Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 451 - 442: About to Give Birth

Chapter 451: Chapter 442: About to Give Birth

Chen Afu chuckled, taking out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat off Chen Yulan’s forehead. He said, "Indeed. It is effortless to add icing to a cake, but harder to provide warmth when it’s cold. One sees a person’s true character at times of hardship..."

Chen Yulan sat for a while and then bade Chen Afu farewell. Chen Afu did not hold him back, as he had to return to attend some guests.

Chen Afu would later deeply regret not having gone to the Chen Mansion that day to witness the exciting scene.

When Chen Yulan returned home, he saw absolutely no one in the courtyard. All the guests had left.

A servant reported in a low voice, "Several elders from the old village have come, they say they’re here to divorce Madam. All the guests have left and the master is discussing matters with them in the outer study room."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yulan kept a calm face, but inside, he felt a tinge of glee. He knew such emotions were improper and unfilial, but he just couldn’t help but be pleased.

Last year, upon hearing about the incident involving Madam Zhao, Mr. Chen from his old home expressed great concern. Learning that Madam Zhao had committed so many evil deeds, sabotaging Chen Shiying’s future, and even being implicated in the death of Mr. Chen, their ancestor was outrageously furious. Chen Shiying was the pride of their clan, they would never tolerate Madam Zhao harming him. At that time, he wanted to bring the clansmen to Dingzhou and represent the family to divorce her.

But, Uncle Chen, the clan leader, considered more and noted that they weren’t sure if Chen Shiying had committed any other illegal activities, and the severity of his alleged crimes. If his felonies were serious enough to involve the clan members, they should not rush into things.

Later, more detailed news about Chen Shiying’s activity began to reach Hu’an province, until everyone knew about it. Chen Shiying had not committed any illegal acts, it was all Madam Zhao’s wrongdoings. Chen Shiying had been negligent in overseeing things and had wanted to take the blame for his mother...

This caused the Chen Clan, who had always been proud of Chen Shiying, great shame. The previously sought-after daughters of the Chen family suddenly found no one willing to marry into the family. They said women from the Chen family were unvirtuous.

In early March, Mr. Chen, Uncle Chen, and several respected clan members, as well as his own great-grandson, made their way to Dingzhou. They journeyed for three days by cattle cart and seven days by ship, arriving at Dingzhou in mid-March. The old men were quite savvy and did not head to the Chen Mansion directly but stayed in an inn instead.

That morning, news of Chen Shiying’s return to Dingzhou and reinstatement as governor quickly spread and reached the inn. The elderly men then promptly made their way to the Chen mansion.

At that time, Chen Shiying was graciously welcoming his guests when he saw the old men entering his compound with rather sour expressions. Realizing their intentions were not good, he quickly stepped forward to greet them with a grin, "Ancestors, uncle, if you are here as guests, I am pleased. If it’s for other purposes, can it wait until the guests have left?"

Mr. Chen waved his hand, asserting loudly, "Why wait until the guests have left? Your family’s disgrace has already been widely spread, even if we don’t discuss it, people are aware. We are here to help you. If you don’t have the heart to punish that wicked woman, we’ll do it for you." He sat on a chair brought by his great-grandson and continued, "Shiying, although you’re an official, you are still a member of our Chen Clan. I watched your father grow from a bare-bottomed baby to a knowledgeable literate man. It’s a pity his parents died early, we couldn’t bear to see such a promising scholar hindered because of a lack of parental support. Since he was nine, the clan began to support him, providing for his clothing and food, and even his education. He didn’t let us down, passing the local and provincial-level civil examinations. Unfortunately, he fell ill on his way to the imperial examinations in the capital, and ended up being married to that vile Madam Zhao, which led to his premature death... Shiying, you’re a good child, the pride of our Chen Clan, but your heart is too soft and you are too merciful, allowing you to indulge that wicked woman. If you cannot be harsh, we will for you. We can’t let that wicked woman tarnish the reputation and family discipline of our Chen Clan."

He also addressed the guests who were enjoying the drama, "Gentlemen, all the masters here must have heard of the evil deeds of Madam Zhao. We are here today to represent the deceased natural father of young Shiying for the divorce, please be our witnesses."

The guests, seeing Chen Shiying’s face turn crimson, of course, did not want to interfere. They knew Chen Shiying, but did not recognize the clan elders of the Chen family. They all stood up, offered their salutations, and departed.

Among them was someone who advised Mr. Chen, "Old man, calm down and discuss this matter peacefully. Official Chen has been handling court cases for over a decade and is well-versed in discerning right from wrong."

Chen Shiying could only stand there, blushing and bowing to the departing guests, "I am ashamed. I will host a dinner to apologize another day."

Chu Lingxuan was present too. He did not leave, not only because he was a son-in-law who ought to assist Chen Shiying, but also because he wanted to witness the outcome for the old woman so he could explain the situation to his wife.

After all the guests left, Chen Shiying invited the clan elders to the outer study. Once the servants served the tea, he stood up to pay respects to the elders, "Ancestors, while my mother has made mistakes, she arranged my father’s funeral and raised me to adulthood. For these two reasons, she should not be abandoned."

Mr. Chen scoffed and said, "I came to divorce her today not just because she has committed misdeeds that affected your future and made it difficult for Chen’s daughters to get good marriages, but also because she caused the death of her own husband."

Chen Shiying retorted, "Ancestor, you shouldn’t speak without evidence. If my mother had killed my father, the authorities would have apprehended her."

Mr. Chen grunted, "You know if I’m speaking without evidence or not." He then glanced at Uncle Chen.

Clearing his throat, Uncle Chen recited the reasons for divorce.

The first one was that Madam Zhao indirectly caused her husband’s death. During Mr. Chen’s severe illness, a senior monk had advised them to have Mrs. Wang enter the household as an adopted daughter to bring fortune, but Madam Zhao acted insincerely, not treating Mrs. Wang as a daughter-in-law and intending to drive her away. This invoked divine retribution, causing Mr. Chen’s condition to deteriorate until he passed away.

The second one was unvirtuous and uncompassionate behavior. As soon as her son passed the provincial-level civil examination, she secretly expelled her daughter-in-law, Mrs. Wang, who had been adopted to bring fortune and observe mourning for Mr. Chen. She even manipulated others to sell her off to the mountains.

The third one was her inherently greedy nature, disregarding the law. She repeatedly accepted considerable bribes in her son’s name and allowed her own Zhao Clan to exploit the villagers to profiteer, hindering her son’s future.

The fourth one was selfish and malicious behavior. In an attempt to cover up her own wrongdoings, she manipulated people into trafficking her own granddaughter.

Mr. Chen added that just on the grounds of Madam Zhao causing her husband’s death alone, sentencing her to a divorce is purely out of respect for Chen Shiying’s accomplishment, otherwise, they would demand her execution. If Chen Shiying dares to leverage his official power to curtail them from divorcing Madam Zhao, they would petition the local authorities. After all, the records of Mr. Chen and Madam Zhao remain registered in Hu’an Province, and the officials there could directly order the divorce...

Chen Shiying realized that if he did not handle this matter appropriately, not only would it result in their disgrace reaching their old family home, but his mother may genuinely be divorced. He was indeed furious at his mother for committing so many atrocious deeds, but he could not bear to have her divorced at such an advanced age.

Among the reasons for divorce, he had no rebuttal to the last few - but the first one could absolutely not be acknowledged. If he admitted to it, his mother stood no chance of escaping divorce.