Four Seasons Brocade – CH 018

Chapter 18 ☆、 Sisters’ Casual Chat Reveals the Truth

Seeing she could not avoid it, Ah Wu simply stepped forward openly, looking down at Tang Xiujin.

“You are…” Tang Xiujin hesitated for a moment, “The sixth young lady of the mansion.”

Ah Wu secretly applauded Tang Xiujin; this talented young master’s mind worked quickly.

Although Tang Xiujin had never seen Ah Wu before, judging from her clothes and the maid accompanying her, she must be a young lady of the mansion. The first three daughters of the Rong family were all married; Tang Xiujin had met Fourth Young Lady Rong and Fifth Young Lady Rong today, so this must be the sixth young lady—it was not hard to guess.

Ah Wu nodded, without speaking.

Tang Xiujin, perhaps unaccustomed to speaking to people while looking up at them, walked up the artificial hill. With his long legs, he reached Ah Wu in just a few steps, bending down to look at the little girl before him, whose delicate features resembled a small, pink peach. “Did you deliberately not warn me earlier?”

This was originally a question, but because Tang Xiujin’s face was smiling and his tone gentle, it lost its accusatory tone.

Zi-Shan, standing to the side, did not dare breathe loudly. This was the Old Madam’s honored guest! She had intended to speak up and warn him, but the young lady had covered her mouth.

Ah Wu nodded. “Yes, so what?” She deliberately dragged out the “yes,” displaying a proud, almost mocking, air.

“You child?” Tang Xiujin intended to reach out and touch Ah Wu’s incredibly cute, bun-like hair. If he could, he also wanted to pinch her apple-like cheeks; their pinkish color and plump, round shape made one want to take a bite.

Tang Xiujin, naturally mild-mannered, found it even harder to stay angry at such an innocent and beautiful little girl.

But Ah Wu was not about to let his clutches succeed. She grabbed Zi-Shan, her short legs carrying her as she slid under his arm and ran off in a flash.

Leaving Tang Xiujin standing there, with a helpless smile on his face. He had not expected the daughter of this year’s top scholar to be so adorable and innocent. Even her missing front tooth made her look charming and endearing, and her lively personality meant she’d surely get along well with his younger sister.

Tang Xiujin’s younger sister, Tang Yin, was also the same age as Ah Wu, losing a front tooth. She was always unhappy, throwing tantrums and playing pranks on others who had full white teeth. Tang Xiujin thought that since both girls had missing front teeth, they’d probably get along well.

Only when Tang Xiujin was out of sight did Ah Wu and Zi-Shan stop and walk slowly.

“Miss, who is that young master?”

“He is the second son of Cabinet Minister Tang of the Wenyuan Pavilion. Scholar Tang has just entered the Pavilion.” Although he was not the Grand Secretary, Tang Jinshan was not old, while the current Grand Secretary is already in his seventies. He always had a chance to outlast the current Grand Secretary, so Tang Jinshan is one of the most sought-after figures in the capital’s officialdom.

Tang Xiujin not only had a father who would be a Grand Secretary, but he himself was also quite outstanding. No wonder the Old Madam kept him hidden, afraid that the third branch of the family would benefit from the Tang family’s influence.

“Oh dear, did we not just offend the Cabinet Minister’s son?” Zi-Shan swayed in fear.

“Young Master Tang is magnanimous and will not hold it against us children.” This was why Ah Wu dared to speak to Tang Xiujin like that. Tang Xiujin was kind-hearted and easily bullied; Ah Wu was sure he would not take it to heart.

Ah Wu was just curious why Tang Xiujin had come to the Rong Mansion.

In truth, Tang Xiujin was the nephew of Guo Bingyi’s mother’s sister-in-law, making him a distant relative of Guo Bingyi, let alone the Rong family. Therefore, it was understandable that Ah Wu could not immediately grasp the connection between Tang Xiujin and the Rong family.

With this connection and the fact that Guo Bingyi and Tang Xiujin were in the same academy, they were naturally closer than others, but this was not enough to make Tang Xiujin so easily willing to step through the gates of the Duke of Anguo’s Mansion.

The real reason was that Tang Xiujin had wanted to meet this top scholar ever since reading Rong Jichang’s essay. Not only were talented women proud, but talented men were often arrogant about their own limited talents. However, Rong Jichang’s essay had compelled Tang Xiujin to admire him, thus sparking his desire to learn from him.

On this day, Guo Bingyi politely invited Tang Xiujin, and to his surprise, Second Young Master Tang readily agreed.

Tang Xiujin had come for Third Master Rong but was treated with the utmost hospitality by the Old Madam and a group of noblewomen, making him too embarrassed to speak his true feelings, nor did he have the opportunity to do so.

The Old Madam then instructed Fourth Young Lady Rong and Fifth Young Lady Rong to address Tang Xiujin as “cousin,” like Guo Bingyi. While it was customary for boys and girls not to sit together after the age of seven, such rules were often relaxed among relatives. Now that Tang Xiujin was “Cousin Yu,” the inhibitions between men and women naturally lessened.

The Old Madam was sizing up a grandson-in-law, and so was the first wife. The second wife did not care much about Fourth Young Lady Rong, but if the Cabinet Minister’s son took a liking to her, the second branch of the family would be willing.

Fifth Young Lady Rong still carried a hint of reserve when she saw Tang Xiujin, but such an outstanding family background and such an excellent young man could not possibly have left her heart unmoved. However, Fifth Young Lady Rong, being mindful of her status, only occasionally glanced at Tang Xiujin with a shy smile.

Fourth Young Lady Rong, on the other hand, was much more generous and enthusiastic. She always knew that if she did not strive for it, good things would never fall into her lap as a concubine’s daughter. Just like how, if her concubine mother had not tried to seduce Master Rong, he would not have thought to go to Concubine Lan’s room, and Fourth Young Lady Rong would not have had a chance to be born.

Fourth Young Lady Rong pestered Guo Bingyi to fly a kite. Thirteen-year-old Guo Bingyi was practically a child compared to Tang Xiujin, so he readily accepted his pretty cousin, Fourth Young Lady Rong’s flattery and told the Old Madam he wanted to fly a kite.

The Old Madam looked at Tang Xiujin and was also willing. She said, “I am old, and I love watching the younger generation have fun. Go and fetch the kites that the Kite King made this year for the young masters and the girls to play with.”

Since the Old Madam had said so, Tang Xiujin had no choice but to reluctantly agree.

Once the kite was in the sky, its various abilities were on full display. Fourth Young Lady Rong desperately tried to fly the kite towards Tang Xiujin, hoping to get them tangled together and have a chat.

Unfortunately, fate intervened, and Fifth Young Lady Rong benefited instead.

Tang Xiujin breathed a sigh of relief when the kite fell. She comforted Fifth Young Lady Rong and immediately offered to retrieve it for her. Tang Xiujin would not let the servant go, using the opportunity to get some fresh air; the Old Madam’s and the First Madam’s gazes were too intense, and that Fourth Young Lady was too enthusiastic.

Tang Xiujin thought to himself, “It seems I can never come back to the Rong Mansion; it’s practically a den of dragons and tigers.”

Meanwhile, Ah Wu and Zi-Shan returned to their room and went directly to Lady Cui’s courtyard. Zi-Shan, preoccupied, used a stomachache as an excuse to stay. Ah Wu did not say anything, as her room was in the east wing of Lady Cui’s courtyard, just a door away, and she did not need a maid to accompany her.

After listening to Ah Wu’s words, Zi-Shan pondered the matter repeatedly on the way home. Once Ah Wu was gone, she quietly told Zi-Yan what had happened that day. In her eyes, Zi-Yan was both her older sister and her most trusted friend.

Zi-Yan was three years older than Zi-Shan and more mature. Hearing this, she understood that Ah Wu was somewhat dissatisfied with Zi-Shan. Zi-Yan also knew Zi-Shan’s personality well; she was a typical bully at home. When her mistress was more timid, Zi-Shan acted somewhat disrespectfully; now that her mistress was more assertive, Zi-Shan was like a cat without its armor.

This behavior was acceptable indoors, but failing to protect her mistress outside was a grave offense.

Zi-Yan thought for a moment and advised, “What the young lady said makes sense. That gatekeeper was unreasonable today; you should have confronted her directly. You should not have let a mere woman slap you in the face and then gossiped behind her back. As servants, our first duty is to protect our mistress; we cannot just cower behind her when trouble comes. You need to change your temperament; be less of a bully at home.” Zi-Yan tapped Zi-Shan’s forehead.

“It’s not my fault! Who in this mansion can we afford to offend?” Zi-Shan pouted, arguing stubbornly.

“Do you think you can afford to offend our young lady? In my opinion, she’s not the same easygoing girl she used to be,” Zi-Yan said.

While speaking to Zi-Shan, she herself was reflecting. Before, she only wanted to serve the Sixth Young Lady peacefully until she reached marriageable age, then have her mother plead with the Madam to let her go and get married—that would have been enough. But now her mistress was not as easily fooled as before, so she had to be extra careful in serving her. Otherwise, her whole family would be in the hands of the mistress, and if she lost face, she would have no hope for the rest of her life.

Meanwhile, Zi-Yan was also thinking about how the Third Master had become the top scholar in the imperial examination, with a bright future ahead. After all, she still had several years to serve her mistress. If the Third Master rose in rank, they, the servants, would only benefit.

Thinking of this, Zi-Yan tried even harder to persuade Zi-Shan. After all, she had watched the little girl grow up and treated her like a younger sister.

“We are all devoted to protecting our mistress, but if something really happens, can our mistress protect us?” Zi-Shan continued to ask.

Zi-Yan sighed, “We are just servants, after all. It’s a favor that our mistress protects us. If she cannot, then we’ve done our duty as mistress and servant.”

Zi-Shan thought for a moment and nodded. “Then I will listen to you, sister.”

After a moment of silence, Zi-Shan spoke again, “Sister, do you not think our mistress seems like a different person?”

Zi-Yan was startled but did not speak, unsure of Zi-Shan’s meaning.

“Everyone says reading makes one wise, and that a person with knowledge naturally exudes elegance. Sister Zi-Yan, do you think our mistress has changed because she’s read so much?”

Zi-Yan’s heart eased slightly, and she forced a smile. “Of course. Is it not said that books hold a thousand bushels of grain and a house of gold? These are signs of wealth and status. Even a poor boy can rise above his circumstances after studying, let alone a young lady of a wealthy family. Naturally, her demeanor changes.”

Zi-Shan nodded in agreement with Zi-Yan’s statement.

However, Zi-Yan herself might not have agreed. She was always more observant than Zi-Shan, and being older, she had clearly witnessed Ah Wu’s changes over the past year. It was not a gradual transformation but rather an instantaneous one; the young lady seemed to have become a completely different person overnight.

But Zi-Yan dared not tell anyone, not even the Third Madam. The Madam and the Third Master were increasingly fond of the young lady, and even the two young masters were closer to her. If she, a servant, were to gossip, she would likely be the first to suffer.

As for whether the Sixth Young Lady had encountered any evil spirits, it did not seem like it. The Sixth Young Lady’s speech and actions were becoming increasingly clear-headed; sometimes she did not seem like a seven- or eight-year-old at all. Even Zi-Yan herself had to be extremely careful when serving her, as if no thought could escape her notice.

Zi-Yan silently murmured “Amitabha,” intending to keep this secret to herself forever. Seeing Zi-Shan’s carefree expression, she could only sigh, realizing that sometimes fools were luckier.