Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 429 - 424: Bad Luck

Chapter 429: Chapter 424: Bad Luck

It was late morning on the fourth day, and Chen Afu rode alone in a carriage to Princess Rongzhao’s Mansion.

Princess Rongzhao knew that Chen Afu and her child were coming today, she was waiting for them in the side room on a Luohan Bed with Marquis Chu.

Since last year, when she was covered in bird feces, her luck had taken a turn for the worse. Almost no one came to visit, and the Empress Dowager had sent her to a monastery to copy scriptures and lead a vegetative life for three months. In particular, at the end of last year, there was a snow disaster in the north. Many ministers blamed the disaster on her, and she was grounded by the Empress Dowager. With nothing to do in the mansion, she spent her time copying scriptures and clinging to Marquis Chu. If Marquis Chu was not around, she vented her frustration on her servants.

Her daughter, Xue Baoyi, had been betrothed by the Empress Dowager. For fear that her granddaughter would fall into disfavor for her mother’s misfortune, Lady Ma had arranged for Xue Baoyi to enter the palace for personal instruction since the grounding of Rong Zhao.

Princess Rongzhao couldn’t understand why she had incurred the disgust of the Bird Fairy so that it often defecated on her. Sometimes she wondered if she had really, as the officials accused, angered the Bird Fairy for her actions—causing the death of her first husband, taking another man’s husband, forcing someone to become a nun, and jeopardising their grandchild.

But most of the time, she didn’t believe that was the case. The phrase "all land under heaven belongs to the king" applied to her, as the daughter of the emperor. Whoever she wanted as her consort would be her consort. Even if he was another’s husband, as long as she wanted him, he would be hers. This was not stealing but her due privilege.

However, since her ill fortune began, not only did the emperor and the Empress Dowager turned cold towards her, but even the second prince was not as warm as he used to be. Especially Chu Lang, the man she dearly loved, became ever more perfunctory. He often "roamed around" while she copied scriptures, sometimes for half a day, sometimes a day or two, the longest time was three days, which greatly upset her.

When Rongzhao complained unhappily, Marquis Chu no longer coaxed her or sulked in another room as he used to do. Instead, he said coldly, "You cannot leave the mansion, but you can’t stop me from leaving too, right? Or perhaps, would you only be happy if I stayed here long enough to be ’mouldy’ like you?" Then, he would leave for his study or "roaming around".

Rongzhao was so angry she cried, made a scene, and broke stuff. Once, she even grabbed Marquis Chu, insisting he stay.

Marquis Chu looked at her coldly and said, "Princess, please let go."

Rongzhao became panicked. Chu Lang, whom she had adored since the age of ten, was looking at her like this. She cried, "Chu Lang, those stinking imperial historians attack me because I love you and made you my prince consort."

Marquis Chu corrected, "You’re wrong, Princess. They’re attacking you because you’ve offended the Bird Fairy, leading to the snow disaster in the north of Dashun." With that, he left without a backward glance.

Rongzhao was furious. She suspected that Chu Lang’s changed attitude was due to a paramour. She sent people to follow him, but they couldn’t keep up with him for long. However, on the 20th day of the first month, they discovered a clue. A servant reported that the Prince Consort had entered a residence. He had bribed a neighbor to find out that a young woman who seemed to be a high-ranking official’s concubine lived there.

Rongzhao was livid upon hearing this and sent a group of trusted maids with several guards to arrest her. But when they arrived, the woman in the house had already disappeared.

That night, Marquis Chu returned to the Princess Mansion very late.

Rongzhao asked with a stern expression, "Where did you hide that woman?"

"What woman?" Marquis Chu asked with a frown.

Rongzhao screamed, "My servants saw everything and you still won’t admit it." She grabbed a teapot from the table and threw it at Marquis Chu.

Suddenly, blood gushed from Marquis Chu’s forehead, mingling with the water and tea leaves.

Rongzhao was startled and quickly rushed over to hold Marquis Chu, saying, "Chu Lang, I didn’t mean it."

Marquis Chu pushed Rongzhao away, shrugged off two servants attempting to dress his wound, covered his forehead with a handkerchief, and left.

Not all in the mansion were loyal to Rongzhao; her maids and the eunuchs certainly were, but the guards might not be. Marquis Chu left Princess Mansion unhindered and did not return for two days and two nights.

After her tantrum, she took her anger out on those around her. Her personal maids were constantly on edge, fearing that they would be the next target of the princess’s rage.

One of the maids read Princess Rongzhao’s mood and said, "The princess comes from a noble lineage, she shouldn’t have to suffer this. We should go to the palace and report this to Lady. Ask her to intervene for the princess, find the Prince Consort, make him apologize to the princess, and punish his paramour."

Rongzhao agreed, and they went to the palace to request an audience with Lady Ma.

Upon hearing the news, Lady Ma accompanied them to the emperor in tears. She claimed that everyone was taking advantage of Rongzhao’s weakened state, even her own prince consort, who dared to find a concubine.

The emperor told Lady Ma, "I do not believe that Prince Consort Chu would find a concubine."

He then told the maids coldly, "If you dare to continue making trouble and cause Prince Consort to die like the previous one, Rongzhao will be made to join a nunnery, and you won’t rest even in death."

Upon hearing this, the maids were so frightened that they didn’t dare say another word and hurried back to the Princess Mansion.

Lady Ma felt heavy-hearted seeing the emperor’s attitude. No matter how much the imperial historians complained, the emperor had always protected Rongzhao. But now he even mentioned sending her to a nunnery. She didn’t dare make a scene anymore. Rongzhao was in a precarious position with enemies inside and outside the mansion, and if she annoyed the emperor, there was a real chance she might be sent to be a nun. She couldn’t bring herself to say anything more and returned to her own palace. She sent another maid to Princess Rongzhao’s Mansion, advising Rongzhao to behave properly and avoid trouble.

Later, the Empress Dowager sent another maid to lecture Rong Zhao, advising her to be modest and courteous to her husband, to treat her in-laws well, and to suppress her negative influence.

Rongzhao then behaved more obediently.

Now, as long as the Prince Consort was honest and stayed in the Princess Mansion, even if he didn’t talk and wore a cold face, Rongzhao felt better.

Yesterday when she received Chen Afu’s visitation card, Rongzhao found it unfamiliar. No one had voluntarily sent a card to visit her mansion in almost a year. Those who came were all invited by her personally. Out of ten invitations, it was good if even one person came, and those who did come were those who dared not offend her.

But when she thought of Chen Afu’s twin sons, she rubbed her own stomach and felt a twinge of pain.

Chen Afu entered the room, knelt down and kowtowed, "Your daughter-in-law greets the Princess and greets father-in-law."

When Princess Rongzhao saw that she hadn’t brought her children, her face turned cold, "Where are the children? Why didn’t they come to greet me? I even prepared gifts for seeing them... "

Marquis Chu interjected, "Rise, my daughter-in-law. Have a seat and let’s talk."

Rongzhao opened her mouth but refrained from saying ’you can’t rise’.

Chen Afu said, "Thank you, Princess. Thank you, father-in-law." She stood up and sat on a chair at the side.