Four Seasons Brocade – CH 118

Chapter 118 ☆、

Seeing that Ah Wu was unyielding, Nanny Sang was so angry her lips trembled, but she still could not do anything. She even made a harsh statement, saying that Ah Wu would regret it later.

Ah Wu was not angry at Nanny Sang’s reckless words. In fact, she agreed with Nanny Sang’s words, but putting them into practice was extremely difficult. This was what was called knowing was easy, doing was hard.

Before Ah Wu could finish her self-reflection, Zi-Shan walked in, tiptoeing, looking extremely frightened. Ah Wu wanted to laugh at Zi-Shan’s exaggerated antics. “Is it Lady Tao?”

“Miss is truly amazing.” Zi-Shan smiled and stepped forward. “How did you guess?”

Ah Wu made a calculation gesture with her fingers. “Of course, I calculated it.” In fact, as far as Ah Wu knew, Chu Mao seemed to have no favoritism towards these two concubines. He only spent the whole night in their rooms on the night they entered the mansion and rarely visited them afterward. Of course, the chance encounter in the garden did not count.

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“Let’s go. Since Lady Tao is so sincere, we cannot be negligent,” Ah Wu said, adjusting the hairpin in her hair.

Zi-Shan glanced at the sky outside. The sun was practically high in the sky before she came to pay her respects; she really was sincere.

Tao Siyao, seeing Ah Wu emerge, slowly rose from her chair and gave Ah Wu a slight curtsy. “Greetings, Your Highness.”

Ah Wu smiled at Tao Siyao, taking the opportunity to size her up. She was indeed a beauty, with almond-shaped eyes, peach-blossom cheeks, a delicate nose, and pearly teeth. She possessed a naturally graceful and fragile air; if she were to hold her heart, she would be a reincarnation of Xi Shi, the legendary beauty who washed silk. Now Ah Wu could understand why Tao Siyao, the daughter of a Governor-General, could only be a concubine. Her body clearly was not suited for childbearing. Ah Wu suddenly felt a chill; oh no, she had actually followed Zi-Shan’s bad example.

As soon as Ah Wu sat down, Zi-Zhui, who was standing beside her, placed a cushion in front of her, while Zi-Shan carried a mahogany tray with a cup of hot tea on it.

Tao Siyao’s expression changed slightly, but she quickly concealed it. She picked up the tea from the tray, knelt respectfully, and held it to her brow, saying, “Your Highness, please have some tea.”

Ah Wu took the tea, sipped it, and then stepped forward to gently help Tao Siyao up.

After the two were seated again, they began to talk. As usual, it began with some small talk, asking about the weather or her health. “Judging from your condition, is it a congenital ailment?” she asked.

Tao Siyao replied with a self-deprecating laugh, her voice trailing off. “It’s a habit. I’ve been taking medicine like water since I was little.”

“In that case, you do not need to come to pay your respects every day. You should rest more.” Of course, Ah Wu knew that Lady Tao had no intention of coming to pay her respects daily. Although she was nominally a concubine, she was still listed in the imperial register and had an official title.

“Yes,” Tao Siyao replied, glancing at Ah Wu seated on the seat. She could not help but cough several times, each cough more rapid than the last, bringing tears to her eyes. The maid behind her quickly patted her back and chest.

Once Tao Siyao calmed down, she said with reddened eyes, “Your Highness, your beauty and talent are truly beyond my reach; no wonder His Highness cherishes you so much.”

Ah Wu nearly spat out the mouthful of tea she was holding. She had never imagined Tao Siyao would be like this, a beauty so fragile, like a lamp that could be blown out at any moment.

Ah Wu really wanted to comfort Tao Siyao. Her advantages were no less than her own; her father was the Governor-General of the three eastern provinces. When Chu Mao raised his army in the capital, he and Tao Yingshi would launch a pincer attack, causing Emperor Ai to suffer a crushing defeat. For that alone, Chu Mao should cherish her.

However, Ah Wu could also guess Chu Mao’s thoughts. Tao Siyao coughed so frequently it felt like her lungs were going to burst; how could people as fastidious as they were tolerate that? However, Ah Wu feared that speaking the truth would be too much for the beautiful lady, so she said, “The Prince stayed in my courtyard for a few more nights, partly because I am new to the household, and he had to consider my reputation as the principal wife.” Actually, Ah Wu did not need to say this to Tao Siyao, but seeing her on the verge of tears, Ah Wu could not bear it.

“That’s not what I meant. The harmony between you and the Prince is a blessing for the whole household; I am only happy for you,” Tao Siyao said, her eyes welling up with tears again, as if she had been wronged. “I was hoping you could enter the household soon to manage the inner courtyards, but I never expected…”

“Well, Nanny Hao manages the inner courtyards very well. I am still young, so the Prince intends for Nanny Hao to continue managing the household affairs.” Ah Wu completely ignored the hint of provocation in Tao Siyao’s words, mainly because she was afraid of overthinking things.

“Your Highness, you may not know, but Nanny Hao’s health is inconsistent. Actually, it’s her adopted daughter, Xiangsi, who manages things in our inner courtyard. Those servants are more respectful and obsequious to her than to us, their proper masters. Even at night, if I crave a light snack, I have to endure the harassment from those old women in the kitchen. They will not even bother with me unless I tip them.” Tao Siyao’s eyes reddened again.

Ah Wu was finding it increasingly unbearable. She had expected a domineering tigress, but instead, she had a sickly beauty who constantly shed tears, acting as if she, the princess, was demanding justice. Truly, this was troublesome.

Ah Wu was the kind of person who became stronger when faced with strength and weaker when faced with weakness. Moreover, having suffered from illness in her previous life, she understood the fragility and helplessness of such people best. Therefore, even though she knew that Tao Siyao was encouraging her to fight against Hongyao Villa, she let her continue.

“I heard that the Princess’s Yulan Hall is going to set up a small kitchen. Could you please set one up for my Qiongzhi Courtyard as well?” Tao Siyao’s preamble was perfectly reasonable; since Yulan Hall was going to have one, it would not hurt for her Qiongzhi Courtyard to follow suit.

However, the problem lay with Ah Wu, a very shrewd person. She had only spoken to Nanny Hao about the small kitchen at Yulan Hall yesterday afternoon, and yet no one from Hongyao Villa had come to handle it today, but Tao Siyao already knew. Given Nanny Hao’s ability to manage the inner courtyard like an iron fist, Ah Wu could not help but think that either Tao Siyao had planted someone in her Yulan Hall, or someone from Hongyao Villa had deliberately leaked the news.

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But the people at Yulan Hall who knew about this were all people Ah Wu had brought with her. She did not believe that Tao Siyao could turn them against her in such a short time, so the latter possibility was more likely.

Ah Wu considered the benefits Hongyao Villa would gain in this matter. The princess had outwardly agreed to let Nanny Hao continue managing the inner courtyard, and Prince Qi had compensated her by allowing her to manage the estate’s assets. Yet now, she was using Tao Siyao’s affair to interfere with Hongyao Villa’s management of the inner courtyard. While setting up a small kitchen was not a big deal, it was unprecedented. But since Ah Wu entered the household, she not only requested a small kitchen for herself but also wanted to help Lady Tao, or perhaps the future Lady He, by sending tasks to Hongyao Villa.

For a princess to request a small kitchen for a consort was a simple matter, but this was effectively overstepping her authority in managing the inner courtyard.

Although Ah Wu felt considerable pity for Tao Siyao, she was not foolish enough to risk her own life.

Ah Wu frowned, mimicking Tao Siyao’s gesture, and smoothed her brow with a handkerchief. “Nanny Hao manages the inner courtyard; this needs to be discussed with her.”

“The Princess Consort is the mistress of this entire household. Does setting up a small kitchen require consulting Nanny Hao?” Tao Siyao looked at Ah Wu with an innocent expression.

Ah Wu was unaffected by her superficial provocation. “It’s not that simple. Since the Prince has entrusted the inner courtyard to Nanny Hao, we all must follow her rules. Otherwise, Nanny Hao will be unable to enforce her orders, which is a major taboo. Setting up a small kitchen here was also discussed with Nanny Hao. You are a concubine bestowed by the Emperor and also the proper mistress of this household. If you need anything, just discuss it directly with Nanny Hao. She’s not that strict, but…”

“But what?” Tao Siyao, who had been somewhat bored by Ah Wu’s words, became intrigued again by this twist and pressed for more information. “You could go and talk to the Prince; I guarantee it will be done,” Ah Wu said with a smile.

Tao Siyao’s eyes reddened again. This time, Ah Wu was quite surprised at how she had offended her again.

“Why do you say such hurtful things to my heart, Princess Consort? The Prince has not visited my room for quite some time now. He loves you dearly, and you are the Princess Consort, so Nanny Hao will naturally grant your requests. But for us to actually do something, it’s incredibly difficult. Nanny Hao is fine, but Elder Sister, please be careful with that Xiangsi girl.” Tao Siyao’s words trailed off as she glanced at Ah Wu, waiting for the Princess Consort to press for more.

But Ah Wu did not take the bait. She knew Xiangsi’s future much better than Tao Siyao. Unless absolutely necessary, she did not want to actively oppose Xiangsi. After all, she would need Chu Mao’s help in the future, and she did not want Xiangsi whispering anything unpleasant in Chu Mao’s ear.

Ah Wu did not want to continue chatting with Tao Siyao, lest she unleash another torrent of complaints. So she picked up her teacup, signaling that she was leaving. But Tao Siyao seemed oblivious, appearing somewhat shy and hesitant to speak, saying, “Elder Sister, the Prince now has six wives and concubines in our household. Before you came, there were no rules. Now that you are here, you will have to manage us. New concubines might come in later, and we cannot let those vixens ruin the Prince’s health. We will definitely need to establish some rules.”

Ah Wu listened and nodded. These words hit the nail on the head. Only Ah Wu could truly manage the affairs of the wives and concubines; even Nanny Hao could not interfere. But what rules to establish—that required careful consideration. Before her marriage, Ah Wu had also studied this matter extensively. Back then, the princess’s mother adopted a laissez-faire approach towards her father, the Duke of Wei. After she gave birth to two legitimate sons, the Duke of Wei could go to whichever concubine he wanted. As for Lady Cui, she offered no reference. Ah Wu had some knowledge of other households; some arranged schedules for their concubines, while others followed the master’s wishes.

As for this Prince Qi’s mansion, Ah Wu had never considered establishing any rules. Emperors disliked having others arrange things for them, and although Chu Mao was not yet Emperor, Ah Wu had to consider the future; she could not let Chu Mao hold a grudge.

Furthermore, Ah Wu did not believe that if she arranged which concubine Chu Mao would sleep with, he would actually do it.

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Usually, such rules in a household were passed down from ancestors, and filial sons naturally respected them. She had never heard of a wife establishing rules that a husband would follow. It seemed the husband was the head of the household, not the other way around. Even the green-headed plaques the Emperor chooses daily in the palace were a tradition established by their ancestors. Ah Wu thought she could not possibly prepare a set of green-headed plaques for Chu Mao now; that would be overstepping her bounds and costing her her head.

“This matter needs to be discussed with the Prince,” Ah Wu said calmly.

Thus, in Tao Siyao’s mind, Ah Wu, the Princess Consort, left the impression of being “irresponsible and cowardly.”