Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 219 - 218: The Son-in-law of a Prestigious Family

Chapter 219: Chapter 218: The Son-in-law of a Prestigious Family

Mrs. Li, longing for company, was delighted to have Mrs. Chen, the mother of the governor of Dingzhou, as a well-spoken companion. In no time, they found themselves engaged in endless conversation, and Mrs. Li even invited Mrs. Chen to have a meal in her room that night.

Mrs. Chen was proud of her great-granddaughter’s beautiful appearance and dutiful nature, and had long desired a high-born groom for her. Upon arriving in Dingzhou, she had heard of Chu Lingxuan and had her hopes set on him, planning secretly to find someone who could help arrange the match.

In Mrs. Chen’s opinion, although Chu Lingxuan had a fine family background, he was still a widower. As the "legitimate daughter" of a governor, her great-granddaughter was a suitable match for him. Moreover, her son was a capable man, who she believed would certainly receive a higher-ranking official post in a few years. By referring to Chen Yuhui as the "legitimate daughter", Mrs. Chen was planning to force Mrs. Jiang to register Hui’er under her name when she got back.

With Mr. Chu holding an official post in Dingzhou, her great-granddaughter would settle in Dingzhou after marriage. Although the princess grandmother was dominant, she wouldn’t be able to interfere with matters in Dingzhou. Therefore, she would have to teach her great-granddaughter to serve the princess grandmother well if they ever met. Hui’er was loved and good at pleasing people. So, not only would her beloved great-granddaughter marry into a good family, but she would also have a stronger support, and need not fear Mrs. Jiang and her family any longer...

Mrs. Chen, with a plan in mind, dismissed Mrs. Lu and the maidservant, and said to Mrs. Li with a smile, "A while ago, during the General Lu’s daughter’s wedding, I had the opportunity to catch a distant glimpse of Mr. Chu, and oh my, he was truly handsome and impressive... My great-granddaughter Hui’er is as beautiful as her father, unique in her beauty, gentle and virtuous, and good at poetry and painting. She is of marriageable age this year. Such a wonderful girl, I have been thinking about finding her a good husband..."

She stopped just short of saying that her granddaughter and Chu Lingxuan were the perfect match.

At first, Mrs. Li was a bit unhappy hearing her praise Chu Lingxuan, but as she listened to her subsequent words, she understood Mrs. Chen’s intentions.

She knew that Chen Shiying was once a scholar and had a handsome appearance. If her daughter resembled him, there was no doubt that she would excel in both beauty and talent.

Previously, Mrs. Li would never have dared to consider an alliance with Chu Lingxuan. Although the old Marquis allowed her some liberty in handling the family wealth, he would never permit her to interfere in Chu Lingxuan’s marriage. Besides, she didn’t have the ability to acquaint herself with the high-born ladies who were a match for the Chu family.

However, the attitude of the old marquis had softened ever since he returned to the capital from Tang Garden, seeming quite anxious. He mentioned that Chu Lingxuan was still not remarried at such an old age because he was too exacting. Noble women who were his equal did not wish to marry him, while ladies who wished to marry him lacked in one way or another. Now that Chu Lingxuan was 24 years old, even if they lowered the requirements, it was important for him to hurry up and start a family. And he said that as long as the girl herself was good, a poorer family background wouldn’t matter...

Though the legitimate daughter of Chen family had a humble background, she was beautiful and talented, and Mr. Chen was the governor of Dingzhou, which exactly met the conditions of the old Marquis. Which man doesn’t love beauty? If his daughter took after Chen Shiying, she was bound to be pretty, and Chu Lingxuan would certainly like her.

With a daughter from their family married into the Marquis’ Mansion, Princess Rong Zhao would surely make life difficult for her at the Princess Mansion, preferably to the point where she can’t bear him any sons. The princess has been married to her elder cousin for many years and hasn’t had a single child, and now she’s past thirty, she will almost certainly not be able to have any more children. In this case, her own son would have the opportunity...

Determined on her course of action, Mrs. Li couldn’t help but laugh, "My great-nephew is already 24 this year and still unmarried. My father-in-law can’t wait for him to find a good girl. I’ve heard of Mr. Chen’s handsome looks and talents for quite some time, and Mrs. Chen having such a virtuous and respectful demeanor. I’m sure your eldest granddaughter can not be wrong. I’ll talk to my father-in-law as soon as I get back..."

Mrs. Li’s words, taking charge of everything, brought great joy to Mrs. Chen. She hinted that if Mrs. Li could finalize this matter, she would most certainly "thank" her. Of course, the "thanks" would have to come out of Mrs. Tang’s pocket, which made Mrs. Li even happier. The two women holding hands and talking were even friendlier than before, as if the Chus’ Mansion and the Chens had already become relatives.

When Mrs. Chen returned home, she immediately called Mrs. Tang and Chen Yuhui to her side and told them about it.

The mother and daughter were overjoyed, as they had long heard that Mr. Chu was a young man of distinguished families, outstanding in his achievements and unparalleled in his handsomeness. Chen Yuhui blushed and twisted her handkerchief in a coy manner, which caused both Mrs. Chen and Mrs. Tang to burst into laughter.

However, when Mrs. Chen proposed to let Mrs. Chen acknowledge Chen Yuhui as her legitimate daughter, she was rejected by Mrs. Jiang. She obviously couldn’t openly defy her mother-in-law, so she just laughed and said she had no say over this matter and it had to be agreed upon by her husband.

Chen Shiying happened to be away on official business in a subordinate county for several days, and Mrs. Chen wisely chose not to mention her plans for her great-granddaughter’s good match, fearing it would be usurped by Mrs. Jiang.

When Chen Shiying returned several days later, Mrs. Chen told him about the proposed marriage with the Chus’ Mansion and argued that registering her grand-daughter under Mrs. Jiang’s name would make Chen Yuhui a legitimate daughter and that she wouldn’t be deceiving anyone.

Upon hearing this, Chen Shiying became exceedingly angry and said, "Mother, you’re being foolish. The Chu family is an extraordinarily prestigious family. You have no right to make baseless promises on their behalf. Even if Hui’er is registered under Mrs. Jiang’s name, she won’t become a legitimate daughter. The Chu family is a Marquis’ Mansion, Chu Lingxuan is a third-grade senator and is the heir to the Marquis title, and has a ruthless character. His father, the Marquis Chu, married a princess and is also a pillar of the nation, a general. Furthermore, Chu’s third master is even more influential and well-trusted by the emperor, just having returned from the frontier, he was appointed an adviser to the central army as a first-rank official. Moreover, Hui’er’s attractiveness and talents are far inferior to Mr. Chu. So how can he be someone we can aspire to? Furthermore, you have dared to pass off the illegitimate as legitimate! You could bring ruin upon me and our entire family."

But Mrs. Chen was irked and rebuked, "Nonsense, Hui’er is most like you, so how could she be so inferior to Mr. Chu..."

Hui’er was most like him!

Chen Shiying was at a loss, seeing his mother script her fabrications as if they were true. He didn’t even wait for her to finish speaking, and rushed to the senator’s mansion to apologize. To his surprise, Chu Lingxuan wasn’t that angry, saying that it was thoughtless chatter and he wouldn’t take it to heart. Furthermore, it wasn’t solely Mrs. Chen’s fault, his own aunt, Mrs. Li, was also at fault, and she had been severely rebuked by the old marquis...

The thought of this troublesome situation made Chen Shiying feel as though he were on the verge of vomiting blood, wishing he could stay as far away from the Chu family as possible.

He was still some distance from Tang Garden when he saw Chu Lingxuan waiting for him at the entrance of the garden.

Standing under the spring sun, Chu Lingxuan was refreshing and tall, his presence overwhelming and inscrutable. Coupled with his high status, even if his family was in disarray because of Princess Rong Zhao, he was not someone his average-looking daughter could aspire to.

In Chen Shiying’s vision, the delicate face of Chen Afu suddenly appeared. His daughter was beautiful and intelligent. Her looks could be considered a match for Chu Lingxuan.

This strange thought even startled Chen Shiying himself.