Four Seasons Brocade – CH 014

Chapter 14 ☆、 The Stepmother Displays Her Power to Punish the Top Scholar

Ah Wu followed Lady Cui back to the courtyard, where Lady Cui busied herself applying medicine and changing her clothes. Ah Wu hung her head, unable to recover from her self-inflicted blow.

Fortunately, Ah Wu only had a minor cut on her face, but Fourth Young Lady Rong had pulled out a lock of her hair, causing her excruciating pain.

“How can two sisters fight so viciously? Like enemies! Where is the sisterly bond? She’s the older sister!” Seeing Ah Wu like this, Lady Cui began to wipe away tears again. She was not usually this weak and prone to tears, but Ah Wu was her precious daughter, and seeing her like this, Lady Cui felt a knife cutting through her heart, regardless of who was right or wrong.

“Ah Wu, be good. Do not be afraid. Even in front of the Old Madam, Mother will protect you.” Lady Cui touched Ah Wu’s face with her forehead.

Mentioning the Old Madam brought Ah Wu back to her senses. Now was not the time for self-reflection. Based on her understanding of the Old Madam over the past six months, Ah Wu knew that the third branch of the family would not have an easy time today. She blamed herself for being in her mid-twenties in her previous life, yet how could she be so impulsive, arguing with someone like Fourth Young Lady Rong over a dress?

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Ah Wu began to berate herself for being so short-sighted and disregarding the bigger picture.

Indeed, impulsiveness was the devil.

“When I go to the Old Madam’s, Madam, please do not speak up for me,” Ah Wu thought. After all, she was just a child, and even if the Old Madam was biased, she could not make things too difficult for her. Unfortunately, Ah Wu was too naive, projecting her own feelings onto others, unaware that such extreme people existed in this world.

Ah Wu lived in constant fear. The Old Madam had not sent anyone to deliver a message, and Lady Cui thought she had escaped a disaster, secretly relieved behind Ah Wu’s back. Ah Wu, however, did not think so. She feared that the calmer things seemed now, the bigger the trouble would be. But she had no good way to deal with it, and could only deal with things as they came.

Ah Wu then sent Zi-Shan to inquire about the situation in the main house. Zi-Shan returned, only saying that after Lady Wu reported to the Old Madam, the Old Madam had given her a severe scolding, and nothing more was said afterward.

That evening, around dinnertime, a maid from the main house came to report that the Old Madam had sent someone out that afternoon to look for Third Master to return home. Now, Third Master had gone directly to the main house, requesting that Third Madam bring Sixth Young Lady along.

Lady Cui breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, thinking that with her husband by her side, he would handle everything. She would simply agree with Third Master. Lady Cui had always held Third Master Rong in high esteem, bordering on admiration.

Ah Wu’s heart skipped a beat. In an instant, she guessed the old woman’s intentions. She had truly gotten herself into trouble this time. Normally, this would not have been a problem at all; the old woman might not even have taken a liking to Fourth Young Lady Rong. But at this critical juncture, she, Ah Wu, had essentially handed the third branch of the family over to be slaughtered. How foolish!

Thinking this, Ah Wu instinctively gripped Lady Cui’s hand tighter, and she reciprocated.

Lady Cui noticed Ah Wu’s worry and fear. She knelt down and gently smoothed her hair. “Do not be afraid; Papa and Mama will protect you.” Although Lady Cui already knew what had happened and that both Fourth Young Lady Rong and Ah Wu were at fault, she still favored Ah Wu and could not bear to let her suffer any blame.

Lady Cui then touched Ah Wu’s forehead to hers and kissed her cheek, comforting her.

Ah Wu’s tears immediately welled up. Lady Cui was a good mother, and she genuinely loved her. Now that she had caused trouble and implicated her, Ah Wu felt extremely sad. She was also moved by Lady Cui’s pity and thought of the Imperial Princess. She thought of how, if she were still Princess Kangning, Fourth Young Lady Rong would never dare to humiliate her like this. The servants in the mansion were ineffective in protecting her, hindering her at every turn, making everything unpleasant for her.

Ah Wu, in her sorrow, finally understood that she was no longer Princess Kangning. She was Ah Wu, now merely the sixth young lady of the Duke of Anguo’s Mansion, a woman with no real power. Everyone in this mansion could bully her.

Seeing Ah Wu’s tears, Lady Cui quickly wiped them away. “Ah Wu, Ah Wu,” Lady Cui did not know how to comfort her, only holding her and calling her “Ah Wu, Ah Wu.” Because Ah Wu’s eyes were so filled with sadness and self-reproach, Lady Cui did not understand why Ah Wu was so afraid, simply assuming it was because she was young and inexperienced and had been frightened.

Upon entering the main room, Lady Cui saw Third Master Rong kneeling before his stepmother, Old Lady Ma, the wife of the Duke of Anguo. Not knowing why, Lady Cui, seeing her husband kneeling, could not remain standing, so she followed suit and knelt.

Before Lady Cui could speak, Ah Wu also knelt. She was the one who had caused today’s trouble; she had handed them the knife, so she felt she deserved this humiliation.

The Old Madam held Fourth Young Lady Rong in her lap, who looked down at the third branch of the family with a smug expression. So what if he was a top scholar? He still had to kneel when the Old Madam told him to.

“You two have come at the right time. If your second sister-in-law had not come, I would not have known that a younger sister had assaulted her older sister in our household. If this got out, I am afraid our Duke’s Mansion would never be able to hold its head high again,” the Old Madam said with a cold laugh.

Upon hearing this, Lady Cui immediately interjected, “Old Madam, please understand! It was not Ah Wu who struck first; she simply could not withstand Fourth Young Lady’s attack and retaliated.” Lady Cui understood from the Old Madam’s words that Ah Wu’s reputation was being ruined. If such rumors spread, how could a young girl like her ever get married? So, Lady Cui, in her haste, disregarded everything else and interrupted the Old Madam.

The Old Madam slammed her dragon-headed cane on the ground, making the floor tiles rattle. “Do you have the right to interrupt your mother-in-law?”

“Look at her; she is truly from a humble family. She does not even know proper etiquette. What kind of good children can someone like that raise?” Lady Wu added firewood to the fire.

The Old Madam, after unleashing a torrent of abuse, finally calmed down a bit. She squinted her small eyes, her gaze like a venomous snake, at Rong Jichang and said, “The child’s misbehavior is the father’s fault! Third son, I called you back today so you could see your wife and daughter. The elder dares to talk back to her mother-in-law, and the younger dares to beat her own sister. What do you have to say for yourself?”

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Lady Cui trembled with anger, turning to look at Rong Jichang.

Rong Jichang did not look back at Lady Cui, only bowing deeply to the Old Madam, “It’s all my fault. I will certainly discipline them both after I leave.”

“Discipline them? If you could really discipline them, this would not have happened.” The Old Madam did not even bother to ask what had happened. Holding onto the fact that Ah Wu had beaten Fourth Young Lady Rong, she felt like she had obtained a tiger tally. Today, she would not be satisfied until she had utterly annihilated her enemy. Her two sons were useless; why should the third son be successful?

“Old Madam, normally, Sixth Young Lady is very cautious, always afraid of making a mistake. How could she dare to beat her own sister today? I think we should let it go this time; she’s not usually like this.” Lady An, the First Madam, spoke up to support the Third Branch, but her true intentions were obvious to everyone. She wanted to save face by spewing poison while pretending to be a benevolent savior.

“In the past, she naturally would not dare, but now that her father has become the top scholar, she thinks she can cause trouble. I think beating her own sister is the least of her worries; I am afraid that in the future, all of us will be her prey.” The Old Madam was so angry she was practically snorting.

“How could someone so young have such a vicious mind? Old Madam, you are overthinking it,” the First Madam said with a compassionate and unforgiving expression.

“She’s young, but her parents are quite old. She’s not my child, after all, and now that she’s in power, she thinks she can ride roughshod over me. Third son, are you taking advantage of your two older brothers’ lack of ability so they will have to watch their step? Today you dared to hit Yue’er from the second son’s family; tomorrow you might dare to hit your eldest and second brothers, right?” The Old Madam’s spittle almost sprayed onto Third Master Rong’s nose.

Rong Jichang kowtowed repeatedly.

“The current Emperor governs the country with filial piety. How could someone as unfilial and disrespectful as you become the top scholar? I see you are already so arrogant after just becoming a top scholar. If you truly rise to the highest ranks of officialdom one day, will this old woman still have a way to live? Will your brothers still have a way to live?” The Old Madam stomped her cane three times. “I think this old woman has to go to the palace herself and speak to the Empress.”

The Old Madam was not exaggerating when she said she could go to the palace to meet the Imperial Consort. The current Empress was the niece of the Old Madam’s aunt’s eldest cousin. This was also the reason why the Old Madam could act so arrogantly in the Duke’s Mansion, and the Old Master dared not say a word.

Upon hearing the Old Madam’s words, Third Master Rong immediately raised his head. He was filled with grief and indignation, knowing that the Old Madam was using this as an excuse to vent her anger. Even if he did not know the reason, he knew his own daughter; she was definitely not the kind of person to beat her own sister. Besides, Fourth Young Lady Rong was so much older than Ah Wu; even if it were a fight, it would be obvious who would suffer.

Now that Ah Wu had also arrived at the main room, Third Master Rong’s eyes caught the scratches on her face and the bruises on her neck and the back of her hands. Looking at Fourth Young Lady Rong, who was in much better condition, Third Master Rong felt a pang of pain in his heart. He did not blame Ah Wu for causing trouble; he knew that ever since he became the top scholar, his stepmother had always disliked him. This was merely an excuse to vent her anger, and it was he who had implicated Ah Wu and Lady Cui.

Lady Cui was shocked to hear the Old Madam’s words and tried to speak, but Third Master Rong pressed her hand down, silencing her.

“It’s all my fault. I failed to discipline you properly. Please punish me, Mother.” Third Master Rong’s head pounded against the floor tiles, making a buzzing sound, his forehead already bruised.

With his stepmother’s accusation of filial piety weighing on him, Third Master Rong felt as if his throat was being squeezed, and he could only swallow his anger.

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Seeing Third Master Rong’s reaction, the Old Madam wore a cold, smug smile. She had threatened the third branch of the family with her promise to go to the palace; if she truly disqualified Third Master Rong from the top scholar title, the Old Master would be the first to punish her. Therefore, the Old Madam was merely trying to restore her authority as the legal wife. She wanted everyone in the household to know that just because the third son had become the top scholar, their hearts had not turned to the third branch. As long as she, the Old Madam, was around, the third branch would not be able to cause any trouble.

“Since you know you are wrong, I will not make things difficult for you. Go to the ancestral hall for one night and properly repent before our ancestors. As for Xuan’er, you must keep her in check from now on. We do not have any unfilial or disrespectful girls in our household.” The Old Madam’s tone softened, and everyone thought that was the end of it, but then she added, “Let Xuan’er go and kowtow to her fourth sister, admitting her mistake. If her fourth sister forgives her, then let her get up; otherwise…”

These words startled everyone.