Four Seasons Brocade – CH 094

Chapter 94 ☆、

Rong Yin did not know what kind of luck he had. Even people like Tang Xiujin and Gu Tingyi were on good terms with him, and he was always accompanied by a group of friends wherever he went.

Tang Xiujin was considered a leading figure among the sons of civil officials. He did not rely on his father; he possessed considerable talent, and many fawned over him. Gu Tingyi was the second son of the Imperial Princess and an imperial bodyguard. Among the younger generation, only princes could surpass him; everyone else greeted him with smiles and pleasantries.

Moreover, these two were considered rivals in the capital. Even Rong Yin himself was somewhat surprised to have befriended them. Coupled with his own handsome appearance, he quickly became a figurehead in the capital, walking with an air of authority.

However, even so, Rong Yin dared not act like an overbearing brother in front of his sister, Ah Wu. Because he had offended Ah Wu by bringing Gu Tingyi to her home that day and taken her ink-black dragon chrysanthemum, he did not even bother drinking that evening, hurriedly grabbing the prepared apology gifts and rushing home.

Fortunately, Ah Wu was still awake. Rong Yin, having received her permission outside the door, said with a cheeky grin, “Ah Wu, why are you not asleep yet? Look what your brother brought you back!”

Ah Wu was still sewing under the lamp, trying to embroider a peach-shaped purse for the Imperial Princess. She had only a little work left to finish, which was why she had not slept that night. Seeing Rong Yin’s expression, she knew he was afraid she would blame him, so she smiled and said, “It’s probably a bamboo-woven praying mantis.” When they were little, if Rong Yin upset Ah Wu, he always liked to buy her these kinds of things he himself liked as an apology.

Rong Yin revealed a simple-mindedness he only showed in front of Ah Wu and laughed, “This time it’s different.”

Tong-Wen, who was packing the jewelry Ah Wu had taken off her hair into a box, burst out laughing when she heard this.

Ah Wu put down her needlework and looked at Rong Yin carefully, lest he think she was just being perfunctory and was actually still angry.

This time, Ah Wu did not need to guess anymore; Rong Yin could not help but reveal the answer, “Look, it’s Nanxuezhai Xiaoji.”

Ah Wu was delighted; this book was hard to find. Nanxuezhai Xiaoji was written by a female Taoist priest in the early years of the Great Xia Dynasty. Her surname was unknown, but she was known as Ximei. At that time, the world was in turmoil, and Ximei lived in a Taoist temple, but in reality, she was a prostitute. Although her status was despicable, she possessed the talent to “make the pond green with spring breezes” and was exceptionally beautiful, with a secret to preserving her youth. Her calligraphy was exquisite, like flowers in a hairpin. If not for her social status, she would surely have been praised by the world. Nanxuezhai Xiaoji was a collection of her casual notes on life, each piece elegant and refined.

Ah Wu was fortunate enough to read a few passages in someone else’s introduction and was deeply impressed. The saying “opening a book is beneficial” did not apply to works by female Taoist priests or great scholars. However, due to her status, only a hundred copies of Ximei’s Nanxuezhai Xiaoji were printed, mostly given to close friends, and rarely seen outside. He had not expected Rong Yin to have such talent and thoughtfulness.

“Thank you, Second Brother, I love it!” Ah Wu genuinely liked it.

Rong Yin could see this and breathed a sigh of relief. He had finally won Ah Wu’s genuine favor. “Did I compensate you for your ink dragon now?”

“Of course,” Ah Wu thought to herself; actually, she did not need him to compensate her; she should be thanking him.

“Second Brother, why did you think of giving me a book, and this one at that? It must be expensive.”

“Of course it’s expensive—thirty taels of silver,” Rong Yin said.

“Thirty taels of silver, and you still think it’s expensive? You should be grateful you even got to buy it.” Ah Wu teased Rong Yin, but she did not take it to heart. Books were a matter of personal taste; if you liked it, even three hundred taels was not expensive; if you did not like it, you might not even be willing to pay three coins. Ah Wu pondered that people at the time probably disliked plum blossoms, which was why her ancient copy was so cheap.

The brother and sister, one ignorant of books and the other knowledgeable but lacking experience due to limited travel, both failed to grasp the book’s true value.

Seeing Ah Wu’s delight, Rong Yin was relieved. When his Brother Xiujin had encouraged him to buy it, he had hesitated, thinking it too expensive. Fortunately, Xiujin knew the shopkeeper and managed to haggle the price down from one hundred taels of silver to thirty taels before he paid.

Rong Yin was a good boy. Having grown up with Lady Cui and endured some hardship in the Duke’s Mansion, he was not stingy with money but cherished it and never squandered it. This was for Ah Wu; if he were buying something for himself, he would leave without a second thought if it cost more than ten taels.

But Rong Yin had no idea that Tang Xiujin had secretly paid the difference to the shopkeeper behind his back, and Ah Wu was unaware that Tang Xiujin had played a part in the book’s sale. Tang Xiujin’s deep affection was difficult to express, and he could only use these veiled gestures to fulfill his feelings.

Of course, the Rong siblings were unaware of this. In contrast, Gu Tingyi, who visited a few days later, was much more high-profile.

Rong Yin introduced Gu Tingyi to Lady Cui, whose eyes crinkled with a smile.

The last time Gu Tingyi visited the Rong residence, Rong Yin did not introduce him to Lady Cui because their relationship was not close enough, and Gu Tingyi had other business to attend to. Introducing him abruptly to Lady Cui would seem like an attempt to curry favor with this noble young master. After all, someone of his stature would not normally visit the Rong residence, let alone pay a private visit to the female elders, especially since Master Rong was not present, and their families were not particularly close.

But this time was different. In Gu Tingyi’s words, he had come specifically to express his gratitude.

“My mother greatly admires that ‘Ink Dragon’ flower; we must thank Young Lady Rong,” Gu Tingyi said politely and sincerely.

Of course, Princess Fuhui genuinely loved the “Ink Dragon” flower. Upon seeing it, her expression changed instantly, her hands trembling, and she repeatedly asked Gu Tingyi where he had obtained the flower.

Gu Tingyi naturally did not hide anything.

Princess Fuhui, however, became more cautious and regained her composure. “Oh, it’s that young lady from that family. I vaguely remember her.” In fact, the Princess had a very deep impression of Ah Wu. So young, yet possessing such cunning and shrewdness—first imitating Ah Wu’s duck painting, then her subtle movements, which were strikingly similar—but she was not Ah Wu, not a piece of her own flesh and blood. The Princess could not tolerate such imitation, as if it were a desecration of her youngest daughter.

Initially, the Princess thought Ah Wu had ulterior motives in trying to please her, but seeing that Ah Wu did not need her, the Princess lowered her guard. When she missed her youngest daughter, she inevitably thought of Ah Wu from time to time, wondering how she could draw duck pictures in Ah Wu’s style and how she knew Ah Wu’s little tricks. These questions remained unanswered.

But Gu Tingyi’s words today made the Imperial Princess wary again. No secrets stayed hidden forever, and the Imperial Princess believed that if someone was determined, it was not impossible for them to imitate her Ah Wu. And today, it seemed she had caught Sixth Young Lady Rong in the act. So this was what she had been waiting for.

The Imperial Princess proudly looked at her now tall and handsome son. Even the princesses in the palace wanted to marry him, but the Imperial Princess would never agree. As a mother, she believed that no woman in the world could refuse her son, and it was understandable that they would go to great lengths to get close to her and Junji. Therefore, the seeds that Sixth Young Lady Rong had sown so many years ago had finally been discovered by her.

This made the Imperial Princess breathe a sigh of relief. She herself did not know why she felt this way, but the thought that someone who had no desire for her, yet was so much like Ah Wu, was something beyond the Imperial Princess’s control, making her very uncomfortable.

Therefore, the Imperial Princess expressed her concerns to Gu Tingyi. “How coincidental that their family grew chrysanthemums with black veins, and how coincidental that you found out?”

Gu Tingyi’s heart skipped a beat. The Imperial Princess’s words made him realize that it was indeed quite a coincidence. Having grown up, Gu Tingyi had witnessed many women’s schemes. With a large family, many cousins were trying to claim kinship, and they had used various methods. Fortunately, the Imperial Princess was always vigilant, allowing Gu Tingyi to escape unscathed. Therefore, he had always maintained a cold demeanor, making girls afraid of him.

If Tang Xiujin was a handsome young man in the eyes of the girls in the capital, then Gu Tingyi was the cold young man.

However, although the Imperial Princess’s words made Gu Tingyi wary, he did not want to think of Sixth Young Lady Rong in that way. She was pure and innocent, definitely not that kind of person. Even if she were that kind of person, Gu Tingyi could not bring himself to dislike her now. He just felt that her using some harmless little tricks, or perhaps her elders using some tricks, was not unacceptable; it even had a touch of cunning charm. After all, it was all to ensnare him.

Thinking of this, Gu Tingyi’s face flushed slightly. Lady Cui’s gaze seemed too blatant, to the point that Gu Tingyi felt that perhaps the Rong family really did have the idea of ​​arranging a marriage between them.

Now that his mother-in-law and brother-in-law were on his side, all that was left was for the girl to have a little something. But Gu Tingyi thought this was unnecessary; they were all very proper people, and they could cultivate their feelings after marriage.

Lady Cui smiled gracefully. “Young Master Gu, there’s no need to be so polite. It’s our honor that the Princess likes that potted ink dragon.”

Gu Tingyi arrived, bringing two baskets of crabs. Autumn crabs were the fattest, and the smallest crabs in these two baskets looked to weigh half a pound—not something an ordinary family could afford. He also brought two baskets of Sanxi tangerines, large and sweet. Gu Tingyi had selected ones as big as bowls, a delightful sight. These tangerines were transported from the south to the capital by waterway; the shipping costs alone were staggering, making them a luxury not for ordinary people.

Even though Lady Cui was used to seeing fine things, her eyes lit up at the sight of these two items. It seemed this young Master Gu had truly come to express his gratitude. It was rare to find a young man from such a family who lacked the arrogance and conceit of a spoiled brat and was so knowledgeable, reasonable, and handsome. Lady Cui liked him more and more as she looked at him, but she felt a pang of regret. She suspected Princess Fuhui would not approve of their family background; otherwise, he and Ah Wu would have been a perfect match, a golden couple standing together. How beautiful they would have been.

Lady Cui looked at Gu Tingyi with a mixture of admiration and regret.

Gu Tingyi sat for a moment, then said, “I also brought something for Young Lady Rong. It’s truly wrong of me to take what belongs to someone else; I really must thank her for her generosity that day.”

Gu Tingyi presented it directly to Lady Cui. Si-Qi took it and showed it to her. It was a guqin score with three seal characters on it: Guangling San.

Lady Cui was initially hesitant. Although the item had passed through her hands, accepting something from a man on behalf of Ah Wu was still inappropriate. However, upon seeing those three characters, she hesitated immediately.

Lady Cui was also somewhat educated. Ah Wu loved the guqin, and Lady Cui had heard her yearn for the timeless masterpiece Guangling San. If she refused, it would be a great pity for Ah Wu. After much deliberation, Lady Cui’s reason could not overcome her love for her daughter. “Then I thank you on behalf of my daughter, young master.”

At this point, Gu Tingyi had to take his leave. He had achieved his purpose for the day; his only regret was not being able to see the beauty one more time.

In truth, Gu Tingyi did not know why he had become so captivated, as if under a spell. He tossed and turned at night, asking himself the same question. Of course, the woman’s stunning beauty was one factor, but Gu Tingyi felt he should not be so frivolous and shallow. Hmm, her musical talent also captivated him; that was another. Finally, Gu Tingyi remembered seeing Ah Wu when she was a child. From their first meeting, he felt an immense sense of familiarity with her. Although they were strangers, he could not help but call out to her and ask her name; perhaps that was when their fate was sealed.

No wonder he had not found a girl he liked all these years. His mother had arranged marriages for him, which he had always impatiently refused. So this was what he was waiting for, Gu Tingyi thought.