Four Seasons Brocade – CH 214

Chapter 214 ☆、

He Shui was startled to see Ah Wu. He had always assumed she was a eunuch, but she turned out to be Princess Qi. He remarked that a man couldn’t be so beautiful.

“Your subordinate greets Your Highness,” He Chun said, leading He Shui forward to pay their respects.

He Chun was experienced, and He Shui was honest and straightforward. Ah Wu was quite pleased with the two. “I invited you two here to ask for your help.”

He Chun quickly declined. Ah Wu, however, did not stand on ceremony. “I’d like to ask you two to help me investigate Nanny Lu, who serves Nanny Hao.”

He Chun nodded, not asking any questions that were not his responsibility, and led He Shui away.

He Shui asked naively, “What are we investigating about Nanny Lu?”

He Chun sighed. No wonder the Prince had assigned the two of them to the Princess; his nephew was simply too honest and straightforward. If it were not for his exceptional skills and his endorsement, He Shui would never have been able to join Prince Qi’s personal guard.

“Since the Princess did not say, naturally, we need to investigate everything, big or small,” He Chun said.

He Chun and He Shui worked incredibly fast, and within a few days, they had gathered almost complete information about Nanny Lu’s entire family of seven.

Ah Wu carefully examined the list He Chun had brought. Nanny Lu’s family was all bound by indenture contracts, yet they owned a three-courtyard house with a small garden outside the South Gate and a general store on Changyang Street. Their lives were even better than those of seventh-rank officials in the capital. However, Nanny Lu’s family’s house on the back street of Prince Qi’s mansion was extremely poor and simple; it was quite remarkable how she could maintain such a facade.

Ah Wu smiled. Just as she expected, if Nanny Lu had not gotten any benefits, why would she fawn over Nanny Hao like a loyal dog?

Ah Wu glanced at Zi-Shan, who was carrying a bolt of leftover cloth and a few strands of loose thread. “Quickly put these in Nanny Lu’s house at the South Gate,” Ah Wu instructed He Chun.

After He Chun left, Zi-Shan looked at Ah Wu with some worry and said, “Mistress, what if the Prince finds out…?”

“He Chun will not hide it from him,” Ah Wu said. This was clearly a frame-up, and Ah Wu did not want to hide it. Whether Nanny Hao knew or not was irrelevant; the important thing was that Nanny Lu herself was impure. As for the rest, it was just finding someone to take the blame for Nanny Hao. Besides, Ah Wu did not believe Nanny Hao was completely unaware of Nanny Lu’s possessions.

That very day, Chu Mao sent word that he would not be returning to Yulan Hall for dinner. Ah Wu ate early and went to the inner room, bathing and going to bed early to avoid dealing with Chu Mao’s insatiable desires.

Ah Wu thought that she needed to find an opportunity to return to Willow Alley in a few days. She had offended Tang Yin last time and needed to apologize and also inquire further about ways to make things easier for women.

Ah Wu blushed at the thought, but she was too exhausted from dealing with Chu Mao at night; just thinking about it made her bones ache. She had not gotten up early since, thankfully, there were no mothers-in-law to serve her. Then Ah Wu thought of Chu Mao again; he no longer bothered with any rules, so she did not have to get up early to deal with the concubines.

“Zi-Shan, prepare some more hot water for me,” Ah Wu said lazily. These days, she relied entirely on baths to relieve her fatigue. Ah Wu kicked her aching legs and her aching back.

“Do not soak for too long; your fingers will be all wrinkled.”

Ah Wu felt two hands on her shoulders, gently massaging them. Ah Wu turned to look at Chu Mao and asked, “Your Highness, why did you come in? Where are Zi-Shan and the others?”

Chu Mao did not answer.

Ah Wu knew that Zi-Shan and the others were spineless; they were terrified of Chu Mao like mice before a cat, even disregarding their mistress.

“Where else is it sore?” Chu Mao asked.

Ah Wu wanted to wriggle a bit, but she also craved the pressure of Chu Mao’s massage. “Your Highness, please let me get up first.”

Chu Mao originally intended to let Ah Wu get up as she suggested, but a layer of rose-red petals floated on the surface of the bathtub. With the ripples of the water, waves of petals washed over Ah Wu’s fair chest, obscuring the alluring mounds hidden beneath the surface.

“Is it sore here?” Chu Mao’s hands slid down, grasping the smooth breasts and gently kneading them.

Ah Wu felt goosebumps rise on her chest, wishing she could chop off Chu Mao’s hands. “Your Highness, I have something important to tell you,” Ah Wu said softly, lowering her posture considerably. She had noticed these past few days that the more she resisted, the more forceful Chu Mao became.

Chu Mao took a step back in response, retrieved a large towel from a nearby shelf, and handed it to Ah Wu. It was not that he was obeying Ah Wu’s request, but the water in the bathtub was indeed a bit cold, and he was worried it might be uncomfortable for her.

“Turn around,” Ah Wu said, taking the white towel. She noticed Chu Mao staring intently at her, making no attempt to look away.

Chu Mao smiled and walked out.

When no further movement was heard, Ah Wu got up and stepped out of the bathtub. She gently dried herself with the towel, from her neck to her chest, then her abdomen, and finally her legs. Afterward, Ah Wu took her undergarment from the rack but felt something was amiss. Looking closer, she realized Chu Mao had not left at all; he was standing behind the screen, watching her through a gap.

Ah Wu quickly covered her chest with the undergarment and shouted angrily, “Chu Mao!”

Chu Mao chuckled and stepped out from behind the screen.

“What did you just see?” Ah Wu demanded angrily, then realized her question was inappropriate and quickly replied, “Whatever you saw, you are not allowed to remember it.”

Ah Wu felt that Prince Qi was becoming increasingly outrageous, actually peeping at someone bathing. However, Ah Wu’s first reaction was not shame or anger at being seen naked, but rather an urge to recall if she had done anything indecent.

Chu Mao’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he looked Ah Wu up and down without moving.

But his gaze was so intense it almost burned Ah Wu’s hands. She gripped her undergarment even tighter. “Get out! Get out!”

The undergarment hung down so low that it barely covered her pubic area. Ah Wu’s arms were crossed in front of her chest, squeezing her breasts large and round, revealing a sliver of cleavage—a rather blatant disregard for her surroundings.

Chu Mao simply leaned against the wall, enjoying the view before him.

The summer robe was thin, and Ah Wu could only watch helplessly as Chu Mao’s crotch bulged. Her face flushed crimson, and she was increasingly at a loss for words. “Please, leave, I beg you,” Ah Wu pleaded pitifully. But she did not dare to dress in front of Chu Mao like this.

Chu Mao laughed, making Ah Wu even more embarrassed. She did not dare to get angry, only hoping to coax this man out quickly.

“I will dress you, my wife,” Chu Mao said, walking over and pulling the pale yellow undergarment from Ah Wu’s arms, tossing it into the bathtub.

“Hey, you…” Ah Wu watched the undergarment trace a line through the air. “I want to wear this.”

Chu Mao then forcefully pulled a light green silk robe from Ah Wu’s hands. Unable to resist him, Ah Wu had no choice but to let go, tightly clutching a pair of underpants to cover herself. Unexpectedly, Chu Mao actually intended to dress her; she had initially thought he was just teasing her.

“Come on, put your hands out.” Chu Mao lifted Ah Wu’s undergarment by her shoulders and unfolded it.

Ah Wu was still clutching the undergarment, so she moved one hand to slip it into the sleeve, then switched to the other. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief; at least she had some clothing to cover herself. Ah Wu gathered her clothes together, tightly tying the straps. When she looked up again, she saw that the undergarment Chu Mao had taken from her was now flying off, joining her bodice.

“Your Highness!” Ah Wu was genuinely angry.

“It looks better this way. It’s hot; is it not cooler this way?” Chu Mao kissed Ah Wu’s lips.

Ah Wu felt incredibly awkward with her two bare legs exposed. She crossed her legs and pulled the clothes down forcefully, but even so, she could only barely cover half of her buttocks.

Chu Mao’s eyes, however, were glued to Ah Wu’s long, shapely legs. They were perfectly proportioned, long and straight, with smooth, fair skin that made him want to touch them. Chu Mao scooped Ah Wu up in his arms, supporting her by her hips, and pinned her against the wall.

Ah Wu was both surprised and angry, managing to stammer, “You have not bathed yet.”

Chu Mao gave Ah Wu a hard kiss on the cheek. “You look so beautiful like this. I will draw some patterns for you and have the embroiderer make them. You can wear them for me in private, alright, Ah Wu?”

“You wish! You filthy scoundrel!” Ah Wu punched Chu Mao. “Put me down right now! You smell so bad, it’s suffocating me!”

Actually, Chu Mao was always very clean; he did not smell of sweat at all. It was all Ah Wu’s excuse. He did not call her out on it. After putting Ah Wu down, he slapped her on the bottom—not hard, but the sound was very loud.

“You…” Ah Wu jumped up, clutching her bottom, while Chu Mao laughed loudly.

Ah Wu, no longer caring about her clothes, dashed out, hid on the bed, and covered her face with the blanket, pretending the embarrassing incident had never happened.

After a while, Ah Wu realized she had not gone to get her undergarments again. She peeked out from under the bed, saw no movement, wrapped herself in the sheet, and got up. But as soon as she stood up, she heard Chu Mao say, “What are you doing?”

Ah Wu was startled and almost tripped over the sheet, but luckily Chu Mao steadied her quickly.

“Your Highness, you’ve finished washing up so quickly?” Ah Wu asked, trying to make conversation, gently avoiding Chu Mao’s hand.

“Life is short; why waste time washing up?” Chu Mao laughed.

Ah Wu, pinned down by Chu Mao, hurriedly said, “I really have something to tell you.” Ah Wu tried to push Chu Mao away.

“Mmm, mmm, that feels good, harder,” Chu Mao said exaggeratedly.

Ah Wu was completely helpless against him. If she pushed him away, he would just think she was massaging his chest.

Chu Mao took Ah Wu’s pink nipple into his mouth, and she gasped, “Today, today I had He Chun put, put, put Nanny Lu’s things…”

Ah Wu was also shrewd; this was the perfect time to tell Chu Mao this. Whether he took it to heart or not, she had said it anyway.

“Ah Wu, from now on, in the inner room, you must wear the clothes I design for you. You are not allowed to wear anything else,” Chu Mao said abruptly. Ah Wu did not understand what he meant at all—what designed clothes?

When Ah Wu came to her senses, the moon was already high in the sky. Chu Mao was lying on his back on the bed, gently stroking Ah Wu’s back and lightly pecking at her cheek. A faint fruity scent filled the quiet air.