Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 402 - 401: Making Preparations

Chapter 402: Chapter 401: Making Preparations

Chu Lingxuan shook his head, "This position is just too good, so many are fighting for it, including the Second Prince’s party and the Third Prince’s party. My father-in-law is in their way, they’re definitely going to make trouble for him. If my father-in-law had no scandals, it would be fine, but not only does he have scandals, most people from his hometown know about them. There’s no way to stop the spread of rumors." After a pause, he continued, "Some have already begun to impeach my father-in-law, saying that as soon as he succeeded, he divorced his legitimate wife and remarried. He has accepted hefty bribes, bought hundreds of acres of farmland within three months and a four-compound house in the county town. Also, he allowed the Zhao Clan to exploit the villagers, causing some families to lose everything and be displaced, amongst other things. If the things he did when he was an official in Jiangnan get dragged into it, it’ll be even more troublesome."

Chen Afu was so taken aback that his hair stood on end, asking, "My father won’t get into trouble, will he?"

Chu Lingxuan held her hand and said, "Don’t worry, there’s a way."

Chen Afu was filled with anxiety. Leaving aside the matter in Jiangnan, the things that Chen Shiying did have already been problematic enough. She now considers Father Chen Shiying as her own adoptive father and couldn’t bear to see him upset, let alone in trouble. He was still in his thirties, at the prime of life, what would he do if something happened? And what about his family, the loyal Mrs. Jiang, and baby Zhao?

Chu Lingxuan pulled her to sit by the bed , saying, "Minister Gao of the Ministry of Industry is old and mentioned half a year ago that he wanted to resign. We always thought that if the emperor wanted to heavily employ my father-in-law, he would certainly let him take the position. Two months ago, Vice-chancellor Zhang suddenly fell sick and died. The original director of the Ministry of Personnel succeeded in the role, and Minister Huang replaced the director, thus leaving a vacancy. The emperor has always admired my father-in-law, and also knows that my father-in-law’s daughter is the foster mother of Shiyi, my wife. He may have thought of giving this important vacancy to my father-in-law... alas, it’s a pity that my father-in-law was harmed by Madam Zhao maliciously and he was left with scandals. He’s usually very good at handling relationships, so some people who knew about his past wouldn’t have mentioned it, but this time, as he blocked others’ paths, they brought up these matters. To thoroughly defeat my father-in-law, they might even go to Jiangnan to collect evidence of his crimes..."

Dingzhou is not far from the Capital City, merely two hundred miles. Chen Shiying is a well-known figure here, and his many affairs are the talk of common people, many officials must know about them. The things that Mrs. Chen did are like a ticking time bomb, never knowing when it will explode.

Perhaps Chen Shiying is also aware of these "stains," hence he has always been very careful and diplomatic, making his official career very smooth.

But this time, he was too eager and high-profile about doing practical things for the people, as well as obstructing others’ paths. This, added to the fact that the position the emperor wants him to hold is high-ranking, he has become a target for others who are bringing up his past wrongdoings.

"My father won’t be in any trouble, will he?" Chen Afu asked.

Chu Lingxuan said, "The matter of my father-in-law divorcing his legitimate wife after the selection won’t be a big deal, even if it were to come true, it’s just a matter of morality. Moreover, it wasn’t something that my father-in-law did. He was young at the time and didn’t know that your mother, his child bride, didn’t register at the County Government. He wasn’t home when your mother was driven out. The fear is that out of respect for his mother, he might not tell the truth, and would shoulder the blame for her."

"That can’t be! The sins committed by that wicked old woman, who ruined my mother and me, are now causing harm to my father. He can’t take the blame for her," Chen Afu said.

Chu Lingxuan nodded, "Of course. We know best about this event, if my father-in-law doesn’t speak out, I will have someone else speak for him." He continued, "The purchase of farmland in the countryside, the four-compound house in the county town, all that money was given by the Tang clan, and accepted by Madam Zhao, my father-in-law didn’t know. All these cannot be entirely blamed on my father-in-law, at most it’s his lack of regulation over his family. Thankfully, my father-in-law took actions last year to punish those evildoers from the Zhao family, and returned their ill-gotten wealth to the villagers. If not, my father-in-law couldn’t have argued his way out of it."

Chen Afu added, "What about the things when my father was an official in Jiangnan? My father wouldn’t take bribes."

She said these words somewhat hesitantly. Her father, who came from a poor background, now has considerable wealth.

What Chu Lingxuan feared most was the matters related to Chen Shiying’s official duties in Jiangnan. Moreover, he knew very little about Chen Shiying’s affairs in Jiangnan and didn’t know when those people went to Jiangnan to collect evidence, or what they had found.

He thoughtfully said, "My father-in-law is careful and upright, he shouldn’t have been involved in corruption or embezzling. Your mother had quite the dowry when they got married, and since she is intelligent, it’s also possible that she made big money doing business. And there’s also the Tang family, in order to let their daughter live comfortably in the Chen family, it was normal for them to give gifts and wealth. Even if, hypothetically, my father-in-law did something inappropriate, being as smart as he is and wanting to protect his reputation, he wouldn’t have left anything incriminating behind. I’m afraid that Madam Zhao or Mrs. Tang committed unlawful acts behind my father-in-law’s back..."

Once Chen Afu calmed down, her thoughts were similar. Chen Shiying was careful, he always aspired to be a good official and deserved the word ’upright’. Although his wealth accumulated quickly, while shady dealings might be possible, he absolutely did not take bribes. Moreover, he wouldn’t have left anything incriminating behind. Chu Lingxuan was right, his wealth came largely from Mrs. Jiang and the Tang family. However, him not doing anything wrong doesn’t mean that the wicked old woman and Mrs. Tang didn’t do anything wrong, or that the Tang family didn’t do anything wrong under his banner.

She didn’t know much about the laws of this era, so she asked, "What’s the best possible outcome for my father, and what’s the worst?"

Chu Lingxuan thought for a bit and said, "Leaving aside the matters in Jiangnan, although my father-in-law’s regulation of his family was lax, his promotion of high-yield grains is indisputable; no one can erase or steal this accomplishment. The best outcome would be a chastisement from the emperor, yet he would still remain as the governor of Dingzhou. The worst outcome would be confirming his moral failing, allowing his mother to divorce his legitimate wife, accepting bribes, and losing his position...As for the matters in Jiangnan, we’re all guessing, we really don’t know what will happen. Tomorrow, you can go home and ask your mother about it. If there’s indeed something, she should speak out so that we can prepare in advance..."

Chen Afu held Chu Lingxuan and said, "Lingxuan, you must help my father. Now, only your Chu family and your Uncle Luo’s family can help my father... Oh, yes, and the Ninth Prince and Prince Rui. They owe me a huge favor, they must help."

Chu Lingxuan nodded and said, "I plan to go to Shizhou Mansion to find Uncle Luo tomorrow. He is my father-in-law’s direct superior, and his attitude is crucial. I will then write to my third uncle and Prince Rui, letting Uncle Luo deliver the letters, as he is clear about my father-in-law’s past and we can’t let my father-in-law take the blame for that wicked woman. Before anything happens, Uncle Luo will be running errands in the Capital City. The Ninth Prince need not be told, he would speak well of my father-in-law to the emperor in private. However, the Chu family and the Ninth Prince cannot plead on his behalf publicly. As soon as we plead, the Second Prince’s party will undoubtedly oppose even more clearly. This way, my father-in-law’s enemies will increase, which will be disadvantageous for him. If my father-in-law didn’t commit any crimes in Jiangnan, we hope that his merits and demerits will offset each other. Even if his rank drops to seven, it would be better for future restoration..."