Four Seasons Brocade – CH 081

Chapter 81 ☆、

“Elder Brother.” Rong Jichang cupped his hands in greeting.

“Sit down. What brings you here…” Seeing Rong Jichang’s reaction, Eldest Master Rong was at a loss for words.

Rong Jichang adjusted his robe and sat down. “Brother, I acted impulsively today. You know, any man would lose control in such a situation.”

Eldest Master Rong quickly replied, “I know, I know.” He had already realized his third brother had come to make amends, and Eldest Master Rong breathed a sigh of relief. He felt that his third brother still had some redeeming qualities; at least he valued loyalty and brotherly affection.

Rong Jichang’s arrival to mediate was like a godsend for Eldest Master Rong, who had been repeatedly scolded and scorned by his wife and humiliated by others. Moreover, since Eldest Master Rong was directly involved, this understanding was especially precious to Eldest Master Rong.

“Third Brother, it was wrong of me to do this, but it’s all because of that vixen Wang. I… I meant well. Second Brother bullied her, and I took her in out of pity. Who knew…” Because Second Master Rong had also bullied Concubine Wang, Eldest Master Rong harbored a deep resentment towards him. The more he favored Concubine Wang, the more he disliked his second brother. Now that this had come to light, and Second Master Rong had done the same thing before, yet he got away scot-free, while he himself was embroiled in this mess. Eldest Master Rong felt that fate was too unfair, so he was not hesitant to drag Second Master Rong into this mess as well.

Third Master Rong nodded. “That Wang woman is pitiful, too. When I went on my mission overseas, I did not even know if I’d return alive. Before I left, I instructed your sister-in-law that Concubine Wang, so young, should not be waiting for me; I told her to release her when she found a suitable man. Who would have thought she’d be so lucky, ending up with my eldest brother?”

Hearing this, Eldest Master Rong found his third brother’s words even more agreeable. It turned out he had not been taking his brother’s concubine for himself; he had intended to release her anyway, but he had not waited until she was released before developing feelings for her.

“When she committed a crime, it was my elder brother who saved her; he meant well. Now she has given birth to your son, continuing the lineage of our Duke’s family. Although she has made mistakes, she is still Huan’er’s biological mother. If Huan’er grows up and finds out that we executed his mother, he should…” Third Master Rong frowned sadly. “I feel terrible just thinking about it. After all, even a night of intimacy can create a hundred days of kindness, and Huan’er is my nephew… I…”

Speaking of Huan’er, the Eldest Master also thought of his own chubby son. Although he had other sons, none were as handsome as Huan’er, nor did they resemble him as much. The Eldest Master truly loved Huan’er. He also felt much pity for Concubine Wang. Last night, they were still making love in the same bed, incredibly sweet. Tomorrow, she would lose her life, and the Eldest Master was heartbroken.

Besides, women were prone to overthinking. Concubine Wang had asked Eldest Master Rong more than once if he would protect her if their affair were exposed, and Eldest Master Rong, of course, always pounded his chest and said, “Of course!”

Thinking of this, Eldest Master Rong felt even more guilty. The thought of that beautiful, voluptuous, and fair-skinned woman about to pass away, never to enjoy her attentive and charming service again, made him feel a pang of sadness.

When Rong Jichang said those words, Eldest Master Rong was not stupid. Upon hearing Rong Jichang’s words, a thought struck him.

“Who says otherwise? It’s just that a woman like Concubine Wang, who does not uphold traditional virtues, is a disgrace to be alive. It’s just a pity for my Huan.” Eldest Master Rong moved, even shedding two tears.

“As the saying goes, saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. A family like ours should be even more compassionate and virtuous. In my opinion, sending Concubine Wang to a nunnery will solve everything quickly, and Huan will not blame us, his father and uncle, when he grows up.”

Eldest Master Rong’s eyes lit up. He grabbed Rong Jichang’s hand, foaming at the mouth with emotion, and said, “Third Brother, I thank you on behalf of Huan.”

The next morning, Eldest Master Rong eagerly summoned Third Master Rong to speak to the Duke of Anguo on behalf of Concubine Wang.

“A woman like that should be drowned in a pig cage! And you are actually pleading for her?” Duke Anguo looked at his two sons with anger at their lack of ambition.

“Father, no matter how bad Concubine Wang is, she did give birth to Huan’er. When Huan’er grows up and asks about it, he will blame me. Besides, our family values ​​doing good deeds and accumulating merit. After all, it’s a life. Sending her to a nunnery is the end of it all, and it might even bring some good fortune to Huan’er,” Eldest Master Rong pleaded pitifully.

“Do you not have any sons? Why do you want a son born of a concubine?” Duke Anguo was furious at his eldest son’s muddle-headed incompetence, the one destined to inherit the family business.

“Father…” Eldest Master Rong gave Third Master Rong a meaningful look. Rong Jichang was also a son born of a concubine; his mother had shamelessly slept with his father and given birth to this son, yet his father did not seem to care about his lowly birth.

Although the two could not be compared—after all, Old Master Rong’s concubine had not been married—Duke Anguo had to consider Third Master Rong’s feelings at this moment.

“Third son, what do you say?” Duke Anguo simply shifted the responsibility onto Third Master Rong; he did not want Concubine Wang alive, leaving him to wear a green hat forever.

“I…” Third Master Rong also glanced at Eldest Master Rong, a meaningful look in his eyes, before whispering, “After all, it’s a life. Sending her to a nunnery would be a clean break.”

The Duke of Anguo understood perfectly well what the Third Master Rong meant. It was all the eldest son’s fault for being so foolish, actually asking the third son to mediate.

The Duke of Anguo sighed, “Fine, from now on, this family business is yours. Do as you please.”

Eldest Master Rong was both pleased and uneasy. Was the old man relinquishing power?

When the door to the woodshed opened, letting in a sliver of sunlight, Concubine Wang, huddled in the corner, hugged her knees. She numbly raised her head, her heart and eyes filled with despair. This was probably the last time she would see the sun. Last night, she had almost cried herself blind and screamed until her throat was hoarse, but it was all in vain. No one wanted to listen to her. She only had one fate; she knew it without being told.

“Come out.” Two strong old women stood at the door, shouting at Concubine Wang with disgust.

Concubine Wang was stunned. She had expected that opening the door would mean being forced to drink poison or being given a long white silk noose. Concubine Wang stood up and slowly moved to the door, wanting to live as long as possible.

“What are you dawdling for? Hurry up and go!” Old Woman Ma shouted. She despised women like this from the bottom of her heart; it was only because the master of the mansion had shown mercy.

“Nanny, where are we going?” Concubine Wang asked anxiously.

“We are taking you to the Shuiji Nunnery. The Duke has shown mercy and spared your life. A woman like you does not deserve to die. Since the master has spared your life, remember to behave yourself from now on and recite more scriptures for the master,” another old woman, whose temper was slightly milder, answered.

Concubine Wang was overjoyed and immediately burst into tears, but her voice was hoarse, and she could not cry out loud; only tears streamed down her face as she hurriedly knelt before both old women to express her gratitude.

“Get up,” the two old women said, feeling both disgust and pity for her.

Concubine Wang stood up, gathered her thoughts, and said, “I should go and kowtow to the Duke to apologize.”

“The Duke has no patience to see you. It’s only because you are lucky that the Eldest Master and the Third Master pleaded for you that the Duke spared your life.”

Eldest Master Rong pleaded for her, something Concubine Wang had somewhat expected, but she never anticipated that Third Master Rong would plead for her. Concubine Wang glanced towards the direction of the third branch of the family, recalling the scene when she first met Third Master Rong.

A beautiful woman adding fragrance to the ink, brewing tea, and splashing ink—how joyful that was!

Actually, this was entirely due to the fading of memories over the years, leaving only the beautiful ones. In reality, the beautiful woman adding fragrance to the ink probably only happened once, and brewing tea and splashing ink may not have even happened. But the blurred memories, filled with beautiful imaginations, made Concubine Wang weep uncontrollably with regret.

“I am sorry to the Third Master Rong. Before I leave, I want to kowtow to him and beg Madam to tell the Old Madam that I will never return after I leave, and let me see my poor Huan one last time.” Concubine Wang knelt at the feet of the two old women, pleading desperately.

The gentler-spoken old woman, seeing her plight, felt a pang of pity. As an elder in the household, she knew the character of the Eldest and Second Masters well. While Concubine Wang’s actions were indeed her own fault, it was ultimately the fault of the two masters above her. Therefore, she agreed to speak to the Old Madam on her behalf.

The Old Madam was initially about to erupt in anger; seeing Huan’er was simply a pipe dream.

But then the Old Madam reconsidered. Concubine Wang was still considered a concubine of the third branch of the family. Her wicked schemes to seduce her son had ruined her reputation beyond repair. She decided to let Concubine Wang go to the third branch and cause trouble for Lady Cui, and also to ensure that people would not forget about Concubine Wang. She was from the third branch of the family. The third branch currently had a daughter, just the right age for marriage. Such a shameless whore had come from her own father’s backyard, hmph…

The Old Madam had a beautiful plan, so she nodded in agreement to let Concubine Wang go to the third branch to kowtow, but Huan’er was not allowed to see her.

Concubine Wang went to the third branch with two old women. Third Master Rong and Lady Cui initially wanted to refuse to see her, but the old woman who delivered the message said it was the Old Madam’s order. Inside the room, Third Master Rong and Lady Cui sat on the couch, while Ah Wu stood beside Lady Cui.

Concubine Wang entered without looking around, knelt and kowtowed three times, making the floor tiles seem to shake, saying, “Thank you, Master, for pleading for me.”

Third Master Rong’s face was tense, while Lady Cui felt an immediate aversion to Concubine Wang. Hearing that it was Third Master Rong who had pleaded for her, she immediately turned and glared at Rong Jichang.

Third Master Rong looked at Concubine Wang with impatience and said, “No need to thank me. Thank Sixth Young Lady; she’s the one who persuaded me.”

Concubine Wang raised her head and said to Ah Wu, “This servant kowtows to Sixth Young Lady. This is not the first time Sixth Young Lady has saved this servant.”

Upon hearing this, Ah Wu’s eyebrows twitched slightly. She wore a veil, which had been brought to her after she knew Concubine Wang was coming. Ah Wu did not want Concubine Wang to see her face. Although she was going to a nunnery, she did not know what trouble she might cause later. After all, life was too long, and she feared she would not be able to endure the solitude of a nunnery.

Ah Wu was now so obsessed with her face that she was practically paranoid. From childhood, reading history books, she knew the phrases “beautiful women bring disaster” and “beautiful women have tragic fates.” Later, she had two close calls during the Lantern Festival in her childhood, and later, in Jiangsu, she witnessed a fleeting glimpse of a lecherous man.

“The Sixth Young Lady has always cherished me since childhood. Now that I am about to leave, I beg to say a few more words from my heart to you.”

“What are you saying?” Actually, Concubine Wang’s words just now already revealed a slight threat. Ah Wu could not refuse to listen to her for a bit. In fact, she herself was willing to listen to what Concubine Wang had to say. Therefore, Ah Wu nodded.

“Father, Madam, I am taking Wang…” Ah Wu suddenly did not know how to address Concubine Wang, so her pronunciation became unclear, and she added, “…to sit in my old room.”

Before Lady Cui could speak, Third Master Rong said first, “Go ahead.”

There would come a day when she would have to have a face-to-face talk with Concubine Wang, and it would save her trouble later.