Four Seasons Brocade – CH 049

Chapter 49 ☆、

“Do not worry, Madam, I am still so young.” Ah Wu meant that she would have plenty of opportunities to earn her reputation later. Besides, trading her reputation for Lady Cui’s comfort, Ah Wu did not feel she was losing out.

“Madam is too kind-hearted. I do not want a younger brother or sister. If you really wanted one, Madam might as well have another one,” Ah Wu laughed. Actually, she was grateful to Lady Cui. Lady Cui’s primary concern in this matter was her reputation; as a mother, Ah Wu thought she was the best.

“Sigh,” Lady Cui sighed deeply. “Do you think I did not know I should give Concubine Wang the contraceptive soup?” Seeing Ah Wu’s outrageous behavior, Lady Cui realized she had neglected Ah Wu’s upbringing these past few days.

Ah Wu remained silent.

“I do not like your father having a son born of a concubine. But your father and I are both born of concubines. How could I do such a thing? It’s a slap in your father’s face. It would only diminish our relationship. This is just a matter of accumulating good karma. Even if I can control whether those concubines have children, can I control your father’s heart?”

Lady Cui held Ah Wu’s hand and said, “Ah Wu, in this world, one must act uprightly and behave properly. One must not harbor malicious intentions. You are a girl, and you should especially not learn to be so wicked. You will also be betrothed in the future.”

Lady Cui’s words were rather harsh. Tears welled up in Ah Wu’s eyes. Ah Wu felt wronged because of her own good intentions, which Lady Cui did not understand. Although she had anticipated this, she still felt aggrieved, aggrieved by this unspeakable feeling.

Because of this grievance, Ah Wu could not help but think resentfully, “You are always doing good deeds, yet you almost drove yourself to your death. You neglect your children. If you were to leave, what kind of stepmother would we have? Even if she were a good person, what stepmother would have your heart for your children? Who would stay sick in the dead of winter to make clothes for their stepdaughter?”

But Ah Wu also knew that Lady Cui was only doing it for her own good. Lady Cui was a devout Buddhist and Taoist, believing in karma and retribution, and did not want anything bad to happen to Ah Wu. She did not understand that this world was a dog-eat-dog world, where one person’s goodness required the malice of many to maintain it.

And for Ah Wu, as long as Lady Cui was peaceful and happy, that was enough.

Therefore, Ah Wu did not blame Lady Cui. If Lady Cui had not acted this way, how could she have earned Third Master Rong’s constant consideration for her, and how could Ah Wu have been willing to sacrifice her own fortune for her sake? She simply wanted Lady Cui to be content.

Besides, Ah Wu had not learned the principle of enduring mistreatment. The saying goes, “It’s not that retribution will not come, it’s just that the time has not arrived yet,” but in the end, who would exact revenge? Perhaps it would still fall on her, helping Lady Cui repay evil with evil.

Like Concubine Wang, Ah Wu could not wait any longer. Revenge had to be taken while it was still fresh; otherwise, the smug satisfaction afterward would be somewhat diluted.

Once the arrow was released, there was no turning back. Ah Wu’s mind was made up, and no matter what Lady Cui said, she could not persuade her otherwise.

Finally, Lady Cui said softly, “Look, you just vented your anger for me last night, and your father is already feeling sorry and guilty, rushing off to appease others.”

Lady Cui felt that Ah Wu had actually made things worse.

Ah Wu, however, disagreed. “We will see,” she thought. “You want Father to change his mind, do you not?” Ah Wu knew very well what kind of person Third Master Rong liked. Someone as cunning as Concubine Wang would likely not end well. What she needed to do was simply bring Consort Wang’s true colors to the surface as soon as possible.

Of course, Ah Wu’s intentions went beyond that. Since she had taken action, it was not just to deal with Concubine Wang alone; she wanted to eliminate all the Concubine Wangs behind Lady Cui once and for all. It just meant that this time, Lady Cui might have to endure a bit more hardship.

Zi-Shan reported to Ah Wu that Third Master Rong had gone to Concubine Wang’s room again, and that when he returned home that evening, Concubine Wang was waiting for him at the corner gate with a lantern. With such affection from a beautiful woman, how could Third Master Rong refuse?

This time, however, Lady Cui was stubborn. She maintained her airs as the principal wife, refusing to relinquish them and stubbornly refusing to use any means to coax Third Master Rong back.

This was a common flaw among principal wives. When facing concubines and chambermaids, they especially insisted on maintaining the airs of the principal wife in front of their husbands to demonstrate the difference between wife and concubine. But behind closed doors, men did not prefer a dignified, awe-inspiring figure.

“Hmm, go and give that old woman at the gate some more money, so she will continue to turn a blind eye to Concubine Wang’s affairs.” Ah Wu not only did not cut off Concubine Wang’s escape route but actually “aided and abetted” her.

Ah Wu wanted to see just what Concubine Wang’s abilities were. Only after observing her could Ah Wu devise a countermeasure. The way to control a flood was never to block it, but to guide it. This would save her from blindly speculating about Concubine Wang’s methods. Ah Wu was the kind of person who always liked to assess the other party’s strengths before taking action.

After Zi-Shan left, Ah Wu kept her head down, stirring the pot in her hands.

Ah Wu had specially asked Zi-Yan to bring a small stove to the corridor and set up a small pot to make pear syrup for Lady Cui.

The recipe for this pear syrup was given to Ah Wu by a wandering monk in her previous life.

The pear juice used was from Xini pears harvested in autumn, and it was simmered together with fritillaria cirrhosa, poria cocos, ophiopogon japonicus, kudzu root, monk fruit, red dates, ginger slices, and rock sugar. It not only cleared phlegm and moistened the lungs, but the red dates and ginger slices also warmed the stomach without harming the spleen and stomach due to the cold nature of Xini pear juice; it was an excellent recipe.

Ah Wu personally made it, partly out of filial piety, and partly because she did not want the recipe to be revealed.

Finally, she made a clear, honey-colored syrup, divided it into three small white porcelain jars, and personally carried them to Lady Cui’s room. She carefully instructed Si-Hua and Si-Shui to keep it, to take it three times a day, and to dissolve it in boiling water each time.

Seeing Ah Wu bustling about, Lady Cui asked what had happened and learned that Ah Wu had personally prepared it. She was both moved and heartbroken. She took a sip in front of Ah Wu and found it very effective.

Perhaps sincerity brought results; this pear syrup truly suited Lady Cui’s ailment, relieving her cough considerably. But that’s a story for later.

Meanwhile, Third Master Rong had visited Concubine Wang three times per month. Every day, she would come to Lady Cui’s side, alluring and frail, looking as if a gust of wind might knock her over. She always appeared tired and pale, yet she stubbornly exposed her neck, which occasionally bore red marks, a sight that stung Lady Cui’s eyes.

Ah Wu saw this and pinched Lady Cui’s hand. After Concubine Wang left, she turned to comfort Lady Cui and said, “Madam, do not get upset over such people. They are just grasshoppers in autumn; they will not last long.”

Ah Wu was puzzled by the red marks on Concubine Wang’s neck, while Lady Cui was so angry she lay back on the bed, refusing to speak to anyone.

At this point, Ah Wu had basically figured out Concubine Wang’s methods. As a concubine, she could not do anything big; she had simply bribed the gatekeeper to let her wait outside for Third Master Rong. Then she bribed the various maids in the inner courtyard, extending her reach into Lady Cui’s courtyard and rooms, even Ah Wu’s own courtyard, through the channels Ah Wu had opened for her.

However, Ah Wu was no longer the Ah Wu who had just woken up. She was fully aware of every little thing happening in Lady Cui’s courtyard and rooms. Ah Wu knew exactly who had received favors from Concubine Wang. She simply instructed them to take the money as instructed, and they could do some things as well, but they all had to inform her beforehand.

These old women and maids were all cunning and clever. With money to be had and their mistress clearly not interfering, they all eagerly flattered Concubine Wang, making her believe she was truly the head housekeeper behind Lady Cui.

Back in her room, Ah Wu was pruning a potted cedar with great interest. With proper planting and pruning, such a bonsai could be made to grow in any direction you wanted, twisting into deformed yet beautiful curves.

Ah Wu also wanted to know how much money Concubine Wang had so that she could spend it as she pleased, but regardless of the amount, it would eventually run out.

“Miss, you’ve pruned this pine tree so skillfully,” Zi-Yan said, watching Ah Wu’s pruning. With just a few simple cuts, she had revealed its shape, making it resemble a pine tree emerging from the clouds on a strange rock.

“Oh, what makes it so skillful?” Ah Wu asked with a smile.

“Like a beautiful woman swaying her hips,” Zi-Yan said, examining it for a while.

Ah Wu looked closely, and it really did resemble that.

A beauty, a beauty indeed! What charm did Concubine Wang possess that could captivate Master Rong’s heart? Ah Wu still could not understand. How could Master Rong, knowing Lady Cui’s pain, still feel such tenderness for Concubine Wang?

Ah Wu secretly made a bold, even shocking, decision. Lost in thought, she very swiftly wielded her scissors, and the beauty’s flowing sleeve fell away with a thud.

“Miss!” Zi-Yan called out.

Ah Wu then snapped out of her reverie. It seemed this potted plant could no longer be called a “beauty pine.” With the flowing sleeve gone, it had transformed into a solitary, towering pine on a desolate mountain. It had its own unique charm.

Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. Ah Wu could not figure out Concubine Wang’s methods for dealing with Third Master Rong, and she was truly uneasy. They said it did not matter where the man slept, so why did Third Master Rong specifically prefer to sleep in Concubine Wang’s humble little hut?

It should be known that the courtyard where the third branch of the family lived was already considered inferior to others in the Duke’s Mansion; the place where the third branch’s concubine lived was even worse.

Ah Wu sensed that she might have overlooked the most crucial aspect of the relationship between men and women. Ah Wu’s perfectionist nature led her to seek out and fill in any gaps. This almost obsessive-compulsive flaw could drive her to do extremely irrational things.

Even her closest maids would not tell her about these extremely irrational actions. But that was human nature; even knowing something was irrational and wrong, one could not control oneself.

That night, Ah Wu deliberately did not let Zi-Yan and Zi-Shan stand guard outside. She quietly got up, placed a pillow under the covers to pretend it was her, climbed onto a chair, and slipped out the window.

The back courtyard door appeared to be closed, but it was not actually locked. Ah Wu gently lifted it and entered the back courtyard where the concubine lived. She held a hand warmer in her arms, wearing a cloak that covered her head and face, so it was not too cold in the winter night.

The dim yellow light was still on in Concubine Wang’s room. She and Third Master Rong were sitting on the kang bed with their backs to the window, talking.

Ah Wu crouched low outside the window, only half her forehead showing, and vaguely peered inside through the semi-transparent window.