Four Seasons Brocade – CH 076

Chapter 76 ☆、

Ah Wu was not particularly surprised. Let alone Second Madam Jin nee Luo, who knows, in a few days, Second Madam Huang and Third Madam Li would probably all come to win over Lady Cui.

Second Madam Jin nee Luo first went to the main room to pay her respects to the Old Madam before coming to the Third House. Lady Cui had stayed up late with Third Master Rong last night and had just returned home after serving the Old Madam her meal, intending to relax for a while. Who knew Second Madam Jin nee Luo would arrive so early in the morning? She had no choice but to muster her energy to entertain her.

“Sister, you do not mind your older sister’s intrusion, do you?” Second Madam Jin nee Luo had a round, wealthy face, and her lips were as thin as paper, her words flowing rapidly—a natural gossip.

Lady Cui quickly invited Second Madam Jin nee Luo to sit down, “Not at all, not at all, such a distinguished guest, I could not invite you even if I tried.”

Second Madam Jin nee Luo’s two daughters came forward to greet Lady Cui.

Lady Cui praised the two girls for their beauty and quiet demeanor, then asked their ages.

The eldest daughter of Madam Jin nee Luo, the Third Young Lady Jin, answered softly, “Fourteen.” The younger one replied, “Twelve.”

Lady Cui gave each of them two begonia-shaped gold ingots. These were prepared by Ah Wu while she was still in Jiangnan, saying that she would meet many more younger relatives upon returning to the capital, so it was always good to have some on hand.

She also gave each of the Jin girls a jade bracelet.

Madam Jin nee Luo’s eyes lit up. The jade bracelets had excellent clarity and a warm, translucent color; they were clearly not ordinary. Although not considered rare treasures, the generous gifts for the girls she had just met showed that the Rong family’s third branch lived very comfortably, hence their lavish spending.

Madam Jin nee Luo asked again, “Is Sixth Young Lady not here?”

Since growing up, Ah Wu had disliked socializing to avoid trouble. Lady Cui replied, “She’s been ill these past few days and cannot come out to see guests.”

Madam Jin nee Luo quickly exchanged a few more pleasantries, then moved on to the topic. As for the Sixth Young Lady, she’d only asked casually.

Madam Jin nee Luo smiled and said, “My impertinence in coming today is all because of my Second Young Lady. Last time at the Marquis of Jing’an’s house, she saw the clothes you were wearing, and she kept nagging me about what material they were made of and where you bought them. I was so annoyed by her that I had to bring her to your residence so she could ask for herself, lest she think I am too old and relay the wrong message.”

That excuse was not very good.

However, Lady Cui had already forgotten what she wore to the Marquis of Jing’an’s residence last time. She quickly glanced at Si-Qi, who hurriedly asked, “Was it that purple dress with colorful roses all over it?”

Jin Liu, the second daughter of Madam Jin nee Luo, nodded vigorously.

“Oh, that’s fabric from the Four Seasons Brocade of the South. The roses were woven in, and the colors change with the sunlight, looking just like real flowers. It was very fashionable in Jiangnan,” Lady Cui remembered.

“Indeed, the flowers looked like they were about to bloom out of the fabric.” Lady Luo also remembered that dress vividly. But she had not expected that such a beautiful dress would be forgotten by Lady Cui in just a few days, showing how many clothes she owned.

Lady Luo felt both pleased and bitter. Look at her; they were both women, yet Lady Cui, born of a concubine, lived a much more comfortable life than she, the legitimate daughter and daughter-in-law.

Although the Marquis of Anping’s family was a noble household, its prestige was only superficial. Internally, it had long since emptied; its descendants were incompetent, and no matter how much wealth its ancestors accumulated, it had long since been squandered. This was not unique to the Marquis of Anping’s family, a once-powerful and prestigious clan.

Second Madam Jin nee Luo spoke a few more words about the fabric, then steered the conversation towards Rong Jie. Rong Jie was nineteen this year. If it were not for Lady Cui accompanying Third Master Rong to Jiangnan, he would have been betrothed long ago. Therefore, this time, besides being eager to find a husband for Ah Wu, Lady Cui’s main purpose upon returning was to inquire about potential wives for Rong Jie.

Second Madam Jin nee Luo’s intentions were not what they seemed; she had deliberately brought two young ladies to her door, hoping to gain an advantage due to their proximity.

Rong Jie was Lady Cui’s eldest son and would be the pillar of the family in the future. His marriage must be carefully considered. This was something Third Master Rong had repeatedly instructed Lady Cui to do, and he had declared that any chosen wife would only be considered valid after his approval.

Therefore, Lady Cui dared not act on her own initiative. Moreover, although the two daughters of the Jin family were good, they were not particularly outstanding, so Lady Cui hesitated.

Lady Luo immediately understood Lady Cui’s meaning and inwardly resented her, but she did not show it outwardly, since Lady Cui had not openly refused.

Having overheard enough outside, Zi-Shan gave Si-Qin a wink. Si-Qin went out, and Zi-Shan whispered a few words in her ear, to which Si-Qin nodded.

A while later, Lady Luo, having drunk too much tea, needed to use the restroom, so Si-Qin took the initiative to lead her to the back. After helping Lady Luo wash her hands, Lady Luo sighed as she walked out, “In the whole capital, your madam is the luckiest. Her son is successful, and her husband does not stray. He’s devoted to her alone.”

Si-Qin chimed in, “No one is without troubles. A few years ago, our master took a concubine, Concubine Wang. She caused our madam countless tears, almost making her bedridden. Then, she somehow ran away, which enraged our master, and he lost interest in taking another concubine.”

Lady Luo inwardly scoffed. What did she mean, “she somehow ran away”? Everyone knew it was the second master who took advantage of Concubine Wang, forcing her to run away.

There were no secrets that stayed hidden forever. It was not surprising that Lady Luo, who loved to gossip, knew about this matter. She said, “I’ve seen your Concubine Wang too. She’s got a bewitching look, and you could tell she was not going to be well-behaved. It’s better she ran away; it saves your mistress from getting upset.”

“But our Third Master still had his eye on her. Such a beauty,” Si-Qin shook her head.

Lady Luo was simply enjoying the gossip. She did not consider that Si-Qin had only served Lady Cui for a few years; how could she possibly know so much about Concubine Wang? However, no matter how shrewd Lady Luo was, she could not possibly know everything about the people serving in Lady Cui’s household.

Lady Luo returned to Lady Cui’s room, and the two chatted for a while. Seeing that Lady Cui would not budge on Rong Jie’s matter, and finding the conversation uninteresting, she got up to take her leave.

Lady Cui hurriedly asked Si-Qi to open the cabinet and take out two bolts of silk from the Four Seasons Brocade to give to the two young ladies of the Jin family. The two girls’ faces immediately lit up with joy, and Lady Luo’s complexion also brightened. She smiled and went out the door.

Two days later was the 28th day of the fourth month, the birthday of the Medicine King Bodhisattva. Every year on this day, people seeking relief from illness and misfortune would go to Longhua Temple on the outskirts of Shangjing to worship the Medicine King Bodhisattva, as it was said that the Medicine King Bodhisattva enshrined in the Medicine King Hall there was the most efficacious.

Lady Luo, a sociable person, was always present on such grand occasions.

On this day, after burning incense in the Medicine King Hall, Lady Luo was being led by the guest monk to the back courtyard to rest when she saw a woman with an old woman and a maid walking out. As they passed each other, the woman glanced at Lady Luo quickly, then turned away and hurried on.

Lady Luo stopped. She felt the woman looked somewhat familiar, but could not recall where she had seen her before. She was certain it was not a lady or mistress she knew in Shangjing. Judging from the women’s attire—willow-green silk satin, rosy-pink floor-length skirts embroidered with gold thread—they were clearly not ordinary clothes; only ladies and mistresses of wealthy families could afford such attire.

Logically, Lady Luo should have recognized such a person. Since she was not a lady or mistress, Lady Luo inevitably thought of concubines. Suddenly, she slapped her forehead. “It’s her! It’s actually her!”

This person was none other than Concubine Wang, the concubine of Third Master Rong, whom she had heard mentioned a few days ago at the Duke of Anguo’s Mansion.

Lady Luo quickly instructed the old woman who had come with her to follow the group of women who had just left and called a servant to follow them to see where they were staying.

Lady Luo sat down in the guest room, feeling incredibly smug. Someone others would search high and low for, she had unexpectedly stumbled upon—was this not a gift from heaven?

Lady Luo smiled wryly. This Lady Cui woman, stammering and behaving like a precious treasure, actually looked down on her own daughter. She’d better not make her miserable; just looking at her was disgusting. Once she found Concubine Wang, we’d see if she’d still be so comfortable.

This was the mentality of some people. If they were not happy themselves, they could not stand to see others happy. Even if it did not benefit them, they’d do it wholeheartedly.

That evening, the old woman came to Lady Luo’s place to report, “The woman’s sedan chair entered a house in Suanzao Alley.”

“Have you found out which house it is?” Lady Luo asked.

This old woman had been with Lady Luo for a long time and was used to these kinds of things. Since her mistress had sent her to follow the woman, she naturally wanted to get to the bottom of things. The old woman’s late report was because she needed to find out more.

“That house is very mysterious. People around say that the family moved in several years ago, but the owners always come and go in carriages or sedan chairs, and the servants are tight-lipped; you cannot get anything out of them. It’s very strange.”

Lady Luo, however, did not find it strange. That Concubine Wang was Third Master Rong’s runaway concubine; everyone thought she had escaped the capital, but unexpectedly, she was right under their noses. Naturally, they had to keep it a secret to hide for so long.

“So, have you found out anything?” Lady Luo asked impatiently.

The old woman smiled obsequiously. “How could I dare not inquire carefully about what Madam instructed? I kept watch over that household all afternoon. Madam, guess who I saw?”

Second Madam Jin nee Luo shook her handkerchief. “You old hag, you are getting bolder and bolder, daring to show off in front of me.”

The old woman quickly shook her head. “No, no. This old woman saw that the carriage coachman looked like a coachman from the Duke of Anguo’s Mansion.”

Second Madam Jin nee Luo’s eyes twitched. How could it be someone from the Duke of Anguo’s Mansion? “Did you see clearly?”

“Almost certainly,” said Nanny Meng. She was known for her sharp eyes; otherwise, she would not have been so trusted by Second Madam Jin nee Luo.

Second Madam Jin nee Luo pondered for a moment, “Can you tell which branch of the Duke of Anguo’s Mansion it was?” Could it be that Third Master Rong had acquired another property outside to hide it from Third Madam, keeping a kept woman there? But that did not seem likely; when Concubine Wang escaped, it seemed Third Master Rong was still overseas.

Lady Luo’s eyes lit up. Could it be…?

If so, that would be quite a spectacle. Lady Luo was the kind of person who thrived on chaos and loved watching others’ misfortunes.

“Go; quickly go and find out everything. If you get a clear picture, I will reward you later.”

Nanny Meng received the order and left. With Lady Luo’s instructions, she did nothing else for the next few days but stayed by that household, gathering information.