Four Seasons Brocade – CH 259

Chapter 259 ☆、

“What if I do not agree?” Ah Wu’s hands clenched into fists at her sides.

“Then Second Master Gu will be punished for desertion.” Chu Mao straightened his sleeves. “And you cannot protect the people of Yulan Hall either. Who should be sold off first, Nanny Sang?”

Ah Wu slumped into a chair in defeat. Even the warmth of the past, once torn apart, only left behind bloody, unsightly wounds. Ah Wu felt it was ironic that she wanted to explain her plans for her past and present lives to him. Luckily, she did not say it aloud, or she would probably have been burned as firewood by now.

Ah Wu composed herself. “You said Second Brother Gu deserted before the battle? You mean there’s been a war in Luobei?”

“Did the Imperial Princess and Sixth Prince not want me to leave the capital? This suits her perfectly.” Chu Mao’s face returned to the faint, aloof smile Ah Wu had first seen on him.

Ah Wu was already somewhat numb to Chu Mao’s extraordinary abilities. “I will do what Your Highness requests, and I ask Your Highness to keep your promise. Do not make things difficult for the Rong family, the Gu family, and Second Brother Gu.”

The name Second Master Gu clearly stung Chu Mao’s fingers, but Ah Wu could not care less. Did she think Chu Mao would believe her if she severed ties with Gu Tingyi now? Even if she groveled at his feet and said he was the only one in her heart, would Chu Mao believe her? Even if he did, Ah Wu knew she could not do it.

“Fine, I will protect them for as long as you live,” Chu Mao said slowly.

Ah Wu glanced up at Chu Mao. How could he possibly think she had suicidal thoughts? A woman who had murdered her mother did not even deserve to die. Even if she did die, she should first find a way to annihilate her soul to achieve true cleanliness.

Ah Wu stood atop the Ruizhen Pagoda of Daci Temple, gazing at the glazed tiles of the Forbidden City. The golden sunlight shone on the yellow glazed tiles, like the tentacles of a demon, twisting the hearts of those associated with that place.

Princess Fuhui, standing five feet away, coldly looked at Ah Wu. “I did not expect it to be you.” When Fuhui learned that Chun-Hui’s master wanted to see her, she truly had not anticipated that this person would be Princess Qi.

“You should have expected it. Otherwise, do you think you’d still be standing here after the news leaked?” Ah Wu said coldly.

Fuhui could not believe that the girl who had once been so humble, so eager to please her, had grown into this person, daring to speak to her like this.

However, now was not the time to concern herself with such matters. If Princess Qi knew, then did that not mean Prince Qi knew as well? But she was not certain, because her second son, after receiving her letter, had indeed instigated the Tatars to invade the border. These past two days, the court had been discussing who should lead the expedition.

A preliminary agreement had been reached: Prince Qi would lead the expedition again. However, the court did not intend to give him any troops; instead, he would be given a tiger tally and instructed to take over and integrate the local garrison forces after arriving in Luoning. This way, even if Prince Qi received the news en route, he would be powerless without a single soldier.

“How did you know the news?” Princess Fuhui demanded sharply.

“Wait a moment. Let’s discuss the conditions after the deed is done.” Ah Wu did not even look at the Princess, only gazing into the distance.

“Speak,” Fuhui said, standing side-by-side with Ah Wu.

“After the deed is done, I want your consent to my marriage with Second Brother Gu. I will only be his principal wife,” Ah Wu said slowly.

“Are you out of your mind? Giving up your perfectly good job as Princess Qi?” Princess Fuhui asked.

“If he succeeds, I will naturally be willing to be Princess Qi,” Ah Wu smiled, smoothing her hair, but her eyes held a venomous resentment that needed no pretense. “But he’s just like the current Emperor; I do not want to end up like the late Empress.”

Ah Wu was extremely beautiful, and today she was dressed in her finest attire for the Daci Temple Buddhist pilgrimage. Her five-tailed phoenix hairpin inlaid with rubies shimmered in the sunlight, and the thumb-sized ruby ​​earrings dangled from her ears, contrasting with her cherry-red lips, making her appear both arrogant and flamboyant, dazzlingly beautiful.

Ah Wu’s words undoubtedly dispelled one of the Princess’s doubts slightly. As far as she knew, Prince Qi and his wife were extremely loving, and she had personally witnessed Prince Qi’s high regard for his Princess Consort at the Ruizhen Pagoda. Just like how her brother, the Longqing Emperor, had valued Yuan Yiwei.

“Besides, Prince Qi…” Ah Wu whispered flippantly in the Princess’s ear, “He cannot have children.”

Prince Qi had been an adult for many years, married and with concubines, yet he remained childless. Even news of a concubine’s pregnancy had never surfaced. People had long been gossiping about this, but lacked evidence. The old men in the Imperial Medical Bureau insisted that Prince Qi was normal. However, with Princess Qi’s words as evidence today, the Princess was somewhat convinced.

The Princess had a weakness: she was fiercely protective of her own. Even the worst offspring of her own family were considered good, especially since Gu Tingyi was a son to be proud of. Furthermore, Gu Tingyi had previously told the Princess that he wanted to marry Ah Wu. Therefore, the Princess was surprisingly receptive to Ah Wu’s absurd request.

And Ah Wu’s reasons for betraying Prince Qi were indeed quite valid.

“Hmph, do not give me that. You are not qualified to be my son’s principal wife,” Princess Fuhui said firmly, leaving no room for negotiation.

Ah Wu hesitated, a look of anxiety in her eyes, but her mouth remained stubbornly firm. “Then there’s nothing to talk about.” Ah Wu turned and went downstairs, but the Princess did not call her back.

Ah Wu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It was for the best; it was her incompetence that prevented her from protecting the Rong and Gu families.

As Ah Wu walked out of Ruizhen Pagoda, the Princess’s attendant finally rushed down. “Your Highness, please wait.”

Ah Wu paused, turned back, gave the attendant a cold snort, and continued walking.

Only then did the attendant become anxious, chasing after her a few steps. Seeing that Ah Wu had no intention of staying, the Princess could not stand still any longer and shouted from the top of the pagoda, “Stop!”

Ah Wu took a deep breath before turning around. She knew the Princess’s temperament extremely well; how could she not control her Princess mother?

When Ah Wu returned to the tower, the Princess said leisurely, “Tell me your news first, then I will consider whether I can grant your request.”

Ah Wu sneered, unfazed by the Princess’s change of heart, “Chun-Hui is my person.”

“Your reach is quite far,” the Imperial Princess sneered. In truth, Chun-Hui was one of the reasons the Imperial Princess trusted Ah Wu. Before Ah Wu was betrothed to Prince Qi, Chun-Hui had already entered the Imperial Princess’s residence. The only explanation was that Ah Wu had long ago schemed to marry Gu Tingyi.

Ah Wu smiled wistfully. “With my family background, how could I not marry Second Brother Gu? If it were not for… if it were not for…” Ah Wu looked up at the sky. If it were not for the Longqing Emperor’s betrothal, none of this would have happened, pushing her into an abyss of despair.

“The Princess is truly audacious, daring to do even the most outrageous things. The Prince already knew. If I had not sacrificed Chun-Hui to remind you, you probably would have already…” Ah Wu said.

The Imperial Princess was startled, but what Ah Wu said was exactly what she had guessed.

“Heh, I guessed it long ago when Chun-Hui got into trouble. You want to surrender just because of this news?” the Imperial Princess said disdainfully.

“Of course not. I just want to ask, do you dare to continue this?” Ah Wu asked.

“That’s none of your business,” the Princess said coldly.

“I know you will continue, because you have no way out. The Prince already knows your situation. Even if you remain inactive, he can still expose you. Besides, he does not know now, but you know he does. Am I right?” Ah Wu said confidently.

“But you are unsure when the best time will be. Who knows better than me?” Ah Wu smiled.

Timing—that was precisely what the Princess and the Sixth Prince, Chu Yu, were most unsure about.

“I can also find out the Prince’s route out of the capital.” This point completely struck a chord with the Princess.

“Alright, I agree to your request,” the Princess said decisively.

Ah Wu smiled and shook her head. “But I do not believe you. I need proof. My second brother said that the wives of the eldest sons of the Duke of Wei’s mansion all possess an ancestral double-fish pendant. You also need to write a guarantee that you will allow my second brother and me to live separately and that we will not cause you any trouble under your nose.”

“Do not make such unreasonable demands,” the Princess said angrily.

“I’ve sacrificed so much; is this really too much to ask?” Ah Wu ignored the Princess’s anger. The more demands she made, the less suspicious the Princess would become.

Ah Wu did not even know how she got back to the Prince Qi’s mansion. She felt as cold as if she had been immersed in ice water. She desperately wanted to provide the Princess and her ally with a real route for Chu Mao to leave the capital.

Unfortunately, whether this matter would succeed was another matter, but seeing how the Princess and the Sixth Prince Chu Yu had succeeded, it seemed that no one would benefit, including the Princess herself. Like birds that had flown away and a good bow that had been put away, the Princess, caught in the middle of the situation, could not see this clearly, but Ah Wu saw it perfectly.

Not to mention the future of the Rong and Gu families. Compared to Chu Yu and the Imperial Princess, Ah Wu could only trust Chu Mao. This was why Prince Qi was willing to entrust her with such an important matter—he was certain that Ah Wu would make the right choice.

In the days that followed, Ah Wu never left Yulan Hall again. It was not until the Longqing Emperor passed away, the new Emperor ascended the throne, and on the fourth day, the mourning period began, with all the noblewomen entering the palace to mourn, that Ah Wu was finally able to leave Yulan Hall.

As for the treasonous Sixth Prince Chu Yu and Imperial Princess Fuhui, they were temporarily imprisoned, awaiting the new Emperor’s judgment. Ah Wu could not inquire about the specific details, only that after Chu Mao entered the palace to support the Emperor on the evening of the ninth day, the two had never seen each other again. When they met again, the former Prince Qi would likely be addressed as Emperor Zhengyuan.