Four Seasons Brocade – CH 232

Chapter 232 ☆、

Ah Wu and Chu Mao only stayed at Guitian Garden for three days before returning to the Prince Qi’s Mansion. The Longqing Emperor also departed from the Western Garden and returned to the Forbidden City. As for Prince Wei, Chu Yu, he was surprisingly released and resumed his duties within the inner court.

After hearing the news, Ah Wu looked at the silent Chu Mao. Clearly, Chu Yu’s suicide attempt had indeed had an effect.

Ah Wu covered Chu Mao’s hand with her own, comforting him, “Your Highness.”

Chu Mao took Ah Wu’s hand and kissed her fingertips. “Does it not hurt anymore?”

Ah Wu’s pity for Chu Mao instantly turned into anger and embarrassment. He really knew how to rub salt in the wound! “Chu Mao!”

Chu Mao smiled and patted Ah Wu’s hand. “Right now, the most important thing is the flooding of the Yellow and Huai Rivers. I am going to Xu Xian Hall.”

Ah Wu nodded, knowing Chu Mao was going to consult with his advisors, and got up to see him out.

After Chu Mao left, Ah Wu’s affairs piled up. She had been away from Prince Qi’s mansion for so long. Although she had Zi-Shan and Zi-Zhui to help her, and Tao Siyao was temporarily managing the household, there were still things they could not decide on due to their status. Now, everything had piled up, waiting for Ah Wu to handle.

Because the bathing room in Yulan Hall was still under repair, Ah Wu remained in Bingxue Forest and chose Rizhi Hall as her office. However, less than a quarter of an hour after she sat down, a maidservant came to report, “Lady He and the Lady of the Heir of the Duke of Zhenguo have arrived.”

To be honest, Ah Wu had almost forgotten about He Peizhen. However, the He family’s arrival was not entirely unexpected.

“Please invite them in,” Ah Wu waved for someone to move the account books from Rizhi Hall.

Lady Xiao, the Lady of the Heir of the Duke of Zhenguo, and He Peizhen entered one after the other. Ah Wu did not rise, took a sip of tea, and looked at the two without speaking.

Lady Xiao and He Peizhen frowned slightly at Ah Wu’s demeanor. Even if He Peizhen was not worthy of Ah Wu rising, as the Lady of the Heir of the Duke of Zhenguo and an elder, she was certainly entitled to Ah Wu rising and exchanging pleasantries.

However, neither of them felt confident enough to challenge Ah Wu. He Peizhen, on the other hand, frowned, about to explode in anger, but was stopped by Lady Xiao tugging at her sleeve.

Ah Wu smiled and said, “Lady Xiao, please sit down,” without even glancing at He Peizhen. This Lady He really thought she was a rare commodity. First, she cried and ruined her reputation to marry Chu Mao, but later, when she felt dissatisfied, she would stay at her parents’ home for a year or two. Now, seeing the Emperor’s health failing, the Fifth Prince’s unfilial conduct, and the Sixth Prince’s maternal family in such a predicament, she was rushing back to the Prince Qi’s mansion. If Ah Wu did not give them a warning, they would truly think they were something special.

“Thank you, Your Highness,” Lady Xiao said, choosing the first rosewood chair in the row to Ah Wu’s left.

He Peizhen finally snapped out of her daze and stood obediently to Ah Wu’s right.

Watching this scene, Lady Xiao felt a pang of sorrow. Her precious daughter, whom she cherished dearly, was now reduced to merely standing and speaking. Lady Xiao felt both resentment towards Ah Wu and resentment towards He Peizhen for her own lack of self-respect. But it was too late to say anything now.

A look of remorse appeared on Lady Xiao’s face. “To be honest, I do feel ashamed. I specifically brought Zhen’er back today. Zhen’er is willful; what married daughter stays at her parents’ home for so long? Even if the Prince and Princess are benevolent, she should not do this. But the Old Madam dotes on Zhen’er the most, and this old woman and young girl have given her father and me a headache. This time, the Old Lady Herself came to her senses and asked me to bring Zhen’er back to apologize to the Princess.” Having said this, Lady Xiao gave He Peizhen a meaningful look.

He Peizhen reluctantly knelt, “Please punish me, Your Highness.”

Ah Wu listened to Lady Xiao’s words with a smile. She had to admit, Lady Xiao was quite eloquent. First, she pointed out that this was all He Peizhen’s willful behavior, but Ah Wu, as the principal wife, could not really hold a grudge against a willful concubine.

Secondly, Ah Wu had agreed to He Peizhen leaving the mansion. In fact, when Ah Wu went to Luobei with Chu Mao, she feigned illness and refused to see He Peizhen. After He Peizhen returned to her parents’ home, Prince Qi’s mansion did not send anyone to pick her up. Both sides knew perfectly well what was going on.

Thirdly, was the old lady of the Duke of Zhenguo’s mansion not also the wife of the Duke of Zhenguo? What made the old lady come to her senses? It was quite intriguing.

Ah Wu admired the Duke of Zhenguo’s mansion’s shamelessness. With a simple “come to her senses,” they wanted to mend the broken relationship between the two families. However, the Duke of Zhenguo’s mansion held considerable military power, and even if Chu Mao did not want to win them over, he absolutely could not afford to offend them.

Ah Wu followed He Peizhen’s words, saying, “The Duke Heir’s wife is also in charge of the household. If such a thing happened in your mansion, what would be your procedures?”

Lady Xiao had not expected Ah Wu to be so blunt, making her slap herself in the face. But remembering her husband’s words, she suppressed her anger. “Although Zhen’er is at fault, she’s been married into the Prince’s mansion for three or four years. Who knew that when she returned home to recuperate, the physician only called her ‘Miss, Miss’ when he took her pulse? That’s how we found out… It’s because of this that my matriarch has kept Zhen’er alive. Although our Duke of Zhen’s mansion is not a first-class family, this girl was not born to be humiliated like this…”

Lady Xiao was using a combination of soft and hard tactics, tinged with threats.

Ah Wu, however, was unfazed. “Since that’s the case, Lady He is still a young girl. Why send her back? For example, I can add another dowry for Young Lady He so as not to delay her.”

Upon hearing this, Lady Xiao trembled with anger. She never expected Ah Wu to be so shameless. She had thought that her words would surely make Princess Qi submit, but who knew she could utter such despicable things?

“Our Zhen’er is a concubine personally betrothed by the Emperor and listed in the Imperial Register. What is the meaning of your words, Princess?” Lady Xiao stood up, and He Peizhen followed suit.

Ah Wu chuckled lightly, “Lady Xiao also knows that this is a marriage betrothed by the Emperor. So-called thunder and rain are all imperial favors. I did not know that the He family, dissatisfied with My Lord, could take a concubine back to live for a year or two. Now they come to me… They say she’s a concubine listed in the imperial register. Today, it’s just the three of us, so let’s be frank. It’s not surprising that Lady He, who frequently goes back to her parents’ home, is still a young woman.”

Lady Xiao was taken aback. The fault originally lay with Prince Qi, but He Peizhen had indeed been staying at her parents’ home for too long, turning a valid point into a false one. Lady Xiao’s imposing manner immediately dissipated. “Your Highness, are you forbidding our Zhen’er from returning?”

Ah Wu smiled and said, “That’s not what I meant at all, Lady Xiao. Do not worry, I am still young and have not encountered such a situation before. We were just discussing with Madam how to handle this matter. This Lady He affair needs to be dealt with properly to appease the public. I hope Lady Xiao can understand my difficulties as the mistress of the house.”

Lady Xiao forced a strained smile and said, “Of course, of course.”

“Very well, then let Lady He copy scriptures in the courtyard for three months. What do you think, Lady Xiao?”

Lady Xiao glanced at Ah Wu in surprise. To be honest, she thought this Princess Qi would seize the opportunity to severely punish her daughter, but instead, she was being so lenient. She could not be more satisfied.

“Thank you for your understanding, Your Highness,” Lady Xiao said sincerely.

Even after leaving Princess Qi’s gate, Lady Xiao was still savoring how shrewd Princess Qi had been. They were originally in the right, but Princess Qi had dismissed them with just a few words, making them seem unreasonable, and they had no choice but to act according to her wishes. Before Lady Xiao entered Prince Qi’s mansion, she thought that by exploiting Prince Qi’s weaknesses and because her own family was the Duke of Zhenguo’s mansion, Princess Qi would have no choice but to endure any dissatisfaction. Little did she know that things would turn out this way, and she would end up doing the Duke of Zhenguo’s mansion a favor.

Upon returning home, Lady Xiao went to see the heir of the Duke of Zhenguo.

“Master.”

“How is Zhen’er?” asked He Yihao, the heir of the Duke of Zhenguo.

Lady Xiao recounted the events to He Yihao in detail. He frowned and said, “That Princess Qi is going too far.”

“Yes, she’s so ruthless, and with that appearance, Zhen’er will definitely not fare well in her hands,” Lady Xiao said, her heart aching for He Peizhen.

“Do not worry. Since she’s acting this way, it’s natural that Prince Qi has something to ask of our household. As long as we know Prince Qi’s attitude, things will be easier,” He Yihao said.

“But what about our relationship with the Sixth Prince…” Lady Xiao whispered.

“Shut up. Do not mention the Sixth Prince again. Those who could speak are now silenced. As long as we are careful ourselves…” He Yihao said.

“But now that the Emperor has reinstated that one, do you think…” Lady Xiao said unwillingly.

He Yihao frowned. “Father does not approve of that one. Besides, Zhen’er is Prince Qi’s concubine. Taking that risk back then was already inappropriate. Do not overthink it. Try to persuade Zhen’er.”

As for Ah Wu, she was not actually sure if Chu Mao would accept the advances from the Duke of Zhenguo’s mansion. Chu Mao had incurred the Longqing Emperor’s suspicion regarding the matter of the Imperial Concubine, and at this point, the Duke of Zhenguo’s mansion was likely a hot potato. Yet, He Peizhen was indeed Chu Mao’s concubine.

That evening, when Chu Mao returned, Ah Wu told him about He Peizhen’s return and also jokingly relayed Lady Xiao’s complaints, only to be met with Chu Mao rubbing his temples in response.

Ah Wu reached out and gently rubbed Chu Mao’s temples, knowing he was under considerable pressure lately. “I heard His Majesty has not held court for five days.”

“Hmm, the imperial physician says it’s a cold,” Chu Mao said, pulling Ah Wu into his arms.

“How are the arrangements for Your Highness’s river management going?” Ah Wu asked worriedly. “Leaving the capital at this time, what if His Majesty…”

Chu Mao ruffled Ah Wu’s hair. “He Nianfang said he can hold on for at least another year.”

Ah Wu fell silent; she trusted He Nianfang’s medical skills. Suddenly, Ah Wu remembered something. “How did the Sixth Prince find out about my affair with Consort Yuan?”

Chu Mao’s hand paused.

Ah Wu immediately understood, pulling her hand back and pouting, “Was it Xiangsi?” Then she muttered, “She really is a persistent ghost.”

Chu Mao smiled and poked Ah Wu’s forehead. “You’ve taken revenge on everything; no need to worry about her.”

Ah Wu was taken aback: “What revenge did I take?”

Chu Mao kissed Ah Wu’s cheek and said nothing more.

The next day, Ah Wu understood what Chu Mao meant. Xiangsi’s husband, that Young Master Bai, had been seriously injured in a fight over an actress and died a few days later. That day, Xiangsi returned to Prince Qi’s mansion with her dowry, without sending anyone to inform her beforehand.

Author’s Note:
I apologize for the previous chapter. But in this era of harmony, there’s really nothing I can do. I would replace it later.
Ah Wu: Oh my god, is Brother Si-Mao having an affair?