Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 504 Praying for Blessings and Donations

Since Lady Qu left the palace and Lady Qing passed away, coupled with the fact that the emperor would not summon any concubines during the mourning period, the turmoil in the harem seemed to have been calmed by a sudden rain overnight, and it remained quiet for more than a month.

That afternoon, as the sun began to set, Consort Chun, dressed in a moon-white robe embroidered with magnolias, brought the Second Prince to Lingcui Palace to find Meng Shu.

Several wet nurses gathered to look after the two princes. The two infants lay on a softly cushioned couch, playfully pinching and kicking each other, which made the wet nurses chuckle softly. Mingyue and Donggua stood guard under the eaves, glancing inside every now and then, afraid that the two children would start to quarrel.

Consort Chun held a round fan, slowly waving it as she sat on the soft couch in the flower hall, gazing down at the corridor, a faint smile unconsciously spreading across her lips.

“These peaceful and stable days are much more comfortable than before. Look at Yu Nu’er, she’s so young, but her eyes are so bright and intelligent. She’ll definitely be a smart girl in the future.”

Meng Shu didn't respond to that question. Her gaze swept across the four corners of the flower hall. Just now, as soon as Consort Chun arrived, she had Green Willow move four ice basins to the corners, and the cold air was spreading out in wisps.

She smiled and advised, "Although it's June, the heat is still intense. Wan'er, don't be greedy for coolness. When you go to bed at night, put down two ice basins. If you still feel unbearably hot, put down a winter melon."

These words struck a chord with Mengzhu, who repeatedly said, "Your Majesty is right."

Ruizhu chimed in with a grin, "Just now, I went to the small kitchen with Donggua. There were several winter melons there. I'll choose one to take back with me later."

Consort Chun glared helplessly at Ruizhu, then turned to Meng Shu with a hint of worry in her voice: "We've been staying at the summer palace for the past two years, and this year it's unusually hot."

Then, she changed the subject and said hesitantly, "I heard that the drought in Yuzhou is the most severe, and even some refugees have already flocked to the capital."

Meng Shu understood. "Several prominent families in the capital have already mobilized, pooling together money and grain to prepare for disaster relief. Wan'er, do you also want to do something?"

Consort Chun nodded gently, her tone tinged with reminiscence: "Brother once said that in the early years, when the manor was not as well-off as it is now, Grandmother would set up soup kitchens in the suburbs of Lin'an every year. Later, as the manor's businesses prospered and the estate expanded, Grandmother established a rule that each business should set aside one-tenth of the profits from the main store for charitable purposes, such as distributing soup or repairing bridges. Now that Grandmother is no longer here, Mother will surely follow the same rule. I think that as a daughter of the Tang family, I cannot stand idly by at a time like this."

Don't underestimate this small profit.

When Meng Shu first entered the Tang family, she worked in the Langya Courtyard. It happened to be the time when the merchants were discussing matters and all the managers gathered at the Tang family. According to what she later learned, the total profit of Yongchun Tea Shop alone, the main store in Lin'an, was 20,000 taels of silver a year.

It should be noted that apart from gambling dens and brothels, the Tang family is a leader in almost every other industry, such as grain, silk, jewelry, shipping, pawnshops, and printing. Even the headquarters of each industry can generate an astonishing profit of just 10%.

Previously, Donggua had discovered that spicy eggplant could be used in cooking. Because of Meng Shu's influence, Madam Yun promised Donggua a 20% cut of the profits from Yongxing Restaurant in the capital. With just that 20% profit, Donggua would have nearly a thousand taels of silver in his hands every year. The annual salary of an ordinary seventh-rank official was only thirty or forty taels of silver. Donggua had more money than many daughters of officials.

Closer to home.

Meng Shu paused, holding her fan, and after a moment of careful consideration, said, "Wan'er's good intentions are a blessing for the people, and I shouldn't have stopped her. However, there is one problem: the Marquis's mansion is well-off, and your allowance in the palace is also generous, so you certainly don't lack money for disaster relief. But right now, if only you are taking the lead and doing your part in the palace, it will inevitably stand out and give others grounds to say that you are trying to curry favor with the Emperor, which would be a betrayal of your good intentions."

Upon hearing this, Consort Chun immediately understood that Meng Shu's concerns were not unfounded.

In the past, this wouldn't have been necessary.

The Xie family, the Li family, and Qing Zhifei, all come from families that are either noble or wealthy merchants. They would naturally participate in things that would bring them face in front of the emperor, such as disaster relief and poverty alleviation.

But now they are either dead or imprisoned. Among the remaining concubines, only she has the backing of the Marquis's mansion. The others, like Yang Baolin, are just minor officials from ordinary families. They probably can't even scrape together a few hundred taels of silver.

Especially since the Empress is still under house arrest, if she were to step forward on her own, it would inevitably lead to unnecessary speculation.

"Then...then let it be?" Consort Chun lowered her eyes and her voice softened as she pondered these points.

Seeing that Meng Shu didn't respond, she casually fanned herself with a round fan. Perhaps feeling stuffy in the room, she got up to go to the corridor to check on the two children. But as soon as she took two steps, a wave of heat hit her in the face. "Let the wet nurses take the children back inside. The wind blowing in the corridor is hot. Be careful not to catch heatstroke."

Donggua turned her head and smiled as she reassured her, "Your Majesty, don't worry. The wet nurses are fanning themselves, and the mats are newly replaced with ice-patterned mats. It's fine."

Seeing the slight anxiety on Consort Chun's face, she quickly got up and said, "This servant will go and fetch some iced drinks. It's plum juice that was just made this morning, perfect for cooling off in the summer heat."

Meng Shu suddenly raised her hand and slapped the table. "It can be done."

Seeing everyone looking over, she reached out and took Consort Chun's wrist, leading her to the study.

Seeing this, Green Willow instructed the wet nurses to take the two young masters back to their room, while she served them two cups of refreshing iced drinks. Then she and Mengzhu stood guard outside the door on either side.

Inside the study, Meng Shu first handed the plum juice to Consort Chun. After Consort Chun took a couple of sips, she spoke slowly, "Wan'er, do you still remember the poetry gathering that Princess Yongping hosted when we first entered the capital?"

"How could I not remember? It was at Lingxi Manor. Princess Yongping invited many wives and daughters of officials from the capital and also invited Mr. Lin to critique poems... Are you saying that, like her, you would gather the wives and daughters of officials from the capital for a banquet to raise funds?"

"Do not."

After all, Consort Chun was not the Empress, so doing so would be a great overstepping of her authority.

Meng Shu explained, "Her Majesty sent a message to Princess Yongping, instructing her to first gather the families of officials in the capital, whether it's for flower viewing or poetry gatherings, the main purpose is to raise funds. We'll use this as an excuse to hold a 'prayer and donation' event in Huining Hall."

"A donation for blessings?" Consort Chun was taken aback.

“Exactly.” Meng Shu nodded. “Just say that we are praying for the people of Yuzhou and other prefectures and counties, and call on all the concubines in the palace who have stipends, and even those palace servants with savings, to donate according to their means, no matter how much. As a Noble Consort, you should naturally take the lead in donating some money, but it doesn’t have to be too much, just 30% more than the ordinary concubines. I will then donate as well, and the others can donate as much as they want. Afterwards, under the guise of rewards, we can gradually make up for it.”

She paused, then continued, "This way, you won't be taking the lead alone; instead, you'll be leading the entire harem in this endeavor. Secondly, the pretext of praying for blessings is mild and won't be interpreted as seeking credit. Furthermore, Princess Yongping is handling things outside, while we're doing it in the harem, which can be considered a coordinated effort from both inside and outside..."

Consort Chun listened quietly, her eyes instantly lighting up. "You've thought of everything! This way, we've done something practical without giving anyone cause for criticism, and the atmosphere in the palace will be more harmonious. I'll have someone draft a plan right away, and we'll send it to each palace tomorrow."

Seeing her excited expression, Meng Shu smiled and waved her fan more slowly: "Don't rush. We need to add a clause to the regulations that all the donated money will be counted by the Shanggong Bureau, and then personally verified by Lord Tong of the Yeting Bureau and the Imperial Attendant Jing. Only in this way can it be truly comprehensive."

......