Four Seasons Brocade – CH 224

Chapter 224 ☆、

Ah Wu gasped in shock. How could someone alive and well yesterday suddenly be gone? Who killed Yuan Rongmeng? A first-rank imperial consort dying so suddenly without illness or pain naturally required an explanation.

“Understood, you may leave.” Chu Mao calmly dismissed Zi-Yi, then closed his eyes to rest. They’d stayed up late last night, and even His Highness Prince Qi, the instigator, was still somewhat unwell and lacking energy.

Meanwhile, the exhausted Ah Wu was immediately invigorated by the news, a sense of relief welling up within her. “What a sin,” Ah Wu silently chanted a Buddhist prayer.

But when Ah Wu looked down and saw Chu Mao’s indifferent expression, her mind raced. “Your Highness!” Ah Wu whispered in Chu Mao’s ear.

“Hmm,” Chu Mao mumbled, still unwilling to open his eyes.

Ah Wu angrily kicked Chu Mao’s leg lightly, but knew this was not the time to speak. She slipped out of bed and went to the bathing room to quickly wash and change into a plain dress. She tied her hair up in a bun with a silver hairpin, removing all other jewelry.

As Ah Wu applied perfume to herself in front of the mirror, she saw her reflection: red lips, white teeth, and skin with a rosy glow, like spring water that had soaked through peach petals. She paused, then, unusually, opened her powder box, took some powder from the jade hairpin bud, and applied it until it covered the peach-pink, revealing a pale complexion.

The dark circles under her eyes were just right; there was no need to fake it anymore.

Ah Wu lightly touched the bluish-purple mark with her fingertip. For the past month or two, this bluish tinge had barely faded, except for the few days when Chu Mao was away on a mission.

While Ah Wu was lost in thought, Chu Mao had already changed his clothes and emerged. The two exchanged a glance and went hand in hand to Ningchun Hall—the former palace of the Pure Consort in the Western Garden.

“Your Highness, is there anything you need me to do here? What should I say and what should I not say?” Ah Wu asked Chu Mao. She had already made a foolish mistake regarding Yuan Rongmeng and was determined not to repeat it.

“Try to keep the matter between the Sixth Prince and Pure Consort a secret,” Chu Mao said.

Ah Wu nodded. Chu Mao’s words indirectly confirmed Ah Wu’s suspicions about Empress Xiaozhen. She had considered investigating Empress Xiaozhen’s affairs, but more than twenty years had passed. The elders who knew some of the details back then were either dead or scattered. Finding out the specifics of what happened back then was no easy task. Furthermore, the knowledgeable Nanny Hao was certainly unwilling to tell Ah Wu those stories.

Ningchun Hall was in chaos, with people busy preparing the body and setting up the mourning hall. It seemed Yuan Rongmeng’s body would be laid to rest there.

Ah Wu and Chu Mao had just reached the door when a eunuch ran over and said, “Your Highness, Your Highness, the Emperor fainted upon learning of Pure Consort’s death. The Fifth Prince has already gone to Qingxi Study, and someone has already been sent to inform the Sixth Prince.”

Pure Consort’s death was naturally less significant than the Emperor’s illness. Ah Wu and Chu Mao turned north and went to Qingxi Study, where the Longqing Emperor was recuperating.

Qingxi Study was quiet. The head of the Imperial Medical Bureau, He Nianfang, was leading two imperial physicians, Nie and Shen, in a consultation with the Longqing Emperor. Empress Tian and Consort Xiang sat at opposite ends of the bed, wiping away tears. The Emperor was not dead yet; whoever cried the most showed their concern for him. So, in just a short while, both women’s eyes were already swollen.

The Fifth Prince sat in the side room, frowning, his eyes fixed on the inner chamber. He did not know whether he was hoping the Emperor would recover quickly or wishing he would make way for them. Seeing Chu Mao and Ah Wu enter, Chu Qin greeted them, “Fourth Brother, Fourth Sister-in-law.” In public, the Fifth Prince, like the Sixth Prince, was always polite.

Ah Wu and Chu Mao entered the inner chamber, and Chu Qin followed.

Ah Wu looked at the pale-faced Longqing Emperor lying on the bed, listening to his labored breathing, and felt a deep sorrow. This man was her former uncle, and as long as he lived, the Imperial Princess’s family would be safe. Ah Wu sincerely hoped for his recovery.

“Your Majesty, the Fourth Prince has come to see you,” Consort Xiang whispered in the Longqing Emperor’s ear.

The Longqing Emperor’s muffled groans grew louder; he had probably been too hasty, causing phlegm to cloud his mind and lead to his fainting. He was now conscious but still unable to speak, his eyelids drooping.

“Your subject greets Your Majesty,” said Ah Wu, following Chu Mao’s bow, as Empress Tian addressed the Emperor on his behalf.

“Imperial Physician He, how is Father?” Chu Mao asked, approaching the imperial physician who was discussing a prescription.

Ah Wu took out a handkerchief and, like Empress Tian and Consort Xiang, began wiping away tears, though her tears were perhaps the most sincere.

Imperial Physician He devised a method. He ordered some straw to be brought, and using it, he pried open the Longqing Emperor’s mouth and suctioned out the phlegm from his throat. The method proved effective; the Longqing Emperor coughed violently a few times, as if the blockage had been cleared, and sat up abruptly, spitting out a small bowl of phlegm.

Just then, the Sixth Prince, Chu Yu, and the Seventh Prince arrived. Although the Western Mountain camp was not far from the Western Garden, the time it took for the messenger to leave and for Chu Yu to return should not have been so short. Therefore, whether Chu Yu had returned to the Western Mountain camp last night became a question.

However, this was not the time to investigate this. After spitting out phlegm, the Longqing Emperor became fully conscious and opened his eyes. He gestured to Consort Xiang beside him to help him up.

“Your Majesty, I was so worried about you! If anything were to happen to you, I would not want to live anymore…” Consort Xiang prostrated herself on the Longqing Emperor’s lap and began to weep. A woman in her thirties, she wept like a pear blossom in the rain.

Empress Tian was not to be outdone. She covered her mouth with a handkerchief and also sobbed, “Your Majesty, please take care of your health for the sake of the people.”

With Empress Tian saying this, Chu Mao’s sons and daughters-in-law could only kneel and beg the Longqing Emperor to take care of himself.

In an instant, many people arrived at Qingxi Study. Herui and Fifth Lady Rong, along with their children, also rushed over, as did the Fifth Prince’s Consort, Yin Xuexia.

The Longqing Emperor waved his hand, and the room immediately fell silent. His gaunt face, with its sunken eyes resembling two unsettling deep holes, revealed his true nature.

“How did Pure Consort die?” the Longqing Emperor asked.

The affairs of the harem were generally managed by the Empress, but because Consort Xiang was favored, the Longqing Emperor had specifically appointed her to assist in managing the harem. Although she was only an assistant, even Empress Tian sometimes had to defer to her, so it was not surprising that Consort Xiang bypassed Empress Tian to answer this question.

“Pure Consort is…” Consort Xiang’s words were interrupted by the Longqing Emperor raising his hand.

Then the Longqing Emperor slowly surveyed everyone present. If there was anyone among them with the least suspicion in Pure Consort’s death, it was undoubtedly Chu Mao. Because Yuan Rongmeng’s death was the least beneficial to him. Everyone knew that Pure Consort was Chu Mao’s cousin. Having her in the palace to whisper sweet nothings in the Emperor’s ear and act as his eyes and ears was a perfect advantage.

Moreover, Pure Consort looked remarkably like Empress Xiaozhen—Chu Mao’s biological mother.

The inner chamber was quiet, everyone waiting for the Longqing Emperor to speak. Finally, he turned to his least favorite son. “Fourth Prince, you are in charge of investigating this matter. I will give you three days.”

“Your subject obeys.” Chu Mao knelt to accept the decree.

“Dismissed, everyone. Let me have some time alone,” the Longqing Emperor sighed and lay back down.

Consort Xiang wanted to linger, but Empress Tian and the Fifth Prince were not about to give her an opportunity to curry favor with the Emperor. The two sides were deadlocked, and finally, the Longqing Emperor asked them both to leave.

Because Chu Mao had received the imperial decree, he naturally had to carry it out, so Ah Wu returned to Yanjia Hall alone. She was anxious, worried that three days was too short; Chu Mao might not be able to find solid evidence. She sighed, wondering if the Emperor genuinely wanted to find out or was just going through the motions, giving only three days.

Ah Wu’s heart had long since shifted from her imperial uncle to Chu Mao, though she was unaware of it.

That evening, when Chu Mao returned to Yanjia Hall, Ah Wu heard Zi-Yi’s report and personally carried a lantern to the courtyard gate to greet him, “Your Highness.”

Chu Mao nodded to Ah Wu, gesturing for her to come inside. Ah Wu wanted to ask about the situation as soon as she entered, but Chu Mao went into the bathing room. The eunuchs followed, carrying hot water. Having served Chu Mao for so long in Yanjia Hall, they knew that the first thing Prince Qi did upon returning was to bathe and change.

Ah Wu personally fetched Chu Mao’s change of clothes and carried them into the bathing room, dismissing the eunuchs who were attending to his grooming. Through the screen, she asked, “Your Highness, have you found anything?”

Chu Mao undressed on the other side of the screen. Ah Wu watched him remove his belt and drape it over the screen, then his robe, undershirt, and trousers. Then she heard him say, “Ah Wu, come in and scrub my back.”

Ah Wu inwardly cursed, realizing she’d worried for nothing. Chu Mao still had the leisure to take advantage of her at this point, which meant he was already confident.

Ah Wu took some scented soap and a towel and went around the screen, only to find Chu Mao standing naked outside the bathtub. Startled, Ah Wu quickly covered her eyes with her hands. “Your Highness, why not soak in the tub?”

Chu Mao looked at Ah Wu innocently. Ah Wu then remembered that Yanjia Hall did not have the leather water pouches like those in Yulan Hall and Bingxue Forest; Chu Mao would not step into the bathtub without rinsing himself first.

Ah Wu had no choice but to fetch a gourd ladle and hand it to Chu Mao. However, Chu Mao did not even bother to take it, ignoring Ah Wu and sitting down on a stool nearby. Ah Wu looked at Chu Mao, then at her own clothes, and could only grit her teeth, taking off her shoes, socks, and outer garment to scoop water for Chu Mao to rinse off.

Then Chu Mao stepped into the bathtub and instructed Ah Wu, “Keep scooping water; do not stop.”

The splashing water from the scooping and rinsing created a sound that masked other voices. Chu Mao comfortably rested his arm on the edge of the tub before lazily asking, “Who do you think killed Pure Consort?”

Ah Wu had been pondering this question all day. “It should be Consort Xiang.”

Although Empress Tian and Consort Xiang probably both wanted Yuan Rongmeng, the troublemaker, dead, they had been waiting for the other to make the move, hoping to be the one to strike first. This balance was broken after Yuan Rongmeng and Chu Yu became involved.

If the Emperor’s cuckoldry were exposed, the Sixth Prince would surely lose favor. In fact, if it were any other concubine, the Emperor might not have bothered with his son at all, but it was Pure Consort, the favored concubine who resembled the late Empress. Therefore, Ah Wu believed that Consort Xiang would certainly not want this to be exposed, so she simply killed Pure Consort to silence her.

However, Chu Mao had clearly interfered in this matter, and Ah Wu could not see how Yuan Rongmeng’s death could benefit him. Although Yuan Rongmeng had offended Chu Mao, so much time had passed; why would Chu Mao be in such a hurry to deal with her? And why was Chu Mao going to such lengths to cover for Yuan Rongmeng and the Sixth Prince? This was something Ah Wu could not understand.

“Continue,” Chu Mao said.

“Your Highness seems to have known all along that Consort Xiang was going to harm Consort Yuan. Actually, if we had reminded Consort Yuan, if she escaped this calamity, she would inevitably turn against Consort Xiang. If we could catch her red-handed, we could both eliminate the Xiang family and sow discord between Consort Yuan and the Sixth Prince. Would not that be good?” Ah Wu would never consider using murder to win if there was a better way.

“Then you think I did something wrong?” Chu Mao asked with a smile.

Ah Wu had too much faith in Chu Mao, so she instinctively shook her head. “Unless Your Highness desires the death of Pure Consort, and it must be done by Consort Xiang.”

“Lower your head,” Chu Mao said, turning his head to Ah Wu.

Ah Wu thought Chu Mao had some private instructions, so she obediently lowered her head, only to have Chu Mao suddenly kiss her lips and pull her into the water.

“Chu Mao!” Ah Wu, now completely soaked, punched Chu Mao.

Chu Mao smiled and kissed Ah Wu’s cheek, seemingly in a very good mood, though it was unclear whether he was happy about Yuan Rongmeng’s death or happy that he had achieved his goal.

“My Ah Wu is so clever, truly a female Zhuge Liang,” Chu Mao laughed.

But Ah Wu could not guess what would happen next. Why would Chu Mao want to harm Consort Xiang? “Your Highness, stop beating around the bush; just tell me!”

Author’s Note:

Uh, I did not expect Cousin Yuan to die around the time of Tomb-Sweeping Day. I will light a candle for her.