pjbooks Chapter 305 A Familiar Feeling
Chapter 305 A Familiar Feeling
Chapter 305 A Familiar Feeling
It was nearly noon when Consort Mei was invited to Huaqing Palace, where Empress Dowager Jiang resided.
When they arrived at Qianli Pond, they caught a glimpse of Jingming leading two women toward them. One of the women, though dressed as a married woman, was strikingly beautiful.
Consort Mei frowned slightly, and her pace slowed accordingly.
As Jingming and the other two approached, Yu Mama, who was behind Consort Mei, felt a sense of déjà vu when she saw Xiuyun's face clearly.
Jingming stepped forward and said, "This servant greets Consort Mei."
Xiuyun and Dingxiang bowed their heads in response.
Consort Mei's gaze fell on Xiuyun, and she said with a smile, "Where is Eunuch Jing going in such a hurry when he's not serving His Majesty?"
Jingming bowed and said, "Your Majesty, this servant will take Madam Zhou to Bilang Pavilion."
"Madam Zhou?" Consort Mei asked thoughtfully.
"This lady is a relative of Lord Zhou, the Left Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial. She has come to the imperial palace to pay her respects to Consort Meng, thanks to the Emperor's great favor."
When Consort Mei heard that she was going to visit Consort Meng, she looked her over and said, "So you are the family of the newly appointed Transport Commissioner of Jianghuai, Lord Zhou. I heard that Madam Zhou has a deep connection with the Tang family. Raise your head and let me see you."
Upon hearing this, Xiuyun slowly raised her head, and coincidentally, she met the questioning gaze of a nanny behind Consort Mei.
Xiu Yun: "..." She dared not offend Consort Mei, and was also afraid that this trip would bring trouble to Meng Shu. At this moment, she did not have time to think about the old woman's reaction. She only remembered Madam Yun's advice and controlled her expression—as dignified as possible.
Consort Mei stared at Xiuyun for a moment, and seeing her dignified demeanor, she suddenly thought she was seeing Consort Chun...
Just as he was about to say something, Jingming stopped him.
"Your Majesty, His Majesty is currently summoning Lord Zhou to Yingzhou Hall. I must hurry to take Madam Zhou to Bilang Pavilion, and then I must rush back to serve him. It is really inconvenient for me to delay any longer."
Consort Mei's tone was somewhat arrogant just now, so Jingming braced himself and spoke respectfully.
He had just received a generous gift from Lord Zhou, and all he asked for was to safely deliver Lady Zhou to Consort Meng. Besides, as a close attendant who had served the Emperor since childhood, he could clearly see who the Emperor truly cared for.
Therefore, she would rather offend Consort Mei than allow Madam Zhou to suffer even the slightest grievance at this moment. Otherwise, if Consort Meng were to whisper in her ear, she herself would inevitably suffer the consequences.
Despite her anger, Consort Mei still politely nodded to Jingming.
After Jingming and the other two had walked away, Consort Mei sneered, "Consort Meng is truly cunning. If I want to see my mother, I'll have to keep flattering the Empress Dowager and begging for her permission..."
Liuli (Mei Fei's maid) advised, "Your Majesty, please rest assured. His Majesty bestowed this favor upon Consort Meng because he highly values Lord Zhou. Your Majesty and His Majesty are childhood sweethearts, and you also have the Empress Dowager's protection. Consort Meng is merely a concubine selected from among the concubines; how could she possibly surpass Your Majesty?"
Consort Mei's expression softened slightly, and she said gently, "Last time Mother went to the palace, she searched for several local specialties among the common people. How did Granny Yu do with them?"
Empress Dowager Jiang has a fondness for fine food, and lately her tastes have become increasingly discerning. The Duke of Qing specially brought a cook from Jiangzhou to the palace to serve her, but after a while, Empress Dowager Jiang lost interest in the dishes she prepared.
Liuli tugged at Granny Yu's sleeve, and Granny Yu snapped out of her daze, asking Liuli in a low voice, "...What did Your Highness just say?"
Liuli repeated the instructions, and Granny Yu quickly replied, "Your Highness, the Madam has sent three recipes for desserts. I will go to the kitchen to make them tomorrow."
......
After leaving Empress Dowager Zhou's residence, Consort Chun went straight to Bilang Pavilion.
Aunt Mei sighed, "Her Majesty has been favored for a long time, yet... Just now, the Empress Dowager had Physician He take Her Majesty's pulse, probably because she was worried that Her Majesty's health might be abnormal."
Consort Chun nodded, feeling somewhat apologetic: "I've caused the Empress Dowager unnecessary worry."
Mengzhu comforted her, "After the New Year, Imperial Physician Jian will take care of Your Highness's health. By the end of next year, we servants will be able to serve the little prince."
Aunt Mei nodded with a smile. If things could really go as planned, the head of the family and his wife would be at ease.
Consort Chun had been talking to Empress Dowager Zhou for a long time and was already a little tired, but when she heard Mengzhu's words, she couldn't help but feel hopeful.
"Aunt, please try to persuade Shu'er more often. If Shu'er gets pregnant soon, it will be more lively for us in the palace."
Aunt Mei sighed inwardly.
She had practically watched Hua Yan grow up, but since she was ultimately Madam Yun's person, she was happy to see Hua Yan intentionally using contraception.
In the hearts of Aunt Mei and Mengzhu Ruizhu, Huayan was always just a "selected concubine" by their mistress's side. Only if Consort Chun safely gave birth to the little prince would they truly hope that Huayan would become pregnant.
Bilangxuan.
Hua Yan only learned half an hour in advance that her uncle and Xiu Yun had arrived at the palace early that morning. Upon hearing the news, she couldn't sit still and eagerly ran to wait outside the palace.
Before Xiuyun arrived, Consort Chun appeared first. So the two of them held hands and craned their necks together outside the palace gate...
Jingming led Xiuyun around a rockery, pointed ahead, and exclaimed, "Hey, Madam Zhou, look! The two ladies are waiting for you outside the palace."
Green Willow was overjoyed and waved her handkerchief from a hundred meters away.
The sun was quite strong. Xiuyun put her hand on her forehead and looked closely. Sure enough, there were two stunning beauties staring at her!
"Jing, shall we hurry up a bit?" Xiu Yun tidied her appearance and couldn't help but urge him on.
Jingming: "......"