Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 160: The Book of Chess, The Book of Poetry

The Prince's mansion was decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, and even the bright red wedding silk had not yet been removed.

Hua Yan and Meng Zhu accompanied the Second Miss to the banquet, while Xiao Yuanzi and Xiao Nianzi followed along carrying two food boxes.

When Aunt Mei saw the second young lady off, she looked at the fiery clouds on the horizon with a sorrowful expression.

Hua Yan knew her worries, but even with her great wisdom, she was helpless today.

Whether it was the Imperial Clan Court's deliberate act or yesterday was truly an auspicious day, the fact that the principal wife and concubine were married on the same day, especially since it was the fourteenth, was certainly not a good thing for the concubine.

Given their different statuses and the fact that the princess is the principal wife, the prince naturally wouldn't come to Yunyi Palace for their wedding night yesterday. Tonight is the fifteenth of the lunar month, and according to custom, the prince must stay overnight at the princess's residence on the first and fifteenth of each lunar month.

Fortunately, Hua Yan had served the second young lady for a long time, and seeing that she did not show any obvious disappointment on her face, he felt somewhat relieved.

Various kinds of food were laid out on the rosewood table with peony patterns. After the second young lady entered the hall and paid her respects, she sat down on the left side of the lower seat. Mengzhu opened the food box and handed the milk tea to the eunuch serving her.

"Is this the milk tea that the prince mentioned?" The princess looked at the amber color in the glass cup.

The prince's deep voice echoed throughout the hall.

"I have heard that the herdsmen on the northwestern grasslands boil milk and tea together, resulting in a rich and mellow flavor. I have never seen this in the capital, and I was quite amazed when I tasted it that day."

The second young lady said gracefully, "Your Highness is very knowledgeable. I am a woman who has never experienced the flavors of the grasslands while living in seclusion. I imagine that the method of brewing it with tea has existed for a long time."

The princess's eyes flickered as she glanced at the second young lady: "I've long heard that the concubine is very clever, but after tasting this milk tea today, I realize that the people serving the concubine are also insightful and skillful."

These words were subtly directed at Hua Yan and Meng Zhu behind the Second Miss. Hua Yan stood with her head bowed, obediently standing behind the Second Miss.

Mengzhu maintained a lowered gaze throughout.

"Your Highness is too kind. This milk tea is only slightly novel, though."

Upon hearing this, Hua Yan took out a thin booklet from her sleeve, bowed slightly, and presented it to Jing Ming with both hands.

The second young lady continued, "Although Your Highness often visits the palace, the milk tea inevitably loses its flavor if left out for too long. After I returned, I had my servants compile the recipe, and I would be grateful if Your Highness could bring it to my mother next time you visit the palace."

The Prince of Jin relaxed his brows, a gentle smile crossing his face.

She reached out and took the booklet from Jingming. The booklet still carried a faint scent of the woman.

"Consort Zhen is very thoughtful. Unlike the Empress Dowager, who enjoys tending to flowers and plants, Consort Zhen prefers novel foods. She will surely be delighted to receive this."

The Prince of Jin glanced at it and saw that the recipe was written in great detail, even noting the methods for making several kinds of small dumplings. It was clear that it could not have been written in a short time.

This thoughtfulness pleased the Prince of Jin greatly.

"Consort Zhen is a student of Mr. Lin, so her chess skills must be quite good. Jingming, bring the 'Mysterious Chess Classic' and 'Rotten Axe Classic' that you found a few days ago and send them to Consort Zhen's palace in a while."

The second young lady stood up and thanked her.

The princess remained calm and composed. Knowing that Prince Jin would rely heavily on the Tang family, she would never lose her composure in the few days following her wedding.

Moreover, the concubine has not yet consummated her marriage with the prince, and her most urgent task is to give birth to an heir for the prince as soon as possible.

The maids of the Prince's Palace Music Bureau danced to the music of the zither. From the moment Hua Yan entered the palace, she noticed that Yun Shuang was not serving with her. Instead, Zhi Xue and Lu Wei were serving the Princess.

As the banquet ended and night deepened, the prince, along with his princess and the second young lady, enjoyed the lanterns and guessed riddles under the eaves.

Ruizhu and Mingyue were waiting not far outside the palace. People from Ruyi Palace had also arrived, but Xingyu was accompanied by an unfamiliar maid.

It seems that Yunshuang has already angered the princess.

Hua Yan glanced at the princess under the cover of night. She felt that only half a day had passed, but the princess seemed to have calmed down a lot. Even the people around her stood properly at a distance, and there was no longer the whispering that had happened in front of the bridal sedan chair yesterday.

Even with Disi Pavilion's capabilities, they couldn't find out anything about the inner quarters of General Xunhui's mansion, and even Madam Yun's side didn't have much information. They only roughly knew that the General's mansion had a decent reputation in the capital, and that the household was small.

The poetry gathering at the hot spring resort was one of the few times the princess made a public appearance while she was still in her private quarters.

After the banquet ended, Prince Jin still sent Jingming to escort the Second Miss back to Yunyi Palace.

On this beautiful night, the second young lady also had a chance to tell Hua Yan in detail about the day's events, including the gratitude expressed before the emperor and the situation in the empress's palace. After listening, Hua Yan said:

"Miss's response in front of the palace was appropriate. It is the Princess's patience that is commendable. Even though she was humiliated by Consort Min in front of everyone, her response was also flawless."

The second young lady lay inside the bright red mandarin duck quilt, her hand stroking the spot beside her.

The large, exquisite bed surface felt surprisingly empty.

She slowly said, "The princess is of noble status. She has been taught by the general since childhood and is also loved by her two elder brothers. She may be a little spoiled, but she is definitely not a simple-minded person without any schemes."

This is what puzzled Hua Yan: "The maid who accompanied the princess to the palace... Logically speaking, even if Madam Jiang were to choose someone from a distant relative as a concubine, she wouldn't choose someone so short-sighted and lacking in judgment, would she?"

The second young lady turned her head and said in a deep voice, "Something is definitely not right, but a mother would never harm her own daughter. Perhaps the general's wife has other plans."

More than ten years ago, the Jiang family was still under the command of General Lu in the southwest. At that time, war broke out on the southwestern border. General Jiang fought bravely and made many outstanding contributions. After the war, in recognition of his merits, General Jiang was promoted from a third-rank military officer to a second-rank general. The Jiang family was ordered to move to the capital.

Therefore, few people in Beijing knew that Madame Chiang was not his first wife.

The next morning, Jingming sent a servant to deliver a message in advance that Prince Jin and the Second Miss had breakfast together.

In the afternoon, Granny Gong brought over several pots of the best-growing, most precious chrysanthemums from the greenhouse, accompanied by a group of maids and servants. Aunt Mei was overjoyed and ordered everyone to clean Yunyi Palace until it was spotless.

While the second young lady was practicing calligraphy in the study, he happily led Mengzhu to decorate the bedroom as if it were their wedding night.

The second young lady saw Aunt Mei's flustered state through the rosewood screen depicting a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix, and her pretty face flushed slightly, but she didn't stop her in the end.

As Hua Yan prepared ink for the second young lady, she secretly pondered how to explain the events of the past two or three days to Madam Yun when she returned to the Tang residence the next day. When she came to her senses and looked closely, she couldn't help but frown slightly, but then her brows relaxed and a faint smile appeared on her lips.

The second young lady was copying down the newly acquired Xuanxuan Chess Classic, intending to present it to the eldest young master on her homecoming day. In the section on Pi Rixiu's original chess chapter, it was written: 'The origins of chess must have been in the Warring States period, and it contained harmful, deceptive, and fraudulent methods...'

The next line became, "'The wind and rain are dark, but the rooster crows incessantly. Now that I have seen my lord, how can I not be happy...'"

Hua Yan pretended not to notice, carefully stopped grinding the ink, went to the octagonal table behind the screen to get a cup of tea, and when she came back in, the second young lady had already hidden the words she had just written at the bottom.