Four Seasons Brocade – CH 184

Chapter 184 ☆、

Ming-Liu and Ming-Tao ran shoulder to shoulder to the well to draw water to wash the courtyard.

“Who was that person? He looked…he looked like a god,” Ming-Tao asked Ming-Liu while turning the wheel.

“I do not know either. He suddenly appeared, like a god.” Ming-Liu’s tone was full of girlish wistfulness. “If he would even glance at me, I’d die happy,” Ming-Tao said, clasping her hands together in front of her chest.

“How could someone like him even look at us? Only someone like Madam would earn his attention,” Ming-Liu said.

“Do you think he might be Master?” Ming-Tao asked, a blush spreading across her face. “I’ve heard that many maids in wealthy families who work for the ladies end up as concubines.”

Ming-Liu glanced at Ming-Tao. “Dream on! Hurry up and fetch water to wash the courtyard, or that ice-cold girl will glare at us again.”

The two maids washed the courtyard, and after serving Ah Wu until she was resting that evening, they lay in bed whispering to each other, fantasizing about what would happen after they went to the city with the immortal master and celestial lady. They woke up the next morning with drool on their lips.

Ah Wu, however, was thinking, why did Chu Mao insist on capturing Jinguo Erhan alive? If Jinguo Erhan were gone, other Tatar leaders would emerge. How could they guarantee ten years of peace? Chu Mao was gone for two months. Autumn had fallen in Qianmiao Town, and Ah Wu watched the leaves turn yellow one by one, finding each day increasingly unbearable.

One day, Bing-Shuang brought in a short, unremarkable-looking man. The man stepped forward and said, “This humble servant, He Chun, greets Your Highness. I command the second group of His Highness Prince Qi’s secret guards. This is my token.”

He Chun also presented a token given to him by Chu Mao.

Ah Wu took the token and examined it. It bore the mark Chu Mao had mentioned to her before. Ah Wu looked at He Chun with considerable interest. She had always imagined secret guards to be burly, fierce martial arts masters, but He Chun was just a middle-aged man selling tofu pudding on the street. However, after a moment’s thought, she understood. This was the kind of person who truly hid well—the true secret guard.

Ah Wu opened Chu Mao’s token, finding inside a sachet. She recognized the duck embroidery that she had assumed Prince Qi had long since tossed away somewhere. She had not expected it to appear here.

“You’ve come because…”

“His Highness is currently in Jixiang Town and has ordered me to fetch the Princess Consort there,” He Chun said.

Ah Wu glanced at Bing-Shuang, who nodded, and she agreed. If this were an enemy plot, since they could bribe Bing-Shuang, any resistance would be futile. Besides, Ah Wu believed Chu Mao would not allow such a thing to happen.

“Why did His Highness suddenly summon me to Jixiang Town?” Ah Wu could not help but ask curiously.

He Chun refused to say another word. Judging from his attitude, Ah Wu felt it could not be an enemy plot. If it were a lie, he would have told a tale to the heavens.

Ah Wu only learned of Chu Mao’s injury upon arriving at Jixiang Town. Chu Mao’s camp was located near Liang Delta outside Jixiang Town. As soon as Ah Wu entered the tent, she smelled blood. Chu Mao, his shoulder bandaged, lay reclining on a wooden plank bed, his eyes fixed on the map hanging on the opposite wall.

“Your Highness,” Ah Wu hurried over, “You are injured?!” Ah Wu could not describe the feelings in her heart; she only felt a dull ache, and tears began to well up in her eyes.

“Do not cry. I did not let He Chun tell you because I was afraid you’d worry unnecessarily along the way. I am fine, just a shoulder injury. I am not used to them taking care of me, so I had to trouble you, Eunuch Rong.”

Ah Wu saw Chu Mao try to raise his hand to wipe away her tears, but he could not lift it. She then noticed that both of Chu Mao’s shoulders were injured. “How did you get hurt?”

“When I let Jinguo Erhan go, he circled around and shot me twice with arrows from behind,” Chu Mao said with a smile. Before Ah Wu could ask any further questions, Chu Mao whispered, “Please trouble Eunuch Rong to fetch me a basin of water to wash my face. I have not washed it for days.” Chu Mao looked at his hands, indicating to Ah Wu that he was too weak to use them.

Ah Wu wiped away her tears and got up to go outside the tent.

“What does Eunuch Rong need?” A young guard approached. It seemed they were the ones who handled Chu Mao’s affairs. Chu Mao had not taken his eunuchs with him this time; Li Yanguang and Lu Ruoxing had both remained in the capital.

“Please fetch me a basin of hot water,” Ah Wu said softly.

The guard immediately responded and brought the hot water a moment later. “Eunuch Rong, I will take it to you.”

From his self-address, Ah Wu guessed that this guard was probably one of Chu Mao’s personal guards and likely knew her identity perfectly well; otherwise, he would not have been so aloof. “No need, I can carry it.”

“This soldier is He Shui. Eunuch Rong, please just tell me what you need.” He Shui respectfully withdrew.

Ah Wu took the basin inside, wrung out a cloth to wipe Chu Mao’s face, washed his hands, and helped him brush his teeth with bamboo salt before taking the basin out again. However, not being trained to serve, she left water stains everywhere in the tent, which He Shui had to clean up in the end.

“Your Highness, why did you not bring a eunuch this time? I am too clumsy to serve you properly,” Ah Wu asked, noticing Chu Mao wincing in pain as she unwrapped his bandages and changed his dressing.

Chu Mao smiled and kissed Ah Wu’s hand. “I like it when you serve me.”

Ah Wu tied the bandage into a very pretty and huge bow on Chu Mao’s chest and laughed, “You like this too?”

Ah Wu saw Chu Mao look down without speaking. That was just how he was; even when he did not like something, he did not get angry; he just silently tossed it aside, like that duck-shaped purse.

“Did Your Highness not say you were going to capture Jinguo Erhan alive? Why did you release him?” Ah Wu asked.

“I want to change my clothes,” Chu Mao suddenly said, seemingly out of nowhere.

Ah Wu paused for a moment before realizing Chu Mao’s meaning. Her face flushed instantly, and she hurriedly stood up, saying, “Go ahead.” Ah Wu glanced at Chu Mao’s leg, thinking there was nothing wrong with it.

Chu Mao stood up, leaned down, and whispered in Ah Wu’s ear with some difficulty, “Ah Wu, I need your help.”

Ah Wu frantically shook her head. “I cannot help with anything.”

Chu Mao said helplessly, “At least you can help me undo my belt, right?”

Ah Wu looked up at Chu Mao pleadingly, silently asking, “Can I not just ask He Shui to serve you?” Unfortunately, Prince Qi looked at her expressionlessly, his eyes full of accusation, as if accusing her of being ungrateful and not remembering how he had treated her in the past.

“You want to see me wet my pants?!”

His Highness Qi’s tone was quite irritable, which Ah Wu could understand. When one was in urgent need of urination, all manners vanished. Even she had tacitly allowed Chu Mao to carry her to the bathing room.

Ah Wu pouted, lifted the curtain for Chu Mao, and followed him to a few large trees about an arrow’s length from the tent.

Chu Mao stood motionless. Something seemed to flow in the air, pressing down on Ah Wu’s neck. Finally, Ah Wu tremblingly reached out to undo Chu Mao’s belt. Ah Wu closed her eyes, thinking, “I am actually going to undo a man’s belt, help him urinate, and even smell that!” Ah Wu withdrew her hand, ran to a nearby tree, and gagged, clutching her chest.

Standing under the tree, Ah Wu looked at Chu Mao guiltily, at the wound on his shoulder, and tears began to fall.

“You can leave,” Chu Mao said.

His words were devoid of warmth, and Ah Wu suddenly felt wronged. Why could he not understand her? But the next moment, Ah Wu began to reflect on herself. She had also experienced the helplessness of being powerless against her own body, and she knew better than anyone how frustrated and distressed she felt. Moreover, someone as strong-willed as Chu Mao would probably find it even more unbearable. To expect him to lower himself and have his subordinates serve him would likely be the death of that person once he recovered.

Ah Wu could not help but think of how good Chu Mao had been to her and felt utterly useless. If she made this mistake, there would probably be a rift between her and Chu Mao forever.

Ah Wu wiped away her tears and walked towards Chu Mao. Chu Mao sidestepped her and coldly said, “Go quickly.”

Ah Wu deftly reached out and quickly untied Chu Mao’s pants, holding them up to prevent them from slipping and getting dirty. However, she dared not look down; instead, she gazed up at Prince Qi’s handsome face.

“Hold it,” Prince Qi said curtly, his ears turning bright red.

“What ‘it’?” Ah Wu was completely bewildered. She had no idea that men held their genitals while urinating.

“Hold it,” Prince Qi said in an even colder, calmer tone, but the chill in his voice sent a shiver down Ah Wu’s spine.

“Hold what?” Ah Wu’s eyes widened in shock.

“Hold it.”

Ah Wu, incredibly clever, understood everything immediately after Chu Mao repeated it three times. Her face was pale, a mixture of grievance, innocence, and a desire to grit her teeth. She should have just played the “ungrateful” one; she had no idea there was so much more to come.

“You—go,” Chu Mao said in a deep voice.

Ah Wu stood rooted to the spot. Forced to this point, she’d even untied his pants. Was she really going to give in at this final step? Ah Wu closed her eyes, lowered her head, and, like a thief burying his head in the sand, half-closed one eye and squinted the other, stealing a quick glance at the object.

It was hideously ugly. Ah Wu forced herself to hold onto it, her voice trembling, “Will it work? Will it work?”

If it still did not work, Ah Wu probably would have burst into tears.

“Close your eyes,” Chu Mao said.

Ah Wu thought to herself, “Do I really need your orders?” She leaned back, trying desperately to get the object away from her hand. She felt the soft thing getting harder and harder in her hand, but that was fine; it was less frightening than touching something soft.

“Did you not ask me why I let Jinguo Erhan go?” Prince Qi finally remembered the question.

Ah Wu’s attention shifted, trying to ignore the sound of water beside her ear.

“Have you heard the story of Zhuge Liang capturing and releasing Meng Huo seven times?”

Ah Wu nodded, instantly understanding Chu Mao’s plan. “But will Jinguo Erhan surrender like Meng Huo? Is Your Highness not being too bold? What if someone reports you behind your back?”

“It’s alright.”

“What’s alright?” Ah Wu was still lost in thought.

“You can let go now. Tie my belt,” Prince Qi said calmly.

Ah Wu hurriedly let go of Chu Mao, hastily tied his belt, and ran back to her tent as fast as she could.

Chu Mao watched Ah Wu’s retreating figure, a slight smile playing on his lips. He wanted to tell her that a refined young lady should not run, as if it were the first time he’d seen Ah Wu run without regard for her status or upbringing.

Author’s Note:
Si-Mao: Giving it my all.