Chapter 11: Pity
After that day, Prince Ying specially bought two proper maids and sent them to Xitong Courtyard.
This move made everyone in Prince Ying’s residence serve Tang Wu with extreme caution. In fact, they even began to whisper privately, saying that this young lady was truly formidable, with a bit more effort, she might just seize the position of the other side consort.
But when Tang Wu heard these words, her heart trembled with fear.
Over the past few days, outwardly, he had given her many benefits, but behind the scenes, she hadn’t caught even a glimpse of him.
This made her feel that all these luxuries were nothing more than compensation for that day of passion, a way for him to avoid taking responsibility…
After finishing her evening meal, Tang Wu prepared to bathe.
Luo Ying, one of the new maids, poured water while asking, “What scent would you like to use today, Young Madam?”
Tang Wu removed her clothes, her smooth, gleaming calves stepping into the water one after the other. Only when her body was fully submerged did she reply, “Never mind. No scent today. I’ll just wash up and go to sleep.”
Luo Ying bowed and walked behind Tang Wu, picked up some soapberries, dipped them in water, and evenly applied the lather to Tang Wu’s back.
“Your skin is truly exceptional, Young Madam. I’ve been sold to three households and seen many young ladies, but rarely have I encountered skin as flawless as egg whites all over like yours,” Luo Ying marveled.
Though the words sounded like praise, Tang Wu found them strangely uncomfortable.
Just two days ago, Luo Ying had been sympathizing with her for suffering such “favor,” leaving her covered in bruises. Yet today, she was suddenly complimenting her fair skin.
If he didn’t come, of course her skin would grow fairer by the day.
Even something as simple as bathing seemed to remind her that it had been quite some time since she had last seen His Highness.
Feeling restless and irritable, Tang Wu picked up a ladle, rinsed off the soap lather, and rose from the water.
She draped a white cloak over herself and walked directly to the daybed by the window. After removing her soft shoes, she lay down on it.
After a while, she reached out and opened a nearby vanity case, taking out a jadeite thumb ring of exceptional quality, which she began to toy with repeatedly.
She had secretly taken this jadeite thumb ring from his hand that day.
Prince Ying was noble, every item in his residence, even if not bestowed by the emperor, was undoubtedly crafted by the most renowned artisans in the capital.
Take this thumb ring, for example. Any expert could tell it was custom-made to fit Prince Ying’s finger.
When worn on his hand, it fit perfectly snug, and when removed, it wouldn’t pinch even a shred of skin.
The exquisite craftsmanship left her in awe.
She held the ring above her head, and the candlelight in the room shone directly onto its inner surface.
Gu Jiuniang had once taught her that if she wanted to captivate someone, the simplest method was to first keep something of his. That way, even if he didn’t come, she would have a reason to seek him out again.
At the very least, it wouldn’t make her seem too forward.
Tang Wu gazed at the cotton fibers inside the thumb ring, recalling the wolf-like intensity in his eyes that day and his low, gritted-teeth growls.
She had clearly served him well and pleased him, so why had he seemed to completely forget about her these past few days?
Tossing and turning, unable to sleep, no matter how she thought about it, she couldn’t make sense of it.
Tang Wu turned her head and glanced at the table piled high with tonics, her mind in a daze.
Since that day, Side Consort Chu had never again caused her any trouble. But she understood clearly that the only reason Side Consort Chu left her alone was out of respect for Prince Ying.
If she were to fall out of favor before even gaining it, she feared her situation would be worse than it had been at the very beginning.
After careful consideration, Tang Wu decided to seek out Steward Cao tomorrow.
No matter what, she had to find out exactly when his days off were.
—
Although she came from an unsavory background as a seductress, Nanny Wang had told her that everyone who knew the inside story had been silenced by His Highness.
To the outside world, she was no longer some singing girl but a proper, respectable concubine from a good family.
For the sake of those three words—”respectable concubine”—Tang Wu had deliberately chosen to wear an especially modest white blouse with diagonal fastening and subtle floral patterns, a cloud-collar cape, and a three-blue horse-face skirt. She wore no extravagant ornaments in her hair.
Now that she had entered the Prince of Ying’s residence, she naturally couldn’t embarrass him.
Tang Wu walked to the western side room and knocked on the door. Hearing a response from inside, she pushed the door open and said softly, “Steward Cao, have you seen His Highness recently?”
Steward Cao set down the abacus in his hand and stood up. “Why has the Young Madam come here?”
“Just now, while Luo Ying was tidying the room, she unexpectedly found a personal item belonging to His Highness. I thought it must have been left behind that day, which is why I came to see you,” Tang Wu said.
“Might I ask what the item is?” Steward Cao was a very shrewd man and would never report to His Highness based on just anything she said.
Tang Wu noticed the doubt on his face and hurriedly pulled a small pouch from her chest.
She handed the pouch to Steward Cao and said, “Please open it, Steward.”
Steward Cao untied the drawstring, took out the contents, and upon seeing it, exclaimed, “It truly is His Highness’s.”
“Then please, Steward Cao, return it to His Highness on my behalf.”
Her calm and indifferent demeanor surprised Steward Cao. He had initially thought that Concubine Tang was simply making up an excuse to seek favor, he hadn’t expected to misjudge her.
“Why doesn’t the Young Madam return it to His Highness herself?”
“His Highness is busy with official matters, and I dare not disturb him. Moreover, Nanny Wang said that as a concubine, I must never go to Sui’an Hall or the study where His Highness resides. To abide by the household rules, I must trouble you, Steward Cao, to deliver it for me.”
Steward Cao looked at the pouch in his hand, deep in thought.
With anyone else, it might not matter, but this particular lady from Xitong Courtyard had indeed received His Highness’s favor.
For a moment, he wasn’t sure what to do.
“This servant will go report to His Highness now. Could the Young Madam wait here a while longer?” Steward Cao said after careful consideration.
Hearing this, Tang Wu smiled, a dimple appearing at the corner of her mouth. “Steward, you are too kind. I can certainly wait a while longer.”
After waiting for about a quarter of an hour, she saw Steward Cao return to the door of the western side room with a smile on his face.
“Young Madam, His Highness asks you to go to the study.” Tang Wu’s expression remained unchanged, but a hint of a smile escaped the corners of her eyes.
This trip had come at just the right time.
—
Tang Wu walked with light, hurried steps to the study door, placed her hand on the door ring, hesitated for a moment, then gently knocked.
“Your Highness, your concubine has arrived.”
“Come in.” The voice was as deep as it had been that day, and as soon as it sounded, Tang Wu’s heart trembled.
Seeing her enter, the Prince of Ying set down the wolf-hair brush in his hand onto a red coral stand nearby.
Tang Wu stepped forward and performed a proper wanfu salute with utmost correctness.
She had originally thought that even if he wouldn’t say he had missed her lately, he would at least ask how she had been. But who could have expected that when he spoke, there wouldn’t be even a trace of warmth in his tone.
“You took it away yourself, so why are you returning it now?” Prince Ying placed the jade pendant on the desk and said in a deep voice.
“Your concubine stole Your Highness’s personal item, thinking she could be clever, hoping that when you noticed the ring was missing, you would come looking for me to ask for it. But who knew this thumb ring would be so useless? Not only is it unloved by Your Highness, but it also torments me, making me stare at it all day in a daze…”
She wasn’t foolish; she wouldn’t dare use the same story she told Steward Cao to deceive His Highness.
On her way over, she had already decided to answer whatever he asked honestly.
They say there’s always one thing that can subdue another, and there’s truth to that. Even the coldest gentleman, when faced with this unpredictable young woman, could hardly maintain a stern expression for long.
Prince Ying reached out, pinched her chin between two fingers, and examined her from side to side. Then he said, “So you had it all planned out from the beginning, hmm?”
Restrained by him, Tang Wu could only whimper softly. “Your concubine only wished to repay Your Highness.”
Prince Ying let out a light scoff. “How do you plan to repay me?”
“Your concubine was bought by Your Highness. My status is lowly, aside from thinking of ways to repay you, how would I dare hope for anything else? All I have is this still-youthful body. If even this is beneath Your Highness’s notice, then I can only wait until I’m old and faded, to be dried by the cold winds of this courtyard into jerky.”
After saying this, Tang Wu used her small hand to tap lightly on Prince Ying’s hand and said in a coquettish voice, “It hurts.”
Persistently putting on an act would only make a man find her both annoying and dull.
So she changed her approach. She made no mention of her resentment over his absence these past few days, speaking only of the loneliness of waiting alone in an empty room.
“Where did you learn these fox-spirit tricks?” Prince Ying asked with a frown.
“Your concubine spent four years in the pleasure house. Aside from the daily lessons in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, learning how to attract favor was also part of the regular curriculum.”
Tang Wu bit her lip and continued, “But Mama said I have a particular talent for it.”
By the time she finished speaking, even Prince Ying himself had to admit she had “real skill.” Otherwise, the clean, scholarly atmosphere of the room wouldn’t have been so quickly replaced by the allure radiating from her.
Prince Ying’s breath hitched. He couldn’t control the physical reaction stirring within him. Glancing at the copies of Zizhi Tongjian and Fan Jing on his desk, his face stiffened slightly.
He let out a long breath, shifted his gaze elsewhere, casually patted her back, pointed to the inkstone, and then asked, “Do you know how to grind ink?”
Tang Wu replied, “Yes.”
With that, she gracefully walked to the front of the desk.
She pushed up her sleeves, tested the water temperature with her fingertips, poured a small amount of clear water onto the inkstone, and then began grinding the inkstick in vertical circles.
The pressure was even, the speed moderate, and the rhythm well-balanced.
Prince Ying could tell at a glance that she truly knew how to do it.
Grinding ink may seem simple, but it’s easy to make mistakes.
For example, to produce ink without impurities, one must use properly settled clear water. Hot water or tea should never be used as substitutes, or else no matter how carefully one grinds, the resulting ink will be impure.
Then there’s the amount of water, that too is an art. A little too much and it becomes thick; a little too little and it turns thin. Achieving the right balance is impossible without diligent practice.
“Did you learn this in your courtyard as well?” Prince Ying was somewhat surprised.
Even Yu Zhen, who served by his side, didn’t possess such skill.
“Not exactly. My father was originally a painter from Suzhou. This humble skill is something I learned from him since childhood.” The words “father” had not been spoken for so long that Tang Wu almost felt as if she had sprung from a rock.
Prince Ying frowned, genuinely somewhat puzzled.
Logically, a painter, even if not wealthy, could make a living selling paintings and should be able to support a family.
There was no reason to sell his daughter all the way to the capital…
Tang Wu noticed his confusion and continued, “Father desperately wanted a son, but I was unfortunately born a girl. So from the moment I came into the world, I displeased him. Mother couldn’t bear a son, so the neighbors found a Taoist priest to take a look. That old priest said everyone in the Tang family had a ‘wood’ fate, except for me, who had a ‘metal’ fate. He said metal overcomes wood, and it was because of my birth characters that the Tang family line was broken. In a rage, Father sold me off.”
“And your mother?”
“Mother naturally always put her husband first. After I was gone, she probably thought she could finally conceive a son.”
Having lived two lives, Prince Ying had certainly seen all kinds of rare occurrences.
There were fathers who were kind but sons who were unfilial, siblings who schemed against each other for family property, and even those who killed their mothers to avoid blame.
How could the world’s injustices be limited to just one or two?
Prince Ying looked up, met her gaze, and said slowly, “You have suffered.”
“Then, Your Highness… do you feel sorry for me?” Tang Wu stopped what she was doing and looked at him obediently.
Seeing her bright, captivating eyes, Prince Ying averted his gaze directly, pointed to the inkstick in her hand, and said in a stern voice, “Continue. Don’t stop.”
—
Author’s Note:
Prince Ying: Why are there always stars in the sky? Why are her eyes always sparkling?
Xian Xian: Keep pretending, can you still find happiness in this lifetime?
