Four Seasons Brocade – CH 269

Chapter 269 ☆、

The nun glanced at Ah Wu but did not answer, only continuing to walk out. However, her sharp gaze told Ah Wu that she had not mistaken her for someone else. But Ah Wu simply could not believe it. How could her Imperial Princess mother be alive? Had Chu Mao not ordered her to commit suicide? How had she escaped? How had she gotten to Longquan Temple? Ah Wu was frantic with worry, desperate for answers.

But Ah Wu knew this was not the place to talk. She quickly stepped forward, blocking the Princess’s path. “I will wait for you in the bamboo grove behind the mountain.”

Ah Wu paced back and forth in the bamboo grove, her heart filled with joy and excitement. She felt as if the clouds had parted and the sun had finally risen. She wanted to jump up and laugh out loud, much to the astonishment of Ming-Xin, Ming-Hui, and the others serving her. They thought the Empress had gone mad from the shock of leaving the palace.

Ah Wu had only waited for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, but it felt like three years had passed. She was being foolish, standing there like an idiot. “Ming-Xin, go and find out where the nun I was talking to is. If you see her, be sure to ask her to come over.” Ah Wu paused, feeling it was disrespectful to her mother. “I will go myself.” Ah Wu was not really sure if the Princess would see her.

Ah Wu had only taken a few steps out of the woods when she saw the Princess emerge from behind a tree.

Ah Wu rushed forward but did not know what to call her or what to say. Her eyes welled with tears. She calmed herself and turned to Ming-Xin and the others, instructing, “You may all leave. Guard outside the woods, and do not let anyone in.”

Even though Ah Wu had left the palace, Ming-Xin and the others dared not disobey her. They bowed and withdrew in turn.

Ah Wu looked at the Princess and said, “I…”

Princess Fuhui, head held high, coldly retorted, “What, is Her Majesty the Empress so happy to see I am still alive? Those who do not know the inside story might actually think we are mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.”

It seemed that years of solitary meditation had not diminished the Princess’s spirit.

“How have you been these past years?” Ah Wu had a thousand words to say, but ultimately only this one remained. The Princess’s temples were already streaked with gray, her face thinner, and her fingers, no longer slender, were calloused.

Although Ah Wu had not yet experienced the hardships of temple life, common sense told her what it was like.

“Thanks to Her Majesty the Empress, this humble nun is still alive. But I am unworthy of Your Majesty’s deep affection; I am like a shameless woman pretending to be pitiful while trying to build a virtuous image!” The Princess harbored a boundless hatred for Ah Wu, rivaling even that of Emperor Jiahe, Chu Mao. This woman not only deeply wounded her son’s heart, but she also successfully deceived herself into falling into a trap.

Ah Wu knelt with a thud at the Princess’s feet.

Fuhui took a step back. “Your Highness, what are you doing? This humble nun cannot accept such treatment. I have nothing left for Your Highness to use. Why feign such concern? Yi’er does not even know I am still alive. Do not try to get his forgiveness by using me.”

Ah Wu prostrated herself at the Princess’s feet, in anguish. To her, her mother’s continued existence was the greatest salvation.

No matter how harsh the Princess’s words were, they sounded like heavenly music to Ah Wu’s ears.

Perhaps having experienced such extreme joy and sorrow, Ah Wu’s mindset was no longer what it once was. She crawled forward on her knees, embracing the Princess’s legs and weeping, “Mother, I am so sorry, so sorry! It’s all my fault for being unfilial and disrespectful, causing you and my brother so much suffering. I could never atone for it, even with a hundred deaths.” Ah Wu clung to the Princess’s legs, crying uncontrollably, hiccuping repeatedly.

Fuhui frowned, wondering if the Empress had gone mad. But then again, it was understandable; falling from her high position to Longquan Temple was enough to cause her immense distress.

However, Ah Wu’s heart-wrenching cries even stirred a pang of pity in Fuhui. Her years of ascetic practice before the Buddha had not been without merit.

“Your Majesty need not be so,” Fuhui said. “This humble nun is now beyond the world’s mortal realm. The past is dead to us all. I have already broken the precept against anger. A person beyond the mortal realm will no longer concern themselves with worldly affairs.” Fuhui had made everything clear to Ah Wu; past grievances had vanished.

Ah Wu shook her head violently. “No, no, I am Ah Wu, Mother, your Ah Wu, Xiao Kangning.” Xiao Kangning was the nickname the Princess had for Ah Wu in her past life.

The Princess took a large step back. “Your Majesty, have you gone mad? How can you say such nonsense?”

Ah Wu said urgently, “I really am Ah Wu, Mother. When you gave birth to me, you had a difficult labor. It was Grandmother who hired a wet nurse from Changshun Alley to deliver me. From a young age, I could not get used to the wet nurse’s milk, so you breastfed me yourself. Later, when I was sick and could not sleep, you sang me a lullaby every night: ‘Grandma’s evening breeze blows gently, Sister Moon smiles. Mother stays with my sweet little girl, little girl, close your eyes and sleep…'” Ah Wu began to hum a lullaby.

The Imperial Princess narrowed her eyes sharply. “I do not know what you are up to, but if you still think I will believe you, you are sorely mistaken. Yi’er knows all this. You are truly cunning, daring to fabricate such a bold lie. Are you not afraid of being burned at the stake as a demon?”

“Besides, you have the blood of the Rong family flowing in your veins, but not a single drop of mine? How dare you say such things? If what you say is true, and my Ah Wu dares to deceive me like this, I will strangle her the moment she’s born!” Princess Kangning, Ah Wu, was the Imperial Princess’s deepest wound; she could not tolerate anyone impersonating her. Those girls who tried to win her favor after Ah Wu’s death by resembling her had all been severely punished. And the words of this Empress before her were probably the most absurd and ridiculous things in the world.

“Mother, but I am Ah Wu!” Ah Wu had anticipated the Princess’s attitude from the beginning, but before she spoke, she could deceive herself. Now that she had, she could no longer fool herself; the Princess would not believe her after all.

“Mother,” Ah Wu stepped forward and hugged the Princess’s leg again, begging her to believe her and hug her one more time.

“You crazy woman. Fine, if you really are my little Kangning, you should know that what I cannot tolerate most is betrayal, especially betrayal from my most beloved daughter. If you kill yourself in front of me, I will believe you.” The Princess spoke with murderous intent.

With Ah Wu’s former temperament, she might have truly been capable of killing herself in front of the Princess. But now, she still cared for someone. She did not know when it started, but this person had risen to the top of her heart. In the past, however, the mountain of blood feud stood in her way, one she could not climb or overcome. But now, everything was different.

“Unable to do it? Then get out! No matter what, I will not help you,” the Princess scolded.

Ah Wu quietly looked at the Princess. Despite the outcome, she still felt content. As long as her mother was alive, there was hope. Even if her mother did not acknowledge her, even if she no longer carried the Princess’s blood, all Ah Wu wanted was for her mother to still be alive and caring for her.

She could still be good to her, still take care of her—that was enough. Ah Wu did not have many desires.

As for Chu Mao, Ah Wu could not contain her excitement whenever she thought of him. But it was already too late, the palace gates were locked, and she could not enter even if she went back.

Ah Wu lay quietly on the hard bed, thinking that everything would be better tomorrow. She could not sleep, so she stood up and paced around the room, hoping that Chu Mao would still wait for her, still give her a chance, just for one more night.

Tomorrow would be a new day.

Ah Wu barely slept a wink all night. She set off for the palace early the next morning, only to find herself caught in the midst of a court session. Afterwards, Chu Mao went to his study to meet with cabinet ministers and officials from the Six Ministries, followed by a meeting with officials to be transferred to other posts.

After all this busyness, she only had a light lunch.

Of course, Ah Wu knew Chu Mao was definitely concerned about her return. But even after she had spent half the day bathing and grooming herself, Chu Mao was still preoccupied with state affairs in the Qian Yuan Hall until sunset.

Ah Wu knew she could not rush things. Once her inner turmoil was resolved, and she looked back, she would find it unbelievable how cold and cruel she had been.

Just the day before, she had confidently declared that she and Chu Mao were destined to never be together again, not even in this life, and that she had truly broken Chu Mao’s heart.

“Serves me right!” Ah Wu cursed herself. She told herself not to rush things; no matter how Chu Mao treated her, she would accept it with a smile. Now it was her turn to win back Chu Mao’s heart.

For some reason, Ah Wu felt incredibly confident, a barely suppressed smile playing on her lips.

Unfortunately, Ah Wu’s smile did not last long. Ming-Xin came to report, “His Majesty asks the Empress to rest early. He also said…”

“What else did he say?” Ah Wu asked hastily.

“He also said that the Empress need not worry; the position of Empress will always belong to the Empress, and no one can take it away,” Ming-Xin said boldly.

“He refuses to see me?” Ah Wu could hardly believe it. If it were just a few days ago, Chu Mao would have been overjoyed.

So Ah Wu was indeed a forgetful and heartless person. Although her personality had changed considerably by now, her thoughts were still as annoying as ever. If His Majesty the Emperor knew, he might also cough up blood.

However, Ah Wu’s arrogant nature had subsided considerably. “I will go to Qian Yuan Palace myself.”

Ah Wu felt a mix of trepidation and anticipation for Qian Yuan Palace. On her way back to the palace that morning, she had thought that if she saw Chu Mao, she would rush up and hug him and kiss him. But by evening, her initial excitement had been suppressed by reason, and she knew that Chu Mao’s show of force was effective.

Ah Wu suddenly stopped, anxiously wondering if Chu Mao, like the Princess, would not believe her, would not forgive her?

Welcoming Ah Wu was Lu Ruoxing. This Empress was, in fact, the reason he had risen to power; their relationship had been one of deep affection and loyalty. But now, to be honest, Lu Ruoxing truly disliked her. Human hearts were made of flesh, but this Empress, though beautiful as an angel descended from heaven, possessed a heart as cold as a deity.

“Your Majesty, the Emperor has already retired for the night,” Lu Ruoxing said respectfully. “His Majesty has always been a light sleeper; if he is awakened in the middle of the night, he cannot fall back asleep. His Majesty works tirelessly day and night, and I beg Your Majesty to understand.”

Lu Ruoxing’s words were indeed presumptuous, but Ah Wu did not bother with him. Lu Ruoxing was Chu Mao’s servant, loyal to him wholeheartedly. Ah Wu had been very grateful to him a couple of years ago, so she did not hold it against him.

Ah Wu thought about Lu Ruoxing’s words and retreated to Chang Le Palace. She still felt guilty and did not know how to face Chu Mao. His cold-heartedness back then…

Moreover, Ah Wu still could not decide whether she should confess everything to Chu Mao.

The next morning, although Chu Mao did not have to attend court, he went to his study to read. Today was the day of the Imperial Lectures; after listening to the lecturers finish their lectures on classics and history, he would then hold his own lectures and receive the cabinet ministers. Another morning would pass quickly.

Ah Wu was not unaware of how busy Chu Mao was, but when she became the one waiting, she truly appreciated his diligence and felt sorry for him.

After lunch, just as Ah Wu decided she had to see Chu Mao no matter what, she heard someone return, saying that Zheng Luan-niang had taken soup to the Qian Yuan Palace.

Ah Wu’s feelings towards Zheng Luan-niang had completely changed. She just thought about how shameless this girl was. That night, Chu Mao had clearly rejected her. Or should it be considered a rejection? Ah Wu was now uncertain.

Ah Wu had no soup either. Looking in the mirror, she frowned, feeling even more insecure. Zheng Luan-niang was five years younger than her. However, Ah Wu had a thousand ways to deal with her; her only fear was that Chu Mao’s heart would waver—a classic case of being anxious about gains and losses.

Ah Wu dismissed Lu Ruoxing and rushed into the east study of the Qian Yuan Palace’s front hall. Zheng Luan-niang had just finished serving Chu Mao his soup.

Author’s Note:
It will probably be sweet for a while before it ends; there are still some parts to wrap up.
Given that the plot is still transitioning, Master Ming will not be acting cute; otherwise, she will definitely get scolded.
Dang’s Mom: But everyone should know one thing: nuns are rather stubborn. All the criticism will only make Master Ming determined to go down a dark path, showing that she has strong opinions. She’s probably still in her chuunibyou phase. However, Dang’s Mom is more amiable, responding to public opinion with double updates, breaking through the fog, and ushering in the light.
Master Ming: Bah! Actually, she’s only saying that because she’s running for the position of Dangye. She’s so cheerful because she does not dare read the comments.
Furthermore, regarding the “drama empress” label, you can think of it this way: if you were less dramatic than her, then you should be very fortunate and deserve a big toast. If you were more dramatic than her, how is that possible? So you also deserve a big toast.
If one day you do not want to be a virtuous wife and loving mother anymore and want to see how a drama empress lives her life and ruins herself, then you could read my writing at this stage. As for the next stage, I do not know where Dangye will go.