Four Seasons Brocade – CH 006

Chapter 6 ☆、 A Depressed Young Woman Deeply Confused

After finishing her business, Ah Wu followed Lady Cui back to her courtyard. Fifth Young Lady Rong, walking behind her, said, “Sixth Sister, you’ve been ill for so many days and have fallen behind in your studies. I’ve made a list of what the teacher has been teaching these past few days for you. Take a look at it first, and if you do not understand anything, come and ask me and Fourth Sister.”

“Thank you, Fifth Sister,” Ah Wu said, taking the list from Fifth Young Lady Rong and thanking her again.

A few days later, Lady Cui prepared writing materials for Ah Wu and had Zi-Yan and Zi-Shan take good care of her as she went to school.

The school for the young ladies of the Duke’s Mansion was located in Yuxiu Pavilion in the garden, and the tutor was Bai Suxin. This woman was also an extraordinary person, renowned for her talent from a young age, and determined to remain unmarried for life, refusing to bow down to men. She was, in a sense, a distant relative of the Duke’s Mansion.

For Fifth Young Lady Rong, her granddaughter who was also talented from a young age, the Old Madam went to great lengths to invite Bai Suxin to tutor her.

Ah Wu found her seat and sat down behind Fourth Young Lady Rong and Fifth Young Lady Rong. She rested her chin on her hand, gazing absently at the green wall covered in ivy outside the window, lost in thought. She was thinking of her Princess Mother, who preferred grass to flowers, especially fragrant herbs.

Ah Wu missed her.

Bai Suxin, dressed in a blue robe and a white gauze shawl, gracefully entered. She nodded slightly to Fifth Young Lady Rong before sitting down behind the table, her back ramrod straight. She did not even glance at Ah Wu, clearly looking down on this student.

Ordinary families hired female tutors who taught the Four Books for Women and the Classic of Filial Piety for Women. Bai Suxin, with her disdain for the “weakness is the righteousness of women” arguments of the older generation, was teaching Mencius, a very profound text.

Not to mention girls her age, or even boys, only study the Great Learning or, at most, the Analects. Among the Four Books, Mencius came after The Analects. For a child like Ah Wu, who had only recently begun her education, learning the Analects was already difficult, let alone Mencius.

However, Bai Suxin, considering Fifth Young Lady Rong’s situation unusual, started teaching Mencius very early, regardless of whether the others could keep up.

Teacher Bai first spent half an hour explaining the passage from the “Commentary on King Hui of Liang,” specifically the part about “weighing, then one knows the weight; measuring, then one knows the length…” Teacher Bai paused to read it several times with the three girls, then explained it sentence by sentence. Finally, he called on Fifth Young Lady Rong to explain her understanding. Fourth Young Lady Rong and Ah Wu were relegated to the sidelines.

Ah Wu observed this from the sidelines. Twelve-year-old Fourth Young Lady Rong seemed confused and struggled throughout the lesson, her attention wandering after a while. Only Fifth Young Lady Rong seemed to be truly listening.

Teacher Bai assigned homework, then let Fourth Young Lady Rong and Ah Wu go, keeping Fifth Young Lady Rong behind for discussion.

Because people today valued talent, even young ladies from humble backgrounds were compared in terms of learning. Therefore, the arts of playing the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting were essential for every young lady in every household, including the Duke of Anguo’s mansion.

Thus, Fourth Young Lady Rong took Ah Wu to Tinglan Isle by the water, where her zither lesson was to be held. However, after leaving Yuxiu Pavilion, Fourth Young Lady Rong could not help but look back. Ah Wu, seeing Fourth Young Lady Rong’s raised chin and resentful eyes, thought she had misjudged this illegitimate fourth young lady. She seemed quite ambitious but perhaps lacked self-awareness, ultimately causing trouble for herself and others.

The zither teacher was said to be a former instructor at the Music Bureau, named Gu Yu.

Her fingerwork was dazzling and admirable.

Ah Wu also loved the zither; in her previous life, she had collected many ancient scores. When she was feeling better, she enjoyed playing to express her feelings; when she was ill, she listened to the music to distract herself and find peace. She was unwell and not particularly skilled at playing the zither, but her ability to listen and critique was truly exceptional.

Those with talent were generally arrogant. Gu Yu had jade-like skin, a beautiful face, and a graceful demeanor. Her perfectly proportioned chin exuded an air of arrogance that surpassed even Bai Suxin’s by a degree.

When Fifth Young Lady Rong hurriedly arrived, Gu Yu gave her an unpleasant glance before speaking, “Today I will teach a new piece, ‘Autumn Melody of the Han Palace.'” Without waiting for her students’ responses, she began to play.

Her fingers flew, and the music flowed. After finishing the piece, seeing Fourth Young Lady Rong and Ah Wu looking completely bewildered, and Fifth Young Lady Rong managing only the first few notes, she gave them a disdainful look. “Fine, fine, I will play it again.”

Ah Wu found it amusing. Gu Yu’s zither skills were superb, her technique masterful, and her tone perfect, but she clearly did not know how to teach.

However, after listening twice, Ah Wu also learned it. Gu Yu let them practice on their own. Fourth Young Lady Rong was flustered and had already made three mistakes in a short time. Fifth Young Lady Rong was not much better. Only Ah Wu did not even need to look at the score. She played with ease, and the music flowed into people’s ears like clouds and water. The three people next to her looked at her with surprise. Ah Wu quickly made three mistakes and became flustered.

The three of them then calmed down. Finally, Gu Yu nodded at Ah Wu; although she had made mistakes in her haste, her initial pitch was still quite good, even slightly better than Fifth Young Lady Rong’s.

After school, Fourth Young Lady Rong glanced at Ah Wu sideways and said disdainfully, “Only you care about such trivial skills.”

Although playing the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting were all subjects, with the zither coming first, people today valued literary talent most. Playing the zither well was not as remarkable as writing a good poem, and zither playing was often considered merely for entertainment, making it the least important of the four arts in modern times.

The afternoon was packed with calligraphy, painting, and needlework classes. Ah Wu sighed, realizing that being a talented woman was indeed difficult. Back then, because of her poor health, her talents were only based on her interest; learning them was a bonus, and not learning them was a sign of her high status. Now, however, she felt somewhat forced into it.

Several days passed in this way. Ah Wu’s performance in all her studies was mediocre, but there was a steady improvement; her gradual progress would not be surprising. Fifth Young Lady Rong, on the other hand, was clearly far superior in academics but not as good as Fourth Young Lady Rong in needlework. They were like spring orchids and autumn chrysanthemums, each with their own strengths.

The next day, because their elder sister Rong Jin, who had married into the Jing’an Marquis’s household as the wife of the heir, returned home with her two children, the Old Madam granted the three young ladies of the household a day off from school.

“Ah Wan, come here and let me see you,” Rong Jin said, eagerly taking Fifth Young Lady Rong’s hand and looking her up and down. “You are even more beautiful than when I last saw you. The Old Madam at the marquis’s household asked about you yesterday.”

Fifth Young Lady Rong and Rong Jin were sisters, so naturally they were closer than with others.

Fourth Young Lady Rong, seeing Rong Jin, smiled and sweetly called out, “Big Sister.” Rong Jin responded indifferently and continued talking to Fifth Young Lady Rong.

As for Ah Wu, Rong Jin only glanced at her, feeling a pang of regret that such a beautiful face had ended up in the third branch’s household. Only the two children secretly observed Ah Wu, muttering, “She’s so pretty.”

Ah Wu stood silently, a perfectly measured smile playing on her lips, appearing neither lonely from being ignored nor envious of the others’ liveliness.

Even those who desperately wanted to ignore her could not help but look at her. She stood gracefully, embodying the phrase “a lotus bud just beginning to emerge, a dragonfly already alighting on its tip,” her naturally delicate features and slightly chubby face making her undeniably adorable.

Even if Rong Jin did not like her, she could not bring herself to feel any dislike.

“On the tenth is the birthday of the Old Madam of the Marquis’s Mansion. Mother, please bring Ah Wan early.” After saying this, Rong Jin turned to the Second Madam and said, “Second Aunt, please come early too.” Then, somewhat perfunctorily, she also told Lady Cui, “Come early.”

Regardless of Rong Jin’s attitude, Ah Wu was extremely happy, thinking that she could finally leave the second gate of the Duke’s Mansion and perhaps even run into acquaintances and friends from her previous life.

The days passed by as Ah Wu counted them on her fingers.

On the tenth, Ah Wu got up very early, unusually only sitting in front of the mirror for a quarter of an hour before getting up. Ah Wu hurried to the main room to see Lady Cui, only to find her dressed as usual, in a slightly worn smoky purple jacket and a white skirt embroidered with ink orchids, her hair simply styled in a bun with a jade hairpin inserted diagonally. Although Lady Cui still possessed a certain charm, this casual attire was hardly suitable for going out.

“Is Madam not going out today?” Ah Wu asked in confusion. Seeing that Ah Wu was dressed in a newly made peach-red short jacket, a light pink high-waisted skirt, a five-colored sash, a white jade ring, and her usual gold sunflower eight-treasure necklace and longevity lock, Lady Cui felt she was dressed for going out.

Lady Cui’s face darkened, and she apologetically beckoned Ah Wu over, adjusting her longevity lock for her. “You are concerned about the Old Madam of the Jing’an Marquis’s mansion’s birthday today, are you not?”

This child only had this one longevity lock to wear, and Lady Cui felt a pang of sadness.

Ah Wu nodded.

Lady Cui embraced Ah Wu, unsure how to explain her daughter’s predicament. The noblewomen in the capital were extremely calculating; the more prestigious the woman, the more calculating she was. How could someone of Lady Cui’s status possibly catch their eye? Even the First Madam and Second Madam would not be interested in the wives of their fallen Duke’s Mansion.

After attending social events once or twice, Lady Cui lost interest in going out. She spent her days at home embroidering, sewing, and caring for her children, finding contentment in her simple life.

But Lady Cui knew that Ah Wu loved excitement. Many times, she had gone out to social events for Ah Wu’s sake, but it was precisely because of the way those noblewomen looked at Ah Wu that Lady Cui went out even less.

Ah Wu was undoubtedly the most beautiful girl in the entire capital, but she lacked talent and always appeared contemptible and insignificant. Such beauty seemed like a misfortune on her; someone like her should not have tarnished such a face.

Those ladies looked at Ah Wu as if she were a future concubine, nothing more than a plaything for the imperial family and nobles. Rong Wuyou had not understood such gazes back then, but Lady Cui, having lived so many more years, understood them perfectly.

“Did you not always say that the third young lady of the Jing’an Marquis’s mansion glares at you whenever she sees you? It’s alright if we do not go. Today I will have the kitchen make your favorite osmanthus fish, alright?”

Ah Wu stared at Lady Cui with her large, watery eyes, clearly extremely disappointed. Lady Cui felt that her daughter’s eyes were filled with tears, and the innocence and trust within them made her turn her head away, unable to meet Ah Wu’s gaze.

“She glares at me; I will just ignore her.” Actually, Ah Wu was not unaware of Lady Cui’s predicament. She only had one set of jewelry left to wear when going out. Those ladies who were better at remembering clothes than faces would naturally look down on her, ridicule her, and mock her. But Ah Wu really wanted to see her old acquaintances, even if it was just to hear a little bit of gossip about the Princess’s Mansion.

As for seeing the Imperial Princess, Ah Wu had no intention of doing so. Her mother was extremely proud; a declining family like the Jing’an Marquis’s mansion was beneath her notice. She would never stoop so low. Furthermore, Ah Wu had never even considered recognizing herself with the Princess. Knowing the Princess as she did, she feared that the moment she uttered the words, the Princess would think she was nothing but a power-hungry opportunist, spouting nonsense, and would surely beat her to death.

Ah Wu’s words made Lady Cui even more troubled. Firstly, Lady Cui did not want to go out; secondly, the Old Madam disliked Ah Wu going out. Ah Wu’s predecessor, with her humble and lowly demeanor and complete lack of self-awareness, constantly imitated Fifth Young Lady Rong, making her a laughingstock. She was pretty, but her temperament could not support her beauty; instead, it seemed to tarnish her appearance, even displeasing the Old Master.

Lady Cui never wanted to say such hurtful things to Ah Wu.

“Look, I have not prepared anything today, and it’s too late to go out. How about Mother take you next time?” Lady Cui practically begged Ah Wu in a low voice.

Ah Wu could only nod, head drooping, and returned to her room.