Four Seasons Brocade – CH 021

Chapter 21 ☆、 Ah Wu Humiliated at the Marquis’s Banquet

Lady Cui saw that Ah Wu was very interested in the Imperial Princess, but she had nothing to say.

“Extraordinarily noble.”

Ah Wu looked at Lady Cui. What kind of talk was that? Everyone knew the Princess was noble.

“Besides that, what impression does Madam have of her? Have you spoken to her?”

“How could we possibly curry favor with someone like her? I’ve only seen her from afar; I’ve never spoken to her.”

The Princess’s arrogance was well-known in the capital. Someone of Lady Cui’s background would not even have the time to glance at her.

Lady Cui was someone who had been directly ignored by the Princess and did not like her. However, she was afraid that Ah Wu, being young and naive, would not speak ill of the Princess, fearing that Ah Wu might accidentally offend her later. Ah Wu withdrew her gaze with some disappointment.

Since she could not find out any news about the Imperial Princess, Ah Wu focused her thoughts on the upcoming birthday banquet at the Earl of Huating’s residence.

Imperial Princess Fuhui did not attend the banquet because she clearly supported the Fifth Prince, born to the Empress. The second branch of the Gu family, however, did attend. No wonder the Duke of Wei’s mansion had not fallen after Emperor Ai ascended the throne. Although the Imperial Princess’s life was starting to become difficult, Consort Xiang had not even had a chance to act before Chu Mao’s rebellion occurred.

At that time, Consort Xiang could only try to appease the Imperial Princess.

Thinking about all this messy stuff made Ah Wu anxious and restless. She wanted to acknowledge the Princess as her mother and tell her everything from her past life so she could be more cautious. But these were just thoughts; acknowledging her, even seeing the Imperial Princess, was difficult.

If she were to actually meet her, Ah Wu would not dare tell the Princess the truth. Supernatural powers and mystical influences were rampant; she might be the one killed by the Princess first. For now, she could only take it one step at a time.

Ah Wu also thought of Third Master Rong entering the court. She wondered if she could use him to finally nip Chu Mao’s rebellion in the bud. Of course, that was an impossible task.

Thinking about all this, Ah Wu’s head throbbed with pain. She pondered further, wondering why Heaven had allowed her to be reborn. Death was like a lamp going out; Ah Wu had no resentment before her death. Born into wealth and raised by her parents, she had been pampered since childhood, experiencing nothing but hardship. Even though her frail health and early death were regrettable, if someone with such opportunities still complained about Heaven’s injustice, then she was truly a greedy person seeking death.

As for what happened after her death, Ah Wu, adrift in the world, was already a detached person. Looking at the cause and effect of her life, she had reaped what she sowed. The Imperial Princess’s tragic end stemmed from her past actions against Emperor Zhengyuan, including numerous underhanded schemes. Emperor Zhengyuan, despite possessing the empire, was not necessarily happy. Long nights were spent alone, accompanied only by baskets of memorials. Among his three thousand concubines, none could understand him.

Ah Wu, resentful of his constant harassment of the Imperial Princess, fled to the inner palace, hoping to frighten Chu Mao. But in the vast Forbidden City, with its deep gates, he sat behind his long desk, a figure of utter desolation. Occasionally lost in thought, his mind wandered, but his shadow cast on the landscape screen behind him conveyed a profound loneliness and isolation.

Ah Wu sighed, realizing that emperors were indeed solitary figures, burdened by state affairs, burdened with countless worries, and forced to toil day and night. It was laughable that they could not see the utter helplessness beneath the throne.

After watching for a while, Ah Wu gave up on her plan to scare Chu Mao. She felt Chu Mao was just asking for trouble; he deserved his miserable life, never finding anyone who genuinely cared for him.

Ah Wu felt troubled thinking about her past and only wished she would not grow up, that life could stay as it was now.

But time flew by. Some died, some were born, and before she knew it, early summer had arrived.

The eldest son of the eldest grandson of the Marquis of Shouchang was having his full-moon celebration, and Ah Wu was finally able to attend.

The Marquis of Shouchang’s family had some kinship with the Cui family; Lady Cui’s cousin had married their second grandson.

Lady Cui led Ah Wu down from the carriage, following behind the wife of the Duke of Anguo’s heir and the second madam into the Marquis of Shouchang’s residence.

The Marquis of Shouchang’s mansion was far more impressive than the Duke of Anguo’s mansion. In the main hall of the Marquis’s wife’s house, there was a row of furniture made of whole pieces of rosewood. The old Marquis was sitting in the center of the hall on a low rosewood couch inlaid with mother-of-pearl and carved with begonias. A scarlet foreign woolen carpet was laid under his feet, and he was resting his head on a large red pillow with gold thread patterns.

Two rows of rosewood official’s hat chairs inlaid with mother-of-pearl were arranged before the Marchioness, each with a dark blue chrysanthemum-patterned backrest and a matching cushion. Every piece of furniture around them was an antique of the finest quality. The opulent splendor of the hall was dazzling.

To the marchioness’s left stood a young noblewoman, beautiful in appearance, holding a fair-skinned infant in her arms—presumably the guest of honor.

Ah Wu obediently followed Lady Cui in bowing. The marchioness warmly took Ah Wu’s hand. “Look at this child, how well-behaved she is! Why does the Lady not bring you out more often? Our two families are related by marriage, after all.”

Lady Cui quickly explained that the child was still young and she was afraid of being impolite.

“Nonsense! I think this child is very well-behaved, even better than you, her mother.”

The Marquis of Shouchang’s family was a prominent family in the previous dynasty. Their ancestors were astute and capable, adaptable to changing circumstances. Seeing the winds turn against them, they aligned themselves with the founding Emperor and became the current Marquis of Shouchang. Their family’s prestige was naturally unmatched by ordinary aristocratic families.

The Marquis’s wife was sharp-eyed. A quick glance at the younger generation gave her an idea. She naturally did not think much of Lady Cui, but she was puzzled by how well Lady Cui had raised her daughter.

The Rong family’s fifth daughter was already a standout in the capital. The Marquis’s wife thought this sixth daughter was no less beautiful or elegant than her older sister. She had never seen Ah Wu at any banquets, so she knew this girl did not go out often.

But now that Ah Wu had entered Jing’an Hall, she was not overwhelmed by its opulent and luxurious atmosphere. This alone was enough to impress her; she was a well-mannered young lady.

The marchioness asked Ah Wu her age and what books she read, showing great fondness for her until the next distinguished guest arrived.

The marchioness, fearing the young girls would be bored, had her maids lead them to the back garden to play and even specially invited female storytellers to perform. When Ah Wu arrived at Yuanxiang Terrace, about ten young girls were already seated inside, sitting in twos and threes, each in their own circle.

When Ah Wu and the others entered, everyone turned around and secretly sized her up.

Ah Wu, however, immediately spotted Gu Xihui, inwardly scoffing; she always seemed to be there to cause trouble.

Gu Xihui’s gaze lingered briefly upon seeing Ah Wu, then she turned to Fifth Young Lady Rong, smiling and greeting her, inviting them to sit together.

Fourth Young Lady Rong smiled and subtly pushed Ah Wu aside, sitting down next to Fifth Young Lady Rong. This left no room at Gu Xihui’s table. Fifth Young Lady Rong introduced Ah Wu to Gu Xihui, then said to Ah Wu, “Ah Wu, why not sit over there?”

Fifth Young Lady Rong was close to Gu Xihui and had much to say to her, so she did not pay much attention to her youngest sister.

Ah Wu obediently sat down at the next table, since she was already impatient with socializing with Gu Xihui anyway.

However, being so close, it was difficult for Ah Wu to miss the conversation at Gu Xihui’s table.

“Your sixth sister is truly a beauty,” Gu Xihui said with a smile.

Fifth Young Lady Rong did not speak, only smiled faintly. Fourth Young Lady Rong chimed in, “Even if she’s beautiful, she’s still petty. How can she compare to Sister Gu?”

Jin Ling, the eldest young lady of the Jin family of Marquis of Anping, standing next to Gu Xihui, chimed in, “How is she petty?”

“Her father is an illegitimate son of our family, and her mother is the daughter of a doxie of the prefect in Qingzhou…” Fourth Young Lady Rong almost blurted out Ah Wu’s entire family history to outsiders.

“No wonder! That gold ring she’s wearing…we stopped wearing it years ago. I gave mine to a maid. I was wondering why the young ladies of your Duke of Anguo’s family would wear that. Turns out her mother was a doxie’s child. No wonder, no wonder!” He Peizhen laughed heartily.

Fourth Young Lady Rong laughed along; only Fifth Young Lady Rong felt embarrassed.

Ah Wu, listening nearby, was digging her fingernails into her palms but kept telling herself to be patient. It was not that she did not respond to He Peizhen. Lady Cui was born of a concubine, but was He Peizhen’s maternal grandfather not also born of a concubine? Who could be more noble than the other?

However, He Peizhen was the granddaughter of the Duke of Zhenguo. The Duke of Zhenguo was stationed in the southwest of the Great Xia Dynasty, commanding two armies. Her father was the commander of the Five Cities Garrison. The Duke of Zhenguo’s family was an extremely influential family in the capital. Who dared to provoke them?

Ah Wu had learned her lesson after being humiliated by Fourth Young Lady Rong.

But this did not mean Ah Wu had swallowed her anger. Last time, she had acted foolishly, confronting Fourth Young Lady Rong head-on. But that was because they were sisters; Ah Wu had not fully grasped the psychology of her enemy, and besides, she did not think of her family as so dreary. That was why she suffered a loss.

This time, He Peizhen was an outsider, and Ah Wu was not so foolish.

It was just that Fourth Young Lady Rong, that fool, was someone she could use.