Four Seasons Brocade – CH 254

Chapter 254 ☆、

“Where did you go?” Chu Mao, having changed into his nightgown, sat on the couch and asked Ah Wu, who had just entered.

“It was a bit stuffy, so I went out for some fresh air,” Ah Wu said.

“It’s already winter. Are you not afraid of catching a cold going out so late? Why did you not wear a cloak?” Chu Mao took Ah Wu’s hand; it was indeed icy cold. He warmed her hands in his own.

“I had something on my mind,” Ah Wu said, looking at Chu Mao. “Your Highness, is the Sixth Prince planning a risky move?”

Chu Mao sat up straight immediately, looking at Ah Wu seriously. “You guessed it?”

Ah Wu nodded, but without any smugness.

“I did not want to tell you and scare you,” Chu Mao said. “Judging from the Sixth Prince’s recent actions, he probably has this in mind. I am afraid our household will face some turmoil. He Chun and the others will protect you; do not be afraid, no matter what happens.”

Ah Wu nodded, but her brow remained furrowed.

Chu Mao gently rubbed Ah Wu’s temples. “I did not tell you because I was afraid you’d keep worrying about it. It’s enough that you know.”

Ah Wu nodded.

On the third day, Ah Wu left the mansion and went to the street near Cui Ji to browse. She ordered some new jewelry for Yuan Yifang and Luan-niang before entering Cui Ji.

Ah Wu entered the back room of Cui Ji’s residence with practiced ease. On the north wall hung a painting of wealth and prosperity by Dong Qizhen. Zi-Yan turned a tall table with a dark blue carved porcelain flowerpot of dragon claw chrysanthemums, and the wall behind the painting began to slowly rotate, revealing a dark, downward passage.

Zi-Yan lit a tinderbox and led Ah Wu down the stairs. Once on level ground, they found a candle and lit it. In the center of the room stood a young woman in a red floral jacket and a dark green embroidered jacket.

If anyone from the Duke of Wei’s mansion had seen her, they would have been astonished that the Imperial Princess’s head maid would be in Cui Ji’s secret chamber.

“Chun-Hui greets you, Young Lady,” the woman said, bowing respectfully.

Ah Wu sighed almost imperceptibly. She had thought that, at least while the Imperial Princess was alive, she would never meet Chun-Hui in private.

Ah Wu sat down at the table, and Zi-Yan withdrew again, leaving only Ah Wu and Chun-Hui.

“You should sit too. How is the Princess?” Ah Wu asked softly.

“Reporting to Miss and Your Highness, the Princess is in relatively good health, but she often goes to the late Princess Kangning’s room and sits there for half the afternoon. The Princess and the Duke do not talk much; I heard it’s been like this ever since Princess Kangning passed away,” Chun-Hui rambled on about the Princess’s daily life.

Ah Wu listened intently, her joy mirroring the Princess’s happiness at holding her grandson and her sorrow at the Princess’s sadness.

Chun-Hui spoke quietly, but her heart was in turmoil. Ever since the Young Lady sent her to serve Princess Fuhui at the Duke of Wei’s mansion, she had not seen the Young Lady again, nor had anyone come looking for her. Chun-Hui had thought no one would ever come looking for her again.

Chun-Hui was an orphan rescued by Ah Wu. She had heard that in the records of Cui Ji, her benefactor and mistress had also helped several other girls, but Chun-Hui was the only one chosen to be sent to the Duke of Wei’s mansion. At the time, she had thought the Young Lady had arranged for her to be a spy, but instead, the Young Lady had only ordered her to serve the Princess well and be loyal to her.

Chun-Hui herself could not understand why this had happened so inexplicably. The more Chun-Hui served the Princess, the more worried she became. She feared that one day her former mistress would try to find out about the Princess’s affairs, and if the Princess discovered this, given her power, she would face certain death.

However, this worry had not materialized in the past few years, but yesterday someone suddenly delivered a message to her, revealing that she was not the only one planted in the Duke of Wei’s mansion by her Young Lady.

“Has the Princess shown any unusual behavior lately?” Ah Wu asked Chun-Hui. When she had arranged for Chun-Hui to join the Princess, it was only because of her intelligence and resourcefulness, hoping she could help serve the Princess. It was agreed that if anything happened to the Princess, Chun-Hui would inform her.

This “anything happened” was clearly defined: for instance, if the Princess became seriously ill or if someone wanted to harm her. Ah Wu could no longer serve the Princess; she was now Lady Cui’s daughter, but she still wanted to protect the Princess as much as possible.

Chun-Hui thought for a moment, “I cannot see anything wrong. It’s just that the Princess has always seemed preoccupied; perhaps I am just not perceptive.”

“Think again,” Ah Wu asked. “Have you seen anyone the Princess has not met before, or gone to places she’s never been before?”

Chun-Hui pondered; something must have happened, so she thought carefully, “I remember now, the Princess went to a rouge shop on Xuanwu Street a few days ago and picked out some rouge. But the Princess always only uses Yurunxiang rouge, and she ended up giving me a few of the rouge she picked out.”

The rouge shop on Xuanwu Street—Ah Wu searched her memory carefully and remembered it; it was the shop that Fifth Lady Rong had brought with her as part of her dowry. Ah Wu always cared more about her cousin, who was the Sixth Prince’s concubine, than most people.

Ah Wu sighed. It seemed the Sixth Prince had indeed moved the Princess; otherwise, she certainly would not have gone to that rouge shop. “Your Highness, I’ve been out for quite some time. If I do not return soon, the Imperial Princess might become suspicious,” Chun-Hui said anxiously. In truth, she had been out for far too long, and even if she returned, she would not be able to explain herself, given the Imperial Princess’s suspicious nature.

“You do not need to go back,” Ah Wu said calmly.

“But…” Chun-Hui did not know what the “but” was. She just felt strange that she no longer needed to go back to serve, and she was unsure what to do next.

“If you go back now, I am afraid it will not be easy to explain. Who knows…” Ah Wu knew the Imperial Princess’s methods. She had let Chun-Hui out and never intended for her to return to the Imperial Princess’s side.

“You will stay here for a few days. Think carefully about whether there’s anything you forgot to tell me about the Princess. Tell me anything, big or small. In a few days, I will have someone send you to Jiangnan. Someone there will naturally meet you. If you want to marry, I will arrange it for you; I guarantee it will be a grand affair. If not, I can arrange for you to help out at my shop in the south. Think about your plans these next few days. As for the capital, do not come back while the Princess is still alive.”

“This servant thanks Your Highness.” Chun-Hui knelt and kowtowed to Ah Wu. To be honest, this mistress had considered everything for her, dispelling all her worries. What more could she ask for? Actually, being away from the Princess was better; few could handle her temper.

Ah Wu was well aware of the Princess’s intolerant nature. The Princess’s downfall after Chu Mao’s ascension to the throne was undoubtedly due to betrayal by those around her; otherwise, Chu Mao would not have had a legitimate reason to harass the Princess, his own aunt.

This was why Ah Wu sent Chun-Hui to the Princess’s side—to prevent those treacherous individuals from getting close to her.

In the Qionghua Hall of the Duke of Wei’s residence, a dense crowd of people knelt, none daring to utter a sound. The Princess, her face dark, sat in the highest seat. “Does anyone know where Chun-Hui went?”

“This afternoon, while the Princess was napping, Miss Chun-Hui said she was going out to get some thread,” said Chun-Hui’s maid. Chun-Hui’s needlework was excellent, renowned throughout the Duke of Wei’s residence. As the Princess’s most prominent maid, no one dared to stop her from going out to get thread.

“Fool!” The Princess slammed her teacup on the ground. “The thread in this mansion is provided by the palace, and it’s delivered monthly by the shops outside. Why would she need to source it? Have you all lost your minds?”

The Princess shouted, “Where are the old women guarding the second gate? A grown woman goes out like that, and you do not even check her?” Without a pass, the maids of the inner courtyard were not allowed to leave the second gate.

The fat old woman guarding the gate trembled like a leaf, crawling forward on her stomach, “This servant deserves to die; this servant deserves to die.” But she could not come up with anything coherent. She dared not offend Chun-Hui, a favorite of the Princess, whom she could not even curry favor with normally. Chun-Hui had gone out with her head held high, so she assumed Chun-Hui was acting on the Princess’s orders and dared not check her. Chun-Hui did go out alone sometimes, after all.

“Beat her! Beat her hard! Beat this fat servant to death!” The Princess trembled with rage. The old woman wailed, “Princess, spare me! Princess, spare me…” But at this critical moment, everyone else was in danger; who would dare speak up for her?

“Watch this, all of you,” the Princess said sternly. “Anyone who dares to let anyone out without permission will suffer the same fate.”

The interrogation at Qionghua Hall lasted all night without yielding any results. Even the three remaining head maids by the Princess’s side had been tortured, but still no information was obtained.

“Princess, could Chun-Hui have encountered an accident outside, which is why she has not returned?” The Princess’s most trusted head maid, Nanny Jia, asked cautiously.

Princess Fuhui’s eyes narrowed. Normally, she would not be so worried and angry about this, but it had happened at this crucial moment. If Chun-Hui had left on her own, then someone’s hand had already reached into her life without her knowledge. If Chun-Hui had encountered an accident, then someone might have noticed her recent movements.

These were both outcomes the Princess could not accept. But Fuhui was always suspicious, even distrustful of her own maids. Chun-Hui knew nothing, so even if she were captured, it would be useless.

Fuhui wondered which side Chun-Hui was on. Was she planted by the Emperor? Or by Prince Qi? Or by Empress Tian? All three were suspects, but the first two were the most likely.

If Chun Hui had been captured, who was responsible? How much did they know?

Regardless of the situation, Fuhui knew that her plans with the Sixth Prince had to be put on hold. She needed to find out the truth before proceeding.