Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 145 Selection of Dowry Attendants

Tang Xian said, "It's alright. The Prince of Jin's mansion is newly built, so it shouldn't be difficult to provide a few more maids as dowry."

There was no one else in the flower hall. Tang Lin sighed, "It's a pity that General Xunhui's mansion has strict rules. We couldn't plant any people in advance. I don't know how they planned to handle it."

The old lady paused her teacup in front of her chest, and said suspiciously, "I heard that General Jiang is going to the Northwest after autumn, and he can't even attend his daughter's wedding."

"There are indeed doubts nowadays," Tang Xian said, knowing the Prince of Jin's intentions, and changed the subject.

"Speaking of which, the Northwest is close to Xuanquan Post Station. A few days ago, news came from Han Jing that there was a message that seemed to be about Hua Yan's uncle."

Madam Yun stroked the beaded string and replied in a deep voice:

"Although there is no definite news, according to a fur trader on the border, he saw a young merchant entering and leaving the Xiongnu royal court several years ago."

For a moment, everyone in the hall fell silent.

Finally, the old lady put down her teacup and said quietly, "Before Hua Yan enters the Prince's mansion as part of her dowry, it's best not to hide this news from her. Loyalty is relative. Rather than being on guard, it's better to be honest with her from the beginning."

These words impressed Madam Yun, who realized that her mother-in-law's words were true.

"As for Mengzhu and the others, we'll ask Wan'er for her opinion in a few days. Once the candidates are decided, we'll have someone give them proper instruction."

Tang Xian and Madam Yun stood up and agreed.

This day seemed exceptionally long, coinciding with a beautiful night of blooming flowers.

After Mengzhu and the others helped the second young lady remove her hairpins and left, only the mistress and her servant remained in the room.

The second young lady sat in the bathtub with her eyes closed, letting Hua Yan massage her.

"It reminds me of the bathhouse in my mansion in Lin'an. Living in the capital is not easy. Although Yunyi Courtyard is nice now, it is still not as comfortable as it was in Lin'an."

Hua Yan couldn't help but recall that four years ago, on her young lady's birthday, she and Mengzhu accompanied her to take a bath. At that time, Madam Yun was using the excuse of dealing with the eldest aunt's husband's family and the second aunt.

At that time, the second young lady lamented, "After marriage, no matter how powerful my family is, if I can't stand on my own two feet, I'll only live a life of misery."

Hua Yan recalled Meng Zhu solemnly swearing in the water that she would always stay with her mistress and even questioning her.

Thinking of this, Hua Yan smiled and reported the details of the storeroom gift list to the Second Miss, finally mentioning Meng Zhu.

"Mengzhu seemed afraid that her mistress wouldn't take her with her when she got married."

The second young lady leaned against the edge of the bathtub, her voice tinged with exhaustion. "I have no intention of bringing her into the manor. Not only her, but I also give you the freedom to choose."

Noticing the hands on her shoulders tighten for a moment, the second young lady reached out and squeezed Hua Yan's arm.

"Rest assured, I brought back your indentures from Mother's courtyard yesterday. After much consideration, I believe I can still protect you if you marry into ordinary families..."

Hua Yan paused only for a moment before resuming her gentle massage. Her second young lady was always like this.

It always manages to inject warmth into people's tender hearts.

"Ever since I changed my name to Hua Yan, my desire to follow you, Miss, has never changed." Hua Yan's voice softened.

The second young lady sighed, "I know how much you care for me, but you are different from Mengzhu and Ruizhu."

"Although the selection of the dowry maid to the Prince's residence has not yet been finalized, according to the rules, from the Princess down to the concubines and ladies-in-waiting, each can designate one maid to be selected as a maid. With your intelligence, you should know that your mother is interested in you."

The selection of concubines was equivalent to having a private roommate.

Hua Yan's strength remained unchanged, and her tone was deliberately relaxed. "Such an opportunity to soar to the sky is something that others can only envy. Miss, there's no need to say more. I can guess what Mengzhu is thinking. I personally believe that the others don't want to leave you either."

“The bond between mistress and servant is there. Although Miss’s intentions are good, even if Mengzhu is of marriageable age, it is not unreasonable for us to find her a good match when she enters the Prince’s Mansion. When she first enters the Prince’s Mansion, Miss should naturally employ trustworthy people by her side.”

The second young lady remained silent.

Hua Yan added, "Miss, I have overstepped my bounds once. Being indecisive and hesitant is not advisable."

A few days after the coming-of-age ceremony, Mengzhu followed the second young lady closely. On a sunny afternoon, the final selection of her dowry attendants was made.

Hua Yan, Meng Zhu, Rui Zhu, Ming Yue, and Dong Gua became the dowry maids, while Aunt Mei served as a maid in charge of the household. Steward An also formally resigned and asked the old lady for permission to return to Jin Nan to live out his days after the second young lady's wedding.

The remaining second-class maids will then be assigned to the Fifth and Sixth Misses' courtyards.

With the upcoming wedding at the Tang family, the atmosphere in the mansion was very joyful. First, the eldest young master of the mansion had his betrothal ceremony, and the betrothal gifts were very generous. In order to avoid suspicion, Madam Yun specially packed the betrothal gift boxes tightly, so that to outsiders, they were no different from the betrothal gifts of ordinary noble families.

The Su family also sent Miss Su's dowry list the next day, and Hua Yan had the good fortune to see it once when she accompanied the second young lady to Yun Gui Courtyard.

The long, three-fold gift list was filled with all sorts of valuables, including gold and silver, clothing, fabrics, furniture, dressing table, writing implements, and land deeds. Hua Yan looked at it meticulously, even preparing a coffin. It truly took everything into consideration from head to toe, from birth to death, showing how much Su Grand Secretary loved his granddaughter.

Almost immediately, the Prince of Jin's mansion also sent betrothal gifts. Everything was in accordance with the rank of a concubine of the Prince's mansion. Unlike ordinary nobles, most of the betrothal gifts were made by the emperor. Headwear, jewelry, silks and satins, antiques and jade, etc., filled Yunyi Courtyard. Several young ladies came to join in the fun and all praised the wealth of the royal family.

To Lady Yun's relief, the Prince of Jin's residence sent two geese tied with red silk as part of the betrothal gifts.

Tang Xian relaxed slightly upon seeing this.

October also happened to be the old lady's birthday, and the Tang family held a grand banquet. Even General Xunhui's mansion sent people to deliver congratulatory gifts.

Thus, the once obscure Tang family of Lin'an became known to everyone in the capital. The third-ranked scholar married the eldest granddaughter of Grand Secretary Su, and the second young lady of the Tang family married into the Prince of Jin's household as a concubine. At that time, everyone in the capital marveled at the Tang family's extraordinary fortune.

In Yunyi Courtyard.

After the selection was finalized, Hua Yan discussed with the Second Miss and Aunt Mei. They originally wanted to invite Granny Gao to come to the mansion to instruct the Second Miss. Instead, the people from the Imperial Clan Court sent a tutor from the palace to the mansion to teach the Second Miss.

Hua Yan and a few others were naturally among them.

However, Donggua was assigned by Huayan to assist the Zhen family doctor, simply because of Donggua's gift of smell, which the doctor both loved and hated.

That day, Dr. Zhen's exasperated voice rang out from the pharmacy again. "You're quick to identify the smell of each herb, but you know nothing about pharmacology. What good is recognizing herbs if you can't even do that?"

As Donggua listened to Doctor Zhen's reprimand, he obsequiously handed over the milk tea. Doctor Zhen took a sip and continued his tirade.

The thought of combining two or more medicinal herbs with mutually reinforcing or antagonistic properties was enough to give Donggua a headache. She was already exhausted from distinguishing hundreds or even thousands of herbs by their smell. Left with no other choice, she reluctantly dragged Huayan over.

Hua Yan spent three days thoroughly studying all the medical texts in Doctor Zhen's pharmacy, combining this with the pharmacopoeia she had memorized in her childhood, until she had a thorough understanding of the medicines. After being tested by Doctor Zhen, he exclaimed, "Such talent should not be wasted!"

Just as the twelfth lunar month began, the date for the Second Miss's wedding was finally set, the same day as the Jiang family's Miss. It was ultimately decided to be the eve of the Lantern Festival in the following year, namely the fourteenth day of the first month of the forty-eighth year of the Qian Yuan era.

The second young lady finally breathed a sigh of relief, thankfully after her brother's wedding.

That evening, as the setting sun blazed like fire, Hua Yan walked alone on her way to Yun Gui Courtyard. Mother Wei sent word that Yong Chun Tea Shop had found news of her uncle.