Her words hung in the air for a long moment, and seeing no reaction from the two, she looked at them with a hint of confusion.
Old Master Wu was the first to snap back to reality, tugging at his wife’s sleeve. Madam Wu turned to him with a bewildered expression.
“The Princess asked you to show her to the courtyard she’ll be staying in. After all, she plans to reside here for an extended period, and if there’s anything she’s dissatisfied with, we can make changes at any time,” Old Master Wu explained to his wife with a slightly awkward smile.
Madam Wu finally regained her composure and turned to Wu Caiwei with a touch of embarrassment. “I sincerely apologize, Princess. You bear a striking resemblance to an old acquaintance of mine, and I was momentarily lost in thought. Please forgive my lapse in manners.”
With that, she led the way, Wu Caiwei following closely behind, her curiosity piqued. “You mentioned just now that I resemble an old acquaintance of yours. Who is this person? I’d be very interested to meet them, given our apparent connection.”
Upon hearing this, Madam Wu’s eyes flickered with a moment of panic before she quickly regained her composure. “Your Highness is too kind. She was merely an insignificant person, hardly worthy of your presence. Besides, that person is no longer in this world.”
Wu Caiwei’s displeasure was evident on her face. “This is our first meeting, and I already find myself disliking you. First, you ignored me, and now you compare me to a deceased person. What exactly is your intention?”
Startled, Madam Wu hastened to apologize. “This humble servant misspoke. I beg Your Highness’s forgiveness.”
“Forget it. As a benevolent Princess, I shall overlook this transgression. Consider yourself pardoned this time, but if you repeat it, your luck may not be so good,” Wu Caiwei said with a dismissive snort.
As Madam Wu breathed a sigh of relief, she also began to worry about the days ahead. They said serving a ruler was like accompanying a tiger, and even as a mere Princess, she was already experiencing that feeling. Su Dan Fiction Network
Everything that followed went smoothly. The Wu family spared no effort in furnishing her courtyard with the finest belongings, much to Wu Caiwei’s satisfaction.
That evening, a welcoming banquet was held, attended by most of the Wu household’s main residents. Wu Caiwei noticed the absence of the original owner’s elder brother and gave a cold laugh. She then looked at Old Master Wu. “The Wu family is truly flourishing with so many young masters and ladies. However, I feel someone is missing?”
Old Master Wu blinked in surprise. “No one is missing.”
“According to my knowledge, you have an elder son in this household. I haven’t seen him since I arrived. Am I being disrespected, or is he?” Wu Caiwei asked, a sly smile playing on her lips as she looked at everyone present.
Her words cast a sudden silence over the room. Old Master Wu quickly exchanged a look with his wife and said apologetically, “We thank Your Highness for your concern for our Wu household. Indeed, it was our oversight not to have informed the elder son. He rarely leaves his rooms and has been unwell. We feared he might infect Your Highness, so we did not summon him.”
Upon hearing this, Wu Caiwei immediately stood up and pointed to a maidservant with an imperious air. “You, lead me to the elder son’s courtyard. I wish to meet him personally.”
The maidservant, startled, immediately knelt down, looking towards Madam and Old Master Wu as if pleading for help.
“What? Am I not the mistress of the Wu household, and therefore unable to command you?”
Hearing the Princess’s displeasure, the maidservant, casting all caution aside, quickly rose and led the way.
Old Master Wu and Madam Wu exchanged worried glances, sensing trouble. Though they hadn’t paid much attention to their elder son in recent years, they knew the deplorable state of his living quarters. He had been left to fend for himself. While this might have gone unnoticed within the estate, its exposure to an outsider, especially a Princess, was a different matter entirely.
For a moment, they were at a loss for what to do. It was Old Master Wu who recovered first, quickly catching up to Wu Caiwei’s pace. “Your Highness, please forgive us. Allow this humble servant to explain. My eldest son injured his leg a few years ago and became a cripple. He dislikes seeing strangers, his temper can be volatile, and he is quite reclusive. If he offends you in any way, I implore you to bear with him.”
Wu Caiwei smiled dismissively. “It’s alright. I can understand. For a spirited young man to suddenly become incapacitated – who wouldn’t be driven to despair?”
“Perhaps we should not go. After all, he is a man, and Your Highness is yet unmarried. I fear it may not be appropriate,” Old Master Wu said, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He wondered what had gotten into the Princess, who was acting so unpredictably.
“What I, this Princess, wish to do, I shall do. Otherwise, I won’t be able to sleep tonight, feeling utterly restless. Besides, my reputation is none of your concern,” Wu Caiwei retorted sharply, quickening her pace.
Before long, they arrived at the most secluded courtyard in the Wu estate. Looking at the overgrown grass at the entrance, Wu Caiwei turned to Old Master Wu with disbelief. “It is quite evident that the elder son is not in your good graces. A place like this would be hard to find anywhere in Lizhou City.”
Old Master Wu and Madam Wu had not visited this place in years. Seeing the grass almost covering the gate, they could only imagine the state of the interior, feeling a deep sense of shame.
Even so, it did not deter Wu Caiwei. She pushed open the dilapidated door, and the courtyard was exactly as she had imagined: thick grass and wild trees covered the entire space, forming a natural barrier.
Slightly better than she had anticipated, a narrow path, barely wide enough for one person, snaked through the center of the courtyard, indicating that it was still used.
At this moment, Wu Caiwei felt an inexplicable pang of sadness. She knew these were the original owner’s emotions. In her memories, the original owner and her brother had always played happily under the phoenix trees. To think that after so many years, he was living a life even more miserable than her own.
Before they reached the main building, the sound of incessant coughing could be heard, as if the person was trying to cough up their very lungs.
Old Master Wu quickly stepped forward to stop them. “Your Highness, just by his cough, it is evident he is gravely ill. If you were to contract an illness, we would deserve ten thousand deaths.”
Wu Caiwei let out a cold laugh. “Arriving at the Wu estate today has been quite an eye-opener. If I am not mistaken, the elder son is gravely ill, has not seen a doctor, and has no one to attend to him. Are you intending to let him perish? If I hadn’t come today, would the Wu estate have been holding the elder son’s funeral in a few days? Even a tiger does not eat its cubs. I have never seen such a father as you, Old Master Wu.”
With each of her words, Old Master Wu lowered his head. He had once held some affection for his eldest son, who had been the pride of his tutor’s eyes and had achieved the top rank in his first imperial examination, a time of great glory. However, after he carelessly injured himself playing with friends, not only did his future prospects vanish, but so did their family’s chance for advancement. From then on, he harbored only resentment towards his eldest son.
Wu Caiwei observed the subtle shift in his expression, guessing his thoughts with ease. She couldn't help but shake her head. Having such a father was truly the original owner's misfortune.