Four Seasons Brocade – CH 054

Chapter 54 ☆、

Ah Wu sighed, no longer feeling sorry for Zi-Yan. She thought about the several difficult matters she needed a trustworthy person to handle. Now that she had leverage over Zi-Yan, she naturally had to do it, whether she wanted to or not. Once Zi-Yan was released next year, Ah Wu would have no worries.

Meanwhile, Lady Cui was currently riding high, completely ignoring Concubine Wang. Even if Concubine Wang tried to seduce her husband, it would not bother Lady Cui in the slightest. Unlike the simple-minded Lady Cui, Ah Wu paid even more attention to Concubine Wang.

She treated Concubine Wang with respect in daily life and ensured that everyone in the courtyard treated her with courtesy, leaving Concubine Wang with no excuse even if she wanted to complain to Third Master Rong.

It was snowing that day. Concubine Wang was sitting by the brazier, sewing clothes for Third Master Rong. Seeing Zi-Yan enter, she quickly told Qing-Ming to attend to her, then rose and smiled, “Such heavy snow—what brings you here, Miss Zi-Yan?”

“Last time, did you not ask for a pattern, Concubine? I had some free time, so I specially brought it over for you.” Zi-Yan took a sip of the hot tea Qing-Ming brought. “What fragrant tea!”

Concubine Wang smiled. “This tea was sent over by Sixth Young Lady the other day. I find it excellent. It’s a good thing Sixth Young Lady remembers me.”

“Look at what you are saying, Concubine. Sixth Young Lady is genuinely close to you, but you know about Madam’s side.” Zi-Yan pouted, subtly complaining about Lady Cui, placing herself on Concubine Wang’s side, and quickly becoming friendly with her.

“I am just a lowly maid; how could I possibly be close to Sixth Young Lady?” Concubine Wang still harbored some resentment towards Ah Wu. “Oh, look at me; why am I saying such things?”

Concubine Wang slapped herself. “Miss Zi-Yan, please sit down. I am always alone here, just hoping someone will talk to me.” Actually, Concubine Wang harbored some doubts about Zi-Yan’s closeness to her, but she did not know what she could possibly have that would catch Zi-Yan’s eye now.

“It’s because you are too reserved, Concubine. How can you stay cooped up in your room all day? You might get sick. In my opinion, you should go out for a walk. You are not a servant anymore; you are practically a mistress. Even if you do not want to talk to us maids, you can still visit the other concubines.”

The other concubine, Concubine Mu, was truly a blockhead, and the rest were from the other households. Concubine Wang was not that foolish; knowing that the Third Branch and the First and Second Branches were at odds, she still went to visit other courtyards.

Zi-Yan did not try to persuade her further, as that would only give herself away. Instead, she stepped forward and took the embroidery frame from Concubine Wang’s hands, saying, “Concubine, please rest your eyes. Let’s go for a stroll in the garden. My young lady asked me to pick some plum blossoms for her at the orchard. Concubine, you have the best eye; please go and choose for me.”

Concubine Wang immediately stood up, smiling, “I would not dare accept such praise. I’ve been embroidering for half a day, and I am tired. A walk in the orchard would be good.”

When Zi-Yan and Concubine Wang arrived at the orchard, she diligently selected plum branches, soon carrying a large bunch in her hands, and Concubine Wang also carried a bunch.

Having received a maid’s report, Nanny Wang, the caretaker at the orchard, rushed over, hands on her hips. Upon seeing Zi-Yan, she wailed, “What a disaster! My beautiful orchard has been ruined by you wretched hussies!”

It turned out that Nanny Wang was the greediest person of all. She treated the orchard like her own private plot of land. In winter, she would break off branches and have her sons take them to the market to sell, earning a good amount of money. Now, Zi-Yan was breaking off large handfuls of branches, practically stealing Nanny Wang’s money. How could she not be furious?

“You little devil, how dare you ruin things like this! Be careful, or the King of Hell will fry you in oil!” Nanny Wang tried to grab Zi-Yan.

Zi-Yan wrestled with her, saying, “What nonsense are you spouting, you old hag? What harlot! This is Concubine Wang from our Third Master’s household! How dare you insult your master!”

“Pah! What master? Even if your mistress came, and she’d be wasting things like this, I’d still say the same thing. Concubine, what kind of thing is she?” Nanny Wang was used to being domineering, and being a rough woman, she could easily beat most men. Few in the garden dared to mess with her.

Unable to defeat Nanny Wang, Zi-Yan grabbed Concubine Wang and started running. They ran ahead and encountered Concubine Mei from the Second Madam’s family, who came to the courtyard daily to pick plums.

Zi-Yan stopped and turned to Nanny Wang, who had caught up, saying, “You only know how to scold us, but you did not say anything when they broke plum branches.”

Nanny Wang stopped and looked at Zi-Yan and Concubine Wang disdainfully. “Who do you think you are, daring to compare yourselves to them?”

Nanny Wang spoke the truth. The cats and dogs of the first and second branches were precious treasures, far superior to Zi-Yan and Concubine Wang.

Nanny Wang wrestled with Zi-Yan, also catching Concubine Wang in the process. Concubine Mei, watching the scene, covered her mouth and laughed.

In the end, Zi-Yan threw down the plum branch, grabbed Concubine Wang, and ran away quickly. Only then did Nanny Wang stop.

Only after Nanny Wang disappeared did Zi-Yan stop and turn to Concubine Wang, saying, “Oh dear, I’ve really made a fool of myself in front of you today, Concubine.”

Concubine Wang was not unaware of the situation in the Duke of Anguo’s Mansion, but she had not expected a gardener to dare to so disrespect the third branch of the family. “How dare she?”

Zi-Yan sighed, “Of course she dares! You know perfectly well, Concubine. Our Madam is a saint; anybody dares to ride roughshod over her. And the Old Madam does not like our Master.”

“Who was that woman picking plum blossoms just now?” Concubine Wang asked again.

Zi-Yan sighed again, “Who else could it be? The Second Master just took Concubine Mei in last year, and he treasures her rotten. Even the Second Madam does not dare to mess with her. Did you not see how Nanny Wang did not dare utter a sound when she saw her?”

Zi-Yan muttered to herself, “I wonder what kind of tricks she has up her sleeve, keeping Second Master so tightly under her thumb, protecting her like a precious jewel.”

Concubine Wang felt that Concubine Mei’s smile was incredibly irritating. Both were concubines, but their treatment was worlds apart. Concubine Wang felt like she was being chased by a vicious dog and could only run away. In her opinion, Concubine Mei was nothing special; she was ordinary-looking and had an ordinary figure.

But why did she have Second Master’s favor?

People, the worst thing is comparing ourselves to others.

Not long after, Zi-Yan reported to Ah Wu that Concubine Wang and Concubine Mei from the second branch of the family had started seeing each other, not frequently, but they had established a relationship.

“Hmm, now that it’s almost the end of the year, you should invite Concubine Wang to the garden more often,” Ah Wu instructed.

Zi-Yan could not guess what Ah Wu was up to, only feeling that she was being too lenient with Concubine Wang.

When Lady Cui learned of Concubine Wang’s association with the second branch’s Concubine Mei, she wanted to summon her to reprimand her, but Ah Wu stopped her.

“Madam, please do not scold her. She’s a pitiful person. Besides, Father already feels guilty towards her; if you scold her, it will only add to his guilt.”

Lady Cui was a kind person and pitied the hardships of being a woman, so she listened to Ah Wu’s words.

After testing her a few times and discovering that Lady Cui was truly a compassionate person, Concubine Wang gradually became bolder, and her association with Concubine Mei became more frequent.

As the end of the year approached, the masters of various households who believed in Buddhism or Taoism liked to invite monks and Taoist priests into their residences to chant scriptures and draw talismans. Even more extreme, some women built Buddhist shrines and Taoist temples within their own residences, permanently enshrining Buddha or the Three Pure Ones. The temples and shrines relied heavily on these women’s year-end solicitation of donations.

Therefore, monks, nuns, and Taoist priests in and around the capital were all busy, each displaying their skills and abilities as they went door-to-door. Those monks who could enter the mansions of officials and nobles were all highly capable; with a sharp tongue, they could bring the dead back to life and heal the wounded.

The eldest branch of the family believed in Buddhism, the second branch in Taoism, and Lady Cui believed in all kinds of gods, Buddhas, and deities.

One day, Ah Wu saw a figure in the distance that looked familiar. She immediately remembered someone. Ah Wu smiled; it was truly a case of finding something without even trying.

Ah Wu bowed and gave Zi-Yan a few instructions. Zi-Yan nodded, went out for a while, and then returned with someone, who went directly into Lady Cui’s room.

Taoist Feng had a thin face. Although she did not abstain from meat or vegetables in private, she still had the appearance of someone who had been eating vegetarian food for many years. A whisk was draped over her wrist, and she wore a nun’s hat, giving her the air of a reclusive sage.

Taoist Feng had become quite influential in the capital in recent years, a frequent guest of dukes and marquises. Ordinary people could not even get an audience with her. Lady Cui was only able to see Taoist Feng because of the Second Madam’s good fortune. Upon seeing Taoist Feng enter, she quickly rose to greet her and instructed the Si-Hua and Si-Shu to prepare tea and pastries.

Taoist Feng sat for a while, drew several talismans for Lady Cui, and Lady Cui agreed to light an ever-burning lamp at Taoist Feng’s temple next year, offering four catties of lamp oil every month. That would cost twenty taels of silver a year.

Hearing this, Ah Wu felt a sharp pang of heartache. Lady Cui lit a lamp for Third Master Rong and each of their three children, but not for herself.

After Taoist Feng left, Ah Wu pouted and said, “Madam is too generous.”

“What do you know? This Taoist Feng has some kind of supernatural power. It was a rare privilege to have her come today. Twenty taels of silver is nothing. As long as you are all well, I am satisfied.” Lady Cui adjusted the gold loop bell in Ah Wu’s hair.

Ah Wu really wanted to tell Lady Cui that Taoist Feng was a big fraud, a charlatan, with no supernatural powers whatsoever, just a smooth talker. She’d be exposed after the new year. But Ah Wu could not expose her yet.

The Taoist Feng affair had caused a huge uproar back then, and Ah Wu still remembered it vividly. Even someone like Princess Fuhui had believed in Taoist Feng, which was why Ah Wu remembered her the moment she saw her back.

Concubine Wang had been keeping a close eye on the commotion in Lady Cui’s room. That day, seeing Lady Cui dismiss everyone except her and the Sixth Young Lady, acting mysteriously, she gave some money to Qing-Ming and asked her to inquire. Soon after, Qing-Ming returned with news: “It seems a Taoist nun came to the room?”