Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 531 The Clever Jingming (2)

A drop of thick, vermilion ink suddenly fell from the tip of the brush, instantly spreading a small, glaring red patch on the memorial.

Min Rong was bowing as he served tea when he noticed a drop of ink that had landed squarely on the name of a prefect. He couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat for the prefect.

The emperor snapped out of his reverie, a flush rising unnaturally to his face. He shook his head vigorously, as if trying to dispel the chaotic illusions that lingered in his mind.

He took a deep breath and stared intently at the smeared memorial, which had been handed to him by the prefect of Dengzhou.

The memorial states that villagers in a county outside Dengzhou unearthed a naturally formed, unusual jade stone while reclaiming wasteland. Officials and commoners alike consider it an auspicious omen from heaven, and this memorial is submitted for Your Majesty's utmost consideration.

The emperor's gaze swept over the words "auspicious omen," but instead of joy, a hint of annoyance flashed in his eyes.

Since assuming office, several memorials have been submitted every month, each vying to claim auspicious omens from heaven. Most of these are far-fetched tales. Strange stones are considered relatively harmless, but some even go so far as to exaggerate the appearance of common creatures like white pheasants and red carp. These are nothing more than the usual tricks used by local officials to curry favor, claim credit, and whitewash the situation.

He picked up his vermilion brush and wrote several characters beside the dripping ink: "I have no shortage of jade. Since this item came from the people's fields, it should be returned to the villagers. Local officials must not use this to curry favor with the people. Anyone who tries to seize it by trickery or force shall be punished according to the law!"

After reviewing it, he tossed the memorial aside.

At this moment, a palace attendant entered and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, Consort Jin requests an audience."

The Emperor looked up at Jingming, who was standing to the side, knowing that he had been gone for a while. "Why don't you go and invite Consort Jin in?"

Jingming felt relieved and a smile appeared on his face. He quickly replied, "Yes, yes, this servant will go and invite Consort Jin right away."

......

Outside the hall, Meng Shu reached out and fiddled with the beads on the bowl, then followed Jing Ming into the hall.

After curtsying, she took the food box from Green Willow's hands. "Your Majesty, I had winter melon stewed into a soup, and I specially added a few mild medicinal herbs to it. It is very calming and invigorating. Your Majesty works hard in governing the country, so please have some."

Although the emperor's eyes were much clearer than before, there was still a hint of fatigue between his brows.

He did not immediately look at the food box, but pondered for a moment and said, "I recently heard that the Marquis of Lin'an's mansion has scaled back the Yong'an Pharmacy, and now only the Lin'an main store and the East Market in the capital remain. The day before yesterday, Physician He came to me to complain, saying that in the past, the Tang family's trading company helped to stabilize the price of medicines and circulate them in all directions. Now that it has scaled back like this, the price of processed medicinal materials on the market has risen sharply, and even the palace's procurement expenditures have increased by nearly 20% compared to previous years."

"Your Majesty, I live deep within the palace and have never heard of such business matters."

Meng Shu took out a stewing pot from the food box and placed it in front of the Emperor.

The Emperor raised a hand to rub his temples, his tone carrying a complex mix of emotions—a mixture of understanding and regret—as he slowly sighed, "The Marquis of Lin'an is currently in mourning at home, diligently fulfilling his duties as a subject, and his intentions are clear. However, he is perhaps overly cautious. The Tang family has rendered meritorious service to the country, and I know this clearly. This empire belongs to me; if all officials are so submissive, it will be of no benefit to the country or its people."

Meng Shu thought to herself: You've said all the talking.

Thunder and rain, both are acts of imperial favor; it's just a matter of which principle you need at the moment.

"Shu'er has been to the Buddhist temple?"

The emperor took a light sniff and suddenly caught a faint but serene scent of sandalwood, which brought a moment of clarity to his mind.

Meng Shu was gently gathering the memorials scattered on the dragon's desk when she happened to see the auspicious memorial submitted by the prefect of Dengzhou, which the emperor had just approved in vermilion ink.

Upon hearing this, she naturally stretched out a section of her fair wrist, revealing a string of dark brown beads on her hand. "Perhaps it's the scent of these sandalwood beads. They were given to me by Madam Yun when she entered the palace yesterday. She said they could calm the mind and soothe the nerves, so I've been wearing them ever since."

The Emperor reached out and placed his hand on her smooth wrist. As his fingertips touched her skin, his heart was once again filled with an uncontrollable flutter. It wasn't until the sandalwood beads touched his fingertips that a cool and calming sensation came over him, suppressing the restlessness.

By this time, he had already vaguely sensed that something was wrong with his condition, and the moment of clarity brought by the beaded string was especially precious.

He removed a jade thumb ring from his thumb. "I've been feeling quite irritable lately. This string of beads is calming and soothing. I'll exchange this thumb ring for it. Would you be willing, Shu'er?"

"Your Majesty is too kind. I will simply pass it on to Your Majesty."

As she spoke, Meng Shu removed her bracelet and gently placed it in the Emperor's palm.

This was a gift from Aunt Lu of the Tang family, who was skilled in making incense, before she entered the palace. It was similar to the osmanthus incense bead bracelet that she had given to Madam Yun years ago. Both were made with secret methods and their effects of purifying the mind and cleansing thoughts were far superior to ordinary incense.

Jingming and Minrong exchanged a glance across the distance, both feeling a deep sense of comfort.

"According to the local gazetteer of Dengzhou, this place is located by the sea and produces many beautiful stones. Their shapes are purple and green, rugged and extremely beautiful and strange, and they are colorful and crystal clear like jade." Meng Shu pointed to the unfolded memorial and explained softly, "In my humble opinion, the so-called 'auspicious omen' is probably because the local villagers accidentally dug up the unusual Dengzhou stones and mistakenly thought it was a good omen from heaven."

The Emperor put on the beaded string and casually said, "The Prefect of Dengzhou sends me a memorial of auspicious omens every few months, which is quite bothersome to me. Last year, he even sent it to the palace. This is a waste of resources and manpower. I have already reduced his salary for two years as a warning to others."

He then asked, "What books has Shu'er been reading lately? She's even dabbled in the local gazetteer of Dengzhou?"

Meng Shu's eyes flickered slightly, and she said with a smile, "I'm just passing the time idly, flipping through some miscellaneous books to pass the time. These past few days I've found a book on the geography of the Southwest, and the scenery described there is quite different from that of the Central Plains. It's quite interesting to read."

"Oh?" The Emperor's interest was piqued. "What's so interesting about that?"

"This book is quite different from the proper local chronicles I have read before. It contains many bizarre and wonderful folk tales."

Meng Shu spoke casually, as if she were simply sharing a strange tale.

"For example, the water from a deep mountain stream in a certain place can make people obsessed and willing to be driven by it. The smoke from burning a certain exotic herb can bewitch the mind and arouse lust... There are also ancient legends about the local grass witch who can silently control people's hearts. Reading it feels like reading a book of strange tales."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor's expression darkened slightly. He caught a key point and frowned, saying, "When exotic herbs are burned, their smoke can bewitch the mind... Isn't this almost like witchcraft?"

Seeing this, Meng Shu said, "They are just some absurd and unfounded rumors, not to be taken seriously. If Your Majesty finds them interesting, I will have someone return to the palace to fetch the book for Your Majesty to read."

I thought that this was enough groundwork laid for the matter.

Unexpectedly, Jingming suddenly and naturally followed up on Meng Shu's words, saying, "Now that Consort Jin has mentioned it, I suddenly remember. When Her Majesty the Empress was young, she spent several years in the southwest with Marquis Zhenbei. She must have heard many such folk tales and is probably used to them by now."

Upon hearing this, Meng Shu was extremely surprised. She had intended to use Jing Ming to stir up trouble, but his quick reaction was truly unexpected. At this moment, she was unaware that because of what they had said in the Cuiyu Hall, Jing Ming had cleverly sent people to secretly investigate the matter in the palaces of Consort Mu and the other two.

However, Meng Shu had no intention of making amends. Regardless of the circumstances, having led the matter to the Empress, she had already achieved her goal. As for what the Emperor thought, it was his body, and right now it wasn't her and Wan'er who were being harmed... Giving him that string of beads was, in her opinion, already a rare act of kindness, more than enough.

After chatting for about half an incense stick's time in the Funing Palace, the Emperor drank the calming soup, and his complexion improved slightly. He placed the jade thumb ring in Meng Shu's hand, patted her palm, and said gently, "Later I will dine at the Cuiyu Hall. Have the kitchen staff prepare some light and refreshing dishes."

After Meng Shu and Lü Liu bowed and took their leave, the Emperor waved away Min Rong and the other palace servants, and coldly glanced at Jing Ming, saying, "Your audacity is growing."

Jingming's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately knelt down on the ground.

The Emperor's tone suddenly turned icy. "Speak! Why did you mention the Empress just now, echoing Consort Jin's words? Are you hiding something from me?"