Four Seasons Brocade – CH 196

Chapter 196 ☆、

Ah Wu forced herself to remain calm and picked up one of her favorite books to read, but after a long time, she could not concentrate on a single line. She looked out at the dark night sky.

Under the heavy clouds, the moon was dark, the stars were few, and the wind howled across the ground, making a sound like a malevolent owl, sending a chill down one’s spine. Ah Wu, in a fit of despair, ordered Zi-Shan and the others to help her bathe.

The steam rising from her body finally stopped her shivering. As she rose, Zi-Shan brought over a cotton robe. Ah Wu thought for a moment and said, “Bring me the new lake-green silk robe I made.”

The green of lake water varied with the season. The robe Ah Wu made was the color of autumn lake water—deep and serene. On ordinary people, it would look gaudy and deceptive, but on her, it truly made the person outshine the color, and the color subdued her.

When Ah Wu came out of the bathing room, she saw Chu Mao already sitting on the couch by the south window, his eyes lowered, seemingly lost in thought. She was startled, but seeing Chu Mao’s calm expression, she composed herself slightly before saying, “Your Highness.”

Hearing this, Chu Mao looked up, a slight smile playing on his lips. “I brought back some tea. Why not brew some, and we can try it?”

Ah Wu was taken aback. She had not expected Chu Mao to avoid mentioning Yuan Rongmeng. Her anxiety grew. Sometimes, it was easier to say things directly; keeping it hidden only made Ah Wu more uneasy. She wondered what the outcome would be.

However, Ah Wu complied with Chu Mao’s suggestion. She asked Zi-Shan to fetch her usual tea set. Lifting the lid of the tea caddy Chu Mao had placed on the table, she saw it contained rock tea, its aroma refreshing and pleasant. Ah Wu had never smelled such a pure fragrance before.

“Zi-Shan, fetch the jar of snow water I just harvested this year, not the one from the plum blossom snow,” Ah Wu instructed Zi-Shan. After the copper kettle began to boil, Ah Wu heated the teapot and teacups before brewing the tea. She took a cup and offered it to Chu Mao to smell the aroma, then took one for herself and held it to her nose. She felt all the troubles and worries of the past half-day vanish with the delicate fragrance of the tea; even her slight headache disappeared.

Ah Wu took a sip of the tea, feeling a surge of spiritual energy rush to her head. She could not help but exclaim, “This tea is amazing!”

“Da Hong Pao from the Nine Dragons Nest stone wall of Tianxin Rock, of course, it’s amazing,” Chu Mao smiled.

“That’s impossible!” Ah Wu exclaimed in surprise. In her previous life, she had drunk Da Hong Pao from those six tea trees, but it could not compare to the tea she was drinking tonight. The tea was a gift from the Longqing Emperor to Princess Fuhui, and because Ah Wu liked it, she drank it all.

Chu Mao looked at Ah Wu, slightly surprised. “Then where else do you think Da Hong Pao can taste like this?”

“That’s true,” Ah Wu thought, but still argued, “Da Hong Pao is all tribute to the palace. The new tea has not been picked yet; where did Your Highness get Da Hong Pao?”

“The Da Hong Pao drunk in the palace is never genuine. The six plants of Jiulongke are extinct. If they were wiped out by a natural disaster, the official in charge of tribute tea would lose his head. So what’s presented to the palace is other high-quality rock tea as a substitute. The real Da Hong Pao is still in their hands,” Chu Mao explained.

“Where did Your Highness find this tea?” Ah Wu smiled. “It must have taken a lot of effort, right?”

“Of course, it took some effort, but the connections have been made. From now on, you will have plenty of tea to drink every year,” Chu Mao smiled at Ah Wu.

Ah Wu blushed, recalling her earlier outburst at Hongyao Villa, where she had argued with Nanny Hao over the Yunwu Tea. Looking back, she secretly regretted her naiveté; why had she bothered arguing with Nanny Hao over the Yunwu Tea? Now, hearing Chu Mao’s words, she realized he must know about it and was teasing her. In truth, Ah Wu was not arguing over the tea; she was arguing over Chu Mao’s affection.

Normally, Ah Wu would have playfully scolded Chu Mao, but today she felt guilty and harbored a hint of ingratiation, so she pretended not to notice Chu Mao’s veiled mockery.

“Your Highness has gone to so much trouble,” Ah Wu said, pouring Chu Mao another cup of tea. She drank one herself, feeling she could not stop, lest she face Chu Mao’s questioning about Yuan Rongmeng.

“I would not bother with such trouble for someone so insignificant,” Chu Mao said slowly.

Ah Wu glanced at Chu Mao in surprise, feeling a fire in his eyes that made her unable to look him in the eye. She lowered her head and poured herself a cup of tea. Ah Wu was extremely surprised. Lately, this Prince Qi had been indifferent to her; she wondered what had gotten into him today, suddenly speaking so warmly. Normally, this would not have surprised Ah Wu too much, as she was prepared for Chu Mao’s hot-and-cold attitude and sudden changes of heart. But today, after Yuan Rongmeng’s incident, Chu Mao’s attitude was unexpected, and Ah Wu was naturally astonished.

Ah Wu thought for a moment, put down her teacup, and said, “Your Highness, have you heard about Yuan Rongmeng’s matter?”

“Yes, I heard that Her Majesty the Empress invited her to stay in the palace for a while.” Chu Mao smiled and placed the teacup beside Ah Wu, gesturing for her to pour tea.

Inviting Yuan Rongmeng to stay for a while—that was all a lie. Ah Wu did not think Chu Mao would believe it; he was waiting for her to confess. “It was not Her Majesty the Empress who kept her. When I went to Kunming Palace with her, the Emperor was already there. He was very excited to see her. Her Majesty the Empress told me to leave the palace first, but it was Eunuch Duan who came to tell me that the Empress wanted your cousin to stay for a while.”

Chu Mao remained silent, only smiling as he looked at Ah Wu. Ah Wu’s skin was radiant and translucent. Under the lamplight, it seemed as if a thin layer of clear, crystalline glass was inlaid around the edges, concealing her entirely. Looking at her was like looking at a flower in the mist; one wanted to reach out and touch it, but feared the mist would dissipate and the person would vanish.

Her autumn-green dress made her look like a budding orchid. Chu Mao’s eyes followed the slightly open neckline, lingering on her collarbone. He was already so captivated that even three cups of tea could not quench his thirst. His gaze then fell on the budding flower. Perhaps it was the nourishing milk of Luobei, but Ah Wu had grown slightly taller, and even the budding flower seemed to have opened up a bit, making it hard to look away.

Ah Wu felt as if Chu Mao had seen right through her, and her heart pounded with fear, devoid of any romantic thoughts. “Your Highness went to Hongyao Villa earlier; did Nanny Hao say anything?” Ah Wu asked guiltily.

“What do you think she said?” Chu Mao countered.

Ah Wu, embarrassed and angry, blushed and said, “I do not care what she said. Yuan Rongmeng was indeed sent to the palace by my scheme.” Ah Wu spoke frankly, secretly relieved. Looking at Chu Mao’s expression, she saw a slight smile on his lips. She knew she had indeed gambled correctly; she had long understood Chu Mao’s intentions. As long as you did not deceive him, even the biggest problems were insignificant.

“Yuan Rongmeng’s entry into the palace is beneficial to Your Highness’s grand plan. Do not underestimate the power of pillow talk. The Emperor’s attitude towards Your Highness is likely due to Empress Tian and Lady Xiang’s advice,” Ah Wu analyzed.

“I never underestimate the power of pillow talk,” Chu Mao nodded and smiled.

Ah Wu felt somewhat embarrassed by Chu Mao’s smile, suddenly realizing that she too was, to some extent, influencing him. However, Chu Mao’s expression was too cheerful, and a thought flashed through Ah Wu’s mind, causing her face to suddenly turn pale.

Chu Mao was known for his fastidiousness and aversion to women. Naturally, he would never change his ways for Yuan Rongmeng, whom he had never cared for before but who had suddenly appeared. Now that Yuan Rongmeng had entered the palace, he did not seem furious. So why was he frequently going to Hongyao Villa for meals?

The current Emperor was old and frail, while Yuan Rongmeng was only eighteen. If Chu Mao were to give her to the Emperor, Yuan Rongmeng would surely hate him. But if she were to send her in herself, Chu Mao would benefit, while she would become a thorn in Yuan Rongmeng’s side.

By ignoring her, Chu Mao had forced her to deal with Yuan Rongmeng. The portrait Xiangsi had sent further fueled Ah Wu’s anger; her face grew increasingly grim. She should have been happy—she was of use to Chu Mao, making their future “relationship” easier—but her heart felt as if it had fallen into an ice cellar.

Chu Mao could tell from Ah Wu’s expression that she had misunderstood. Women were too clever; sometimes, they could not help but overthink and go astray.

“You think I forced you to deal with Yuan Rongmeng?” Chu Mao asked.

Hearing Chu Mao no longer call Yuan Rongmeng “Meng-niang” but address her by her given name, Ah Wu became even more certain of her suspicions. Yuan Rongmeng was probably nothing to Chu Mao.

Ah Wu remained silent.

“Do I really possess such supernatural powers that I knew you would not tolerate her and that you would send her to the palace?” Chu Mao asked again.

Ah Wu hesitated for a moment, realizing that Chu Mao could not possibly have known that Yan Guangde was the owner behind Wangu House. She had plenty of other ways to deal with Yuan Rongmeng, but the portrait Xiangsi had sent had given her a sudden inspiration, leading her to decide to send Yuan Rongmeng to the Emperor’s side.

“Actually, if you had someone investigate Yuan Rongmeng’s background in Liaodong, you would have found out she was not as innocent as you thought. I am just afraid she might be a threat to you after she enters the palace,” Chu Mao sighed.

Chu Mao handed Ah Wu a slip of paper detailing Yuan Rongmeng’s background. Ah Wu then realized how someone of Yuan Rongmeng’s beauty could possibly live peacefully in Liaodong. She had changed patrons several times, each with a higher official rank than the last. When Nanny Hao sent someone to fetch her, she rejected the commander and came to Prince Qi’s mansion to become a “pure, innocent, and naive” cousin.

Ah Wu realized that her arrogance and conceit had been completely deceived by Yuan Rongmeng’s appearance. If she had known Yuan Rongmeng’s true nature earlier, she certainly would not have dared to send her to the palace; that would have been like putting a white silk noose around her own neck. Ah Wu now only hoped that Yuan Rongmeng would not gain power.

Seeing Chu Mao still appearing calm and collected, Ah Wu could not help but say resentfully, “Why did Your Highness not tell me sooner? And what were you doing going to Hongyao Villa so often?”

Chu Mao felt wronged but did not know how to explain himself to Ah Wu. He had indeed harbored ulterior motives regarding Yuan Rongmeng, wanting to use her to test Ah Wu’s feelings.

And as it turned out, Chu Mao had indeed chosen the right person. If he had chosen anyone else, none could have posed such a significant threat to Ah Wu as Yuan Rongmeng, forcing her to take action. Firstly, Yuan Rongmeng was beautiful; secondly, Ah Wu was wary of Yuan Rongmeng’s status as a cousin.

Unbeknownst to Ah Wu, Chu Mao knew almost everything about her past. Long before she became Princess Qi, Chu Mao had already become suspicious of the then-young Sixth Lady Rong, and someone was already observing her every move.

Therefore, Ah Wu’s secret meetings with Gu Tingyi at Daci Temple and her frequent encounters with him at Cui Ji were all listed in the notes handed to Chu Mao by his spies. At the time, Chu Mao simply laughed it off, dismissing Sixth Young Lady Rong’s frivolity.

But now that Sixth Young Lady Rong had become Princess Qi and even his beloved, her affair with Gu Tingyi was a thorn in Chu Mao’s side. His Highness Prince Qi was a man of purity and naturally would not get involved with a woman who loved another, but fate had other plans. He wanted to extricate himself, but he could not control his emotions, and he could not consult his advisors on this matter.

The inexperienced Prince Qi did what many men do: test his beloved. His coldness and aloofness were all attempts to attract her attention. But Ah Wu was like a stone; he did not go to her, and she did not even sprout the will to come to him.

Ever since the day Ah Wu spoke up for Gu Tingyi in the carriage, Prince Qi had been waiting for her to humble herself, fantasizing that she would carefully coax him. He had even considered that if Ah Wu took the initiative to go to Bingxue Forest to find him, he could forgive and forget, completely erasing the affair between Gu Tingyi and her. Unfortunately, Prince Qi waited for months without receiving any tenderness or affection from his princess consort.

Therefore, Chu Mao deliberately visited Hongyao Villa several more times, without telling Ah Wu about Yuan Rongmeng’s background. If Ah Wu knew Yuan Rongmeng’s true nature, Yuan Rongmeng would likely be worthless in her eyes, and no matter how many times he visited Hongyao Villa, it would not provoke his Princess Consort.

However, Chu Mao naturally would not explain such shameful thoughts to Ah Wu.