up at the two wet nurses: "You just need to take good care of her. If Yu Nu'er is well, you will naturally be at ease. But if even the slightest mistake occurs, I will absolutely not tolerate it."

"Yes, Your Highness, we will remember your teachings." The two wet nurses bowed in unison.

In the East Warm Pavilion, Mingyue always stayed by her side without leaving for a moment; even when she occasionally left, Hongyu or Xia'er would always be there to take care of her, never letting Yunu'er be left alone in the hands of her wet nurse.

Meng Shu naturally didn't completely trust these two wet nurses, but after a month of getting along, they had indeed been very dedicated and hadn't made any mistakes, which was quite remarkable.

After hesitating for a moment, as if gathering her courage, Nurse Li spoke softly: "Your Highness, the First Prince has been resting with you in your bedchamber these days. Although he is well-behaved and sensible, he still gets up two or three times a night. From now on, why don't we keep watch over him in the warm pavilion? If there is any noise at night, we can take care of him in time so that Your Highness can get a good night's sleep."

She spoke earnestly, but her gaze never dared to fall on Meng Shu.

Meng Shu gently rocked Yu Nu'er while holding her, a faint, almost imperceptible smile playing on her lips.

These are not words a wet nurse should voluntarily say.

Jingming must have passed on the message at some point, but whether they dared to say it, whether they wanted to say it, and when to say it were ultimately their own decision.

She raised her eyes, her gaze sweeping lightly over Su's wet nurse's face.

In contrast, this woman was much more composed. While the wet nurse was speaking, she kept her eyes lowered and her fingertips neatly tucked into her sleeves. She was clearly more composed and knew better how to read people's expressions.

"I'm used to it," Meng Shu said calmly.

The wet nurse's face turned pale instantly, and she quickly lowered her head.

At this moment, Su, the wet nurse, raised her eyes and gently replied, "Your Majesty is right. The eldest prince is young, and he sleeps more soundly at night when he sees familiar people. We servants will do our best during the day."

Meng Shu carried Yu Nu'er and turned back into the inner room. The little one seemed sleepy and snuggled against her. The wet nurse Su took her and gently patted her twice. Yu Nu'er's eyelids closed heavily, and she soon began to breathe evenly.

At this moment, Mingyue returned. "Your Majesty, Donggua made several spicy dishes today."

Meng Shu smiled and said, "Then you'll have to use a lot."

The emperor wasn't very good at eating spicy food, but he would always have a few dishes served so he could just taste a little bit of the spice.

Donggua may appear careless and sloppy, but she is actually quite perceptive and always thinks about how to win over the Emperor's favor for Meng Shu. However, she is unaware that when Old Madam Han enters the palace, the Emperor will definitely have lunch at Cining Palace in the morning.

Just as Meng Shu was about to return to her study, she saw Xia'er leading Li, the eunuch from Cining Palace, over to the corridor.

Li, the eunuch, bowed and said, "This servant greets Consort Jin and pays her respects."

Meng Shu stopped and said, "Please rise, Eunuch Li."

Li, the eunuch, rose, his back still slightly bent, and replied respectfully, "Her Majesty the Empress Dowager sent me here to request that Steward Fang go to Cining Palace."

"When Madam Han entered the palace today, she was talking with the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. She mentioned the batch of spicy eggplants that the Ministry of Revenue sent to the northern frontier before last winter. She said that they had made great contributions in the bitter cold of the northern frontier, as they were both appetizing and warming. The Empress Dowager was intrigued by this and sent me to tell the head chef to prepare a few dishes for Madam Han and Miss Han to try."

Li, the palace eunuch, was someone the Marquis's family had placed in the palace many years ago, so he was considered one of their own. When he spoke, even the fine lines at the corners of his eyes revealed his meticulousness. He made sure to explain the whole story clearly, for fear that Meng Shu would worry.

Meng Shu nodded and said, "In that case, let me give Donggua a few instructions and then I'll send her over."

“That’s only right. We servants will wait in the front hall.” After saying that, Eunuch Li bowed again and turned to follow Xia’er to the front hall.

Donggua was busy in the small kitchen when he heard the news and frowned, saying, "Chef Xu from the Imperial Kitchen of the Imperial Food Bureau can make this, so why did you summon me there?"

Only Meng Shu and Dong Gua were in the study. After Dong Gua finished speaking, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he said excitedly, "I'd be happy to go. Maybe I can even see what that legendary Miss Han looks like!"

Meng Shu was amused by her and instructed, "When you get there, just focus on cooking and don't look around or ask any questions. Don't make the dishes too spicy either. The chili sauce you made before the New Year tastes pretty good, take two jars with you."

Donggua nodded hurriedly in agreement, wiped her hands on her apron, and went to prepare the things with light steps.

She didn't return until late afternoon, followed by several eunuchs who carefully carried two heavy camphor wood chests.

After the eunuchs withdrew, Green Willow was about to ask something when Winter Melon grabbed her sleeve, held up two fingers with his right hand, and exclaimed, "Oh, Heaven!"

"That Miss Han is quite beautiful, with a touch of heroism in her eyes, but... she accidentally broke two glass cups at the banquet."

After saying that, she added, "But in terms of looks, she's still not as pretty as our Shushu!"