Four Seasons Brocade – CH 044

Chapter 44 ☆、 Why Are Virtuous People Not Virtuous?

Third Master Rong smiled. “Alright, you still have much to learn.” He sent Ah Wu out, but he still had some words to instruct Lady Cui.

In the late afternoon, when Third Master Rong went out for a social engagement, Ah Wu slipped into Lady Cui’s room, propped her chin on her hand, and looked at Lady Cui with curiosity. “Madam, how did you convince Father to stand up for you?”

Ah Wu found it incredibly amazing. Knowing Third Master Rong as she did, he was a man who only managed affairs in the outer courtyard; Lady Cui was the one who made all the decisions in the inner quarters. She had not expected him to actually stand up for her this time. While Bedmaid Wang was undeniably beautiful and alluring, Lady Cui could not compare. Ah Wu was both pleased and impressed that Third Master Rong was not swayed by women, and of course, she found it strange.

Even the noble status of Princess Fuhui had not diminished her father’s lustful desires. To put it bluntly, he was the kind of person who would try anything new.

Lady Cui blushed. How could she possibly explain this to Ah Wu? In terms of wisdom, Lady Cui could not possibly match Ah Wu’s, but when it came to managing men, Lady Cui was second to none.

Although Lady Cui had not received much proper education since childhood, she possessed considerable experience in serving and manipulating men, passed down from one concubine after another. Her father, the prefect, was still vigorous in his old age, receiving a sedan chair carrying a beautiful woman every year, not to mention the concubines of her brothers.

Lady Cui was unsure whether she should tell Ah Wu about these matters. She still hoped Ah Wu would be as dignified and elegant as a true lady of a prominent family.

However, Lady Cui had seen too much of the private nature of men. While a lady of a prominent family might be respected by her husband, it depended on the man; he had to be a good person. If she encountered a scoundrel, the lady would not fare well. Many would be left alone in their empty chambers, weeping in the dark of night, and even with a powerful and influential family, life was not necessarily easy.

On the other hand, there were concubines who, with their gentleness and kindness, could bear a son or daughter, enjoying favor for over a decade, their glory overshadowing even the primary wife. Learning these secret arts as a young lady would not be without its benefits.

However, Lady Cui worried that teaching Ah Wu might make her frivolous, which would be counterproductive. Unable to find the right balance, Lady Cui simply stopped thinking about it, figuring that a proper young lady should not act like a concubine.

“Why are you asking these questions, little girl? You will understand in time,” Lady Cui said with a smile, tapping Ah Wu’s head. She figured that Ah Wu was so intelligent; perhaps she would understand after she married.

One could not help but sigh; Lady Cui was overestimating her daughter. Some people seemed intelligent, but in reality, they were clueless in certain aspects. Ah Wu would never dream that Lady Cui could persuade Third Master Rong with just the imagery of Zhang Chang painting eyebrows, and even get this man to willingly stand up for her.

However, Ah Wu privately thought even higher of Lady Cui; she had not expected her mistress to have such shrewdness.

But Lady Cui was not the only woman with cunning.

On a moonlit night in mid-autumn, Third Master Rong slept with Bedmaid Wang, a maid bought for three thousand taels of silver. Bedmaid Wang was quickly promoted to concubine; after all, she was not really a maid.

In mid-autumn, Lady Cui fell seriously ill, damaging her health, and had not recovered since.

Ah Wu knew that Lady Cui’s illness stemmed from Third Master Rong and Concubine Wang’s consummation, but this might not be a one-off occurrence. With Third Master Rong’s talent and ability, Ah Wu believed he would one day soar to great heights, and then he’d have even more women—given by superiors, subordinates, and those who used connections—they’d be as numerous as hairs on a cow. If Lady Cui had to suffer like this every time, even a miracle could not save her.

Besides, Ah Wu thought Concubine Wang was quite clever.

She was respectful and obedient to Lady Cui, never taking advantage of her favor. She would come to pay her respects early every day, and when Lady Cui was ill, she diligently served her tea and water. Most remarkably, she never used this opportunity to curry favor with men.

Third Master Rong also stayed with Lady Cui in her room until she recovered.

In truth, Third Master Rong was not heartless, nor was he the kind of man who only cared about new lovers and ignored the cries of his old ones. He only visited Concubine Wang’s room on the few days each month when Lady Cui was unwell.

He treated Ah Wu with the same care as Rong Jie and Rong Yin.

Ah Wu thought that Lady Cui was truly living in a honeypot and had forgotten its sweetness. Yet, even in her heart, Ah Wu could not bear to say a bad word about Lady Cui, because her face was so pale.

Gone was her former radiant glow, replaced by an indescribable pallor. She still smiled gently every day and was extremely attentive to Third Master Rong, but Ah Wu could still see the ashen look on her face.

A deathly ashen aura worried Ah Wu.

Ah Wu quietly lifted the curtain and entered the room, placing her index finger to her lips to signal the maid not to make a sound. Inside Lady Cui’s room, Nanny Li was trying to persuade her.

“Madam, why do you treat yourself so badly? Look at your face now; even powder cannot cover it up,” Nanny Li said, both distressed and anxious.

Lady Cui remained silent for a long time before finally saying in a low, self-deprecating tone, “No wonder Third Master does not like looking at me anymore.”

Nanny Li said anxiously, “My dear Madam, if I may say something you will not like to hear, good men like Third Master are rare these days. Even my good-for-nothing son, with his two scoundrels, wants to wander the streets aimlessly. Third Master, however, has always been well-behaved.”

Lady Cui cried, “He’s well-behaved, he’s well-behaved, and he even…”

“That Wang woman is a vixen, skilled at seducing men, but our Third Master does not go to her room often, only when Madam is unavailable.”

These were the words Ah Wu wanted to say to Lady Cui.

Lady Cui murmured sadly, “Could he not just not go? Before Concubine Wang, how did he… how did he manage?”

“My Lady,” said Nanny Li, “if you ask me, this is also your fault. Since ancient times, a teapot is not just for one teacup. Men like Third Master are already extremely rare. If you continue to look so haggard, Third Master might really be bewitched by that vixen,” Nanny Li said with a hint of exasperation.

“Even you say I am jealous…” Lady Cui sobbed again. “If I were truly jealous, would I not have given Concubine Wang the contraceptive potion?”

Ah Wu was horrified upon hearing this, sighing inwardly, “My Lady, you really cannot tell the difference between right and wrong.” On one hand, she was swallowing her anger and wiping away tears, and on the other hand, she was so generous as to let her have a child.

Lady Cui continued, “Nanny, I am just heartbroken; I am so heartbroken.” Ah Wu could hear Lady Cui pounding her chest even from outside. “Third Master, this is like cutting my heart with a knife! I cannot sleep night after night. Even when he’s right beside me, I cannot sleep. Sometimes I wish I could just take the knife and die with him!” Lady Cui dared not cry out loud, desperately trying to suppress her sobs, but she only became more breathless.

“Madam, Madam, what nonsense are you talking about?” Nanny Li exclaimed in shock.

Ah Wu was also stunned. She had not expected the gentle and timid Lady Cui to have such a heart. What kind of demon could make her so distressed and so out of control?

Ah Wu vaguely sensed something. She had read elegant poetry, but most of it was lowbrow and erotic, which she did not like. She only thought the demons in those tales of the strange and supernatural, who were obsessed with the human world, were foolish. But now, interpreting it in the context of Lady Cui, Ah Wu understood the chilling power within.

Could the love between men and women truly possess such magic?

Ah Wu fell into deep thought. Tang Xiujin once taught Ah Wu this lesson, but this teacher was too incompetent. He only got to the beginning and then hastily ended it, so much so that Ah Wu thought that love was nothing more than that.

Even as a ghost, Ah Wu had been somewhat smug; her life had not been a complete waste, having even experienced love between men and women. Looking back now, perhaps she had never truly understood it.

But Lady Cui taught Ah Wu the most vivid lesson: a woman must guard her own heart; otherwise, ending up in Lady Cui’s situation would be truly self-inflicted misfortune.

Even a husband like Third Master Rong could incite murderous intent in her; if it were another scoundrel, who knew what might have happened? Ah Wu miscalculated this time. If Third Master Rong had truly been a scoundrel, Lady Cui would not have ended up like this.

Inside the room, Nanny Li said again, “Madam, why are you so angry with Third Master? You should spend more time with him…” Nanny Li’s voice suddenly dropped, and Ah Wu could not hear her clearly. Then she heard her continue, “Third Master has always favored you the most; would he really go over there?”

But then Lady Cui said bitterly, “Do you expect me to act like a vixen, humbling myself to do those shameful things?” Lady Cui started sobbing again.

Nanny Li tried to comfort her again.

Ah Wu stood outside for a while, then quietly left. She had said almost everything she could to say, but Lady Cui showed no change.

That night, Ah Wu burned incense and played a tune she could not even name. Zi-Yan listened, tears streaming down her face, while the eleven-year-old Zi-Shan did not seem to feel much.

“Why are you crying, Zi-Yan?” Ah Wu asked Zi-Yan, who was now fourteen.

Zi-Yan wiped her tears with a handkerchief. “I do not know either. I just felt heartbroken when I heard it, and I could not help it.”

Ah Wu looked at Zi-Yan for a long time, thinking, “Could this girl be having romantic feelings? This is not a good sign. I will have to find a maid to keep an eye on her, lest she have any secret affairs that cause trouble.”

Now, the mere mention of matters between men and women made Ah Wu feel annoyed. Tang Xiujin was an annoyance, Lady Cui was an annoyance, and if Zi-Yan fell for it now, it would truly be unbearable.

Ah Wu sighed, told Zi-Yan to put away the zither, and felt her small body become incredibly heavy. She had to worry about the mistress’s affairs, and she still had to worry about the maid’s affairs. No wonder she was so thin and frail from all the worry; she wondered if she would ever grow taller.

That night, Zi-Yan combed Ah Wu’s hair before bed, and Ah Wu even asked her to check for any gray hairs in her hair. She was truly worried sick.

Despite Ah Wu’s best efforts, Lady Cui remained depressed. However, others would not spare her just because she was heartbroken. Lady Cui still had to stand guard at the Old Madam’s house for an hour every day, and her health was deteriorating.

As autumn turned to winter, Lady Cui was not the only one falling ill. Su Nian brought Ah Wu a message inviting her to visit Tang Yin at the Tang residence, as Tang Yin was also sick.

T/N: All that research on Tongfang only for Wang to quickly become a concubine!