Four Seasons Brocade – CH 012

Chapter 12 ☆、 The Sisters’ Quarrel Over the New Skirt

Ah Wu did not think there was anything shameful about this. Simply put, Old Master Rong was Third Master Rong’s father, and all the household income was managed by the Old Madam. It was only natural for a son to ask his parents for money. The squeaky wheel got the grease.

Going deeper, investing in the top scholar was investing in the future of the Rong family. How could they expect something for nothing? The fact that Third Master Rong could become a top scholar on his own was already a blessing for the old vine of Anguo, a “crooked gourd” born from eight lifetimes of good deeds. Logically, it should only produce inferior fruits like the Second Master.

However, Third Master Rong and Lady Cui lacked this awareness. One was an illegitimate son, the other an illegitimate daughter; neither had ever acted spoiled or foolish in front of their elders. They always pretended to be inferior, bending, yielding, and yielding again. They had never even considered asking their father for money. Of course, Lady Cui had considered it but was refused, so she dared not think about it again.

Ah Wu considered her plans for Third Master Rong’s bright future, which inevitably included the Rong family benefiting. Wanting to gain without effort and sit back and collect money was something that, for Ah Wu, who had been born into a royal family where everything was about profit and involved political intrigue in her previous life, was absolutely unacceptable.

“But constantly pawning is not a solution. How will Father manage his future social obligations and expenses? And how will Madam cope with Brother’s expenses in a few years?” Rong Jie also seemed determined to pursue the imperial examinations.

Actually, Ah Wu had a trick up her sleeve. By the time Rong Jie passed the examinations, the third branch of the family would certainly be better off, but to intimidate Lady Cui, she had to make it sound as difficult as possible.

Lady Cui was indeed taken aback and, after a long pause, said, “Once your father receives his salary, naturally…” Actually, Lady Cui was not entirely sure.

Ah Wu thought to herself, “This is a trap I’ve set for you.”

“Madam, how much do you think Father’s salary is?”

Lady Cui did not know. She knew about sewing and embroidery, but due to her status and lack of formal education, she did not understand officials’ salaries. All she knew was that her father’s salary alone could support the entire family of dozens of people quite well.

But Lady Cui was clearly unaware that her father, a fifth-rank prefect, received a salary of twelve shi of rice and fifty taels of silver per year.

Ah Wu began to explain to Lady Cui, counting on her fingers, “In the current Longqing era, the court pays officials’ salaries in rice and silver. Father is a sixth-rank official; according to the system, he receives one shi of rice per month, totaling twelve shi per year. As for silver, it’s forty-five taels a year.”

Lady Cui’s eyes widened.

Ah Wu nodded, as if to say, “That’s right, you definitely did not misunderstand; it’s forty-five taels.” Five taels of silver were enough for an ordinary farming family’s annual expenses; for a sixth-rank official to receive forty-five taels would be enough for a perfectly comfortable life in the countryside—”ice tribute” and “charcoal tribute” that officials in the capital received from local officials each year. Of course, even a Hanlin scholar with no real power did not receive much from these gifts.

“Forty-five taels?” Lady Cui did not believe it.

“You do not believe me? Ask Fifth Brother.” Ah Wu invoked Rong Jie’s name; Lady Cui would never question her eldest son’s words.

“There are even Hanlin scholars in the capital who write doggerel to complain about being poor. Let me read one to you, Madam.”

“First cut carriages and horses, then cut staff, and cut only two taels of silver from the teacher’s side. The teacher’s side has three festivals and two birthdays, a customary gift of two taels of silver. Only two meals a day cannot be cut; each time, pawning is a heartbreaking expense.”

“Although Father’s expenses are covered by the Duke’s Mansion, so he does not need to cut two meals, this poem clearly states that every year, festivals and the birthdays of his teacher and his teacher’s wife must be given. Just the teacher’s side alone costs a lot of silver, Madam. Can you do the math?” Two taels of silver? Could you afford that?

Actually, Ah Wu had never known the salaries of court officials before; she had never known that a sixth-rank compiler only received this much silver each year. Ah Wu’s dreams of beautiful clothes and delicious food were shattered.

Ah Wu was formerly Princess Kangning and a princess with an actual fiefdom, meaning she held a fief. Her mother, the Imperial Princess, had a fiefdom encompassing three counties. The Imperial Princess was never short of money, so she never bothered to emulate those glamorous noblewomen who wept in private and opened shops, thus lowering themselves to compete with merchants for profit.

Forty-five taels of silver were not even enough to cover the price of the pair of bright moon earrings Princess Kangning once wore.

Out of concern, Ah Wu excitedly and somewhat embarrassedly borrowed a book from Rong Jie, only to discover her father’s salary. Alas, how depraved she was! Ah Wu lowered her head in remorse. After her father became the top scholar and was appointed to the Hanlin Academy, her first action was to check his salary.

At that time, Ah Wu was just as surprised and “sorrowful” as Lady Cui was now.

“Moreover, since our household eats and lives in the Duke’s Mansion, Father’s salary should, in principle, be turned over to the public.” Ah Wu was adding insult to injury.

“Hand it over to the Old Madam?” Lady Cui exclaimed softly. She had completely forgotten about this; of course, the salary had to be handed over to the household.

Lady Cui was utterly exhausted; she did not even notice the scissors falling onto the table.

Handing it over to the household was the final straw for Lady Cui, the one that broke the camel’s back. Led by the nose by Ah Wu, she finally agreed to go and ask her father-in-law for money.

Actually, this kind of thing would have been much more effective if the young and adorable Ah Wu had gone; a little crying would have solved everything. Lady Cui even expressed her desire to take Ah Wu with her.

Ah Wu firmly shook her head. She must be joking; Princess Kangning could suggest asking for money, but she would never ask for it herself. She, who was even more obsessed with saving face than Lady Cui, was only good at talking and manipulating others.

So we discovered another flaw in Princess Ah Wu: no matter how insightful she was or how eloquent she was, she would never stoop to doing anything for anyone.

Although Ah Wu persuaded Lady Cui to ask Old Master Rong for money, this needed to be done at the right time and place. Otherwise, it would be seen as a complaint, and if the Old Madam found out, there would inevitably be a dispute over it. Therefore, Ah Wu thought it best to resolve this privately, without letting anyone know, to quietly make a fortune without offending anyone.

Therefore, this matter needed careful consideration.

Ah Wu estimated that the money for clothes would not come in anytime soon, so she only had four sets of proper, ordinary spring clothes made according to the manor’s rules. Children grew quickly, changing clothes every year; Ah Wu’s clothes from last spring were already too short.

The year turned to spring, and classes resumed at Yuxiu Pavilion. Ah Wu still had to attend every day. Before leaving, Ah Wu naturally made sure to dress up. She was always fond of beauty, and being naturally beautiful, she loved admiring herself every day. Even with limited clothes and jewelry, she would try her best to create a stunning look.

After Third Master Rong passed the imperial examination, Ah Wu was overjoyed. One day, she wore a newly tailored spring dress to Yuxiu Pavilion. Seeing Fourth Young Lady Rong and Fifth Young Lady Rong, she greeted them sweetly and sat down in front of Fourth Young Lady Rong, waiting for Teacher Bai.

Spring had arrived, and Ah Wu was nine years old (by Chinese age), but according to the saying “boys are nine, girls are full,” Ah Wu was still only seven. She would turn eight in the fourth month when her birthday came. As the girl grew older, she became even more beautiful. In addition, Ah Wu had quietly and subtly changed her personality and demeanor, becoming increasingly charming and adorable.

This made Fourth Young Lady Rong increasingly resentful. Even the palace maid, Nanny Li, frequently praised Ah Wu, while Fifth Young Lady Rong had barely received a nod from Nanny Li. Fourth Young Lady Rong grew increasingly jealous of her younger sister, whose status was originally similar to hers. One was a legitimate son’s illegitimate daughter, the other an illegitimate son’s legitimate daughter; she had thought they were equals, but now Ah Wu clearly made Fourth Young Lady Rong aware of the difference.

However, Fourth Young Lady Rong could tolerate all of this. But her third uncle, Rong Jichang, had passed the imperial examination, which meant Ah Wu’s future would be very different from hers. Her father was useless and fickle, and now he would not even enter Fourth Young Lady Rong’s concubine mother’s household. Comparing the two, Fourth Young Lady Rong naturally felt unbalanced. Whether in status or intelligence, she could not compare to Fifth Young Lady Rong, so her desire to compete with Fifth Young Lady Rong was weak. But she absolutely could not accept the fact that the once timid Ah Wu was now doing increasingly well.

Fourth Young Lady Rong felt a tightness in his chest and wanted to add to Ah Wu’s misery. She resented fate for letting Ah Wu’s father become the top scholar; it was pure luck.

Ah Wu sat in front of Fourth Young Lady Rong, diligently preparing her lessons. She was completely unaware of Fourth Young Lady Rong’s actions when Zi-Shan, who was serving her, suddenly called out, “Miss, your skirt.”

Ah Wu looked down at her skirt. Seeing nothing amiss, she pulled it up slightly and noticed a streak of ink splattered on it, like a flock of geese flying south.

This wide, jade-colored embroidered skirt was Ah Wu’s favorite among her several spring dresses. She had worn it today to look pretty, but now it was stained with ink. That would be difficult to wash off; even if she did, a faint stain would remain. Although it would not be noticeable unless you looked closely, Ah Wu was a perfectionist.

“Fourth Sister, what are you doing?” Ah Wu asked anxiously. She only had four dresses, one of which she had specially saved for future travel outside the mansion. She only wore three for everyday wear, and each one was incredibly precious.

Fourth Young Lady Rong wore a smug smile. “I am sorry, Sixth Sister, my hand slipped…”

A slip? Ah Wu did not accept that explanation. Fourth Young Lady Rong was clearly doing it on purpose.

These past few days, Fourth Young Lady Rong had been constantly stirring up trouble, and Ah Wu had been deliberately ignoring her. She never expected her to become even more demanding.

Ah Wu simply could not understand how Fourth Young Lady Rong’s brain worked. Even though they were sisters, sharing both glory and ruin, if Third Master Rong gained power, not only would she benefit, but also Fourth Young Lady Rong. Why was she so unhappy?