Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 430 - 425

Chapter 430: 425

Upon sitting down, Chen Afu noticed that, despite her thick makeup and court dress laden with gemstones and jade, Rong Zhao looked significantly more haggard and aged. The change extended beyond her physical appearance, even her spirit seemed to have wilted significantly. She was far from the domineering presence she once was.

She heard from Mrs. Chu that the scar on Marquis Chu’s forehead was a result of being hit by Rong Zhao for visiting a mistress. That was only what was done this time. If Marquis Chu had dared to visit a mistress in the past, who knew the chaos that Rong Zhao and Lady Ma would have ensued.

Chen Afu surmised that ’visiting a mistress’ was certainly a ruse by Marquis Chu to get more time for his own affairs. He even tolerated such humiliation, which was so out of character for Rong Zhao. They really had Jin Yanzi to thank, a few bird droppings and the recent snow disaster had disgraced Rong Zhao to the point that everyone, from the emperor down to the citizens, considered her a bad omen. This had effectively subdued the once haughty and domineering Rong Zhao.

Thinking of Liao Chen in Yingxue Nunnery, Chen Afu could not help but feel cheerful.

"Your Highness, father-in-law," Chen Afu started, "just as I was preparing to bring the children to you, my sister-in-law unexpectedly arrived. She said that the Empress Dowager heard how adorable the children were and wished to meet them. Coincidentally, my sister-in-law was about to enter the Palace today to meet the Empress Dowager so she said she would take the children to the Palace for the Empress Dowager to see. She then had servants take the children away." She ended her announcement with a sense of helplessness.

This was the plan she and Mrs. Chu agreed upon. The children would certainly not visit here and wouldn’t enter the palace either as there were ill-natured people like Lady Ma in the palace. In case someone asked why they didn’t enter the Palace, they would say that Mrs. Chu had set out with the children but suddenly fell ill and did not proceed.

Rong Zhao was so angry that her liver hurt, but she dared not say that they could not take the children to meet the Empress Dowager. In a cold voice she said, "Not today. We will wait until tomorrow to bring the children here. I have heard that the two children are exceptionally delightful and I am eager to see them."

Marquis Chu waved his hand saying, "My daughter-in-law will return to Dingzhou soon and many families remain that she has yet to visit. We should not trouble her further. Time will tell, the next time they return to the Capital City, it will not be too late to meet."

Rong Zhao raised her eyebrows, protesting sternly, "That won’t do..."

Marquis Chu cut her off, "My head suddenly started hurting, I won’t hold up my daughter-in-law anymore." Touching the scar on his forehead, he flashed a faint smile towards Rong Zhao, "I heard that in our mansion, the peach blossoms have started sprouting buds, which is unusual for early spring. Doesn’t the princess like honey soaked peach blossom dew the most? We should order our servants to prepare more of it."

Rong Zhao could not remember the last time Chu Lang smiled at her. Seeing Chu Lang’s beaming smile and hearing his gentle voice, her heart was filled with joy. She said, "That’s true, in just one night so many peach buds have appeared..."

Just as Chen Afu had begun speaking, she was dismissed by Marquis Chu. She was somewhat dumbfounded. She had prepared numerous contingencies, but before she could implement any, she was dismissed. This was not how things were supposed to go.

She quickly stood up, curtsied and without interrupting the conversation or uttering so much as a farewell, she promptly turned and left with Mrs. Huang and others in tow.

Had Marquis Chu finally stood his ground? Normally, a son-in-law should not be so assertive, but Marquis Chu was different—the only reason he became a son-in-law was to help the Emperor accomplish an even more important task. He could stand his ground, presumably because he had the Emperor’s support.

If that’s the case, wouldn’t Yong’an Marquis Manor stop their act of pretending to be pitiful in the future? Having the opportunity to live happily every day would indeed be a wonderful thing.

When Chen Afu returned to the Chus’ Mansion, she directly went to Anrong Hall, where both children were still fast asleep.

Mrs. Chu was quite surprised and said puzzledly, "How did that happen so quickly?"

Chen Afu nodded and said, "Hmmm, I hardly said two sentences when my father-in-law claimed to have a headache and asked me to return."

Mrs. Chu disbelievingly asked, "And Rong Zhao just let you come back so easily?"

Chen Afu did not mention that Marquis Chu had used a combination of a hard and soft approach and even employed some charm. She vaguely responded, "Hmmm, they started talking about the peach blooms and honey soaked peach blossom, and didn’t pay me any mind so I came back."

Mrs. Chu laughed, " Nowadays Rong Zhao is besieged by troubles on all sides, her arrogance has been greatly subdued. Big brother’s life should be much better than before." After saying those words, her expression darkened again, "It is indeed strange that so many flowers in the mansion bloomed overnight. I wonder what will happen next."

Chen Afu waited until the evening, but Marquis Chu did not come to see the twin brothers. He must be comforting Rong Zhao, right?

She thought of Marquis Chu, who was trying to help her get away as soon as possible, so he did not bring the twins to the Princess Mansion. He had to keep a smiling face in front of Rong Zhao, and maybe even had to spend thewhole day with her. She felt very sorry for him. A good cabbage had been trampled on by a pig - and while the pig might not continue trampling forever, years of being trampled upon were still disgusting.

On the fifth day, Chen Afu once again visited a branch of Fuyunlai.

On the sixth day, Chen Afu took the children to the Xie’s mansion to visit Chu Hua. The head of the Xie family held the title of a National Protector and held a high office. He was always a target for the Chus to win over. However, old slippery Xie managed to maintain good relations with both the Chu and Wang families, and belonged to the kind who did not take sides.

When Mrs. Xie heard about their visit, she specifically asked Chen Afu to bring the children to her courtyard. She held each child and gave them gifts. She also asked Chu Hua to hold them more, laughing and saying, "I hope you have two handsome boys like this in your next pregnancy."

Heng was not happy to hear this and pouted, saying, "Boys should be tough."

Mrs. Xie laughed so hard that she had to wipe away her tears.

After lunch, Chen Afu returned to the mansion.

In the late afternoon, Marquis Chu came to see the children again. He brought two strands of amber bead strings as gifts for the children. He also had urgent matters to attend to and stayed less than a quarter of an hour before leaving again.

Chen Afu presented him with a jar of soaking wine, and said, "I have soaked this wine for a few days and it needs to sit for a bit longer. There are some high-quality supplements gifted by Master Wu Zhi mixed in, which are extremely beneficial for your health. Just to confirm that this wine is for your own use, I am concerned that you may share this nourishing wine with Rong Zhao."

Marquis Chu loved the wine his daughter-in-law prepared fo him and smiled, saying, "Good, I’ll keep it in my study."

On the seventh day, Chen Afu and her two children went to the Yangs’. Yang Mingyuan had taken leave to wait for them at home, and Chen Atang also came. Being there was most relaxing for Chen Afu. She knew everyone and felt quite at ease.

In the past year, Chu Lingxuan and Chen Afu received over eight thousand silver taels of dividends just from the Hongyun Hot Pot Restaurant. Yang Mingyuan was truly a commercial genius. He also conducted other businesses, yielding an annual income of no less than twenty thousand taels.

Yang Mingyuan cherished Chen Aman deeply and treated her extremely well.

Chen Aman confided in Chen Afu in a whisper that she did not want children too early. She wanted to wait until Yang Chao and Yang Qian grew up a little more, and have her own child after a few years, after all she was still young. Although Yang Mingyuan trusted her, Mrs Yang was somewhat anxious and worried that if her stepmother wanted her child too soon, it wouldn’t be good for her predecessor’s children.

Blushing, she said, "... being married to the eldest master, I have already been very fortunate. I will not pursue things which I ought not to. As long as the eldest master provides for us sufficiently in the future, I will be content."