Four Seasons Brocade – CH 105

Chapter 105 ☆、

Master Rong and Lady Cui’s two sons and one daughter seemed to have all offended the oracle when it came to marriage, each one arriving later than the last. As the eldest son, Rong Jie’s marriage should naturally be the priority. However, both Master Rong and the scholar Dong insisted that Rong Jie marry after passing the imperial examination to have double happiness. This was also to prevent Rong Jie from being distracted. As the saying goes, “The gentle embrace of a hero is his downfall,” and how could the allure of a tender wife compare to the charm of diligent study?

Therefore, Rong Jie could not marry until at least the thirty-second year of the Longqing reign. Rong Yin naturally could not marry before him, and the Tang family was eager to keep Tang Yin for as long as possible and could also wait and see how the political situation changed.

Although Ah Wu’s two older brothers were considered late to marriage, Ah Wu’s marriage could not wait. The Longqing Emperor’s gracious act of waiting until Ah Wu reached marriageable age before having the Imperial Astronomical Bureau choose an auspicious date was already a great favor.

In the summer of the thirty-first year of the Longqing reign, after Ah Wu’s coming-of-age ceremony, the Imperial Astronomical Bureau consulted several auspicious dates, and the Longqing Emperor chose the sixteenth day of the eighth month to bestow upon Ah Wu the marriage of his fourth son, Chu Mao. Thus, Ah Wu would marry before her two elder brothers, something that would normally seem unbelievable, but given the imperial family’s affairs, no one found it strange.

With the date set, Lady Cui became increasingly busy. On one hand, Ah Wu had to meticulously explain the household’s accounts and affairs to Lady Cui; on the other hand, Lady Cui had to rush to prepare Ah Wu’s dowry. Although preparations had been underway for the past two years, Lady Cui remained uneasy until Ah Wu’s dowry was carried out, constantly worrying about whether it was lacking or insufficient.

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Although she was marrying into the imperial family, it was said that the life of an unfavored prince was worse than that of an ordinary official. Moreover, this was, after all, a high-ranking marriage, and her daughter would have no place to appeal in the future. Thinking of the two concubines who had married into the Prince Qi’s household first, Lady Cui’s gaze towards Ah Wu became increasingly tender. She wished she could empty the entire Rong Mansion and give it all to Ah Wu as her dowry.

Lady Cui was extremely reluctant to part with Ah Wu, often muttering that if it were not for the Emperor’s decree, she would have kept Ah Wu until she was eighteen before allowing her to marry. Dong Cangyue had been kept until she was eighteen before being betrothed to Rong Jie, a fact that Lady Cui harbored some resentment towards.

Lady Cui herself was not good at managing a household, and for years, Ah Wu had managed the entire household impeccably. Now, the thought of Lady Cui taking over gave her a headache. She wanted to quickly bring her eldest daughter-in-law into the family, but the Dong family disagreed, putting on airs. Actually, this was the Dong family’s custom for marrying off their daughters; it was not arrogance on their part. But in Lady Cui’s eyes, who longed for a daughter-in-law, she could not blame Great Confucian Dong, nor could she blame her own husband; she could only blame Dong Cangyue. Ah Wu, knowing Lady Cui’s worries, offered her words of comfort, saying that if Lady Cui could just endure another six months, Dong Cangyue would be able to marry into the family next spring.

On the other hand, Master Rong and her two elder brothers, Rong Jie and Rong Yin, had been secretly asking for private funds to supplement Ah Wu’s dowry. Ah Wu herself owned the Four Seasons Brocade shop, making her dowry quite substantial in the capital, though the Four Seasons Brocade shop could not be openly displayed.

As for Cui Ji, it was run by Ah Wu, Master Rong, and Lady Cui. Ah Wu divided the shares of Desheng Cloth Shop in half, giving half to each of her two brothers.

As for Gu Tingyi, he was certainly not short of money.

With Ah Wu’s wedding date drawing ever closer, Gu Tingyi again arranged to meet her at Cui Ji. Over the past two years, the two had maintained close private contact, and Ah Wu had learned much about the Imperial Princess from Gu Tingyi. Information such as her health, her preferences, and even her tastes was all prepared by Ah Wu behind the scenes, which Gu Tingyi then sent to please the Princess. This ensured the Princess would constantly praise Gu Tingyi for his filial piety and discerning eye.

“Second Brother,” Ah Wu said, lifting the curtain and entering.

Gu Tingyi, who had been admiring a flower-and-bird painting hanging in the room with his hands behind his back, turned around upon hearing Ah Wu’s voice.

No matter how many times he had seen Ah Wu, her beauty always captivated him. As Ah Wu grew older, her beauty became increasingly striking. Her youthful grace now possessed a touch of womanly allure, like a tulip bud just beginning to bloom, its petals slightly unfurled—truly alluring.

As Ah Wu entered the room, her waist appeared even more slender, almost as if it could be snapped in two. Gu Tingyi gazed at her for a moment, then sighed sadly, “Alas, I know not such a slender waist; who will be there to break it?”

“Second Brother, why do you look so pale? Did you quarrel with Mother again?” Ah Wu had seen Gu Tingyi many times, and her tone became increasingly casual. “To be honest, Mother is right. You are not young anymore, half a year older than Eldest Brother Rong Jie. Since you refuse to marry, naturally, Mother is angry with you.”

For the past two years, Gu Tingyi had been constantly arguing with the Princess, refusing to marry no matter what. Although Ah Wu guessed the reason, she did not want to think about it.

“I have achieved nothing now, relying entirely on our family’s wealth. I’ve come to you this time because I truly have something to tell you,” Gu Tingyi said, sitting down.

Seeing Gu Tingyi’s serious expression, Ah Wu also became serious.

“I’ve already obtained permission from my uncle to take up the post of Deputy Commissioner of the Provincial Judicial Commission in Liaodong.”

Ah Wu was startled. The Provincial Judicial Commission was a military post in the Great Xia Dynasty, under the Ministry of War. In times of war, these positions required deployment to the battlefield. Liaodong was near the northern barbarians, a place of constant threat and unrest. “Why so suddenly? Even if Second Brother is to be transferred elsewhere, why Liaodong? It’s too dangerous there.”

“How can one earn military merit in a peaceful place? Do not worry, I’ve already considered it.” Gu Tingyi did not seem to care about the danger.

“Mother agreed?” Knowing the Princess as she did, Ah Wu knew she would never agree, and in her previous life, her Second Brother had never left the capital.

Gu Tingyi was silent for a moment before saying, “Mother will eventually agree.”

Ah Wu felt a pang of sadness; she had already guessed Gu Tingyi’s plan. The Great Xia Dynasty’s control over Liaodong was actually weak, and it was frequently harassed by foreign powers; the northern barbarians’ harassment of Liaodong was constant. As long as Gu Tingyi could establish a foothold in Liaodong, even if the Fourth Prince died, the switch might still protect Ah Wu.

Furthermore, Chu Mao’s concubine Tao Siyao’s father was Tao Yingshi, the Governor-General of the Three Eastern Provinces, and Gu Tingyi happened to be under Tao Yingshi’s command, which was quite intriguing.

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However, Ah Wu also breathed a sigh of relief. With Gu Tingyi under Tao Yingshi’s command, he was essentially Chu Mao’s man. If he performed meritorious service in the future, even if the Imperial Princess was under Chu Mao’s command, her situation might be better. Ah Wu was quite confident in this. Although Chu Mao was ruthless towards enemies, he was generous to those who had rendered meritorious service, not one to discard a good bow after the birds were gone. He also did not hesitate to suppress powerful military officials, showing considerable magnanimity.

“Second Brother, I…” Ah Wu’s eyes stung with tears.

“I might not be able to see you get married. I have to leave in another month,” Gu Tingyi said again.

Ah Wu’s tears finally streamed down her face. “You must take good care of yourself. I am still waiting for you to support me.”

Gu Tingyi smiled and said, “I thought you would at least try to keep me.”

Ah Wu cried between sobs, “A good man’s ambition lies in all corners of the world. Second Brother has such ambition, and I can only admire him. If you are well, Mother will be well.”

Gu Tingyi sighed softly, as if a feather had fallen to the ground. His going to Liaodong, although for his mother’s and Ah Wu’s sake, was ultimately his own ambition. He had not expected Ah Wu to understand his thoughts so well after hearing just one sentence from him.

How understanding she was.

Seeing Ah Wu’s tears rolling down her cheeks, Gu Tingyi could not help but raise his hand to gently wipe them away. Ah Wu was startled, reflexively wanting to back away, but then stopped.

“Ah Wu, take care of yourself. No matter what, your brother will do everything in his power to protect you.”

“Second Brother,” Ah Wu sobbed, unable to speak.

Gu Tingyi clenched his other fist at his side, then suddenly pulled Ah Wu close and forcefully planted a light kiss on her forehead.

This action stunned Ah Wu, yet she could not quite put her finger on why Gu Tingyi had done something wrong.

After the kiss, both of them felt awkward. Ah Wu watched Gu Tingyi leave, staring at his retreating figure for a long time. Deep down, she knew her Second Brother still harbored feelings for her, but she could not get over it, and reality would not allow them to be together.

After a long while, Ah Wu turned around and saw a sandalwood box with gold-carved peony scrolls on the table in the room—presumably left by Gu Tingyi.

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Ah Wu opened the box and saw it had two layers. The top layer contained a diamond the size of a pigeon’s egg, two rubies and emeralds, and smaller pink, blue, and yellow gemstones. Their brilliance astonished Ah Wu. Even when she was Princess Kangning, she rarely saw such fine things.

The bottom layer of the box contained a stack of small silver notes, each worth one hundred taels. A rough estimate suggested there were fifty of them.

Ah Wu thought that this was probably all her Second Brother’s wealth, and now he had given it all to her. Ah Wu felt a pang of sadness. She wondered what her Second Brother’s mind was when he went to Liaodong, abandoning his life and fortune.

Back in her room, Ah Wu looked at herself in the mirror. For the first time, she thought that if her face were more ordinary, her Second Brother would not have harbored any ulterior motives. There would not have been any awkwardness or distance between them, and he would not have fled to a distant land because of his heartbreak.

Despite the awkwardness, in Ah Wu’s heart, Gu Tingyi was always just her Second Brother, and she could only pretend not to understand some things.

Autumn arrived, and the days flew by. No matter how much Ah Wu kept her eyes open, time relentlessly slipped away, and soon it was the sixteenth day of the eighth month.

The imperial family’s ceremonies were tedious and exhausting. Ah Wu, dressed in the auspicious robes of a princess, was carried into the bridal sedan chair by Rong Jie, holding an apple in her hands and wearing a golden crown so heavy it could break her neck. Following the wedding procession led by the chief and deputy envoys, she left the Rong Mansion and entered the place where she would spend the rest of her life—the Prince Qi’s Mansion.