Four Seasons Brocade – CH 051

Chapter 51 ☆、

“Miss…you want to know about it?” Zi-Shan hesitated, unsure, and dared not tell Ah Wu.

But seeing Ah Wu nod again, Zi-Shan finally spoke.

At the mention of these matters, Zi-Shan became animated. “That old woman is Nanny Wang, who manages the garden. That young woman is the wife of Xiang-Shan, who works for the Eldest Master. Nanny Wang’s husband stole her gold hairpin and gave it to Xiang-Shan’s wife. Nanny Wang found out, and now she’s going to get Xiang-Shan’s wife.”

“Which master has Xiang-Shan’s wife gained favor with?” This was the key question Ah Wu wanted to know. Otherwise, who would have the patience to listen to such sordid gossip?

Zi-Shan blushed and continued, “It seems that Xiang-Shan’s wife has seduced the Eldest Master.”

Ah Wu tapped her fingers on the table. The Eldest Master, tightly controlled by the First Madam… Ah Wu had seen Xiang-Shan’s wife; she was frivolous and sharp-tongued, hardly a beauty. She never imagined that the Eldest Master, the heir of the Duke’s mansion, would be seduced by such a woman.

Ah Wu lowered her eyelids. “You may leave.”

Seeing Ah Wu’s reaction, Zi-Shan dared not leave, stammering an explanation, “This servant did not mean to listen to such filthy things.”

Ah Wu smiled. “You should not have listened.” Her tone was not particularly reproachful, implying that even if she had, it would not have been a big deal. Zi-Shan breathed a sigh of relief.

However, this was not the only sordid affair in the Duke of Anguo’s Mansion.

Ah Wu used to be clear-headed, seeing everything as pure and innocent, never considering anything filthy. Now, having overheard such noises, she realized that she had deliberately or unintentionally ignored everything before.

It was like a pregnant woman. Before she was pregnant, everyone else had a flat stomach. But after becoming pregnant, she’d feel like everyone in the world was pregnant. It was all about whether you cared or not.

Ah Wu hid behind the artificial hill, carefully moving her feet, trying not to make a sound. Unfortunately, it had just snowed heavily, and she had impulsively decided to play in the snow, only to encounter this sordid affair.

In the dead of winter, even indoors, it was cold, but the two people inside the cave in the artificial hill seemed completely oblivious to the cold.

“Good master, be gentle.”

“You little harlot, how can I be gentle? You just like me to be rough.”

“Master is so wicked. He took my body and then abandoned me, never coming back for a long time. Now, as soon as he sees me, he takes advantage of me again,” the woman in the cave said in a seductive voice.

“Hehe, were you not unwilling the first time? Why are you so eager to serve me now?” the man in the cave said frivolously.

Master? There were only three people in this mansion who could be called masters, and this man was certainly not the third master. Judging from his voice, he sounded like the unreliable, spendthrift second master.

Ah Wu finally managed to move away, exhaled a breath of stale air, and quickly left the garden.

The first time she witnessed something like this, she was shocked, but after a while, she became used to it, and Ah Wu had calmed down considerably. She felt a surge of joy; these two sons born to the Old Madam were truly wonderful, genuinely wonderful.

Ah Wu smiled and went straight back to the courtyard, intending to visit Lady Cui’s room and take the purse she was embroidering to Lady Cui for feedback.

Ah Wu was a regular at visiting Lady Cui’s room, to the point where she could barge in without even announcing herself. But as soon as Ah Wu lifted the thick, dark blue velvet curtain and entered, she saw Lady Cui abruptly stand up from Third Master Rong’s arms. Their lips, still pressed together, had barely parted. Lady Cui’s face was as red as a monkey’s bottom, and she looked somewhat flustered.

Ah Wu was also flustered. The instant Lady Cui stood up, she reflexively covered her eyes with her small hands and cried out, “I did not see anything!”

Ah Wu truly had not expected such bad luck today, encountering these kinds of things everywhere. Caught off guard, she suddenly found herself in a situation where she was trying to cover her tracks.

Men, after all, were more thick-skinned in such matters. Third Master Rong coughed lightly and said, “Ah Wu, you are not a child anymore. How can you come in without letting the maid announce your arrival? So impulsive, not like a proper young lady at all.”

Actually, Ah Wu was even more flustered than Lady Cui. Although she had “accidentally” witnessed Third Master Rong’s philandering, she had no intention of watching her parents’ intimate moments. It was these two who were “indiscreet,” daring to “engage in lewdness in broad daylight,” and Third Master Rong had even preemptively turned the tables on her.

Ah Wu feared her eyes would develop an infection. She suddenly felt a sense of awe, a feeling that “adultery and lust” were prevalent in older generations.

Ah Wu blushed and lowered her hand, looking at Third Master Rong with a wronged expression: “Father, why are you home at this time?”

Master Rong coughed again, his face somewhat embarrassed. He certainly should not be in Lady Cui’s room at this time; even if there was nothing to do at the yamen, he should be relaxing in his study. During this period, he and Lady Cui had reconciled, their relationship even stronger than before; only they could truly understand the nuances of this.

For over ten years, Third Master Rong and Lady Cui had lived a respectful but “affectionate” life. All the tenderness and affection had been tempered by mundane domesticities, the sweetness diminished, and life flowed by like a gentle, uneventful stream.

However, the appearance of Concubine Wang stirred up ripples. Lady Cui’s anger, resentment, and hatred poured forth. Third Master Rong and she were constantly sulking, their days filled with frustration, yet now, in retrospect, a unique charm had been added. Of course, this charm could only be savored when they were reconciled and at peace.

This lingering aftertaste, with its full spectrum of flavors—sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty—made them feel as if they were reliving their youthful romance, rediscovering some of its passion.

Therefore, today, with heavy snow and the biting wind freezing his hands and feet, the first thing Third Master Rong thought of was Lady Cui’s warm embrace. It was the perfect time for the two of them to warm wine in the snow and make love. In their youth, shortly after their marriage, they had shared such sweet moments, but later, Third Master Rong was busy preparing for the imperial examinations, failing twice. Life lacked its triumphs, and their love lost its flavor.

People always needed warmth to be passionate, but for a scholar like Third Master Rong, warmth also required success in the examinations.

Today, in the prime of his life, he rekindled his youthful passion. Although Lady Cui’s face still held a hint of weariness, it only made her more pitiful. Coupled with her sarcastic remarks and the way she playfully pounded her chest with her small fists, her every pout and tantrum tickled Third Master Rong’s heart like a cat’s claws. This was a completely different level from the pure gratification he experienced with Concubine Wang.

Only, Ah Wu was such a spoilsport.

“It snowed heavily yesterday, and there was not much to do at the yamen today, so I came back early,” said Master Rong. Actually, during the heavy snow, the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue were extremely busy investigating the disaster and providing relief, but the Hanlin Academy was primarily a compiling and editing department; with such heavy snow, who had the time or energy to attend to them? Therefore, Master Rong and his colleagues slacked off and left the yamen early to go home.

Since Ah Wu had inadvertently interrupted Third Master Rong’s good time, he naturally took his anger out on her. “Ah Wu, how’s your homework going lately?”

Checking “homework” was Master Rong’s most common method when disciplining his children. Rong Jie and Rong Yin both wanted to run away at the mention of it, but Ah Wu was completely unafraid.

Ah Wu turned and instructed the maid outside to go find Zi-Yan to get her recent homework.

Behind Ah Wu, Third Master Rong winked at Lady Cui, secretly squeezing her hand. Lady Cui smiled shyly and took the opportunity to go out and instruct someone to prepare snacks for Third Master Rong and Ah Wu, hoping to cool her burning red face.

Third Master Rong pointed out Ah Wu’s handwriting and then tested her on a few passages from Mencius that she had recently studied. She answered them all correctly, leaving Third Master Rong at a loss for words. Finally, he could only say sternly, “Hmm, not bad. Do not be arrogant or complacent. Go back and put in more effort. Do not come over this afternoon.”

Lady Cui, who had been doing needlework nearby, blushed at Third Master Rong’s words, glancing at him sideways and mouthing the words anxiously.

Ah Wu stomped back into her room in her sheepskin boots, then sprawled on the bed, abandoning all decorum, her face full of displeasure.

Zi-Yan and Zi-Shan were both puzzled.

Ah Wu stared up at the ceiling, utterly frustrated. She’d tried to use a cow-slaughtering knife to kill a chicken, but before she could even touch it and offer its blood as sacrifice, the chicken had already succumbed to illness and died. She was truly, truly unwilling to accept this.

This was the feeling of a hero with no opportunity to use his skills, Ah Wu thought to herself.

Looking at Lady Cui’s current state, it was completely different from her previous forced reconciliations with Third Master Rong. This time, seeing her rosy cheeks and genuinely pleased expression, Ah Wu knew she had finally gotten what she wanted.

Unexpectedly, before Ah Wu could even demonstrate her formidable abilities, her seemingly unintentional illness had resolved the problem. This was a heavy blow to Ah Wu’s judgment and decision-making. In reality, she had underestimated and failed to understand the depth of Third Master Rong’s feelings for Lady Cui. She had not even had a chance to shine in Lady Cui’s presence.

All her carefully laid plans had unfortunately been ruined.

Ah Wu sat up straight. “Zi-Shan.”

Zi-Shan quickly stepped forward. “Miss.”

“Take some silver to Nanny Hua and tell her not to stop Concubine Wang from doing whatever she wants.” Recently, Lady Cui’s finances had improved, and Ah Wu had a little more money to spare.

Concubine Wang’s methods were still the same: she stood guard on Third Master Rong’s usual route, showering him with concern. Third Master Rong did not dare look Concubine Wang in the eye; after all, she was his woman. To let such a delicate flower live a life of widowhood made Third Master Rong feel genuinely guilty. But this guilt was not enough to make him step into Concubine Wang’s room again.

This was the fickleness of men; they had no interest in you, tasted your sweetness, and then they discarded you.

Ah Wu observed Third Master Rong’s disheveled departure and thought for a moment, feeling that Lady Cui’s sincerity was not enough to guarantee long-term happiness. If the two of them had any disagreements in the future, and Third Master Rong recalled his guilt from today, then there would be another case to fight.

Of course, Third Master Rong’s resolute attitude was not without its advantages; it more or less helped Ah Wu’s plan. However, she regretted that she had not been able to demonstrate her own methods in this matter.

Ah Wu felt like a leading lady on a theatrical stage, meant to play the main role, to perform a complete scene, but instead, she was made to perform a few fancy moves and then be taken off the stage. Not having her fill of acting was no less frustrating than opium addiction.