Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 182 Caught His Eyes

In early April, the list of new brides was finalized, and the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs sent an instructor to the residence the following day to teach them etiquette. Since only those of rank below the fourth grade were included this time, according to ancestral custom, they only needed to wait for an auspicious day to be brought into the residence.

Perhaps it was because of the inkstone on his desk in his study that Prince Jin often stayed overnight at Yunyi Palace.

In the latter half of the day, after returning to his residence from the palace, Prince Jin suddenly decided to visit Yunyi Palace, accompanied only by Jingming. Jingming, sensing his master's mood, waved his hand, preventing Yu Henian, who was guarding outside the palace, from announcing his arrival.

In mid-spring, plants sprout and trees grow, and the spring mountains are in sight.

"Hua Yan, what I painted is a picture of ladies playing in the water in spring. Your painting shows no joy and lacks a bit of liveliness."

Consort Zhen was in the backyard at this time. It was near the north side hall and had a small pond, which was quite similar to the layout of the embroidery building in Lin'an.

Upon hearing the concubine's words, Mingyue decided to play a trick on her. She picked up a stone and threw it into the pond. As a martial arts practitioner, she was strong and skillful. The stone splashed water everywhere as it hit the pond.

Hua Yan could no longer bear it and let out a coquettish voice, revealing her bright and cheerful girlish appearance.

"Mingyue is asking for it!"

With a light touch of her jade-like feet, she splashed a pool of water towards the bright moon opposite.

Consort Zhen smiled slightly and said, "That was just right."

Hearing the playful laughter, Prince Jin's troubled mood eased somewhat. In the past, when he went to Ruyi Palace, Jiang Jie always emphasized etiquette, and the servants dared not make a sound. Therefore, every time Prince Jin went to Ruyi Palace, it was as if he had entered his mother's Ciyuan Palace, and he always felt somewhat uncomfortable.

Consort Zhen, who was usually gentle and refined, was surprised to hear her laughing so happily.

Thinking this, Prince Jin revealed a rare hint of youthful spirit, quickening his pace slightly but also making his steps lighter.

Stepping through the hanging flower gate, you will see this vibrant and fragrant scene.

It turned out that Consort Zhen was sitting on the veranda painting, surrounded by a group of maids, all of whom were busy with their own tasks.

One maid was grinding ink, while another familiar maid was chattering away, helping to choose colors. The plump maid was the busiest; she and the maid named Chun'er carried a table and set up a stove to brew tea. At first glance, there were also fruits and several kinds of snacks that I had never seen before on the table.

But the figure standing by the pond in the middle is the most eye-catching.

With her tall and slender figure, her snow-white neck shimmering in the water's ripples, she was serene and graceful, captivatingly beautiful.

Hua Yan, dressed in a stamen-yellow spring gown, was sitting motionless under a crabapple tree a few feet away from Consort Zhen, as instructed by Consort Zhen, allowing Consort Zhen to paint her portrait.

Mingyue was alert and was the first to notice that the Prince of Jin had entered the backyard. She was so nervous that she was speechless for a moment, and several pebbles in her hand fell into the water one by one.

"Puff-"

Mengzhu and the others also noticed the newcomers and hurriedly bowed in greeting.

"Greetings to Your Highness."

Consort Zhen raised her eyes and saw Prince Jin in his court robes, his gaze having just shifted from Hua Yan's back.

"Has Your Highness just returned from the palace? Little Yuanzi is becoming increasingly unruly; why didn't you inform me beforehand?" Consort Zhen looked at Little Yuanzi behind Prince Jin.

Yu Heyuan was last, looking miserable.

"It was I who forbade the announcement, otherwise how could I have witnessed Consort Zhen painting on the spot? May I have a look?" Prince Jin walked over gently, a smile spreading across his face, his eyes gleaming.

Hearing the Prince of Jin's gentle voice in her ear, Consort Zhen's ears turned red, and she quietly reached out to block the view.

"...I haven't finished painting yet, and I'm afraid it will offend Your Highness's eyes."

Although Consort Zhen rarely painted, she was very talented. In her painting, Hua Yan sits under a crabapple tree, playing barefoot in the water, smiling charmingly. This is a side of her that she rarely shows to others.

On the other side, Hua Yan pursed her lips slightly, her palms already sweating slightly, her jade-like feet hidden beneath the hem of her skirt, her head bowed as she searched the floor for her embroidered shoes...

After a moment of panic, Donggua quietly walked towards the pond, his plump body instantly obscuring Huayan. "Miss... Concubine, Huayan... this servant will accompany her to get ready."

Consort Zhen responded, "Alright."

Prince Jin reached out and gently grasped Consort Zhen's fingertips. He had always known that Hua Yan was a concubine who came with him as part of the dowry from the Tang family. Over the years, as he had infiltrated the Tang family, he had come to appreciate her intelligence and shrewdness, just as he admired Lady Yun's strategic mind and temperament.

He has always been fond of intelligent women.

He had only seen Hua Yan a few times, and she either concealed her appearance or had a clear and slightly inquisitive look in her eyes, showing no intention of vying for his favor. Prince Jin was not a lustful person after all, and although he had noticed her, he had not yet taken her seriously.

It was only a fleeting glimpse today that truly caught my eye.

Hua Yan bowed her head to take her leave, but when she looked up, she met the King of Jin's intrigued gaze. Her heart tightened, and she followed Dong Gua away.

......

"...Just now the prince was still wearing his court robes, why did he suddenly come to our Yunyi Palace?"

Donggua found a handkerchief and handed it to Huayan. He then took out a standard-issue garment for a maid in the Prince's mansion from the wardrobe. In spring, it was a light yellow outer garment.

Hua Yan pondered for a moment, then hesitated and said, "These past few days, the Prince has been busy with the old case of the Duke of Qing's mansion. Perhaps... he is feeling troubled. I suppose he is here playing chess to pass the time. Just now, when I passed by Eunuch Jing, I saw that he seemed worried."

From the Prince of Jin's inspection tour of Jiangnan to his disaster relief efforts in Jinzhou, to the Crown Prince's murder, the Chengtian Gate Incident, and finally the Prince of Heng's defeat and flight, everything went exceptionally smoothly for nearly a year. This was the result of his planning for more than ten years. The only thing worth worrying about was probably the Qingguo case.

After Hua Yan changed her clothes and sat in front of the mirror to do her makeup, Dong Gua asked worriedly, "The Prince of Jin's attendants have already seen your face. Do you still need to cover it up?"

Before entering the manor, whenever Hua Yan accompanied her mistress to a banquet, she would deliberately use rouge and powder to cover her face. Afterwards, Huan Yun would bring her pills, and she would take a dagger and scrape off a little powder from the pills, mix it with water and swallow it. This way, her face would not develop red spots, but would instead have a dark yellow color, which would look very natural.

Hua Yan said calmly, "As usual."

Concealing one's appearance is merely a trick to deceive the princess and other women in the inner quarters; for the Prince of Jin, such a small trick is not enough to impress him.

Donggua sighed and moved a stool to sit next to Huayan.

Hua Yan absentmindedly combed her hair with the comb. Seeing that Dong Gua didn't speak, she turned her head and asked, "What's wrong?"

Winter Melon took a deep breath, as if he had been pondering for a long time.

“Meng Shu, you are already a concubine, and you can never leave the manor in this lifetime. Do you want to stay by the young lady’s side as a concubine in name only? Since the madam has made it clear and has taken the initiative to help you become the Prince of Jin’s bedmate, this... can be considered a way out after all.”

"What you say makes perfect sense, Madam. Rather than someone else gaining favor, it would be better for you. I believe that with your abilities, and with the support of Madam and the head of the family, you might very well be able to..."

Hua Yan continued combing her hair, her eyes lowered, revealing no emotion.

She poked Donggua's forehead and chuckled, "Madam may indeed think that way, but have you considered Miss's feelings? She might be unhappy, and I am unwilling to do so either."

"As maids, all we need to do is help our mistress gain favor, and at the same time, advise her not to get lost in false love while living in the royal family. That is all we need to do."

If the master is favored, why would there be any need for a maidservant to accompany him in his dowry?

Moreover, it is the result of being taught from childhood by young ladies from official families to devote all their energy and time to competing with other women for the affections of the same man. But Hua Yan has no family to serve or anyone to protect, so why bother?