Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 234 - 233 Beautiful Talk

Chapter 234: Chapter 233 Beautiful Talk

Uninterested in women, these four words were used sarcastically. Chen Afu lowered her head, staring at her own toes.

The Seventh Prince, Li Zeyin, spoke up, "General Chu, I am quite fond of this young lady beside you, I hope you can detach and let me have her. Don’t worry, I won’t let it be a loss on your part, I will gift you four extraordinary beauties in return."

Chu Lingxuan furrowed his brows and, with a fist salute, loudly countered, "Prince Rui, please choose your words carefully. She is my fiancée and should not be humiliated so."

His words left both the Second and Seventh Princes in surprise. The Second Prince laughed then challenged, "Your betrothed! Where does that come from?" He then pointed at Chen Afu and asked, "You tell us; what’s your name and how are you related to General Chu?"

Gently, Chen Afu knelt and replied, "My name is Chen Afu. I am General Chu’s fiancée."

After hearing it, the Second Prince still seemed sceptical. He continued questioning Chu Lingxuan, "Before coming to Dingzhou, I specifically asked Princess Rong Zhao whether you were betrothed and she mentioned you were not. Now, suddenly you have a fiancée? Surely you didn’t privately engage without even your mother’s knowledge? Since there’s no marriage contract or consummation, can you claim her as your wife?"

Chen Afu felt a pang of worry, unsure of how Chu Lingxuan would reply, she could only contemplate that being relegated to a concubine was something she would accept, only over her dead body.

Chu Lingxuan calmly responded, "Your Highness, there’s a misunderstanding. Ms. Chen and I aren’t secretly engaged. Mr. Chen Shiying, father of Ms. Chen, proposed the marriage himself," he said, retrieving a jade pendant from his waist and holding it up, continued, "This is the betrothal gift from Mr. Chen. Moreover, my biological mother, though she’s a nun and no longer involved in worldly matters, was informed of this engagement. She even gifted Ms. Chen a Fuyeqiu set she used to wear in her younger days. I also sought my grandfather’s opinion through a letter. Although he agreed to our marriage, I am unsure if he informed Princess Rong Zhao or my father. Both my grandfather and my aunt will arrive in Dingzhou tomorrow for this matter. Therefore, our engagement was set by our elders and not privately. She is indeed my fiancée."

The Second Prince didn’t appreciate Chu Lingxuan’s audacity to bring his biological mother into the discussion, but the presence of Chen Shiying got his attention regardless. With a cynical smile, he asked, "She’s Mr. Chen’s daughter?"

"Yes," came Chu Lingxuan’s reply.

The Second Prince addressed Chen Afu, "Raise your head, Ms. Chen."

In response, Chen Afu raised her head.

Upon looking at Chen Afu’s face, the Prince acknowledged that she indeed bore a strong resemblance to Chen Shiying then commented, "She’s quite a pretty little lady and quite like Mr. Chen indeed. No wonder the Seventh Prince is so desperate to have her." Seeing Chu Lingxuan about to interrupt, he hurriedly continued, "My apologies, General Chu, for my loose tongue. But it’s worth noting that when encountered with trouble, Ms. Chen should have gone to her own home, yet she sought refuge with her betrothed. General, don’t you think your little fiancée’s actions were somewhat unduly?"

Just as Chu Lingxuan was about to defend Chen Afu, Chu Huai entered the room to report that Mr. Chen Shiying had arrived and was waiting outside.

Taken by surprise, Chu commented that when he found out about the trouble, he promptly dispatched someone to notify Chen Shiying to be prepared, but never expected him to appear in person. It certainly would be best if he was present, so Chu saluted with his fist and said, "Mr. Chen’s arrival provides him an opportunity to speak on certain matters himself."

The Second Prince instructed, "Please let Mr. Chen in."

Upon entering, Mr. Chen Shiying saluted, "Greetings, Your Highness and Prince Rui."

The Second Prince, pointing at Chen Afu, asked, "Mr. Chen, is this young lady your daughter?"

Upon glancing at Chen Afu, Chen Shiying saluted once more and confirmed, "Yes, she is my daughter Afu."

The Seventh Prince then asked, "I heard that you have pledged her to General Chu?"

Chen Shiying confirmed, "Indeed, I have always admired General Chu’s character, so I pledged my beloved daughter Afu to him."

With a cynical laugh, the Second Prince critiqued, "Mr. Chen, your family values seem flawed. Your virgin daughter shows up at her betrothed’s doorstep and stays till late without returning home; it’s truly a disgrace."

Afured, Chu Lingxuan defensively stated, "Your Highness, you can’t just slander Ms. Chen like that. She was left with no choice but to do what she did. If she had left my residence earlier, I fear she wouldn’t be here right now to converse."

The Second Prince questioned, "She could have returned to her own home instead of running here, why didn’t she?"

Chen Shiying wiped the sweat off his brow, looked at Chen Afu fondly, and confessed, "Your Highness, Prince Rui, Afu is a good girl. The only one with any fault is me. I am to blame because, she has never been able to return to her own home all these years." His voice choked on the last words.

The Second Prince and the Seventh Prince were both puzzled and asked almost in unison, "What do you mean by that, Mr. Chen?"

Chen Shiying quickly wiped more sweat from his forehead before humbly admitting, "What I mean is... she is my illegitimate daughter. I brought her to Dingzhou with plans of introducing her into the family and restoring her rightful status when all this happened. However, now I am here to take her back, she won’t be staying here going forward. So, Afu is a gentle, well-mannered, and virtuous lady, Your Highness must not speak ill of her."

The Second Prince laughed heartily, not having expected this twist, he hilariously quipped, "So not only is Ms. Chen a governor’s daughter, she’s his illegitimate daughter. General Chu, the son of Marquis Yong’an and a third-grade senator, intends to take her as his wife! Indeed, ’Gentle lady, a companion for a gentleman’. General Chu, since your first wife passed away, you’ve remained unmarried and it turns out you’ve been harboring a fondness for beauty. Well, well, ’An able man looks always unable to cross the barrier of beauty’, indeed! I will look forward to this match. It will surely be a rare romantic tale of our dynasty."

The Seventh Prince laughed too, understanding that he would have to give up on this beauty, he conceded, "I didn’t know before that General Chu was such a romantic. I am impressed, indeed."

Chu Lingxuan sternly responded, "In my eyes, Ms. Chen is more than just beautiful. She is also intelligent and virtuous. It would be a great fortune of my life to marry her."

After his hearty laughter, the Second Prince finally relented, "Alright, to honor General Chu’s loyal heart, I am willing to bear witness to this good match." He then turned towards Chen Shiying with a frown and advised, "Mr. Chen, you’re handsome and highly talented, it’s only natural that your daughter adores you. However, now that she belongs to another, you should take her into your family and give her solid footing. You surely would not want Ms. Chen to carry the stigma of being an illegitimate child when she marries General Chu, a Crown Prince. Always remember, General Chu is still my sister’s stepson."