Four Seasons Brocade – CH 117

Chapter 117 ☆、

After dinner, the two rested briefly in the east side room as usual. Ah Wu sat sideways on the couch, her hands folded in her lap, her posture graceful and picturesque, seemingly shyly looking down at Chu Mao’s chest. Hmm, the floral pattern on this dress was truly beautiful, and the gold leaf buttons at the collar were exquisite.

Ah Wu nearly drifted off into thought due to her interest in clothing, but quickly regained her composure. She should now focus on breaking the silence between her and Chu Mao. A couple sitting side-by-side in silence was not a good sign.

Ah Wu felt she should start with shared interests. Talking about the weather was too ordinary and would not leave a good impression. Ah Wu considered Chu Mao’s interests, and the first thought that flashed through her mind was “Buddhist philosophy.” She immediately dismissed it. This self-proclaimed talented woman, Ah Wu, considered herself proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, and prose, but Buddhist philosophy was indeed her weak point. Moreover, she had no intention of discussing Buddhist scriptures with Chu Mao; that would be too mentally taxing.

Playing the zither was currently her forte, but she did not know Chu Mao’s skill level. Ah Wu dared not act rashly, lest she offend His Highness Prince Qi.

Poetry and prose—it would be too deliberate to discuss them now, and there’s no poetic mood to begin with. Discussing books was even more out of the question; last time, His Highness Prince Qi simply handed her the book he was reading, and then… nothing happened.

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But Ah Wu understood a principle well: making a request was a more effective way to build rapport than offering help. That was what Ah Wu did with Nanny Hao, and it also reduced the other person’s wariness. Ah Wu decided to try the same approach with Chu Mao and saw how it went.

“Your Highness, is there a place in the mansion where books are kept? I’d like to find a few to pass the time.” Ah Wu immediately realized her mistake—was she not complaining that she, the Princess Consort, was bored all the time?

“The Shuangjian Tower in the garden is one, but you need my token to enter.” Chu Mao briefly looked away from the book in his hand and glanced at Ah Wu.

Ah Wu waited for his next words. After waiting for about ten breaths, she dared to confirm that there was indeed no further news. “They are incredibly stingy,” Ah Wu thought indignantly, but she could understand. For example, she did not like lending her own books to others.

“I wonder why Shuangjian Tower got its name?” If Ah Wu wanted to, she would be a master at finding topics to talk about.

But Chu Mao was truly a master of awkward silences. Chu Mao glanced at Ah Wu indifferently and continued reading, and his thin lips showed no sign of opening. Ah Wu could understand; those in high positions always used silence to strengthen their aura. Otherwise, saying the wrong thing would inevitably appear ignorant, while saying too much might reveal their true intentions. Emperors throughout history had deeply understood the principle of “golden words and jade teeth.”

Ah Wu first put herself in Chu Mao’s position to experience it, then returned to her own, feeling that besides being even more thick-skinned, there was really no other way to break the silence. So Ah Wu had no choice but to ask herself, “Is it the meaning of ‘taking others as a mirror, taking the past as a mirror’?” In simpler terms, it was about using others as a mirror, but if you wanted the other person to speak up, the best way was to have them correct their mistakes.

This time, Chu Mao’s eyes finally returned to Ah Wu. Ah Wu quickly pressed on, smiling at Chu Mao, “Your Highness, does the Shuangjian Tower have a rare edition of the Zizhi Tongjian?” There was a reason why Ah Wu immediately thought of this book upon hearing “Shuangjian Tower.” Since Chu Mao aspired to rule the world, the “mirror” in Shuangjian ^{(Double Mirror)} Tower inevitably brought to mind the Zizhi Tongjian, which emphasizes “learning from the past to aid in governance.”

Chu Mao’s lips finally curved into a slight smile. He picked up the tea from the small table and took a sip—a hint that he was about to start a long conversation, Ah Wu thought.

“Shuangjian Tower houses two sets of the Zizhi Tongjian, one a patchwork edition. The other is…” Chu Mao spoke casually, but a hint of pride lingered between his brows, clearly pleased by Ah Wu’s words, “…the Yuan Dynasty edition.”

Ah Wu was secretly pleased as well, finally having won him over. However, when she heard the belated “Yuan Dynasty edition,” she almost froze. “Your Highness, do you mean that Yuan Dynasty edition?” Ah Wu’s excited speech became incoherent.

Chu Mao’s lips curled up again, his gaze returning to the scroll in his hand, and he casually hummed in agreement. It was truly the ultimate display of ostentation and boasting.

Actually, Ah Wu did not particularly favor historical books; she preferred books of random thoughts, miscellaneous reflections, short notes, diaries, and notebooks. But due to her past life, Ah Wu was very interested in court affairs in this life and thus had read quite a few historical books. And book lovers naturally had a deep affection for ancient and rare editions, a love akin to that of a connoisseur of fine wine for a century-old vintage of Moutai, especially since this was a rare, original edition.

Therefore, Ah Wu, swallowing her pride, shamelessly asked, “I wonder if I could…” take a look?

Before Ah Wu could finish speaking, Chu Mao replied crisply and decisively, “No.” Ah Wu secretly added another stroke of “bold color” to Chu Mao’s little black book in her mind.

Having said that much, Ah Wu no longer had the desire to talk to Chu Mao and try to get closer. It was just a contest of who was more pretentious, and this Princess Ah Wu was second to none.

However, everything in the world was interconnected and interdependent; one advances while the other retreats, and vice versa. Ah Wu remained silent, but Chu Mao spoke up, “You went to Hongyao Villa this afternoon?”

Ah Wu gave a curt reply, “Um.”

“Is Aunt’s illness any better?” Chu Mao asked again.

Ah Wu inwardly cursed, “Since you know I went to Hongyao Villa, do you not know how your aunt’s condition is? You are kidding me!” But since Chu Mao asked, Ah Wu quickly regained her composure. “It seems to have worsened. I’ve already urged Lady Xiangsi and Nanny Lu to fetch a physician.”

In truth, Ah Wu had no idea what the illness was really like; it was probably just a pretense of “serious illness” put on by the two of them to have an excuse for making her wait so long. Everyone knew the truth, but no one dared to expose them; otherwise, it would be too embarrassing.

“Aunt’s health is not good, so please bear with her.”

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Ah Wu thought Chu Mao’s words were probably meant to comfort her, but bear with her, my foot! Leaving a Princess like her outside for so long—where was the decorum? Although Ah Wu would not stoop to Xiangsi’s level, Chu Mao’s favoritism infuriated her.

However, as soon as Chu Mao finished speaking, he put down his book, got up, and went to the bathing room to bathe and change—an indication that he was to stay the night.

Only then did Ah Wu belatedly realize that perhaps His Highness Prince Qi’s special trip back today to have dinner with her and his offer to stay the night were just to appease her?

After calming down, Ah Wu thought about how Chu Mao had said that Nanny Hao was unwell and asked her to be more lenient. She wondered if he genuinely felt the Princess should be considerate of a wet nurse, or if he knew Nanny Hao was nearing the end and was only being lenient with Hongyao Villa out of filial piety, even asking her to be lenient in return.

Ah Wu tried hard to recall when Lady Qilian had died, but unfortunately, Princess Kangning would not care when an unknown wet nurse died. She did not even know if Lady Qilian had died after Chu Mao ascended the throne or before, and was only posthumously granted the title of Lady. So much time had passed that her memory was becoming hazy.

However, with this thought in mind, and out of respect for the dead, Ah Wu’s anger towards Hongyao Villa subsided.

That night, as autumn deepened and the weather grew cooler, Ah Wu instinctively gravitated towards warmth. Even the thick rolls of two quilts could not stop her from rolling towards Chu Mao’s side. But tonight was slightly different. Chu Mao did not push Ah Wu further in; instead, he pulled off his own quilt and covered her with it. The weight of the quilt, weighing over ten kilograms, made Ah Wu unable to move, and she sweated profusely. Chu Mao himself, however, shifted to the side.

When Ah Wu woke up early in the morning, she felt sticky and damp all over; even her undergarments were a little damp. She found it strange, but it was not surprising; a girl her age should be sleeping soundly, not even disturbed by a summer thunderclap. When Lady Cui found out, she repeatedly said that Ah Wu was blessed, that being able to sleep well was a blessing.

Zi-Shan stepped forward with a smile to serve Ah Wu, saying, “Actually, the Prince still cares about you, Miss. He ordered early this morning that the Yulan Hall will start heating up the floor today. That’s more than ten days earlier than usual, and the weather is not even that cold this year.”

Unlike Zi-Shan’s cheerful demeanor, Nanny Sang’s face was so gloomy it could drip water. After Ah Wu had washed and dressed, Nanny Sang dismissed the other maids and stayed behind to speak with Ah Wu alone.

“My dear girl, tell your wet nurse the truth. What’s really going on between you and the Prince? Did you consummate your marriage?” Looking at the clean bed these past few days, Nanny Sang already knew the answer, but she still clung to a sliver of hope that Ah Wu would refute her.

Ah Wu blushed. She had not expected Nanny Sang to be so direct, even interfering with her bedroom affairs. Ah Wu blushed first, then frowned and said, “Wet nurse—”

Nanny Sang knew Ah Wu’s peculiar habits; she hated it when people talked about such things. Even the night before her wedding, when the mistress told her about what happened in the bedroom, she was extremely reluctant to listen. “My dear girl, your wet nurse knows you do not like it, but having children is all about this! If you and the Prince do not consummate your marriage, how will you have a son? How will you maintain your position in the Prince’s Mansion? Not to mention anything else, just look at those two concubines and that Lady Xiangsi. If you do not quickly give birth to a son to protect yourself, will they not trample on you?”

Ah Wu fell silent. She knew she should have a son, but even if she wanted to, and Chu Mao did not, she could not force him to consummate the marriage—it would be too shameful. Besides, according to Lady Cui’s vague explanation, consummating the marriage seemed to mean the man inserting his genitals into the woman’s body. Just thinking about it made Ah Wu want to vomit, and she gagged twice, leaving Nanny Sang at a loss for words.

“My dear girl! My dear girl!” Nanny Sang could only jump up and down in frustration.

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“Nanny, I know, I know, I also want a son, but this can only be done naturally; it cannot be rushed. Please be patient,” Ah Wu quickly comforted Nanny Sang, afraid she might make herself sick from worry.

Ah Wu had idealistically considered having someone else give birth to a son so she could raise him, but she knew that raising a child who was not her own was extremely difficult. If one day there were two mothers of the emperor vying for power, even as the Empress Dowager, she would not fare well, still living under the control of another mother and son. Of course, the best scenario would be for the concubine who gave birth to the son to die in childbirth, just as Chu Mao’s son’s biological mother had indeed died in childbirth in her previous life, but who knew what would happen in this life?

Giving birth to a son would require placing a man’s urinating organ inside one’s body; Ah Wu could not make sense of this deal, no matter how she calculated it, so she could only let nature take its course.

T/N: Yes, the author said that thing used for urinating hahaha. In Ah Wu’s mind, doesn’t it make sense to think of that thing as what a man uses to urinate than anything else?