Four Seasons Brocade – CH 177

Chapter 177 ☆、

Ah Wu did not care whether Lady Cui agreed or not and pulled her outside. Just then, a maid announced, “Lady Rong of the Prince Wei’s residence has arrived.”

Ah Wu looked in the direction of the voice and saw Fifth Lady Rong, her hand in a maid’s, slowly lifting her skirt as she walked in. Judging from her plump appearance, she probably thought herself the Empress Dowager.

After giving birth, Fifth Lady Rong had overdone it during her postpartum confinement, and unlike her previous slender figure, she looked somewhat plump in her thin summer clothes. Her head was adorned with jewels, exuding an air of wealth and prosperity, but her eyes remained as arrogant as ever.

Ah Wu, unable to bear Fifth Lady Rong’s smug demeanor, remained silent. Fifth Lady Rong, of course, stepped forward to greet her, saying, “Fourth Sister-in-law.”

A moment later, Fourth Lady Rong arrived, saying loudly, “Fifth Sister, why did you not bring Hao’er? Grandmother was mentioning him last time.”

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“Too many people; I was afraid he’d be frightened,” Fifth Lady Rong laughed. “You should be careful, too. Even though you are three months along, you still need to be careful.”

“Yue’er is pregnant too?” Lady Cui exclaimed in surprise.

Fourth Lady Rong touched her belly, unable to hide her pride, and smiled, “Yes, Third Aunt, it’s only been three months. The first three months were not stable, so I did not dare tell the elders.”

Lady Cui’s smile stiffened slightly.

A moment later, more guests arrived, all wives of Master Rong’s colleagues from the court.

“Madam Gu, why is your daughter-in-law not here today?” This Madam Gu was the wife of Gu Renzi, the Vice Minister of War. Her relationship with her daughter-in-law was as close as mother and daughter, a fact known throughout the capital. The two of them always went out hand in hand.

“Oh, she’s just gotten pregnant, only two months along. I do not let her get out of bed,” Madam Gu said with a smile.

Everyone congratulated her, making Madam Gu beam with joy.

Ah Wu felt as if every woman in the world had chosen this time to become pregnant. Several other wives were also rumored to be pregnant, and even more astonishingly, the wife of the Left Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, Madam Xiao, was thirty-six years old and reportedly pregnant again—a true case of an old woman giving birth to a pearl! The ladies in the room covered their mouths with handkerchiefs and laughed.

Only Lady Cui could not laugh.

The women present were all shrewd; even the slightly less intelligent ones had been given hints. Everyone could see through Lady Cui’s intentions. Although these women’s husbands were on good terms with each other, they all harbored a competitive spirit—comparing their husbands’ official ranks, their sons’ achievements, their wives’ family backgrounds, and their daughters’ marriages.

Looking around, it had to be said that Lady Cui was truly a rare and fortunate woman. As a concubine’s daughter who married a concubine’s son who surprisingly rose to prominence, becoming a high-ranking official of the third rank. Her mother-in-law, though unreliable, actually separated the household, and she lived independently. Her two sons, one a scholar and the other a military man, were both surprisingly capable. She had no concubines, not even concubines’ children. Her daughter married the Fourth Prince, and her daughters-in-law were all from increasingly prestigious backgrounds. Her eldest daughter-in-law was the granddaughter of a renowned Confucian scholar, possessing both virtue and talent; her prospective second daughter-in-law was the eldest daughter of Grand Secretary Tang. Was there any woman in the world more fortunate than Lady Cui?

If that were all, it would not be so bad. However, Lady Cui had nothing particularly outstanding about her. Her appearance was not exceptionally beautiful, her demeanor was unremarkable, and she was clumsy with words and eyes, even struggling with daily social interactions. How could anyone accept such good fortune?

Therefore, seeing that the Fourth Prince’s wife, who was so beautiful she seemed otherworldly, had been married for almost a year and still had not conceived, everyone felt a bit relieved.

However, one petty and argumentative person said, “I heard that the Guanyin Bodhisattva in Tongzhou is the most effective for granting children. Last New Year’s Day, my sister-in-law went to offer the first incense, and by early in the second month, my nephew’s wife was pregnant.”

“Yes, I heard that too,” Madam Lin chimed in.

Everyone present thought that Lady Cui would go up and inquire, but to their surprise, she and the Fourth Prince’s wife did not even glance in that direction. These people had no idea of ​​the pain in Lady Cui’s heart; having a child required them to consummate their marriage first. Unfortunately, Lady Cui could not mention this to Ah Wu, as it involved the matter of Master Rong’s past. Lady Cui was both angry and anxious, but had nowhere to vent her anger. In the end, she could only resent Ah Wu for being so weak-willed; how could such a trivial matter be such a big deal for her? For someone as detached as the Fourth Prince to even bother asking about her past was already incredibly difficult. How could she expect him to lower himself to force a woman? Lady Cui felt utterly ashamed to face her son-in-law; it was already a great favor that he understood Ah Wu’s situation. This also involved the Fourth Prince possibly not having a legitimate son in the future, a thought that made Lady Cui’s heart ache.

Fortunately, her two daughters-in-law were about to enter the family. Young people were always better at talking, and Tang Yin was Ah Wu’s close friend. Lady Cui only hoped they could talk to Ah Wu more about marital matters; she herself was too ashamed to discuss such things.

At dusk, the bride’s sedan chair entered the mansion, and the Rong Mansion was bustling with activity. Ah Wu waited until she saw the bride before returning to her own residence.

Ah Wu, exhausted from a long day, soaked in hot water sprinkled with peach and cherry blossoms for a while before getting up. She changed into light clothes and went outside, taking the fragrant dew from Zi-Shan and applying it to her body. She casually asked, “Was anything happening at the mansion today?” Ah Wu had not taken Zi-Shan with her to Willow Tree Alley, specifically leaving her and Zi-Yi at the mansion to keep an eye on things.

Zi-Shan and Zi-Yi exchanged a glance before replying, “The Prince went to You Yi-niang’s room at Tanhua Courtyard for dinner today; he’s still there.”

Ah Wu’s hand applying the dew paused, and she frowned. “You Yi-niang?”

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Women saw women very differently from men. In Ah Wu’s eyes, You Yi-niang was the epitome of vulgarity, all greasy and obscene. She felt that if Chu Mao were to go to the concubines’ quarters, he should not have favored You Yi-niang.

Zi-Shan and Zi-Yi assumed Ah Wu was jealous. Zi-Shan glanced at Zi-Yi, who said, “It’s all that vixen You’s fault! The Prince returned early today, and taking advantage of your absence, she dressed alluringly and waited for him in the garden. You did not see it, but we were all so embarrassed that we did not know what to do. Half of her undergarment was showing! What man could stand that?”

Zi-Yi, having suffered much hardship outside the home, naturally knew better than Ah Wu what kind of women men liked. “The Prince does not seem to care. He’s just indulging in novelty; he will get over it in a few days.”

Zi-Shan and Zi-Yi spoke with a hint of unease. Having served Ah Wu closely, they knew best that their mistress and Prince Qi’s relationship was not like that of a young couple. Their bed was always spotless, especially now that Prince Qi was not even resting in Yulan Hall. However, seeing how much Prince Qi cared for their mistress, yet he did not share a room with such a beautiful and charming woman as their mistress, the two women simply could not understand it.

Zi-Yi and Zi-Shan also suspected that Chu Mao might have another lover, but judging from the clues they’d observed over the past few days, the Fourth Prince’s entourage was spotless, and they refused to believe that such a seemingly divine figure could have illicit affairs.

They would not dare discuss such private matters of their mistress’s, not even daring to think about them, yet they worried that the Fourth Prince might have some hidden ailment. However, their mistress was very shy, and they dared not ask.

Today, seeing that the Fourth Prince had actually gone to You Yi-niang’s room, Zi-Shan and Zi-Yi actually breathed a sigh of relief.

Ah Wu, of course, did not care. After reading for a while under the lamp, she went to bed. In her drowsy state, she vaguely heard Zi-Shan and the others call out “Your Highness” a few times, but she was too sleepy to open her eyes, and no one came to wake her, so she drifted off to sleep.

While things were calm on Ah Wu’s side, the Yaobi Courtyard of He Peizhen, the Qiongzhi Courtyard of Tao Siyao, and even the rooms of the other concubines in the Tanhua Courtyard were anything but peaceful.

“He actually went to that vile woman’s room?” He Peizhen swept everything off the table, leaving shards everywhere. This time, after returning to the mansion, she heeded her mother’s advice and stopped opposing Rong Xuan. After all, her status as the principal wife was what it was. As long as she behaved properly, her mother said the Fourth Prince would definitely visit her room. After all, if he had even a shred of affection, he would never neglect her, the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo’s mansion.

Who knew that after so many days back at the mansion, the Fourth Prince had not visited her room but instead went to You Yi-niang’s room? How could He Peizhen swallow this insult? Even at Yulan Hall, the Fourth Prince had not stayed overnight. Meanwhile, in Tao Siyao’s room, the maid on night watch heard her coughing all night. The next morning, she went to Hongyao Villa to fetch a physician.

Gongsun Lan and Ouyang Zhi were also getting restless. That evening, they both went to Xun Mei’s room to talk to her, their conversation revolving around You Yi-niang. Xun Mei, however, remained as still as a wooden post, her needlework never stopping. Chu Mao’s clothes were all made by embroiderers from various shops, but the shoes were an exception; Xun Mei made them all and sent them over.

“Sister Xun, why are you still busy making shoes? You’ve been making shoes for so many years, and the Prince has never even glanced at you. You should learn from You Yi-niang. So what if her buttocks are a little bigger than others? Look at her; I really do not know what she did to catch the Prince’s eye,” Ouyang Zhi blurted out.

“Do not talk nonsense,” Gongsun Lan scolded Ouyang Zhi. “How dare you interfere in the relationship between Sister Xun and the Prince? Sister Xun has served the Prince since she was a child. Before the Prince’s wife and concubines were in the mansion, she was his chambermaid. How can You Yi-niang compare to Sister Xun?”

Xun Mei seemed not to hear their words, showing no joy or anger, as if the only thing left in the world was the pair of shoes in her hands.

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Gongsun Lan and Ouyang Zhi, working in unison, failed to get any information out of Xun Mei and could only leave hand in hand.

“Sister Lan, I told you long ago she’s a blockhead. What’s the point of asking her? I think we should learn from You Yi-niang. She’s a young lady, yet she’s more open than us dancers,” Ouyang Zhi said disdainfully.

“But this is good too. If the Prince can favor her, then we have something to look forward to.” Gongsun Lan clasped her hands together, tilted her head to the sky, and murmured a few words, “Bodhisattva…”

In Xun Mei’s room, after the Gongsun sisters left, she put down her needlework and gave a cold smile to the room of You Yi-niang, tears welling in her eyes, a smile that seemed almost self-mocking. She remembered that year, when she too was sixteen…