Four Seasons Brocade – CH 104

Chapter 104 ☆、  

Having a prince’s consort in the family was a cause for celebration, worthy of three days of firecrackers. The families on Xichenggen Street and the three families in the south were all beaming with joy after receiving the decree. Only the Rong Mansion near Qinglong Bridge seemed to be shrouded in gloom; not a single master in the mansion wore a smile.

Master Rong was the most composed of them all. He was already a fish in water with the Fourth Prince, so another layer of marriage would not make a big difference; it would just make him more devoted. Besides, Master Rong felt that, aside from the Fourth Prince’s future prospects, he was a perfect match for Ah Wu in every way.

Meanwhile, Lady Cui recalled the Fourth Prince’s appearance and demeanor when she saw him from afar that day—everything about him was admirable. She thought this marriage was excellent, especially since her husband was the Fourth Prince’s tutor. Even for his sake, the Fourth Prince would not mistreat Ah Wu. Lady Cui thought this way because neither Master Rong, Ah Wu, nor her two sons had ever mentioned the political situation at court to her, nor had they shared any concerns about the future.

But seeing Ah Wu’s violent reaction and the complete lack of joy on her face, Lady Cui naturally could not be happy either.

“Master, why not go and persuade Ah Wu?” Lady Cui nudged Master Rong.

Master Rong remained silent. He knew about Rong Yin’s matchmaking efforts between Ah Wu and the Second Master of the Gu family and had tacitly approved of it. He simply had not expected the Emperor to suddenly betroth Ah Wu to the Fourth Prince as his primary wife. Master Rong assumed Ah Wu had feelings for the Second Master Gu, hence her strong reaction.

Given the Fourth Prince’s status and his looks comparable to Wei Jie and Pan An, countless noble ladies in the capital admired him. Take, for example, the granddaughter/young lady of the Duke of Zhenguo, whom the Emperor had betrothed to the Fourth Prince as a concubine; she had even disregarded her reputation as a young woman just to marry the Fourth Prince.

“Let her calm down. It’s best if she figures it out herself,” sighed Master Rong. He was deeply troubled, wondering how he could protect his only daughter/young lady should something happen to her.

Lying sprawled on the bed, Ah Wu stared intently at the gilded, openwork chrysanthemum-patterned incense burner hanging above the bed, her mind a jumble of complex thoughts.

Upon hearing the eunuch announce the imperial decree of marriage, Ah Wu’s first thought was that it was impossible. In her previous life, the Fourth Prince’s primary consort was clearly not a Rong family girl. However, upon reflection, she realized that Master Rong had never passed the imperial examinations or become the Fourth Prince’s tutor, so Rong Xuan, Wuyou, could never become the Fourth Prince’s consort.

To be married to her nemesis—this was something Ah Wu had never expected. Just thinking about what the Fourth Prince had done to the Imperial Princess and the Duke of Wei’s mansion made her uneasy. Although there was no blood feud, the lingering resentment was endless.

Then, a thought drifted into Ah Wu’s mind. Come to think of it, the Fourth Prince was her cousin, a cousin from her maternal side’s paternal side. While the laws of the Great Xia Dynasty did not explicitly forbid marriage between cousins ​​from their mothers’ marriages, there was an unwritten rule in both the common people and the court that relatives within three generations generally did not marry.

Thinking of this, Ah Wu felt even more uneasy. Moreover, the Fourth Prince’s principal wife and Empress had died one after the other; Ah Wu was genuinely afraid of being cursed by him. He had caused his mother’s death at birth, and the Longqing Emperor disliked him intensely, refusing to see him. Two of his wives had also died, and things only calmed down after he did not appoint another Empress. Finally, he instigated a war, massacring the capital. With his cruelty and bloodlust, he seemed destined to be a jinx, a lone star. Ah Wu had no confidence that her life could outlast the Fourth Prince.

Ah Wu trembled just thinking about it.

Of course, this marriage was not without its advantages. As the future consort of the Fourth Prince, as long as Ah Wu stayed alive, she could look after the Imperial Princess and her brothers, ensuring they would not fall into such a miserable and desperate situation again.

Despite the many disadvantages, this one reason was enough for Ah Wu to accept the marriage and try her best to please the Fourth Prince.

However, the thought of having to serve her adversary and consummate her marriage with such a man made it impossible for Ah Wu to relax her furrowed brow.

Moreover, the imperial family’s inner court differed greatly from that of ordinary people. The Emperor could marry seventy-two wives, and the princes also had many wives in their inner courts. Those listed in the imperial register typically had one principal wife and two concubines. This time, the Longqing Emperor had not only bestowed a principal wife upon the four princes but also directly arranged two concubines for each of them.

Ah Wu was designated as the principal wife of the Fourth Prince, Chu Mao. His other two concubines were He Peizhen from the Duke of Zhenguo’s mansion and Tao Siyao, daughter of Tao Yingshi, the Governor-General of the Three Eastern Provinces.

In terms of lineage, both concubines were of a higher status than Ah Wu. He Peizhen was the granddaughter of the Duke of Zhenguo, a first-rank duke who controlled two armies in the southwest, a position even the Longqing Emperor had to be wary of. The Governor-General of the Great Xia Dynasty was a second-rank official, and if granted the titles of Grand Tutor, Grand Preceptor, and Grand Protector, he would be a first-rank official. Even if Tao Yingshi was only a second-rank official, he was still higher than Master Rong, a third-rank vice minister. Moreover, the Governor-General, overseeing the military and political affairs of his region, was a regional king with absolute authority.

For a daughter of such a family to become a prince’s concubine was certainly not considered beneath her, since all the wealth and honor were bestowed by the Emperor, and the Emperor’s sons were naturally far more noble than their daughters. However, the problem lay in the fact that if the principal wife’s birth was low, she would have no power over the two concubines. Therefore, it was obvious that the Fourth Prince’s harem would be anything but peaceful.

Ah Wu privately believed that her uncle and the Fourth Prince were not only not father and son but practically enemies. Even before marrying into the family, Ah Wu could already feel the intense suffering they would endure.

Before the Fourth Prince ascended the throne, he would naturally have to keep a low profile and bide his time. Ah Wu, as the Fourth Prince’s wife, would likely be repressed both publicly and privately, since the two concubines’ backers were those whom Chu Mao would need to cultivate. With such a family as her in-laws, Ah Wu was almost certain that the Fourth Prince’s chances of successfully rebelling in this life would be no less than in her previous life. As for the aftermath of his ascension to the throne, the dangers within the harem were no less treacherous than those in the court.

Looking at the marriages of the other princes, one saw the actions of a father truly planning for his son’s future.

The Fifth Prince, born to Empress Tian, ​​had his principal wife, Yin Xuexia, the youngest daughter of Yin Shaoyan, a high-ranking official in the Imperial Household Department. His two concubines were from the wealthy Zeng family, the Salt Commissioner of Lianghuai, and Liu Miaolian, the granddaughter of Liu Taifu, who had recently retired. Liu Miaolian’s grandfather was a three-dynasty veteran and a first-rank Grand Tutor, whose prestige remained undiminished despite retirement and who still held considerable influence among scholars. While both concubines came from families with their own strengths, neither could surpass Yin Xuexia in terms of social standing. What a harmonious harem!

The Sixth Prince, born to Consort Xiang, had his principal wife, Princess Herui. His two concubines were the daughter of the Xing family, the Salt Commissioner of Fujian, and Rong Wan, the eldest granddaughter of the Duke of Anguo, one of the two most beautiful women in the capital, whom Ah Wu was extremely familiar with. Although it was mentioned earlier that cousins ​​on both sides of the paternal aunt’s and maternal aunt’s sides were not common in the Great Xia Dynasty, sometimes, for other reasons, such relationships did exist.

For example, this time, Princess Changqing had apparently used her connections with Consort Xiang to get involved with the Sixth Prince. This was truly something to celebrate, in Ah Wu’s opinion. It was better to send this Princess Herui to harm the Sixth Prince than to harm her own brother.

As for the Seventh Prince, who could be disregarded, the Longqing Emperor probably did not want to ruin other people’s daughters, so he only appointed one principal wife for him: Xiang Yunjia, the daughter of the Xiang family of the Earl of Huating’s Mansion, who was Consort Xiang’s niece.

Ah Wu reviewed the principal and secondary wives of the four families, including herself, and still had some questions in her mind. However, she knew she could not figure it out sitting in the room, so she opened the door and went out.

Everyone in the household breathed a sigh of relief when they saw their young lady leave the room; a whole day and night had passed. Upon receiving the news, Lady Cui was so busy that she practically ran to Ah Wu’s room, neglecting her manners. Seeing Ah Wu, she exclaimed with heartache, “You’ve lost weight! How could you become so haggard in just one day? Look at your complexion! This will not do; we must call a physician to take a look.” Lady Cui was always decisive when it came to Ah Wu.

Ah Wu was touched and quickly took Lady Cui’s hand, saying, “Madam, do not worry. It’s only been one day; how could I have lost weight? You are worried about me, I know,” Ah Wu said with a smile.

“You know I am worried about you?” Lady Cui tapped Ah Wu’s forehead.

Ah Wu took Lady Cui’s hand, saying, “I am not heartless; how could I not know Madam and Father’s worries? But I’ve come to terms with it now.”

The moment she saw Lady Cui, all of Ah Wu’s dissatisfaction with this marriage vanished. Because she not only had to protect the Imperial Princess’s family but also her own father and mother in this life, whose love for her was genuine and unconditional. Ah Wu also hoped to live a carefree life forever, protecting Lady Cui like this.

After speaking with Lady Cui, Ah Wu ate a bowl of very soft green rice porridge and some pastries. After Master Rong finished his official duties, she went with him to the front study.

“Father, why would His Majesty betroth your daughter to the Fourth Prince? This is too sudden,” Ah Wu asked bluntly.

This matter was truly strange. Not only had the painter received bribes from Master Rong and only depicted Ah Wu’s appearance as seven-tenths complete, but Ah Wu herself had also rarely gone out in the six months since returning to the capital, keeping an extremely low profile. With neither talent nor beauty to her name, how could she have caught the eye of the Longqing Emperor?

“I’ve inquired about what you asked, but no one knows the specifics. Even Eunuch Su, who serves the Emperor, does not know,” said Master Rong.

If even Eunuch Su did not know, then very few people in the world truly understood the Longqing Emperor’s thoughts. Ah Wu did not press the matter further; the die was cast.

“Father, why would the Emperor betroth Young Lady He to the Fourth Prince as a concubine? Leaving aside her illustrious background, she could easily be his principal wife. The Duke of Zhenguo, behind her, was already a formidable figure. The Emperor disliked the Fourth Prince; why would he betroth the Duke of Zhenguo’s daughter to him?” This was what puzzled Ah Wu greatly.

Master Rong chuckled, somewhat puzzled. “It’s not surprising you do not know. The He family has kept this under wraps. I never intended to tell you about these sordid matters.”

Upon hearing this, Ah Wu’s interest was piqued. “Ah, how so?”

It turned out that He Peizhen was infatuated with the Fourth Prince. Ever since learning that the Longqing Emperor was arranging marriages for the four princes, she could not sit still. Her grandfather and father naturally forbade her from marrying the Fourth Prince, but having been pampered since childhood, she had developed a spoiled and arrogant nature. Whatever she wanted, she got. However, her family would not pull strings to help her marry the Fourth Prince, so everything depended on He Peizhen herself.

And this Young Lady He was truly audacious. Hearing that the Fourth Prince was going to the Daci Temple to discuss scriptures with Huitong, she followed him, pestering him and, disregarding a woman’s reputation, confessing her feelings to Chu Mao. Unfortunately, this was overheard by the First Madam of the Marquis of Zhongwu’s Mansion, who was also Tang Yin’s aunt. The First Madam, Lady Zhuang, then told several other ladies about it as a joke.

Now, how could He Peizhen’s reputation be protected? Although the Duchess of Zhenguo later used her connections to cover it up, nothing could stay hidden forever. The Longqing Emperor had planted so many spies, both openly and secretly, in the capital; if he wanted to, few things could escape his notice. Since He Peizhen was a potential daughter-in-law, the Longqing Emperor naturally had to pay attention.

Therefore, he betrothed He Peizhen to the Fourth Prince as a concubine, and the He family dared not object, as it was their daughter’s own improper conduct.

Upon hearing what Master Rong said, Ah Wu understood. She had been overthinking things.

“Ah Wu, I am relieved that you’ve come to terms with this marriage. No matter what, I will help you.” Master Rong looked at the girl he had doted on since childhood, and the thought of her soon getting married made his heart ache.

Ah Wu was grateful to him but could not speak, only nodding vigorously.

“But you know many of the imperial family’s rules are different from ours in the common world. Do not panic. No matter what, they cannot surpass you, the principal wife,” said Master Rong, comforting Ah Wu.

“I know, Father,” Ah Wu replied.

Ah Wu understood Master Rong’s meaning perfectly. Since the Longqing Emperor had issued the decree, and the Fourth Prince was currently the eldest prince, his marriage should naturally be arranged first. But Ah Wu was still young, only thirteen years old, and too inexperienced for both marriage and future motherhood.

Therefore, an imperial decree had already been issued from Empress Tian’s palace, ordering the Fourth Prince to marry He Peizhen first. This was a form of appeasement for the He family, and although it was Empress Tian’s decree, everyone knew it was the Longqing Emperor’s will. Empress Tian had never dared to make decisions on behalf of the Longqing Emperor.

Speaking of which, He Peizhen was two years older than Ah Wu, and at fifteen this year, she’s just the right age to marry. The wedding was set for next spring. Tao Siyao was half a year younger than He Peizhen and was scheduled to marry into the Prince Qi’s mansion next autumn. As for Ah Wu, she would have to wait until after her coming-of-age ceremony before she and the Fourth Prince would hold their grand ceremony.

With the two concubines marrying into the mansion first, they would have secured the household’s control and might even take over the management. Ah Wu, the principal wife, would marry in two years, and her initial days would undoubtedly be difficult. Moreover, if those two were particularly capable, they might even have sons by then. The royal family was not like the common people; in their rules, there was no reason why a son born to a concubine should not be born first.

Master Rong and Lady Cui could not help but worry.