Four Seasons Brocade – CH 101

Chapter 101 ☆、

After escorting Lady Cui and Ah Wu back to the mansion, Rong Yin had to leave again for social engagements. That evening, slightly tipsy, he returned to his room, fell asleep immediately, and slept soundly through the night. However, early the next morning, he felt a sharp pain. Barely opening his eyes, he saw Ah Wu holding a feather duster, relentlessly hitting his blanket. Fortunately, it was winter, and the blanket was thick, so it did not hurt too much.

Rong Yin was furious at the sight. His younger sister, who always prided herself on being a lady of a noble family, was now beating him with a feather duster like a shrew—she was clearly enraged.

Rong Yin immediately sprang to his feet. “Ah Wu, Ah Wu, good sister, Second Brother was wrong; Second Brother was wrong!”

Ah Wu’s hits showed no mercy. Taking advantage of Rong Yin getting up, she struck him a few more times—a perfect opportunity to vent her anger. Actually, Ah Wu knew perfectly well that she would eventually “forgive” Rong Yin. Scolding and verbal abuse offered no satisfaction; after much thought, Ah Wu decided that beating Rong Yin would be far more satisfying.

“Tell me, where did you go wrong?” Ah Wu demanded defiantly.

Rong Yin, feigning weakness, covered his face and head, letting Ah Wu hit him like a submissive wife. Now, hearing Ah Wu speak, Rong Yin quickly looked up pitifully but hesitated for a moment before saying, “Ah Wu, even when you are angry, you are stunningly beautiful.”

Ah Wu, hands on her hips, laughed in exasperation at Rong Yin’s words. He’d improved; before, he only said someone was good-looking, but now he used “stunningly beautiful.” No wonder he was a lecherous burglar.

Ah Wu was tired from the beating. She threw down the feather duster and sat down at the round table. “Pour me some water.”

Rong Yin quickly and obsequiously poured Ah Wu a cup of water warmed in the teapot, handing it to her with both hands.

Ah Wu drank it all in one gulp, then sneered, “Second Brother, my dear Second Brother, tell me, where exactly did you go wrong?”

Her phoenix eyes, though not menacing, were alluring. Despite their cold glint, a trace of feminine gentleness remained.

Rong Yin scratched the back of his head, looking completely naive.

This infuriated Ah Wu, who coldly said, “Second Brother, do not play dumb. It’s a pity I thought myself clever, yet I never imagined that my most trusted relative would scheme against me like this.” Ah Wu had mentally prepared herself, thinking that since Rong Yin was heartless, she should not be blamed for being ungrateful; after all, they were only “adopted” siblings. What real feelings could there be?

But when Ah Wu said these words, her heart and eyes welled up with tears, which rolled down her cheeks like broken pearls.

This startled Rong Yin. “Ah Wu, Ah Wu, do not cry, do not cry. It’s all my fault; it’s all Second Brother’s fault.” Rong Yin stepped forward to wipe Ah Wu’s tears, but Ah Wu turned her head away to avoid him.

“Do not pretend. You have a wife now, and you still remember me, your sister? You are practically begging to sell me off for your own riches and glory, are you not?” Ah Wu’s words were utterly scathing.

“Ah Wu, Second Brother has absolutely no such thought. If I had, may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death!” Rong Yin’s face turned pale as he swore an oath to the heavens.

Ah Wu was not one to be swayed by a few kind words. She turned her head, looking at Rong Yin coldly. Her large eyes were still misty, but those cold, autumn-like waters remained clear and deep, as if they could see right through people.

Rong Yin knew, of course, that feigned ignorance would not work. So he sat down. He always knew Ah Wu was clever, but he had not expected her to be so perceptive.

“Ah Wu, your Second Brother has absolutely no intention of selling his sister for personal gain. I will prove who I am in the future. It’s just that the situation at court is complicated right now. Our family is entangled with the Fourth Prince, which will make things difficult. Father and Madam are extremely worried about our marriages, especially yours. My eldest brother and I are men; if anything happens, we can just run away. But you are a girl, and with such a beautiful face. If we were to send you to marry far away, who among us could bear it? Who could feel at ease?”

Seeing Ah Wu’s expression soften, Rong Yin continued, “Father and Madam are constantly sighing these days. Father made his decision long ago, and now his sighs are only for you. The two old folks cannot sleep at night, so I…”

Ah Wu glared angrily at Rong Yin.

Rong Yin continued, undeterred by her glare. “So when Second Master Gu came to me to inquire about you, I had an idea. No matter what happens in the future, with the Imperial Princess, she can always protect you. Now, everyone knows Father has become the Fourth Prince’s tutor; who would still be willing to marry into our family? At this time, Second Master Gu can still act without any scruples; I can see he’s truly sincere.”

“So you just foolishly set up a match for your sister; were you not afraid of causing trouble?” Ah Wu thought, her heart softening slightly.

Rong Yin, now accustomed to the wild ways of the martial world, had become indifferent to the boundaries between men and women, even to etiquette. He only cared about results, not methods. Naturally, he was not as thoughtful as a young woman. If he were not so carefree, he would not have dared to sneak into Tang Yin’s boudoir at night.

“So you acted on your own, without asking my opinion at all. You thought it was for my own good, but you do not know that when I discovered it was actually my own brother plotting against me behind my back, I…” Ah Wu was a young woman; no matter how intelligent, she was still driven by emotion.

“You are the kind of person who forgets his sister once he has a wife.” Ah Wu continued to dwell on this matter that concerned her most. If Rong Yin had discussed it with her beforehand, asking her to sacrifice for the lives of her family, she might not have refused. But his actions without asking were a grave offense to Ah Wu.

Rong Yin looked at Ah Wu and said earnestly, “It was indeed Brother’s fault. But I am certainly not the kind of person who would forget his sister just because I have a wife.”

Since Ah Wu saw through his plans at a glance and easily persuaded Tang Xiujin, Rong Yin had begun to look at her with new respect and no longer hesitated to discuss the current situation with her. “Brother certainly admires Young Lady Tang, but in the current situation, can I only care about my own happiness and ignore Father’s worries?”

Rong Yin did not explicitly state his intentions, but Ah Wu’s heart was already in turmoil. She had always thought Rong Yin was just a bit dim-witted, that he only acted out of line because he was in love with Tang Yin, but she had never imagined that beneath the glamorous veil lay such a muddy mess. It turned out that Rong Yin’s pursuit of Tang Yin was still driven by the influence of Grand Secretary Tang.

After a long while, Ah Wu seemed to snap out of a dream and whispered, “Brother is right; I was narrow-minded.”

Although Ah Wu was pleased with Rong Yin’s apparent foolishness, a heavy weight pressed on her heart. She realized that even the most beautiful feelings, once the veil of pretense was torn away, revealed so much manipulation beneath. Rong Yin treated Tang Yin this way, and perhaps the Master Rong treated Lady Cui the same way; otherwise, Concubine Wang would not have appeared. If Ah Wu had not used her scheme to make the Master Rong wary of his concubines, Lady Cui might not have gained such power in the inner quarters. And thinking about the relationship between her princess mother and her father from her previous life, now the Duke of Wei, it was all mutual exploitation.

Rong Yin could not possibly have guessed such petty thoughts from a young woman. Seeing Ah Wu’s pale face and the tears welling in her eyes, he felt extremely distressed. He should not have told Ah Wu these ugly and troublesome things.

“Ah Wu, do not worry. Your father, mother, and I will not force you to marry anyone you do not want. We only hope you can live a happy life. No matter how much scheming we use or how much we do outside, our goal is always the same: to ensure our family lives comfortably.”

Rong Yin’s expression was earnest and sincere, but Ah Wu still did not smile again.

Rong Yin continued, “If you really think your brother will forget you after he gets married, just say the word, and I will not get married.”

Ah Wu finally opened her eyes wide and turned to look at Rong Yin, thinking to herself, “You, Rong Yin, are still trying to scheme against me.” Ah Wu said mischievously, “Fine, then do not marry Sister Yin.” For her sake, she was actually being asked to persuade a man with ulterior motives. Ah Wu was quite petty.

Rong Yin thought for a moment, then solemnly said, “Alright.”

For a moment, even the astute Ah Wu could not tell if Rong Yin’s words were true or false. Realistically, after all he’d done for the girl, there was no way he would break off the engagement. Yet, his promise at this moment sounded so serious.

Perhaps Rong Yin was a master of deception, or perhaps his feelings at this moment were genuine, and his promise was sincere.

Ah Wu did not know, but she could not joke like that, so she smiled through her tears and said, “Alright, I was just testing you so you would not forget your sister. You must not betray Sister Yin after you marry her.”

“Ah Wu, in your brother’s heart, you will always be more important than your sister-in-law. We share the same blood,” Rong Yin said solemnly.

Ah Wu felt as refreshed as drinking ice water on a hot summer day. Whether it was true or not, his words were incredibly comforting. From Ah Wu’s observation, Rong Yin’s eyes were clear and bright at this moment, without a trace of concealment or cloudiness.

Ah Wu herself felt that apart from blood relatives, how close could anyone else be? Therefore, the slight bitterness and darkness in her heart towards Tang Yin disappeared. As a younger sister, it was perfectly normal to feel a little bitterness when her sister-in-law stole her brother’s attention and care.

Of course, Rong Yin’s feelings at this moment were genuine, but after he and Tang Yin married, after they had physical intimacy and conceived children together, the question of who was more important would inevitably lead to history repeating itself.

But we do not need to dwell on these things now; Ah Wu could not understand them at all.

“Alright. Ah Wu, forgive your second brother,” Rong Yin said, opening his arms to Ah Wu.

Ah Wu hesitated for a moment, and although somewhat resistant, she yielded to Rong Yin’s affection, resting her head on his shoulder briefly before quickly pulling away.

Rong Yin felt utterly content when Ah Wu rested her head on his shoulder. Ah Wu, after all, never liked being touched. The sweet fragrance of the young girl lingered in his nostrils; he had never known a woman’s scent could be so pleasant, and he could not help but take a deep breath above Ah Wu’s head. Even when he was close to Tang Yin, he had never found her so fragrant. Moreover, before Tang Yin, he had been with several women, none of whom possessed such a delightful fragrance.

Looking at Ah Wu, Rong Yin felt she was like a dewdrop on the tip of a green bamboo leaf in the morning mist, trembling with a tremor in his heart, as if afraid she would disappear. Rong Yin sighed, wondering who would be by Ah Wu’s side in the future.

For a fleeting moment, Rong Yin thought that if he were not her brother, he could protect her for a lifetime. Of course, these chaotic thoughts were only momentary, then vanished like smoke; they were merely brief thoughts arising in a specific time and place.

While Rong Yin worried about his younger sister’s marriage, other parents, including those in the imperial family, were also concerned about their children’s marriages.

The Longqing Emperor issued an edict to have portraits of eligible unmarried young ladies from the households of officials of the third rank and above drawn, to be presented by the Imperial Household Department to the Empress for review, in preparation for the princes’ selection of consorts.

In fact, Empress Tian and Consort Xiang had already been scouting consorts for the Fifth and Sixth Princes; seeing them in person was always more reassuring than looking at a portrait. Those in the know understood that the so-called presentation to the Empress for selection was actually a presentation to the Emperor himself; the Longqing Emperor wanted to personally oversee the marriages of his princes. Although he was the Son of Heaven, he could not possibly gather all the daughters of third-rank officials for him to inspect one by one. It was not he choosing his consorts but rather choosing daughters-in-law, so there had to be more discretion.

Master Rong happened to be a third-rank official, and thus Ah Wu was among the candidates. Shortly after the edict was issued, a painter from the eunuchs’ household came to the residence to paint Ah Wu’s portrait. At this time, those who wanted to curry favor with the imperial family had to be careful and make necessary arrangements. However, Master Rong had no such intentions. He diligently bribed the eunuchs, his intention being to ask them not to worry too much.

Master Rong did not think Ah Wu could become a prince’s consort. After all, his family’s influence was still weak. Although Ah Wu was beautiful, her talent and reputation were not prominent in the capital. Besides, he was already the fourth prince’s tutor; Ah Wu would not be betrothed to one of the other princes, causing infighting in their harems. As for the fourth prince, Master Rong thought that since he was already tied to the fourth prince, the Emperor and the fourth prince probably would not say anything more about betrothing Ah Wu to him.

While the Longqing Emperor had not yet chosen consorts for his sons, news came from the Tang family that Grand Secretary Tang had agreed to the marriage between Rong Yin and Tang Yin. Even with his extraordinary influence, Grand Secretary Tang could not sway Tang Yin’s hunger strike; after all, he was heartbroken for his daughter. The Tang and Rong families exchanged betrothal gifts very discreetly. Madam Tang also hinted that the Rong family must abide by the agreement.

This agreement was naturally the agreement for the division of the family property. Ah Wu told Master Rong upon her return that day. Master Rong thought for a moment and nodded.