Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 445 Naming

The imperial concubine's robes on the day of her investiture were different from those worn at ordinary palace banquets. They were auspicious robes worn to receive the imperial seal and investiture in the main hall, and were more solemn and dignified in terms of regulations.

After Zhixue withdrew, Aunt Mei explained, "Your Majesty, please don't overthink it. The Empress's arrangement is not negligence at all. The auspicious robes have strict regulations and intricate patterns. The Imperial Dress Bureau had to rush to make them before the full moon, so it was already in a hurry. There are precedents for this. When Empress Dowager Jiang of Cining Palace was promoted to Consort Hui, she did the same thing. The auspicious robes were modified and reused, which actually added a touch of good fortune and auspiciousness."

Meng Shu was staring at Yu Nu'er in the swaddling clothes when she heard this and smiled: "Auntie, there's no need to say more. Wan'er and I are about the same size, so this outfit is not only suitable for us, but it also conveys a sense of sisterly intimacy. It makes me feel more at ease than a brand new one."

Green Willow chimed in softly at the opportune moment: "This servant inquired beforehand. This set of ceremonial robes was overseen and finished by Aunt Zhou, the most skilled craftswoman in the Imperial Clothing Bureau. Cailian stayed by her side closely, assisting her every step of the way. It was absolutely flawless before being handed over to the Renming Palace. The inspection so far has not revealed anything amiss."

"The Empress won't make any mistakes at this critical juncture,"

Yu Nu'er had been asleep for more than half an hour. Meng Shu gently touched his little palm with her fingertips. Unexpectedly, the little guy pouted and then burst into tears. The crying was so loud that it startled Meng Shu.

Aunt Mei gave her a reproachful look, then reached out and held the swaddled baby in her arms, gently rocking it while coaxing it softly. Once the crying subsided, she carefully handed it to the wet nurse, Li, who was standing nearby.

Meng Shu leaned against the soft pillows and looked at him, unable to help but laugh, "He's so little, he can't understand what I'm saying. Auntie has been coaxing him for so long, it's like I'm reasoning with him."

Green Willow was about to put the auspicious clothes into the wardrobe when she heard this and said with a smile, "This is how children are raised. Your Highness should learn from this in the future."

The wet nurse, Li, skillfully held Yu Nu'er in her arms, gently rocking her back and forth. "The little prince is the most well-behaved. It's time to feed him now. I'll take him back with me."

Meng Shu waved her hand, "Go ahead, this child is just spoiled."

Continuing from the previous point, Meng Shu added, "There will be many people and eyes around on the day of the full moon celebration. Even if the Empress doesn't do anything shady, it's hard to guarantee that others won't have any ideas. Just keep a close eye on Yu Nu'er then, and make sure no one causes any trouble."

Green Willow and Aunt Plum responded in unison.

"By the way, make sure to check all the clothes that the Imperial Clothing Bureau will send over in a couple of days. Since Physician Jian is not here right now, have Donggua take them to check them first. When Physician He comes to take my pulse tomorrow, let him take a look as well."

On the day of the full moon celebration, the palace servants of Lingcui Palace are required to serve inside and outside the palace. As is customary, they are given new clothes, which not only shows respectability but is also a rule of the palace.

Aunt Mei said, "Your Highness is so thoughtful. This servant and Green Willow were both focused on Your Highness's auspicious robes. If you hadn't reminded us, we would have almost forgotten about it."

Meng Shu smiled gently, "Auntie is always so thoughtful, but she's been too busy these past few days to think about it. After the ninth day, when you return to the palace, please take Mingyue with you. Although Wan'er has Empress Dowager Zhou looking after her, she still needs capable people by her side."

Aunt Mei shook her head: "This servant will go back, but Mingyue must stay. Now that the Empress is in charge of the inner palace, although the manor has selected several suitable wet nurses to send to the palace early on, in the end, only this wet nurse, Li, can stay by the little prince's side. Let Mingyue stay in Cuiyu Hall for a few more days, so that she can be taken care of if there is any emergency in the future."

"No need, I can handle these."

Seeing that Aunt Mei was adamant, Meng Shu explained, "The people around me right now are all loyal. When the Emperor came over the other day, he said that Dong Ming should stay and work at Lingcui Palace. Dong Ming happens to know some martial arts. In addition, Hongyu is quite clever, so it's good to let her gain some experience."

Lady Yun initially brought Mingyue into the palace to help Consort Chun, but now the situation has reversed, with Consort Chun helping her a great deal. Now that Mingyue is out of confinement and gradually recovering, it's really inappropriate to keep her confined to her palace any longer.

Although Aunt Mei thought it made sense, she still didn't dare to agree. She only said that she would write to ask Consort Chun before making a decision.

Green Willow watched from the side, and before she knew it, she lowered her eyes and stared blankly.

She was originally a maid in the Tang household, and by all accounts should have been closer to the Marquis's household. However, she actually favored Meng Shu more. Moreover, ever since Meng Shu changed her status, she had never felt at ease, always secretly on edge.

They feared that Consort Chun would feel that Meng Shu had lost favor, and that their sisterly bond would gradually fade away; they feared that Madam Yun would feel that the Marquis's mansion could not control Meng Shu after she gave birth to a prince and was promoted to the rank of Consort, and that this would gradually create a rift between them; they also feared that Aunt Mei and Meng Zhu would become estranged from their side.

But as the days went by, all those worries came to nothing.

Thinking of all this, her heart felt both sour and tender, as if it had been soaked in warm water. Suddenly, her nose tingled with an itch. Afraid of losing face in front of Aunt Mei, she quickly bent her knees and slipped out. Once she reached the corridor, she quietly dabbed at the corner of her eye with a handkerchief.

......

Funing Hall.

The sun was shining brightly outside the window, and the vermilion window was half-open, letting in a ray of slanting sunlight that spread a narrow strip of light across the golden brick floor.

The Empress walked slowly in, stepping on the light and shadow, and took the carved lacquer food box from Xingyu's hands. She said softly, "Your Majesty must be tired after half a day of governing. I specially asked the kitchen to make a bowl of Eight Treasures Soup, which is the best for nourishing your energy and spirit. Your Majesty, please have some."

The Emperor was holding a brush, dipping it in ink, his gaze fixed on a vermilion invitation card on the table, as if he were considering it.

Hearing the Empress's words, he did not look up, but said calmly, "Your Majesty is very kind. Please put it aside for now, I will use it later."

The Empress smiled and agreed, gently placing the food box on the corner of the table. Seeing the Emperor so focused, she couldn't help but feel curious and glanced involuntarily at the imperial desk.

At a glance, it was clear that the document was a petition submitted by the Ministry of Rites, proposing a name for the eldest prince.

The smile froze on his lips, like a lake suddenly still.

After a moment, the Emperor seemed to sense something, put down his vermilion brush, tapped the letter lightly twice with his fingertips, and looked up at her: "Which character does the Empress think is the best?"

Upon hearing this, the Empress composed herself before looking up at the vermilion scroll. It bore the neatly arranged characters "琙、暄、翊、晏、穆...启、璟" and more than a dozen others.

Each character was accompanied by a definition, the ink fresh, indicating it had just been served.

"Your Majesty mentioned a few days ago that you had drafted three characters. I wonder if they are included in this post?"

"Yes," the Emperor replied casually, tapping the note lightly with his fingertip.

The Empress clenched her hands at her sides, her peripheral vision fixed on the character "Jing," and her eyes drooped slightly.

"The northern border is not yet stable, and the court officials are worried about the border affairs every day. The character '晏' means peace and tranquility, and it also carries an auspicious omen. It is both timely and has a long-lasting meaning. I think it is excellent."

As she spoke, she extended her fingertip, the gilded armor hovering above the character "晏" without actually touching the paper.

The last character, "璟", is the most intriguing. It is composed of the radicals for jade and scenery, and carries the character for sun, which is superseded by the character for capital. Even if the Ministry of Rites had the greatest audacity, it would not have dared to propose this character.