Four Seasons Brocade – CH 262

Chapter 262 ☆、

Lady Cui still made frequent trips to the palace, this time to deliver a “fertility charm.” She also brought up news about the Rong family’s direct line.

“Your eldest and second uncles offended someone the other day and were accused of letting their servants harm someone. Your eldest uncle even lost his sinecure. I heard that the Marquis of Jianning’s family arranged for the second young master to take a concubine. Yue’er is living a rather pitiful life now,” Lady Cui sighed. She was kind-hearted; when she hated the Old Madam’s side, she truly hated them, but seeing them in distress now pained her.

“Oh, right, your father and I discussed it and decided to bring the Old Master and Old Madam to live with us. Your eldest and second uncles cannot possibly care for those two old folks anymore,” Lady Cui said.

Ah Wu nodded. “Do not let the Old Madam bully you again. If it gets really bad, I will call her in and give her a talking-to.”

Lady Cui said, “No, do not worry; your sister-in-law is capable.”

After the small talk, Lady Cui got down to business. “This is a fertility charm that I had your brother specially ask someone to get from the Rushi Nunnery in Jiangnan. I heard the charms there are the most effective.” Lady Cui handed the charm to Ah Wu. “Do not blame your father. He’s under too much pressure and forced into this. Besides, even if the Emperor takes in many more concubines, as long as he has you in his heart, no one can take you away. What we need to do right now is silence the gossip so you can breathe a sigh of relief, and maybe you will get pregnant,” Lady Cui murmured.

Ah Wu smiled. Sometimes Lady Cui was just a bit naive but lucky, which was not so bad.

Ah Wu accepted the fertility charm and solemnly placed it in her purse. “I understand. I hope it will come true.”

Seeing Ah Wu accept it, Lady Cui murmured, “Amitabha,” adding, “That’s the right way to think.”

Ah Wu maintained a facade of peace, while the Lady of Xia’s body was finally giving out. To be honest, Ah Wu did not know how Nanny Hao had managed to hold on until today. The imperial physicians predicted her imminent death every few days, and as far as Ah Wu knew, Nanny Hao should have been dead long ago at this time in her previous life.

“Your Majesty, the Lady of Xia wishes to see you,” a palace servant from Cining Palace approached Ah Wu.

Ah Wu waved her hand, dismissing the servant. She could not see Nanny Hao; she did not want to see anyone related to Chu Mao.

That evening, news arrived from Cining Palace that Nanny Hao was dying, and Chu Mao rushed there.

Ah Wu had some calming incense lit and lay quietly on the bed. In her hazy state, she seemed to find herself in the Cining Palace. Inside, it was brightly lit, and palace servants moved about stealthily, their faces filled with sorrow.

Chu Mao was sitting at the head of Nanny Hao’s bed, holding her hand and looking down as if he were crying. Ah Wu moved closer and could indeed hear the crying. This was the first time Ah Wu had ever seen Chu Mao cry.

While Chu Mao was crying for Nanny Hao, Ah Wu sat at the other end of the bed, silently weeping for the Princess. Just as she was crying her heart out, she felt a sharp pain in her hair, as if someone was pulling it.

Ah Wu struggled to lift her head and saw Nanny Hao, fierce as a demon, pulling at her hair.

“What are you doing?” Ah Wu jumped back in a panic, then exclaimed in surprise to Nanny Hao, “You can see me? You can touch me?”

“I knew this day would come! I knew this day would come long ago! Why is Heaven so unfair, letting the Emperor encounter such a wretched person like you? Even an ice person can be warmed with love, but you are an ungrateful wretch!” Nanny Hao cursed angrily, grabbing Ah Wu again.

This time, Ah Wu did not dodge, letting Nanny Hao grab her face and hair. After venting her anger, Nanny Hao just sat to the side and cried. “Why did he have to meet you? What kind of life has the Emperor been living all these years? Can you not see anything? How could you be so heartless? How could you be so heartless? This old woman will die with her eyes open; she will die with her eyes open!” Nanny Hao stamped her feet.

Ah Wu looked again at Nanny Hao’s bed. She saw that Nanny Hao was still lying there, and the imperial physician was telling Chu Mao, “The Lady of Xia State has passed away.”

Nanny Hao on the bed was indeed wide awake, as if staring at Ah Wu.

“If only I could have stayed by his side for a few more years! How will the Emperor live after this?!” Nanny Hao wailed like a child. Ah Wu squatted beside her, seeing her heartbroken state. It was no wonder Chu Mao respected her so much; he probably had not even cried when the late Emperor died, yet now he was weeping uncontrollably because of Nanny Hao.

“You have no idea how much suffering the Emperor has endured, what kind of life he had as a child. If you had any conscience at all, how could you treat him like this?” Nanny Hao had witnessed Chu Mao’s life after his ascension to the throne. Calling him a walking corpse would not be an exaggeration. He still had to withstand pressure from both inside and outside the court, reviewing memorials until midnight every day. When he was ill, he lay awake in bed, hoping that Ah Wu would come to see him, but the Empress was a heartless monster.

Nanny Hao even threatened Chu Mao with death, begging him to take concubines and have a son, but he kept dragging his feet. Nanny Hao knew Chu Mao’s feelings; after all, this was the child she had raised, and she knew exactly what he longed for. It was precisely because of this that Nanny Hao always disliked Ah Wu. She had long understood that this selfish woman could never give the Emperor what he wanted.

“Come with me,” Nanny Hao said, grabbing Ah Wu’s hand and pulling her away without her knowing where.

Ah Wu only saw several children kicking and beating another child in the dark corridor. Ah Wu could vaguely make out the appearances of the Fifth Prince and the Sixth Prince when they were young. After the group led the young eunuch away, Ah Wu finally saw the child in the corner stand up, his face covered in blood.

His body was extremely thin, so thin that his ribs were visible. His clothes were torn, and he shivered from the cold of the dead of winter.

From the darkness, someone called out, “Fourth Prince, Fourth Prince, where are you?”

Ah Wu covered her mouth, never expecting the child to be Chu Mao. He should have been eight or nine years old, but he looked like he was five or six. Hearing someone call his name, Chu Mao quickly wiped his face with his sleeve, revealing a pale, delicate face and eyes as cold as emotionless stars.

These were eyes that the current Emperor lacked; Ah Wu had never seen such coldness in his eyes.

Then, Ah Wu was pushed by Nanny Hao and fell into a dry well. Inside, a little boy was crouching at the bottom, shivering.

A voice came from the well above, “Do you know that the Fourth Prince fell in while being naughty?”

Ah Wu recognized the voice immediately. Her hands began to tremble; it was her mother, Princess Fuhui’s voice—she would never mistake it.

“Yes, Your Highness,” the person above replied.

“Pour it down.”

A stench filled the air. A bucket of excrement was being poured down from above. Ah Wu covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face, and reached out to touch the small figure. The child looked up, his eyes filled with malice and hatred.

Then, the scene shifted back to when Chu Mao was even younger. Ah Wu saw him, a tiny figure, scrambling for food in a bucket of swill. Chu Mao’s childhood was far more terrifying than Ah Wu had imagined.

Finally, Ah Wu saw Chu Mao, with sandbags tied to his feet, running in the courtyard. He said to Nanny Hao, “Auntie, when I grow up, I will protect you. I will beat him to death someday.”

Nanny Hao had scars on her face and neck, and her exposed wrists were covered in marks, like bite wounds and burns. Ah Wu understood the situation after a moment’s thought.

Everyone had their own hardships in life. Ah Wu had been pampered since childhood, hardly ever experiencing hardship, and had never truly considered others. Now, facing her own unspeakable suffering and being driven into a deadly situation, she regretted her past arrogance.

“You should be grateful that the Emperor likes you so much. I thought he would never love again, but I did not expect that he still hoped for love. Unfortunately, he mistook you for someone else,” Nanny Hao said hatefully, glaring at Ah Wu.

“You better treat the Emperor well, or I will haunt you even as a ghost!” Nanny Hao said shrilly, then shoved Ah Wu.

Ah Wu stumbled and fell, as if she had just woken from a dream, unable to wake up. When she regained consciousness and floated in the air, she found herself still in Cining Palace, while Ming-Xin, a palace maid from Chang Le Palace, knelt on the ground, frantically saying, “Your Majesty, the Empress is dying!”

Ah Wu was startled. What was wrong with her?

Ah Wu listened closely and realized what had happened. She had woken up in the middle of the night, screamed, sat up, vomited blood, and then lost consciousness.

Ah Wu rushed to Chang Le Palace. She tried to lie back in her body, but some force repelled her, preventing her from getting closer. Normally, Ah Wu might have been happy to die and never return.

But now, looking at Chu Mao’s ashen face, Ah Wu felt an overwhelming sadness. Death would be a relief for her, but she did not want to die at this moment. Nanny Hao had just passed away, and now she was gone too. Ah Wu feared Chu Mao would not make it.

Ah Wu had thought she could laugh at Chu Mao’s death, but seeing his utter despair, she realized that the wine brewed by hatred was always bitter.

Ah Wu still could not bring herself to hate Chu Mao. She had not only betrayed Chu Mao, but also, in her heart, betrayed her mother from her past life. Ah Wu was trapped in this predicament, unable to escape, and her self-hatred only intensified.

At this point, unable to love, unable to hate, unable to live, and unable to die, Ah Wu began to think that this was probably Heaven’s punishment for her.

Ah Wu huddled at the foot of the bed, watching Chu Mao take her hand and kiss her fingers one by one. This was his favorite gesture; when they were together, he would do this many times a day.

Now, Ah Wu only regretted not cherishing that brief time together. It was a pity that it was gone forever; she could not even allow herself to recall the past with lingering affection.

She could only suffer; only suffering could cleanse her sins.