Four Seasons Brocade – CH 198

Chapter 198 ☆、

Nanny Hao woke up in the afternoon. Upon opening her eyes and seeing Ah Wu, she immediately turned her head away. Pei-Lan came in with the medicine, and Ah Wu took the bowl from her hands. One must act like a servant when caring for someone who was ill.

After Pei-Lan helped Nanny Hao sit up, Ah Wu scooped a spoonful of the medicine, placed it in front of her, blew on it from a distance, and then brought it to Nanny Hao’s lips.

Nanny Hao stared coldly at Ah Wu. Ah Wu thought Nanny Hao was about to overturn the medicine bowl, which would save her the trouble of feeding her the medicine. But to her surprise, Nanny Hao opened her mouth and drank it.

The next moment, Ah Wu heard a “pffp” sound, and her face was sprayed with the medicine. Fortunately, Ah Wu closed her eyes quickly.

Ah Wu felt as if poison was boiling on her face. She gripped her clothes tightly, barely managing to stifle a scream. She had never experienced anything so filthy in her life.

Ah Wu could even smell the foul stench of Nanny Hao’s saliva in the medicine. She wanted to scratch her face raw, feeling as if a thousand ants were crawling on it. Ah Wu never imagined that Nanny Hao could be so vulgar.

Zi-Shan, watching from behind, was utterly stunned. “Your Highness!”

Ah Wu raised her hand to stop Zi-Shan from stepping forward, then grabbed Nanny Hao’s blanket and vigorously rubbed her face, as if she wanted to peel off a layer of skin.

Finally, Ah Wu bit her tongue to calm herself. Her eyelashes trembled a few times before she opened her eyes and stared coldly at Nanny Hao: “Nanny, do you truly hate me because of Yuan Rongmeng, or only because I am His Highness’s wife?”

“Nanny, you served the late Empress for so many years; do you not know what Yuan Rongmeng’s father did to her? Yet you still foolishly pampered Yuan Rongmeng, hoping she would challenge me. Does she even deserve it? His Highness only tolerated Yuan Rongmeng out of respect for you. Otherwise, with His Highness’s abilities, he would have acted when the Yuan family fell into ruin, instead of waiting until Yuan Rongmeng was a fallen woman before bringing her into the mansion. Nanny, you are just taking advantage of the kindness of His Highness, trying to manipulate him like a puppet. But you’ve forgotten, you are not his mother, nor are you my real mother-in-law. Sometimes, being ungrateful will only lead to having no face left.”

Nanny Hao trembled with anger at Ah Wu.

Ah Wu was already furious. “Nanny, do not be angry. Chief Physician He said that you cannot take any more shocks; otherwise, your life will be in danger. Would that not be a tragedy for your loved ones and a pleasure for your enemies?”

The enemy, of course, was Ah Wu.

“You vile woman, you poisoned me!” Nanny Hao grabbed Ah Wu’s wrist.

Ah Wu felt as if her hand was being coiled by a venomous snake covered in slime. A wave of nausea washed over her. If she could, she would not even want her hand.

“Let go!” Ah Wu thought Nanny Hao had gone mad. Luckily, she had anticipated this move; her medicine was all personally prepared and brought in by Pei-Lan.

“I told you to let go!” Ah Wu was enraged beyond measure.

That day, Zi-Shan cried out, “Your Highness, your face!”

Not only her face, but even Ah Wu’s hand, which she instinctively raised to touch her face, began to show red rashes. No wonder Nanny Hao said Ah Wu had poisoned her; anyone who saw Ah Wu’s face, instantly covered in red rashes, would think there was something wrong with the medicine.

Ah Wu and Nanny Hao were locked in a stalemate when Chu Mao, having received news of Nanny Hao’s awakening, stepped in.

Ah Wu turned around to see Chu Mao staring at her in shock. “What happened to your face?” Chu Mao strode over and took Ah Wu’s hand.

Because they were so close, Ah Wu saw her reflection in Chu Mao’s pupils. She gasped, pushed him away, and ran out of Hongyao Villa.

Back at Yulan Hall, Ah Wu rushed into the bathing room. Fortunately, the bathing room at Yulan Hall had hot water all year round. Ah Wu stood under the cowhide water bag, letting the water drench her, but she still felt nauseous. She touched her face, her nails digging inwards, and in a moment of impulse, she even wanted to peel off the skin.

“Your Highness, the Prince is here!” Zi-Shan’s voice hurriedly rang out from outside.

“Do not let him in!” Ah Wu screamed.

Unfortunately, Chu Mao had already entered the bathing room. He saw Ah Wu standing under the water bag, soaked to the bone, her clothes still on, her hair disheveled and clinging to her cheeks. She looked at him pitifully, like a child abandoned by her parents, lost and helpless.

Ignoring the splashing water, Chu Mao went over and cupped Ah Wu’s face, comforting her, “It’s alright, it’s just a rash. I’ve already asked Lu Ruoxing to invite Wang Sifang; he has a miraculous cure for rashes.”

Ah Wu felt wronged, disgusted, and frightened, tears streaming down her face.

“How could you bathe like this? You will catch a chill.” Chu Mao embraced Ah Wu and removed her wet clothes, revealing that her entire body was covered in red rashes, even her calves.

Ah Wu stood there, stunned, letting Chu Mao do as he pleased. At that moment, she did not even want this body anymore. Chu Mao took some bath soap and gently washed Ah Wu’s face. He then pulled her into his arms, patting her back and saying, “It’s alright; it’s all clean, all clean.”

Upon hearing this, Ah Wu burst into tears, not a loud wail, but a series of sobs that were more painful than a loud cry. Chu Mao, helpless, hooked a small stool over with his foot, sat Ah Wu down on his lap, and gently kissed her cheeks.

Ah Wu looked up at Chu Mao, sobbing, her eyes silently asking, “Do you not feel disgusted?”

Chu Mao held Ah Wu like a child, gently patting her back and kissing her cheeks. “It’s just a rash; it’s alright, it’s alright.”

After Chu Mao said “It’s clean; it’s alright” countless times, Ah Wu finally fell asleep, exhausted, in Chu Mao’s arms.

While Ah Wu was asleep, Wang Sifang had already taken her pulse, prescribed a remedy, and left behind the Wang family’s unique “Skin-Soothing Ointment.”

“Your Highness need not worry; the Princess will be able to go out in a few days. This transitional season between winter and spring is most prone to rashes,” Wang Sifang said, putting away his medicine box.

“Is Physician Wang sure it’s a rash? The Princess has never had a rash this season before. Do you think she might be ill, and quite seriously?”

Wang Sifang’s heart skipped a beat. Prince Qi was not asking him a question; he was stating a fact. As a royal physician, Wang Sifang frequently entered and exited the palace; how could he not be adept at reading people? These imperial sons—which one of them was not cunning and calculating? Sometimes, what appeared to be an illness was actually a serious one.

Wang Sifang nodded hesitantly, “The Princess Consort has indeed fallen seriously ill.”

Chu Mao nodded. “If anyone in the palace asks, I suppose Physician Wang will know what to say?”

Wang Sifang nodded hurriedly, “Of course, of course.”

“Good, Lu Ruoxing, see Physician Wang out for me,” Chu Mao instructed.

“Physician Wang, this way.” Lu Ruoxing immediately stepped forward and gestured for Wang Sifang to proceed.

The next day, Ah Wu, suffering from a serious illness, was sent by Chu Mao to his estate in Shandong.

“You said the Princess Consort was sent to Shandong by His Highness?” Nanny Hao could hardly believe her ears. After a moment’s thought, she understood Chu Mao’s meaning, thinking to herself that he had truly gone to great lengths.

Pei-Lan nodded, her face beaming with joy. “Now, Nanny Hao will not have to suffer the Princess’s temper anymore.”

“Silly child,” Nanny Hao patted Pei-Lan’s head, her eyes dark and brooding.

Shortly after Ah Wu went to Shandong, everyone in the capital knew that a new Pure Consort had risen to power, surpassing even the Noble Consort Xiang in favor. And as the saying goes, “When one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven,” because Nanny Hao of the Prince Qi’s mansion had cared for the Pure Consort for a few months, the Pure Consort had petitioned the Emperor on Nanny Hao’s behalf, bestowing upon her the title of Lady Shunzhen.

This was an unprecedented honor. Those unaware of the truth wished they could rush home and start trying to conceive, hoping to have a beautiful daughter, or perhaps have their mothers search for orphaned girls to take in. Those in the know, however, shook their heads in dismay. The Emperor, old and increasingly senile, had been so easily fooled by a woman.

While everyone in the capital was busy gossiping about the new favorite in the palace, Consort Yuan, Ah Wu was brewing a pot of Da Hong Pao tea at her villa in Shandong.

“I heard from Zi-Yi that Consort Yuan is utterly despicable. She actually wants the Prince to divorce the Princess Consort under the seven grounds for divorce,” Zi-Shan said angrily from the side. “It’s hateful that the Princess treated her so well back then, giving her such a large box of jewelry because she was poor, and this is how she repays you.”

Zi-Shan was completely biased towards Ah Wu, even though her mistress had sent Consort Yuan, a young woman in the prime of her life, to accompany an old man.

“Oh, what did His Highness say?” Ah Wu asked casually, but her heart was far from at ease. After Yuan Rongmeng gained favor, she indeed first requested a title for Nanny Hao and then tried to summon Ah Wu to the palace. If Ah Wu were to enter the palace, Yuan Rongmeng would not need to do anything. She could simply find a pretext to make her kneel for several hours, and Ah Wu’s knees would likely be ruined. The palace had many ways to torture people, enough to make you wish you were dead, yet they could hide your injuries.

Fortunately, Chu Mao had acted quickly, using Ah Wu’s rash as an excuse to send her out of the capital early. With Wang Sifang’s medical records as evidence, Ah Wu’s illness was contagious, naturally preventing her from entering the palace.

But Ah Wu had not expected Yuan Rongmeng to actually ask Chu Mao to divorce his wife. Or rather, Ah Wu had considered it but did not expect Yuan Rongmeng to actually do it. Ah Wu was not entirely certain about Chu Mao’s attitude, because she always thought that if she were Chu Mao, divorcing his wife would be acceptable if it could gain Yuan Rongmeng’s help. After all, he had said that the Princess could be replaced.

“The Prince said that the Master is his mentor, and how could he betray their teacher-student relationship just because the Princess is suffering from a serious illness? It was only because Pure Consort Yuan kept pressuring him that the Prince said he would only consider remarrying if the Princess’s illness did not improve after three years.” Zi-Shan secretly glanced at Ah Wu’s face, and seeing that she seemed unaffected, she dared to speak.

“Do not worry, Princess,” Zi-Shan said confidently, “I do not think the Prince will remarry. Although it only takes a day and a night for a fast horse to travel from the capital to Shandong, the journey is incredibly tiring. You’ve only been here a month, and the Prince has already come three times. Last time he saw you, he only spoke for an hour before having to rush back. Even so, he still wanted to see you one last time. Therefore, the Prince will definitely not remarry.”

Ah Wu scoffed, “What do you know? Sometimes, the nicer someone is to you on the surface, the more they might treat you badly behind your back.”

“The Prince is definitely not that kind of person,” Zi-Shan said, unconvinced.

Ah Wu stopped speaking to Zi-Shan. Her worry was not about whether Chu Mao would remarry; his promise of three years was clearly just an excuse. What would Yuan Rongmeng matter after Chu Mao ascended the throne in three years? Ah Wu was worried that she might stay in Shandong for three years. By the time she returned, the grudges between the Imperial Princess and Chu Mao would probably have been settled by him.