Four Seasons Brocade – CH 041

Chapter 41 ☆、 Sighing Over My Daughter’s Long Hair (Part 1)

Now, let’s talk about Concubine Wang. She followed Si-Hua to the back courtyard. Si-Hua arranged for her to stay in the room next to Concubine Mu’s. Si-Hua did not know how to address Concubine Wang, so she simply said, “Please rest here for a while. If you need anything else, just tell the little maid to come and tell me.”

It turned out that Concubine Wang had a twelve or thirteen-year-old maid named Qing-Ming who was used to serving her.

Concubine Wang quickly thanked her and gave Si-Hua a small piece of silver. Si-Hua never refused, thinking to herself that Concubine Wang was very generous, giving away several coins at once—equivalent to her monthly allowance. Judging from this, she was definitely not easy to deal with. She would have to speak to the Madam about it later.

Concubine Wang knew that she could not possibly bribe the Madam’s trusted maid with just a small piece of silver. She was merely buying herself some convenience.

Concubine Wang was not actually stupid. From a young age, she had learned all the tricks of the trade in the man’s backyard. It was said that either the East Wind prevails over the West Wind, or the West Wind prevails over the East Wind.

Now that she had the Old Madam’s backing, Concubine Wang naturally wanted to test Lady Cui. If she were easy to bully, then she could not be blamed for being tough; the saying “the kind are often bullied” was a given, and if anyone was to blame, it was only Lady Cui herself for being weak-willed.

But just now, after Ah Wu so directly exposed her true identity, Concubine Wang understood that even if the Third Madam was easy to fool, this Sixth Young Lady was no pushover. So young, yet so cunning.

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Concubine Wang decided to hold back for now, to be humble and subservient, and see what kind of person Third Master Rong was. Concubine Wang already knew that Third Master Rong was the top scholar of this year’s imperial examination; even before meeting him, she was already more than willing—it was better than serving that old man who was practically on his deathbed.

Besides, the top scholar would undoubtedly be a man of exceptional literary talent, and she, as his companion, would surely create a beautiful romance. Concubine Wang was extremely confident in herself. Although Lady Cui was also very beautiful, what man did not crave novelty? If he experienced her methods, would she not be able to take advantage of him?

Speaking of Concubine Wang, she was indeed one of the most outstanding among the Yangzhou courtesans; otherwise, she would not have been sent from afar to curry favor with a nobleman.

Let’s leave Concubine Wang’s schemes aside for now and return to Lady Cui’s room.

“How did you know Concubine Wang is a Yangzhou courtesan?” Lady Cui asked Ah Wu sharply. She wondered which lowly prostitute dared to reveal such sordid matters to Ah Wu. Even with her good temper, Lady Cui was ready to unleash her fury.

As for how Lady Cui knew what “Yangzhou skinny horses” were, it was because these women were notoriously powerful in the capital’s social circles. Even Lady Cui, who disliked going out, had heard tales of their “romantic affairs,” and many had ended up causing scandals, marital discord, and ruined reputations and families because of them.

Ah Wu had anticipated Lady Cui’s question, so she replied, “Zi-Shan found out today. She was afraid Madam would not know the woman’s background and would suffer a loss at the hands of the Old Madam.”

This put Lady Cui at ease. She knew Zi-Shan was a busybody, more gossipy and fond of seeking information than some old women, even at a young age.

“You will have to keep an eye on Zi-Shan from now on,” Lady Cui suddenly thought, and instructed Ah Wu on how to manage her.

Ah Wu nodded. “I understand, but if she had not been so inquisitive, who knows how many people would have plotted against us? If Father really took her as a concubine, that would be a real disaster.” Ah Wu carefully protected Zi-Shan, downplaying the seriousness of the matter.

“That’s right, I was just thinking of not letting her in, but you, without my permission, had Si-Hua arrange accommodations for her.” Lady Cui was furious at the mention of this.

Ah Wu quickly said, “It was bestowed by the Old Madam. Even if she’s not taken as a concubine, she has to come in.” Ah Wu said this, but inwardly she was thinking, “You’ve already brought her back; can you really refuse?” Although Ah Wu was grumbling, she knew Lady Cui was just upset and being sarcastic, so she did not argue with her.

Ah Wu thought she was being lenient with Lady Cui, but she did not understand Lady Cui’s tender heart.

Although these Yangzhou courtesans were cunning, Ah Wu thought that if they were truly to be dealt with, it would be a matter of the mistress’s word.

Besides, there was already a concubine, Concubine Mu, living in the back courtyard; adding another concubine now would not be a big deal.

The so-called concubines and chambermaids were nothing more than lowly servants, sometimes not even considered human, just things the mistress kept to please the men, scraps sifted from between her fingers.

It was just that Master Rong had one more place to sleep.

Ah Wu did not think it was a big deal for a man to have another place to sleep. It was common for men to have multiple wives and concubines, and rare for them to remain monogamous; this had been the case since ancient times. Even if it was not a matter of course, it was still human nature.

Ah Wu thought that having another person to sleep next to you was an extremely uncomfortable thing. Putting aside the fact that two people sleeping in one bed would be too cramped and would disturb each other, the basic human needs of eating, drinking, and relieving oneself inevitably lead to some unsightly behavior.

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Even the self-assured and narcissistic Ah Wu had to admit that she herself was not immune to some unsightly behavior, something she absolutely would not allow anyone to hear or smell, and it was best if they knew nothing about it.

Furthermore, forcing the fastidious and eccentric Ah Wu to smell the stench of a man was absolutely out of the question. Just thinking about it made her want to vomit.

If it were not for the need to continue the family line, Ah Wu would never have considered sharing a room with a man in her future plans. She’d simply find a few beautiful concubines and maids to share with him. Firstly, it would save her from unsavory affairs, and secondly, it would make her appear virtuous and generous—a reputation that was always better than one less.

You might ask, why did Princess Fuhui enjoy such a unique and respected position among the noblewomen of the capital?

Was it simply because she was a princess? Not at all. There had been princesses before the Great Xia Dynasty, but none of them possessed Princess Fuhui’s status. Even in the current dynasty, many princesses had married into noble families, but none had the prestige of Princess Fuhui.

Princess Fuhui’s current status was entirely earned by herself. Instead of establishing her own princess residence, she fulfilled the filial duty of the Duke of Wei to be with his beloved mother. This was all about filial piety. Furthermore, despite being the son of the Duke of Wei, the Imperial Princess showed him no restraint, even personally arranging for his concubines and chambermaids—this demonstrated her virtue.

The Duke of Wei’s household flourished under the Imperial Princess’s management—this demonstrated her benevolence.

And Princess Fuhui’s love and loyalty to the Emperor exemplified her virtues as a woman: brotherly love and loyalty.

How could such a woman not earn the world’s respect? Even if she had a slightly fiery temper and was somewhat unapproachable, these were icing on the cake of her virtues. If she were truly approachable, it would only make people uncomfortable.

The world deeply believed that the daughter of Princess Fuhui should be just like her.

Ah Wu had always been proud of and looked up to her Imperial Princess mother.

As for Ah Wu, who was eager to emulate the Imperial Princess, she only vaguely understood why the Princess would arrange beautiful concubines and chambermaids for her husband. In short, it was simply to serve the man’s dressing and washing; surely such a task would not trouble a Princess of such high status? Ah Wu could not imagine the Imperial Princess removing the Duke of Wei’s shoes and dressing him.

Of course, Ah Wu was also completely clueless about how to give birth. Perhaps in her youth, she had innocently asked her nanny how she was born, but was always sternly rebuked. Gradually, Ah Wu learned that noble ladies should never ask such questions. These were unspeakable, private matters, not something to be discussed openly.

With her “outstanding wisdom” and “excellent observation,” Ah Wu finally concluded that these matters of childbirth must be natural and inevitable.

Because if a book mentioned pregnancy, it never detailed the process, only stating that someone conceived in a certain year and month. This was something fabricated out of thin air, merely a mysterious and mystical opportunity. Two people spending a lot of time together would naturally harmonize their spirits and conceive the essence of the world. If they could not have a child, it was simply a matter of poor communication and insincerity. This inevitably led to praying to gods and Buddhas.

Now, Ah Wu firmly believed in the teachings of gods and Buddhas.

Well, alright, Ah Wu was really overthinking things.

In short, Ah Wu thought having another concubine was just another mouth to feed. The most important thing was to prevent her from giving birth to children who would share the father’s love with her.