Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 118 Noble, but Beneficial to the Master

You could hear a pin drop in the flower hall.

Madam Yun twirled the fragrant beaded bracelet in her sleeve to calm herself. However, restrained by her status, she couldn't inquire about a maid's fate or facial features in public, and a rare hint of panic appeared on her face.

Perhaps Madam Su's physiognomy skills were truly remarkable, for after a moment her eyes flickered, and she suddenly said:

"Wan Jie'er has bright, sparkling eyes, a graceful figure, and exceptional beauty. In particular, her straight nose, like a mountain peak, perfectly complements her features, truly the countenance of a noble person."

Although her nostrils appear somewhat thin, Madam need not worry. Perhaps placing a stone from Mount Tai outside the courtyard of Wan'er's residence on the right side might ward off misfortune.

At this point, she stopped Madam Yun from rising to express her gratitude. Changing the subject, she slowly said, "Wan'er is loyal and righteous, and will have many external forces to rely on in the future. Just now, that pretty maid behind her showed signs of being noble and opportunistic towards her master."

Madam Su would not say anything more, and Madam Yun suppressed her emotions and nodded slightly.

After Madam Yun and her entourage left the Su family in the afternoon, Madam Su could not hide her surprise and murmured, "I wonder where Madam Yun found such a girl."

Grandma Su, with her white hair and youthful face, leaned against the cushions of the daybed. Upon hearing this, she was helped up by her maid and asked curiously, "Is something amiss?" Her daughter-in-law was not one to perform divination or fortune-telling for ordinary people, yet she had been behaving strangely today.

Madam Su shook her head, beckoned the servants to leave, got up and slowly walked to the Luohan bed, sitting down next to the embroidered stool in front of the old lady.

"To my shame, this girl has eyes as bright as the sun and moon, long and beautiful, and her face is even better than that of the second young lady of the Tang family. Unfortunately, physiognomy has its limits, and there are people who cannot see through it. Your daughter-in-law is too shallow to understand it. I can only sigh that in all my years in the capital, I have never met a woman with such an auspicious appearance, and I never expected that she would be a mere maid."

Grandma Su pondered for a long time before finally saying, "You're not one to talk much, that phrase 'expensive and beneficial to the master'..."

Madam Su said, "Mother-in-law, rest assured, I will not speak without reason. Although the second young lady of the Tang family has the appearance of a noble person, her philtrum is flat and indistinct, which may indicate that she will die young. Because of the marriage alliance between our two families, I gave her a cicada pendant that my father left behind before his death."

If Lady Yun heeds my words, and with the arrangement of the Taishan stones, perhaps things can turn around.

However, the key lies with that maidservant from earlier. The Second Miss has spent a considerable amount of time with her, so she can perhaps draw upon her 'luck' to some extent; her influence in warding off misfortune is greater than that of the maidservant herself.

Grandma Su remained silent. "The Crown Prince is unlikely to ascend the throne, and the imperial position is still undecided. At this critical juncture, families like ours must be even more cautious about marriage. We cannot simply look at a person's character and appearance, but also at the long-term plans of their family behind them, which are closely related to the struggles in the court."

Today's events have made me, an old woman, realize I was mistaken. Who would have thought that a once-prosperous merchant family could harbor such lofty ambitions?

Madam Su did not have such worries. She comforted her, saying, "Mother-in-law, don't worry. Father-in-law has served two dynasties. What kind of trouble hasn't our Su family experienced? Although Madam Yun is very intelligent, she is not a bad person and genuinely cares for Wanwan."

Besides, Tang Lin is incredibly handsome; which young master in the capital could compare? Even his poetry and essays have been praised by his father-in-law several times, and our daughter-in-law can tell that our Wanwan has feelings for him.”

This is how a mother-in-law looks at her son-in-law and grows happier the more she looks. Madam Su's feelings for Tang Lin were truly exceptional.

Grandma Su didn't think much of it and teased, "You, you'll be a grandmother in a few years, and you still can't get rid of your habit of judging by appearances."

Leaving aside the gossip about the Su family mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, let's talk about Madam Yun's side.

After leaving the Su residence, Madam Yun asked Wei Mama to invite the second young lady to ride in the same carriage back to the residence.

After the mother and daughter were seated in the spacious carriage, Madam Yun watched as the second young lady took out an antique cicada-shaped jade pendant from a dark red purse. The pendant was smooth and oily, indicating that it was something she often handled.

Madam Yun carefully and gently stroked it, a chill emanating from her body.

It is a 'cicada', which molts and emerges as a phoenix, also symbolizing nirvana and rebirth.

Madam Yun closed her eyes wearily, her mind wavering slightly for a moment. The second young lady, unaware of what was happening, stared blankly at her mother, feeling inexplicably nervous.

At this moment, Hua Yan asked softly from outside the carriage, "Madam, Miss, Mr. Lin's poetry recital is approaching. May Mingyue and I go out for a while?"

Madam Yun slowly opened her eyes, and Mama Wei quickly lifted one side of the carriage curtain. Madam Yun's gaze was sharp and tangible as she looked at Hua Yan through the corner of the curtain. She saw that the girl had clear and bright eyes and naturally red lips.

"Go."

In the early autumn chill, amidst the bustling city, in the carriage, Madam Yun no longer hesitated and gently tied the jade pendant around the second young lady's waist.

Hua Yan responded and pulled Mingyue into the carriage carried by the servants. The coachman was still Old Fan from the carriage and horse stable.

Old Fan drove the carriage, turned off at the next intersection, headed east, and stopped in front of an inconspicuous teahouse. When Hua Yan and Mingyue got out of the carriage, they had already changed into servants' clothes.

Huanyun and Dingxiang, mistress and servant, had been waiting for a long time. After exchanging a few pleasantries with Huayan, Dingxiang took Mingyue outside.

"This is the list of participants in the poetry gathering. Sister Huanyun, take a look at the families marked on the list and see if anything has happened recently."

......

Before we knew it, it was August 13th, the day of the poetry gathering.

Since the Second Miss arrived in the capital, this will be the first time she has come into the sight of the young ladies from noble families. A few days ago, Hua Yan wrote a booklet and discussed several contingency plans with the Second Miss.

When the official departure was scheduled, the second young lady, along with Hua Yan and a few others, went to Yun Gui Courtyard to pay their respects to Madam Yun.

Madam Yun looked at her daughter in her elegant dress and nodded in satisfaction. She instructed, "Hua Yan is a sensible person. There's nothing wrong with her outfit. Today, on the surface, Mr. Lin is inviting the ladies to a poetry gathering, but in reality, it's to raise funds or provide porridge to comfort the disaster victims. In the face of natural disasters, you must remember to keep a low profile."

Princess Yongping is the legitimate daughter of Prince Rui, of noble birth. She and Mr. Lin were close friends since their youth. As Mr. Lin's disciple, he will surely take care of you, so there's no need to be too nervous.

For this poetry gathering, Mr. Lin and Princess Yongping invited the wives of officials of the fourth rank or above. Tang Lin is currently only a seventh-rank editor, and in fact, the Tang family, in the capital city teeming with dignitaries, could hardly muster enough people at the moment. But Mr. Lin has a distinguished background, and the hot spring estate is a property of the Tang family.

More importantly, the real reason why Princess Yongping personally sent the invitation was because of the Tang family's wealth.

With a charitable reputation, one always needs to find a few "suckers" beforehand to save face, so Madam Yun was naturally invited to participate, except that she went there to spend money.

The three carriages from the Tang family left the mansion and met up with the lady and young lady of the family of the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices at the intersection of Fuqian Street. They passed through the Qinren and Anyi wards and headed east out of the city through the Chunming Gate.

Today, Hua Yan informed the Second Miss and specially brought Dong Gua along. Meng Zhu and Ming Yue are currently in the same carriage with the Second Miss. Hua Yan, Dong Gua, and Rui Zhu are together. Rui Zhu had just finished tidying up the clothes and jewelry prepared for the Second Miss when she saw Hua Yan unfolding a drawing and whispering instructions to Dong Gua.