Four Seasons Brocade – CH 121

Chapter 121 ☆、

Ah Wu was truly unprepared for the prospect of sharing a bed with Chu Mao for an extended period, yet living separate lives. Or rather, before the wedding, Ah Wu was quite prepared. However, given the illusion Chu Mao had created for her on their wedding night, she thought she no longer needed to prepare. But life was rarely perfect.

Although Ah Wu had reflected on her actions and wanted to reciprocate Chu Mao’s sincerity, this absolutely did not include the kind of transactional arrangement of having a son. Besides, sincerity was not just talk; actions did not count as genuine. Ah Wu did not know how to act, but she could at least try to put herself in Chu Mao’s shoes.

In truth, Ah Wu could not understand why Chu Mao had suddenly acted this way. If she was not mistaken, Chu Mao had never intended to do this. Why had he suddenly changed his mind today? Ah Wu recalled the events of the day and was certain that she had not done anything particularly remarkable to change Prince Qi’s mind.

So, after much deliberation and putting herself in Chu Mao’s shoes, Ah Wu wondered if he had truly been persuaded by her and, out of concern for potential rumors, had moved back. In this respect, Ah Wu had a significant advantage; she considered herself not a clingy woman and did not need His Highness to engage in any act of procreation with her.

As for why Chu Mao disliked marital relations, Ah Wu had considered her own reasons. She reasoned that people of his fastidious nature naturally disliked close contact with others, so Chu Mao’s attitude on this matter was not surprising at all.

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“Your Highness,” Zi-Shan called out from the side, reminding Ah Wu that she had been lost in thought for a long time.

“Oh, have Tong-Guan clear out the left cabinet to store the Prince’s frequently used clothes, open the west wing, and put the rest inside for now.” Ah Wu paused. “Oh, and by the way, have Mei-Ying and Mei-Meng come in and unpack. We do not understand the Prince’s preferences.”

Zi-Shan agreed and went to make the arrangements. When Ah Wu had dinner, Bingxue Forest brought over two large trunks containing Chu Mao’s belongings. Ah Wu estimated it was only a small portion of Chu Mao’s clothes, and she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Nanny Sang, however, happily led Tong-Wen to help Mei-Ying and Mei-Meng unpack Chu Mao’s things, ignoring the two maids’ affected mannerisms. Ah Wu had privately told everyone she brought that Chu Mao had a taboo: he disliked others touching his things. Therefore, Nanny Sang and the others were only assisting; the important thing was to prevent the two Meis from causing any trouble.

After dinner, Ah Wu strolled around the courtyard of Yulan Hall to digest her food. Noticing a bonsai tree in a corner with somewhat disheveled branches, she had Chi-Jin, who had just finished practicing her martial arts, move it inside.

In her leisure time, pruning bonsai, arranging flowers, and brewing tea were the favorite pastimes of talented women like Ah Wu. Spending her days confined to the inner quarters, neglecting her parents-in-law and household affairs, would keep her busy all day.

When Chu Mao returned under the moonlight, he saw Ah Wu pruning the bonsai. He naturally stood behind her, and Ah Wu turned and smiled at him, asking just as naturally, “What does Your Highness think of my pruning?”

Chu Mao raised an eyebrow, offering no comment. Ah Wu, however, understood his meaning. She walked to the round table, picked up the drawing she had made of the bonsai earlier, and showed it to Chu Mao. By comparing the two, the superiority of the pruning would be obvious.

Chu Mao glanced at it and said, “Not badly trimmed.”

Ah Wu was extremely dissatisfied with Chu Mao’s attitude. She turned back to look at her masterpiece, a work that had taken her an entire evening to complete; it was more than just “not bad.” In fact, Ah Wu had truly wronged Chu Mao this time. To hear a “not bad” from him was extremely rare.

Ah Wu felt that Chu Mao was like a summer insect trying to understand ice, while Chu Mao watched her from behind with an extremely deep gaze. Perhaps, Chu Mao had not expected that he would see another person in this world who would actually sketch out the original shape of a bonsai before trimming it, mentally conceiving the next stroke with every line.

After Chu Mao went into the bathing room, Ah Wu reluctantly had the bonsai moved out, a touch of melancholy rising in her heart—the melancholy of someone whose talent was unappreciated. Ah Wu both enjoyed and regretted it.

Finally, Ah Wu was suddenly startled. She had been so captivated by the potted plant that she had let Chu Mao go into the bathing room first. This meant that he might go to bed first, which meant that she might have to sleep outside again and get up very early the next day.

Ah Wu probably never imagined that after marriage, instead of dealing with her in-laws, sisters-in-law, and brothers-in-law, she would be fussing over trivial matters like who went to bed first.

Ah Wu first removed her hairpins and had Zi-Shan braid her hair. As soon as Chu Mao came out, she went to speak with him. “Your Highness, would you like some late-night snacks? There are some in the kitchen…”

“I will not eat after dinner,” Chu Mao interrupted Ah Wu’s long list of mouthwatering dishes.

Ah Wu subtly moved between Chu Mao and the bed, intentionally or unintentionally pushing him away. “Your Highness, would you like to read for a while? Shall I have Zi-Zhui make a cup of tea?” This was a subtle hint that Chu Mao should sit on the couch by the window.

“No need.” Chu Mao ignored Ah Wu’s various hints and stepped directly onto the footstool in front of the bed.

Ah Wu instantly wilted and turned to go to the bathing room. When she came out, because the room was heated, she had changed out of her usual heavy pajamas into a set of clothes she usually wore at home.

Chu Mao, unaware of her presence, caught a glimpse of Ah Wu. She wore a light pink silk short-sleeved shirt, tied at the waist, revealing her slender waist, and a pair of dark green silk trousers. She looked like the first tender peach blossom blooming on a branch in spring. Chu Mao’s gaze lingered on the glimpse of moon-white undergarment peeking out from beneath the silk short-sleeved shirt before quickly shifting away.

Ah Wu herself was unaware of the alluring nature of this outfit. If someone else wore it, how could it possess such a striking beauty, and how could the contrasting colors of light pink and dark green be balanced?

Ah Wu glanced at Chu Mao lying on the outer side of the bed, a surge of joy rising in her heart. But then she thought, “Am I supposed to crawl over his feet?”

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Despite Ah Wu’s petty concerns, when she saw Chu Mao get up from the bed, she still lowered her head somewhat embarrassedly, feeling she was disturbing him.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Ah Wu took off her shoes. As she looked up, her gaze inadvertently fell on Chu Mao, only to find him staring blankly at her feet.

They were smooth and lustrous, pale and snow-white, like a jade lotus petal listening to Buddhist verses on a lotus platform before a Buddha.

Ah Wu felt a chill run down her spine from Chu Mao’s gaze. She hurriedly bent her knees, lifting and pulling her feet back under the covers, wrapping herself up like a dumpling in her bedding. Although she only vaguely understood this kind of thing, her innate intuition could not be mistaken. So when she realized Chu Mao was still looking at her, she quickly closed her eyes and shrank back. Chu Mao turned off the light and went to bed. In the darkness, they could hear each other’s breathing. Just when Ah Wu thought Chu Mao was asleep, she heard him say, “Your painting is not bad.”

Ah Wu opened her eyes with a “whoosh,” thinking, “Not just not bad, it’s amazing!” Even in the darkness, Chu Mao felt that Ah Wu’s eyes shone brightly.

It was rare for His Highness Prince Qi to have the leisure to initiate conversation, so how could Ah Wu not give him face? “I’ve loved doodling since I was a child.”

“Hmm.”

Ah Wu’s eyes flashed with anger again. She felt that Chu Mao’s silence after his “hmm”—not refuting her use of the word “doodle”—was an unforgivable sin. Oh well, she would not argue with an amateur.

“I’d like to set up a study in the east wing. What does Your Highness think?” Ah Wu turned to her side, clasped her hands together under her head, and faced Chu Mao.

“You can make the decisions about Yulan Hall,” Chu Mao said, turning his back as if he had lost all interest in continuing the conversation with Ah Wu.

Ah Wu stared at Chu Mao’s back for a long time, feeling that his heart was truly unfathomable. He was the one who started the conversation, but after only a few words, he turned away and ignored her.

After Ah Wu had fallen into a deep sleep for a long time, Chu Mao still could not fall asleep, his mind constantly filled with those snow-white half-balls. To be honest, it was not very large, nor was it particularly alluring, but its smooth, white skin, illuminated by the dim light left by the lamp in the corner, resembled the smoothest sugar custard, making one want to scrape off a layer of snow and taste it.

The next day, Ah Wu slept well and woke up refreshed, only the blatant look in Nanny Sang’s eyes slightly spoiling Ah Wu’s otherwise excellent mood.

Every morning, without fail, Nanny Sang was the first person to enter Ah Wu’s bedroom, her gaze shifting from blatant to profound, then to a mixture of pity and helplessness.

One day, Nanny Sang could not bear it any longer and kept Ah Wu in the inner room to speak. “Young lady,” she said, “tell your wet nurse: does the Prince have some kind of problem?”

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“What kind of problem?” Ah Wu asked, confused, then instantly realized, “Ah, you mean that…” Ah Wu’s face flushed crimson. “No, the Prince does not have any problems.” He could father sons; Ah Wu had even occasionally seen him choose a concubine when she was living in the palace.

“Then tell this nanny, why have you not consummated your marriage? Is it because you…”

Ah Wu quickly shook her head. She could not take the blame; otherwise, Nanny Sang would nag her to death, and she would definitely go back and tell her mother. “No, it’s His Highness. His Highness does not want to.”

Now, Nanny Sang was puzzled. If there was nothing wrong with her, what man in the world could remain unmoved after seeing his young lady’s angelic appearance?

So Nanny Sang racked her brains, eliminating all impossible reasons, until only a few guesses remained in her mind. After careful consideration, she said, “Could it be that His Highness has someone else in his heart?”