Four Seasons Brocade – CH 223

Chapter 223 ☆、

From a distance, Ah Wu could not hear their conversation, so she gave Bing-Shuang a wink. Bing-Shuang lightly touched the ground with her toes and leaped up a large tree closer to the two.

Ah Wu saw the Sixth Prince, Chu Yu, pinch Yuan Rongmeng’s chin. This ambiguous gesture made her frown. She wondered, Yuan Rongmeng was infatuated with Chu Mao, was she not? How come she was involved with Chu Yu? Ah Wu smiled coldly. This woman dared to boat on two rivers; she was courting death. Ah Wu felt as if she had been fooled, her hand clenching into a fist at her side in anger.

Looking again, the two were already shamelessly embracing. At first, Yuan Rongmeng struggled slightly, then decisively fell into Chu Yu’s arms, hooking her legs around him. Ah Wu was shocked to see Chu Yu reaching to untie his pants. Could they be thinking of…?

Before Ah Wu could cover her eyes, a hand covered her mouth from behind. Just as Ah Wu was about to struggle, she heard Chu Mao’s voice say, “It’s me.”

“Come with me,” Chu Mao said softly.

Ah Wu was half-carried out of the woods by Chu Mao. She had been worried about how to tell Chu Mao about this; she was the one who had caused all this trouble. Unexpectedly, Yuan Rongmeng had been caught in the act by Chu Mao, which was not so bad. However, Ah Wu immediately realized that Chu Mao’s presence here meant he might know about Yuan Rongmeng and Chu Yu’s affair.

Once out of the woods, Chu Mao put Ah Wu down and walked straight ahead.

Ah Wu, already feeling guilty and further flustered by Chu Mao’s antics these past two days, could not help but call out, “Jinghui.” The drawn-out “Hui” added a touch of coquettishness.

Chu Mao stopped, turning back to glance impatiently at Ah Wu. Ah Wu, sensing the situation, stepped forward and tugged at Chu Mao’s sleeve, pouting and winking at him.

Chu Mao sighed helplessly, taking Ah Wu’s hand in return and pulling her forward, his steps becoming smaller to accommodate her.

Ah Wu smiled like a well-fed cat, and Chu Mao, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, also smiled.

Back at Yanjia Hall, Ah Wu was about to sit down and talk to Chu Mao about what she had seen when, before she even touched the couch, Chu Mao carried her to the inner room.

“Chu Mao!” Ah Wu, now quite anxious and agitated, punched Chu Mao’s shoulder. He had not even given her a smile the past few days; if he was so capable, he should just keep enduring it.

“Now you are calling him by his name? Why did you call Jinghui so sweetly and coquettishly just now, hmm?” Chu Mao reached out and ruffled Ah Wu’s increasingly plump, white breasts.

Ah Wu blushed at Chu Mao’s words; such things were incredibly embarrassing to be spoken of directly. “Chu Jinghui!” Ah Wu decided to address Chu Mao as a compromise.

“Go ahead and call me that, keep calling me that, I like whatever you call me.” Chu Mao began to nibble at Ah Wu’s breasts. Because it was summer, and they were in the palace, and considering Ah Wu would definitely be angry afterward, Chu Mao finally released Ah Wu’s beautiful neck and delicate collarbone.

Once inside her alley, Chu Mao sighed, “Next time, let’s find a grove to play in. A peach grove, an apricot grove, a pear grove, or a plum grove in spring, you can lie on the petals…”

Chu Mao’s vision of the future made Ah Wu’s lower body tighten. “Do not even think about it.”

“I insist on thinking about it. You’d better lie on begonia petals; no, a peony would be even better, pink and purple, to complement you perfectly. Then the peonies will weep with dew, tsk tsk…”

“Chu Mao!” Ah Wu was exasperated, beyond angry. This man was becoming increasingly vulgar and obscene.

Accompanied by Ah Wu’s loud rebukes, Chu Mao pounded on her even harder, “I can see the peony petals beneath you being rubbed until they overflow with sap.”

Then Chu Mao stepped back, grabbed Ah Wu’s waist, flipped her over, and entered her from behind, “So you can see it too.”

“Chu Mao, you, you…” Ah Wu’s mind was blank; she could only see the scene Chu Mao described: Zhao Fen, Wei Zi—there were not many pots like that in the entire capital, used to press down on her body? “Oh…” Ah Wu sighed.

“You are such a waste,” Ah Wu cursed.

“Indeed, why did I only think of this method today?” Chu Mao kissed the back of Ah Wu’s ear. “What a waste of such a beautiful body of yours.”

Ah Wu could no longer answer, only humming incoherently. Not satisfied, Chu Mao then lifted her onto the chaise longue and vigorously fucked her again. After the two finished washing and getting ready, it was already dinnertime. The atmosphere during the meal was finally less somber than in the previous days. Chu Mao remained quiet, but he repeatedly served Ah Wu dishes—roasted beef tendon, braised fish slices, Kung Pao chicken, and even the boiled shrimp, which His Highness Prince Qi personally peeled, dipped in sauce, and fed to Ah Wu.

Zi-Yi silently prayed, “Amitabha.”

Ah Wu, however, could not stand Chu Mao’s attentiveness. She preferred vegetarian food to meat, yet Chu Mao had piled meat all over her plate, making it seem like a mountain. “Oh, Your Highness, I cannot eat this much.”

“If you do not eat more now, you will be hungry later,” Chu Mao said, placing another piece of beef tendon on Ah Wu’s plate.

“I have a small appetite,” Ah Wu replied. Chu Mao knew her appetite, but seeing the “green light” gleaming in his eyes, Ah Wu immediately realized—was this man going to…?

Ah Wu questioned Chu Mao with her eyes, and Chu Mao’s lips curled slightly, which was her answer.

Was this a way of collecting all the debts owed over the past few days? Ah Wu felt instantly powerless. Prince Qi’s calculations were truly shrewd; he not only intimidated her with his coldness but also refused to suffer any loss.

After dinner, avoiding Chu Mao’s murderous gaze, Ah Wu summoned Bing-Shuang and Zi-Yi to the west wing for questioning.

“Did you hear what they were saying?” Ah Wu asked Bing-Shuang.

“Both of them were incredibly alert. They practically whispered about the crucial parts. I only caught snippets of them mentioning the Fifth Prince and you, Mistress. It seemed like they were making arrangements, but I could not hear the specifics,” Bing-Shuang said.

“Why would Consort Yuan side with the Sixth Prince? He’s her cousin!” Zi-Yi asked, utterly puzzled.

Ah Wu, however, understood perfectly. Yuan Rongmeng had suffered for too long and refused to lose again. She believed that to be the ultimate winner, she had to bet on both sides.

“Why do we not leak this news? The Sixth Prince and his father’s woman are having an affair. Once it gets out, he will naturally… and Consort Yuan will not be able to cause you any more trouble, Mistress,” Zi-Yi suggested.

Bing-Shuang nodded, a rare occurrence for her.

Ah Wu remained silent until finally saying, “Do not spread this around yet.” Regardless, Yuan Rongmeng was ostensibly Chu Mao’s cousin. If she were to fall from grace, and given her resemblance to Empress Xiaozhen, who knew how much the Emperor would hate Chu Mao? Ah Wu did not want to take that risk. Moreover, she speculated that the Emperor’s hatred for Empress Xiaozhen was likely due to her infidelity.

Besides this, Ah Wu could not think of any other reason. The Yuan family was not a powerful clan that threatened the Emperor’s authority; the Emperor would not hate Empress Xiaozhen because of her family background. That meant he must hate her personally. And for someone to hate an Empress who had borne him a son so much, the only explanation Ah Wu could think of was infidelity. Therefore, Chu Mao might also be suspected.

This would explain why her imperial uncle treated the other princes well yet remained so cold towards Chu Mao.

Ah Wu sat and pondered for a while before returning to her inner room to change. Chu Mao also returned from his study. “The embroiderers in the mansion should have finished your undergarment by now. Shall I have someone bring it in?” Chu Mao leaned against the screen, examining Ah Wu’s yellow cross-collar fitted blouse and rose-red trousers.

“No way! Are you not ashamed? Everything sent to the Western Garden is inspected. What if someone sees it…” Ah Wu gave Chu Mao a reproachful look, her captivating charm enough to melt one’s bones.

Chu Mao lifted Ah Wu onto the couch, slowly stroking her from her wide trouser legs upwards, making Ah Wu giggle. “I have something important to discuss with Your Highness.”

“This is the most important thing in the world. We strive our whole lives, is it not all so our children and grandchildren can have a good life? But the foundation of all this is having children and grandchildren first.” Chu Mao’s fingers gently touched her vulva.

Men were born liars, on one hand preventing women from having children for their own selfish desires and, on the other hand, using children as a carrot dangling in front of Ah Wu, this little donkey.

Ah Wu squeezed her legs together. “Jinghui—” Ah Wu called out in a sweet, coquettish voice. She did not know why, but she just loved seeing Chu Mao’s eyes narrow slightly and his breathing become heavier when he heard her voice.

“What happened in the woods today…” Ah Wu continued.

“Hmm?” Chu Mao pulled down Ah Wu’s underpants.

“I’ve already told Bing-Shuang and Zi-Yi not to tell anyone. Did you already know about Consort Yuan and Old Sixth? Why did you not tell me? Otherwise, I would not have been fooled by her a few days ago.” Ah Wu pouted. “Do not tell me you did not know. What are the chances that you were in those woods?” Ah Wu’s legs, supported by Chu Mao’s arms, swayed a few times.

“You are so clever. I was there to keep them hidden,” Chu Mao said.

“Why?” Ah Wu was taken aback. Even if Chu Mao did not want to expose them, he did not need to personally clean up their mess.

“You will find out soon enough.” Chu Mao kissed Ah Wu’s cheek.

“You are always like this, only saying half of what you mean, never consulting me,” Ah Wu said resentfully. “And then you complain that I do not understand your feelings.” Ah Wu spoke with a sense of grievance, and a genuine feeling of injustice welled up inside her; her eyes reddened. She was not usually a weak person, but in front of Chu Mao, she was particularly prone to feeling wronged.

“You are such a delicate little thing; no wonder you are called Ah Wu,” Chu Mao chuckled. “You are right, we are husband and wife; from now on, I will consult you first about everything.”

Although she knew Chu Mao was exaggerating, perhaps his words were a good start. Ah Wu stopped crying and smiled, and Chu Mao coaxed her a couple more times until her private parts were so swollen and painful she could not bear it anymore. Only then did Chu Mao stop.

At dawn, while Ah Wu and Chu Mao were still fast asleep, they heard Zi-Yi calling from outside: “Your Highnesses, Pure Consort has passed away.”