The Concubine's Daughter Travels Through Time and Space and Takes the Road of Confrontation

Barely halfway through the night watch, the Yannian Courtyard and the East Cross Courtyard were bustling with activity. The old lady, helped by servants, changed into the court robes and crown worthy of a second-rank imperial decree. She looked in the mirror and asked Dujuan to bring her the velvet flower from yesterday. Dujuan carefully pinned it to the side of her ear, making it neither conspicuous nor ingenious.

The old lady nodded in satisfaction. The current emperor had not yet been crowned as the Queen, so it was still the Queen Mother who accepted the worship of ladies of the third rank and above today.

The Empress Dowager was kind and generous, and she enjoyed festivities. She would not criticize the embellishments worn by the ladies as long as they were acceptable.

As soon as the hour of Yin arrived, the old lady and her daughter-in-law Qin boarded the carriage amid the respectful farewells of the crowd and headed towards the imperial city in the dark night.

The old lady did not return until noon. She was in a very good mood and her face was flushed as she asked everyone to escort her into Yannian Courtyard.

"The Empress Dowager really likes velvet flowers." The old lady held Zhang's hand and said happily.

After everyone knelt and paid their respects, the Empress Dowager summoned the old lady to her side, specifically asking about the velvet flower on her head. The old lady, naturally noticing the Empress Dowager's headdress, which bore a striking resemblance to her own, and knowing the Empress Dowager's fondness for stories of successful and filial children, explained that it was a tribute from her youngest son, a government official, imitating the "Three Abundances of Fortune and Longevity." To avoid offending the Empress Dowager, she had replaced the Buddha's hand with a marigold, symbolizing brightness and longevity.

After hearing this, the Queen Mother smiled and pointed to the flower on her head and said, "It is not a waste of manpower or material resources, but it also shows the filial piety of your children and grandchildren. You are a blessed person."

On the way out of the palace, some noble ladies started asking her about the velvet flower headdress. The old lady was in the spotlight today. She was humble on the outside but very proud in her heart.

Before the New Year was over, a wave of enthusiasm swept through the capital, with women in the imperial harem vying to wear velvet flower jewelry. At the same time, a jewelry store called Xiefangguan quietly opened on Chengdong Street.

In the west wing, Zhang was sorting through the account books for the farm and shop. A smile played on her lips, and she would occasionally turn her head to chat with Nanny Chang. "Last year, the harvests were good everywhere." Closing the last account book, Zhang beamed.

Nanny Chang tried to jocundly say, "Madam is now a wealthy woman, but we servants are still very poor." Zhang laughed, "You are becoming more and more unruly. You have made a fortune by coming to me. Since you said the right thing, I will wave my hand and give everyone double the monthly salary this month." Nanny Chang and the maids all smiled and thanked her.

In the west room, Lu Yun was also doing her year-end financial inventory. Opening her small box, she carefully counted and found she had saved two hundred and seventy taels. Two hundred of that was a gift from the gentleman she had met last time. Of the remaining seventy taels, forty was a reward from her grandmother, and the remaining thirty was New Year's money. Her mother hadn't even taken them to her grandmother's house yet, and Lu Yun's abacus was clacking in her mind, trying to estimate how much money she could expect to receive.

Zhang had already begun preparing gifts for her return home. A letter from the steward said the next batch of velvet flowers was on the way, and she estimated they would arrive in three days. Qin had hinted at the velvet flowers several times, and Zhang knew she was preparing for the various banquets, large and small, after the New Year. Of course, there was no better headpiece than a velvet flower praised by the Empress Dowager.

Three days later, the velvet flower headdresses arrived and Zhang divided them into two piles. One box was sent to Yannian Courtyard and the other to Dongkua Courtyard.

Unexpectedly, just as she had handed the velvet flower over, Dujuan, who was by the old lady's side, came over. Zhang asked Jinhe to invite her in. Dujuan smiled and bowed to Zhang, "The old lady asked me to invite the second wife over and bring the two young ladies with her."

Zhang didn't know what the old lady was doing, so she called Rong Jie'er, who was still in school, back to change the two young ladies' clothes for meeting guests, and then hurriedly took them to Yannianyuan.

To the old lady's right stood Lu Ling, and to her left sat a very unfamiliar woman. She had a round face and wore a royal blue, gold-patterned, long-sleeved gown with a stand-up collar and a front opening, over a red, gold-woven, horse-faced skirt. Her hair was styled in a high bun, with a ruby-inlaid, gold-inlaid crown in the center, and a gold-inlaid phoenix on each side. Her bun was adorned with a few vermilion-pink peony flowers, giving her a dignified and wealthy demeanor.

The old lady introduced, "This is the second wife of the Dingyuan Marquis." Zhang was suspicious, but still stepped forward to greet her with a smile.

The round-faced lady looked very enthusiastic. "My maiden name is Ma, and my given name is Chengqiu. If you don't mind, you can call me Chengqiu." The two of them exchanged names. Mrs. Ma explained her purpose. "Our old lady saw that the plum blossoms have been blooming beautifully these days, so she asked the servants to arrange a few plays. We invite your old lady and second lady to come to our house to enjoy the flowers and watch the plays."

It turned out that the amiable lady in front of her was Sister Yuan’s former mistress. Lu Yun was shocked. It was true that one cannot judge a person by his appearance.

Zhang smiled and agreed, and the old lady also smiled and said, "Thank you for your old lady's consideration. I will definitely be there tomorrow."

The old lady talked about the box of velvet flowers again. "When the velvet flowers were delivered, Mrs. Ma happened to be there, and even she said they were good after seeing them." Mrs. Ma's sister-in-law was Concubine Zhao. The pink peony in her hair was given by Concubine Zhao. If she said it was good, it must be excellent.

Zhang smiled and took a sip of tea. "Master said there's more below if you like."

The old lady sighed and said, "I know he is a filial son. These are enough. How much more can I wear? I'd better leave them for you young people."

"I know the old lady is thinking about us. Whatever the old lady has, my sister-in-law will naturally have too." Zhang looked at the old lady's side. "Sister Ling is the first eldest sister in our family. She must dress up. But this is something I didn't think of in advance--" Zhang looked apologetic.

"Oh, what do you mean?" the old lady frowned.

"When I sent the flowers, I was only thinking about the old lady." Zhang looked at Ling Jie'er.

"Well, it's nothing. It's hard for you, as an aunt, to think about it." The old lady's smile faded a little, and she patted Lingjie'er's arm. "Her mother is in charge of her affairs. I can also help her pay more attention to it."

"It's my daughter-in-law who's worrying too much." Zhang smiled and changed the subject.

As they were talking, they heard a servant come to report that the eldest lady had arrived.

Qin, wearing a red, stand-up collar, double-breasted, wide-sleeved gown she only wore when meeting guests, and with her hair styled high in her bun, walked in, looking dusty and tired, as if she had just returned from outside the mansion. She began by saying, "Today, my daughter-in-law and Madam Cui went to the West Garden to see a few plays and then visited the newly opened Xiefang Pavilion. We're late and missed our distinguished guests."

The only person in the capital who could be called Madam Cui was the wife of the Earl of Dingyuan, the sister-in-law of the recently departed Madam Ma. So-called distinguished guests? Lu Yun smacked her lips, realizing that Qin was mocking both the old lady and her mother.

The old lady pretended to be surprised and said, "Hey, did anyone of you eat garlic today? Why are you so arrogant?"

A smile appeared on Zhang's face. "My daughter-in-law only knows that tea can dispel bad breath." Then she looked at Du Juan and said, "Quickly pick up your old lady's good tea and make a pot to quench your wife's thirst."

Qin Shi said, "It's not a wasted trip if I can get a pot of tea." She motioned Lu Ling to come forward and handed her a brocade box. "This is the velvet flower your second aunt just sent over. Your two sisters have them. These are all yours."

Lu Ling opened the brocade box and saw two velvet flowers inside, one imitating a crabapple flower and the other imitating a jade hibiscus.

If she remembered correctly, there was no jade hibiscus among the velvet flowers her mother received. Lu Yun frowned.