A, CS Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Attraction

As night fell, the lake beside the Mid-Lake Pavilion seemed to be sprinkled with light. The shadows of the trees on both sides were reflected in the water at the same time, like a beautiful masterpiece. It was a pity that a gust of wind swept in, instantly bringing a sense of desolation to the beautiful scenery.

On her way back to Xitong Courtyard, Tang Wu kept shaking her wrists.
She had spent the entire afternoon grinding ink for him in the study, and then returned to his room to serve him a bath.

She had been ordered around by that man all day, yet when night came, he told her to return to her courtyard alone.

Fortunately, no one outside knew what was going on. If the gossips found out the inside story, they would laugh themselves silly.
She was, after all, a top courtesan crowned by the madams in the Flower Alley, yet after using all her skills, she ended up with the job of a maid.

As soon as she stepped into the room, Luo Ying quickly came forward, supporting Tang Wu and saying, “Congratulations, Young Madam.”
“What’s there to be happy about?” Tang Wu blinked.
“Young Madam, you don’t know, but right after you went into the Prince’s study today, the Anshan Hall sent over a lot of tea leaves. Sister Yun Jiang from Anshan Hall said that these are all excellent West Lake Longjing, which no one else has.”

“Where did you put them?”
“I put them inside, waiting for you to come back!” Luo Ying lifted the beaded curtain of the inner room, pointed at the exquisitely packaged tea cans, and exclaimed again, “I’m not well-traveled. I didn’t know there were cans made of pure gold to hold tea leaves in this world. Today, I’ve really learned something.”

Tang Wu opened one and her eyes darkened.
The outer packaging of the tea can was indeed made of a thin layer of hollowed-out gold, but the tea leaves inside were not good Longjing; they were just some common, low-grade tea rolls. Anyone who knew their stuff would lament, “How can such a good tea box be paired with these inferior tea rolls?”
This wasn’t a gift; it was clearly a form of pressure.

“Young Madam, these past few days, I’ve made friends with many maids from other parts of the mansion. When they heard I served you, they were especially envious,” Luo Ying couldn’t see the complexity of the situation. She just thought her madam was favored, so the whole Xitong Courtyard had become more respectable.

Seeing her lively description, Tang Wu interrupted directly, “Then have you heard about Concubine Lian, who was sold off a while ago?”
Luo Ying nodded, “I heard… that Concubine Lian was sold to a broker by Side Consort Chu.”

“Luo Ying, in fact, there’s not much difference between Concubine Lian and me. We are both concubines of this Prince’s Mansion, just maids who can’t enter the ancestral hall. It’s just that she had bad luck and brought disaster upon herself as soon as she had a wicked thought, while I’m a bit luckier and have temporary peace. Remember this: in this courtyard from now on, you must be careful with your words and actions, or you and I will end up just like her.”

After hearing this, the smile on Luo Ying’s face instantly vanished. She quickly knelt on the ground, stammering, “I… am I causing you trouble, Young Madam? Please… please punish me.”
“What are you doing? I’m just telling you to be more careful in the future to avoid a big disaster. I don’t mean to blame you at all.” Tang Wu reached out and helped her up.

“I understand. From now on, besides our duties in this courtyard, I will never gossip with outsiders. I will always keep what you just said in mind.”
Hearing her say this, Tang Wu finally felt completely relieved.
Who knows how many hidden arrows Xitong Courtyard would face in the future?

If they could be defended against, they could live in peace; if not, no one could be blamed.

In the blink of an eye, it was the first day of the lunar month.
The first day of every month was the day to collect the monthly allowance at Anshan Hall. Logically, she could have sent Luo Ying or Shuang’er, but yesterday, Nanny Wang specifically instructed her that Side Consort Chu wanted to invite the sisters for tea and hoped that the young madams of each courtyard would go in person.

The words were polite, but when she spoke, who would dare not go?
Tang Wu sat in front of the dressing box, thinking.
Today, when she went to Anshan Hall, she could neither wear heavy makeup nor go completely barefaced. She simply dabbed some light pink blush on her cheeks and lips.

The color was extremely light, and although it looked like she wasn’t wearing makeup, it actually brightened her complexion a lot. Then, she picked up an eyebrow pencil and lightly drew a few strokes, creating thin, curved, light brows.

After drawing her eyebrows, she picked up a thin wooden stick that had just been burned with fire and continuously and gently pressed it against her upper eyelashes. After a few presses, her long eyelashes, which were a bit droopy just moments ago, immediately curled up distinctly.

This action completely stunned Shuang’er, who was at her side. My goodness, only today did she truly understand the other meaning of “both heavy and light makeup look good on her.”
Tang Wu closed the dressing box and called out to the stunned Shuang’er to come and help her change.

After changing, Tang Wu led Shuang’er and Luo Ying out of Xitong Courtyard and walked toward Anshan Hall.

The main gate of Anshan Hall was wide open. As soon as they walked into the large courtyard, they saw Side Consort Chu roll up her sleeves and, without a word, slapped a maid across the face.

She used real force, and the maid’s face was scratched and bleeding from her nails.
Side Consort Chu looked down at her red palm and said sharply, “Drag her away and give her thirty strokes with the cane.”

Tang Wu froze, not knowing what was going on, and slowly said, “What’s wrong, sister?”
Side Consort Chu turned her head, saw Tang Wu had arrived, and quickly walked forward, grabbing her hand and saying, “You’re making fun of me, sister. I wanted to deal with these disloyal servants before you came, but I didn’t expect you to see it.”

“A few days ago, my brother from my family came to the mansion to see me and specially brought some lovely-looking tea cans. I liked them, so I kept a few extra boxes and sent someone to give them to you, sister. Curses! Who knew that little wench just now would secretly swap the tea? She replaced the original good Longjing with a bunch of tea rolls. If I hadn’t found her acting suspiciously this morning, who knows how long I would have been kept in the dark!” As Side Consort Chu spoke, she gestured for Xu’er to bring the item.

Xu’er walked over and took out a small burlap sack. Upon opening it, it was indeed the good Longjing tea.
“Please don’t be so angry, sister. I am of humble origin. To me, tea is just like boiled water at different times of the day, I can’t tell any difference except for the temperature. It is your kind gesture that moves me the most,” Tang Wu didn’t know what kind of play Side Consort Chu was performing, but she was sure that there weren’t so many coincidences in the world where she just happened to see and hear things.

Otherwise, why didn’t she see Concubine Su from Qiyue Pavilion?
Evidently, their arrival times were all pre-arranged.
Once inside, Side Consort Chu said again, “Sister, please sit down quickly.”

Tang Wu felt as if she was sitting on pins and needles. Side Consort Chu’s attitude today seemed completely strange.
“A few days ago, it was really my fault, sister. I was thoughtless and listened to a scoundrel’s instigation, almost ruining the affection between us,” Side Consort Chu’s eyes were sincere.

“What are you saying, sister? As the person in charge of this mansion, you naturally have to manage it strictly. The events of a few days ago were just a misunderstanding,” Tang Wu’s words were reasonable, and Side Consort Chu nodded frequently as she listened.

“Hearing what you just said, my heart that’s been hanging has finally settled down,” she patted her chest and sighed, “But the Prince seems to be angry with me. You have the Prince’s special favor, so if you have the chance, could you explain a thing or two to him?”

Tang Wu noticed that Side Consort Chu’s left hand was clenched into a fist and even trembling.
She couldn’t help but laugh to herself. How much determination did it take for Side Consort Chu to say what she just said?

A noble lady bowing her head and showing goodwill to a woman from a courtesan house?
How very new.

Moreover, Tang Wu knew that once some things began, there would be a continuous stream of troubles. So, this beginning must not happen.
“Sister, you are the Side Consort in charge of the household, while I am just a concubine. I am already anxious and fearful just calling you ‘sister.’ How could I dare to say that I have the Prince’s special favor? The Prince might see me once or twice when he’s in the mood, but I definitely don’t have the ability to sway his mind. For this matter… I hope you can forgive me,” Tang Wu’s undisguised refusal was something Side Consort Chu had never expected.

“You have a silver tongue, sister,” Side Consort Chu couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh.
Her pretense of being virtuous and kind was about to fall apart.
Her jealousy and unwillingness were all written on her face.

“I sincerely called you my sister today, but I didn’t expect you to be so ungrateful. Do you know that this is the Prince of Ying’s mansion? The Prince is not meant to be yours alone. The Princess Consort has already departed from Jingyin Temple and will be back at the mansion before the Mid-Autumn Festival. If you insist on being like this, don’t blame me for not warning you. She is not a person who will tolerate you at all.”

“I am foolish and do not quite understand what you are saying, sister. I only know that the Prince and the Princess Consort are the masters of this courtyard. Whether they tolerate me or not is a matter of a single word, and it is not something I can change with effort,” Tang Wu raised her hand to adjust her hair ornament and said softly.

“Tang Wu!” Side Consort Chu couldn’t hold back anymore. Her tense left hand uncontrollably slammed the table!

This hussy was truly ungrateful, even daring to imply that besides the Princess Consort and the Prince, everyone else in this courtyard was a servant!
“Although the Princess Consort has been gone for three years, she grew up in the Cheng family! The son of Duke Cheng was the Prince’s childhood study companion! How can you understand the bond between them? If she wants to crush you, it would be easier than crushing an ant!”

Side Consort Chu was so angry that she spoke without thinking, and these words made Tang Wu suddenly realize. So she was so anxious because the Princess Consort of Ying was returning.

Once the Princess Consort returned, she had no children and no favor, so the power to manage the household would also be returned to her soon.
Tang Wu said, “According to you, sister, you must be even more powerful than the Princess Consort. The Princess Consort wants to crush me, but you can save me! Is that what you mean?”

Sude Consort Chu could never have imagined that she would interpret her warning in this way.
Side Consort Chu said nothing, her chest heaving more and more violently.
After a moment, Side Consort Chu’s face flushed. She picked up a teacup and smashed it on the floor, pointing at the door and shouting sharply, “Get out!”

She saw that Tang Wu remained motionless and was about to smash another teacup. Just then, Xu’er and Tang Wu’s two maids knelt down at the door.

Side Consort Chu’s heart sank. She suddenly turned around and saw Prince Ying standing with his hands behind his back, a look of anger on his face.

He said with a sinister and fierce tone that made people tremble, “I didn’t know you had so much power now.”

—
The author has something to say:
Tang Wu: I’m wronged, only wronged.
Prince Ying: I understand, I understand.
Side Consort Chu: I’m the one who’s wronged!!!!