Four Seasons Brocade – CH 023

Chapter 23 ☆、 Current Situation: Sister-in-Law Teaches Sister (Part 1)

Tang Yin was a year older than Ah Wu, so she took on the role of the older sister, taking good care of Ah Wu, introducing her to everyone present, and then pulling her to sit down and chat over tea.

Tang Yin got along well with the chattering young girls, making their table much livelier than the other three tables.

When it was time to part, Tang Yin held Ah Wu’s hand, still a little reluctant to let go. “Next time we meet, we will talk properly. If you come to my house, I will show you all my fun things.”

Ah Wu nodded.

Ah Wu followed Lady Cui home and first went to pay her respects to the Old Madam in her main room. The Old Madam already knew what had happened that day, and stamping her cane, she scolded Ah Wu, “You mourning girl, you’ve disgraced the Duke’s Mansion! Crying at home is one thing, but you’ve gone out and embarrassed people, too! Where have you gone with all the precepts and teachings for women that you learned from your tutor?”

Ah Wu had expected the Old Madam to react this way, so she was neither nervous nor angry. It was Lady Cui who, however, began to tremble slightly as she held Ah Wu’s hand.

“Grandmother, Ah Wu was wrong. Next time, if anyone calls me a ‘doxie’s child,’ Ah Wu will smile like Fourth Sister.” Ah Wu lowered her head, looking foolishly earnest in her apology.

These words infuriated the Old Madam, and Fourth Young Lady Rong’s face turned pale and then red.

“You are a fool too,” the Old Madam said, pointing at Fourth Young Lady Rong with exasperation.

“Go and reflect on yourselves! That girl Xuan’er only knows how to cry; she’s not allowed to go out next time.” Although the Old Madam scolded Fourth Young Lady Rong, she did not forget to put Ah Wu down.

A few days later, it was the Lady of Zhongwu’s birthday, and she invited a group of female relatives to enjoy themselves. The First Madam, wanting Fifth Young Lady Rong’s talent to spread far and wide, actively attended any decent banquet.

Fourth Young Lady Rong was a clingy leech, impossible for the First Madam to shake off. She was also older than Fifth Young Lady Rong, and without an engagement, Fifth Young Lady Rong could not marry. Plus, the Old Madam was watching closely. With only these two blood-related granddaughters around, the First Madam had to look after them. So, the First Madam reluctantly took Fourth Young Lady Rong with her.

Lady Cui also received an invitation. Because the husband of the youngest sister, the wife of the Marquis of Zhongwu, had passed the imperial examination this year and had a long-standing friendship with Rong Jichang, the Marquis of Zhongwu had sent an invitation to Lady Cui.

Unfortunately, the Old Madam had personally ordered Ah Wu not to leave the house, putting Lady Cui in a difficult position.

Ah Wu, however, was quite philosophical. “Madam, you can go ahead. It will be good for me to relax while you are away.”

“It’s like the monkey taking over when the tiger’s away,” Lady Cui teased, tapping Ah Wu’s nose.

Ah Wu wrinkled her nose, pouted, and looked defiant.

That evening, when Lady Cui returned home, she pulled Ah Wu aside and said, “When did you become so familiar with the young lady of the Tang family elder?”

“Tang Yin? What happened to her?” Ah Wu asked.

“Today, in front of everyone, she asked you why Sister Yue (Fourth Young Lady Rong) and Sister Wan (Fifth Young Lady Rong) went, but you did not.”

Ah Wu quickly asked, “What did Madam say?”

“I did not say anything. I cannot say anything bad about the Old Madam, can I?” Lady Cui simply made a troubled, reluctant expression. Even a clay figure had some temper, let alone Lady Cui. How could a mother not be angry that Ah Wu had been bullied so badly?

Ah Wu patted Lady Cui’s hand, a smile playing on her lips. Silence was for the best. Ah Wu could easily imagine Lady Cui’s expression at that moment; this way, others could speculate based on her own guesses.

For example, if you saw a girl jump off a cliff and commit suicide, and no one told you why, you would have a thousand stories in your mind. Most of them would think that she committed suicide because of love, or because her parents disapproved, or because the other party was unfaithful. Most of the guesses were in the direction of fantasy, and very few people would think that she might have accidentally fallen off the cliff.

The fact that Ah Wu was the only one absent from the Duke of Anguo’s residence hinted at a hundred different stories. In the past, Ah Wu’s absence would not have been a problem; she rarely went out. However, since Lady Cui had started introducing Ah Wu to people at the Marquis of Shouchang’s residence, her absence this time was rather suspicious.

If Lady Cui had offered an excuse like Ah Wu being unwell, that would have been fine. But she simply smiled awkwardly, making it clear that every family had its own hidden troubles.

Given Lady Cui’s expression, many versions of the Duke of Anguo’s story would likely emerge in people’s minds—perhaps a stepmother mistreating a son born of a concubine, or maybe a son being punished for disobeying his stepmother.

Ah Wu had not expected Tang Yin to care about her so much. After thinking for a moment, she sat down and began writing a letter. She quite liked Tang Yin as a friend.

Ah Wu first greeted Tang Yin, then explained why she could not leave the mansion, expressing her own longing to see her and thanking her for her concern. Her letter was deeply moving, praising Tang Yin’s chivalry while aptly portraying her own pitiful predicament. Finally, Ah Wu asked Third Master Rong to send a letter.

When Ah Wu received Tang Yin’s reply, she was deeply moved. It was originally her own affair, yet Tang Yin had stood up for her so resolutely.

That day, the Old Madam sent a maid to summon Lady Cui and Ah Wu to the main room.

Ah Wu knew it was about the invitation from the Duchess of Jin to the Old Madam and the entire household to enjoy the peonies.

The annual peony banquet held at the Duke of Jin’s Mansion in the fourth month was a renowned event in the capital. The peonies in the Duke of Jin’s Tianxiang Garden were the most famous in the capital, boasting all kinds of rare varieties—Yao Huang, Wei Zi, Zhao Fen, and Dou Lu—a complete array.

Tianxiang Garden was a riot of color, a true beauty of the nation.

Tianxiang Garden was thus ranked among the four most famous gardens in the capital. Ah Wu, born in the fourth month, had a particular fondness for peonies, and the Duchess of Jin had even invited her to stay at Tianxiang Garden for a while.

The peony garden at Tianxiang Garden was quite unique; many dishes incorporated peonies. Regardless of the taste, the atmosphere alone was something many literati, scholars, and beautiful women longed for.

The Old Madam, as if bestowing a favor, said to Lady Cui and Ah Wu, “Tomorrow you should take Xuan’er with you.”

Lady Cui was both surprised and delighted, not expecting the Old Madam to say this. She had been disappointed that Ah Wu could not go. Lady Cui had visited Tianxiang Garden once and loved the scenery, but because she was not good at socializing and often felt neglected, she never went again.

This time, Lady Cui had just become the wife of the newly appointed top scholar in the imperial examinations. Her title was different, and so was her status. Furthermore, she felt that Ah Wu was growing up and should be introduced to people, so as to plan for Ah Wu’s future.

Lady Cui thought Ah Wu was beautiful and intelligent; it would be wonderful if she could be chosen by a kind and benevolent lady.

Ah Wu had already guessed from Tang Yin’s letter why the Old Madam had agreed to let Ah Wu go out this time.

Tang Yin only said that she had embellished the story of the Old Madam forbidding Ah Wu from going out with several close friends. They all felt that the Old Madam was unkind and mistreated her granddaughter. Of course, the real reason was that Third Master Rong was not the son of the Duchess of Anguo, and she was wary of her illegitimate son, and now she was suppressing him repeatedly.

Actually, when Ah Wu wrote that letter, she had considered having Tang Yin relay her message. However, the thought of using such a loyal and upright friend made her feel ashamed. Tang Yin’s unreserved help only deepened her shame.

But Ah Wu needed Tang Yin’s influence. As the daughter of Cabinet Minister Tang, she held a prominent position, and her words carried considerable weight among the younger generation. Ah Wu needed to convey the impression that the Old Madam was not as kind as she seemed. The saying goes, “A loving mother and filial son,” and if the mother was not kind and she accused her son of being unfilial, others would have something to say.

Ah Wu also knew about the Old Madam’s movements, all thanks to the clever Zi-Shan. This girl was becoming increasingly adept at handling things. Although she was a bit gossipy and sometimes sharp-tongued, she was well-liked and had many close maids throughout the mansion, making her incredibly well-informed.

Now that Ah Wu had discovered Zi-Shan’s good qualities, she told Zi-Yan not to confine her, letting her roam freely throughout the mansion, picking flowers and willow branches, weaving baskets, and playing with wild grass. The other maids were all quite envious of her.

Zi-Shan told Ah Wu a couple of days ago that the sister-in-law from the Old Madam’s family had come to visit.

The Old Madam came from the Marquis of Jianning’s family. Her sister-in-law was now the Marquis’s wife. The Marquis’s wife’s younger sister had married Tian Changsheng, the former Vice Minister of Rites. Later, her sister’s daughter entered the palace through the imperial concubine selection and became Empress Tian. To avoid suspicion, Vice Minister Tian retired, but he still had two sons serving in the court.

The Marquis’s wife, Madam Ma, rarely visited the Duke of Anguo’s mansion. She was not particularly fond of this young lady from her family, but had only come because of some recent rumors.

The maids lifting the curtain and serving tea overheard a few phrases: “a loving mother and filial son,” “the top scholar,” “Empress Tian,” and “the Fifth Prince.” Coupled with the Old Madam’s sudden change in attitude today, Ah Wu had almost perfectly guessed what the wife of the Marquis of Jianning had said.

Ah Wu was quite familiar with Empress Tian; the Imperial Princess’s faction had initially supported the Fifth Prince, born to Empress Tian. Empress Tian’s father was retired, and her two brothers were serving as officials in remote areas, so she did not have many connections among the officials in the capital. Although she had the support of nobles like the Imperial Princess, few held real power and could speak to the Emperor.

Do not be fooled by titles like Duke or Marquis; they sound impressive, but sometimes a lowly literary tutor had more influence with the Emperor, since the latter were the ones who were constantly at his beck and call.

The Seventh Prince, born to Consort Xiang, had many close associates among the officials in the capital, making him roughly equal to the Fifth Prince. But that’s a story for later.

If Ah Wu remembered correctly, the current Emperor’s health had deteriorated significantly, plagued by illness. Although he had endured many more years of hardship, he had nearly died two or three times during this period.

The princes were all teenagers, and the Emperor’s health fluctuated. It was understandable that Empress Tian and Consort Xiang began to have other plans.

Consort Xiang, with the support of the Grand Secretary Xie Yong, was at odds with Empress Tian. Coupled with Consort Xiang’s long-standing favor with the Emperor, Empress Tian was finding it increasingly difficult to exert influence and was eager to expand her influence outward.

Empress Tian was powerless to influence the core circle of the court, but if the Emperor could prolong his life for a few more years, new talents might emerge. Empress Tian was willing to risk a thousand innocent deaths rather than let one guilty person go free, and she had already shown interest in all the successful candidates in this year’s imperial examinations.

Third Master Rong was the top scholar in the imperial examinations and was considered a very promising pawn in Empress Tian’s future succession campaign. She was unwilling to let the foolish Old Lady Ma ruin him.

The Marchioness of Jianning, quite adept at understanding Empress Tian’s intentions, heard the rumors and quickly came to advise the Old Madam.

T/N: Goodness! Was there’s an Oprah moment for noble titles back in the older generation’s day? Everyone’s an Earl, Duke, or Marquis!