Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 462 - 453: Family Disgrace Becomes Public

Chapter 462: Chapter 453: Family Disgrace Becomes Public

After dinner, Chen Afu and the others returned to Tang Garden. Chen Afu did not meddle in the affairs concerning Wang Laohan. Now that Wang Cheng had become an official, and both Hu Laowu and Luo Yuan were dealing with the situation, she was sure the matter would be satisfactorily resolved.

In the late afternoon, Luo Yuan and Dabao came to the Yanxiang Pavilion. Luo Yuan relayed that after the banquet, Chen Ming, Wang Cheng, Hu Laowu, and Luo Yuan locked themselves in a room with Wang Laohan, Wang Cai, and Mrs. Wu to discuss terms. Wang Cheng agreed to give Wang Laohan fifty taels of silver, with an additional retirement gift of five taels each month. However, he stipulated that his older sister, Mrs. Wang, should no longer send any money because she had married into the Chens and was a daughter-in-law of the Chens’. If Wang Laohan still insisted that Mrs. Wang give money, the prescription fee would be reduced to two taels... Wang Laohan and Mrs. Wu were hesitant to accept these conditions as they had aspirations to experience the luxurious life in the capital city, however, Wang Cai agreed readily. Hu Laowu then cornered Wu and intimidated her until she reluctantly agreed, also persuading Wang Laohan to agree along the way.

After Luo Yuan had left, Dabao squeezed into Chen Afu’s embrace and said, "Dear mother, grandmother and grandfather, you all are truly kind. Even though times were hard back then, you never thought of selling me for silver."

Chen Afu used a cloth to wipe off the sweat on his forehead, smiling while saying, "This just goes to show that my son is destined to have good fortune, hence he landed in a benevolent family like ours."

Dabao again earnestly said, "Mother dear, I will study hard and make a name for myself; I won’t let you raise me for nothing."

"Good, we shall look forward to thriving off your prosperity in the future," said Chen Afu.

The following day, the first day of the seventh month, Chu Lingxuan took his family back to the capital city, and Wang Cheng’s family also returned along with him. Chen Ming would stay behind because he had to tend to the farming.

Before they left, Mrs. Chen and Chen Ye surprisingly came to the Tang Garden and gifted Chen Afu with some local products. Mrs. Chen could not stop thanking Chen Afu for her assistance to the Chens. According to Wang Cheng, they had also asked Wang Cheng to bring some fresh vegetables and local produce to Chen Shi.

Had they understood so quickly? Chen Afu didn’t need any local goods, but she still expressed her thanks with a smile.

When they left, not only did Chen Ming and the others come to see them off, but even Wang Cai and Yuan Bao were there.

Wang Cai and Yuan Bao were quite reluctant about their departure, barking continuously, especially Yuan Bao, who even shed tears. Yuan Bao was far smarter than Wang Cai and always knew how to express its feelings. Although it hadn’t been at Lu Garden for a long, it had quickly managed to win everyone’s affection.

Mrs. Wang comforted them, saying, "After we finish our work in the middle of September, we’ll take you to live in the capital with us."

Chen Afu and her family, as well as the animals in the Animal House, were also reluctant to part with them. Chen Dabao said, "When you guys come, stay at our house for a few days."

In the late afternoon, Chu Lingxuan and his group arrived in Dingzhou. Chu Lingxuan went directly to the Yamen, while Chen Afu and the rest returned to the Senator’s Mansion - or rather, what should now be referred to as the Deputy General’s Mansion.

After sending the children off to rest, Chen Afu arranged for a messenger to send a note to Mrs. Song, inviting the Song family to come over for dinner.

Ever since Marquis Chu came to Dingzhou, Mrs. Song and Wen would come to pay respects to their elderly relative every few days, and Chu Lingqi would come to show his filial devotion whenever he had a day off.

It was in the initial period of the evening when Mrs. Song and her son arrived. Chen Afu, wearied, had only just got up from her bed.

As soon as she arrived, Mrs. Song said to Chen Afu, "Elder Sister, something has happened to the He household."

Chen Afu knew that the ’He household’ Mrs. Song referred to was He Linsheng’s family and asked, "Didn’t they plan on heading to the capital soon? What could have happened?"

"The He’s will be leaving for the capital in a few days and held a farewell dinner with some close acquaintances yesterday, among which were Mr. Fu’s household. This morning, Mrs. Fu made a visit to my place..."

Since Chu Lingxuan had squeezed Vice-Senator He, now known as He Linsheng, out of Dingzhou, the He’s resented him greatly. They even began to bear grudges against Chen Shiying. They felt that Chen Shiying must have known about Chu Lingxuan’s plans beforehand but had not shared this information with them, making for a thoroughly useless alliance. Thus, the Chens were even excluded from the farewell banquet, whereas the seemingly neutral family of General Fu was invited.

Mrs. Fu mentioned that all of the He family’s heads were out serving their guests, with the sole exception being the second lady of the He household, Chen Yuhui. Mrs. He offered the excuse that Chen Yuhui was feeling unwell due to a minor cold and needed to rest.

Whilst they were all chatting amiably and drinking tea, all of a sudden, Chen Yuhui stumbled into the hall. Her eyes were bruised, her nose was swollen, she was limping, and she was dressed in a servant girl’s attire.

As soon as she entered, she burst into tears and cried out, "These injuries all over my body are from He Linsheng’s beatings. Please bear witness, all the ladies who are here. If one day I should suddenly die, it is not because I’ve taken ill, but because I was killed by the He family..."

Before Chen Yuhui could finish her sentence, Mrs. He asserted that she was delirious from a high fever and ordered her attendants to "help" her back.

Chen Yuhui desperately freed herself from the attendants and rushed to kneel before Mrs. Fu, clasping her legs and pleading, "Please, Mrs. Fu, you are our matchmaker, you must save me. The He’s want to beat me to death..."

While others may choose to ignore this situation, Mrs. Fu cannot, as her husband serves as their matchmaker. Mrs. Fu pulled Chen Yuhui to her feet, asking, "Oh dear, how did you get beaten like this? Who did this?" despite knowing the answer.

Mrs. He hastily interjected, "Second daughter-in-law, if you’re not feeling well, you should just go back and rest. We can discuss these matters in private."

Chen Yuhui had never operated under the notion that ’family shame should not be spread abroad’. What if they beat her to death if she didn’t voice her grievances publicly? The more the He family wanted to conceal something, the more she would tell. While they were still in Dingzhou, she had to show them her might and let the He family know that she wasn’t that easy to deal with. If the He’s pushed her too hard, she would not hesitate to lose face or sink the boat. This was the only way she could protect herself...

Clinging desperately to Mrs. Fu’s arm, she cried out, "I was the one who was beaten by He Linsheng. He treats those other women like precious pieces and puts me underfoot; I’ve put up with it. However, now that Old Mr. He has been transferred to the Jing City Guards, how is that my fault? He’s taking it out on me, saying that the order for Old Mr. He’s transfer was a scheme orchestrated by my paternal aunt’s husband and my father... Heaven, this is such a grave injustice! No matter how capable my dad and the Chus are, how could they influence the army..."

Mrs. He had tried but failed several times to interrupt her. Mrs. Fu also thought it improper to let her continue and hastily said, "Second Lady He, don’t say any more, or you will..." be beaten more.

She implied the end of her sentence.

Mrs. Fu looked at Mrs. He, whose face had turned purple in rage, and used a handkerchief to wipe away Chen Yuhui’s tears. "Listen to me and go have a rest. It’s common for couples to quarrel and then reconcile. In every household it’s the same. I’ll having a word with Linsheng, asking him to apologize to you. He shouldn’t be beating his wife like that; wives should be treated with love not with violence."

"Ay, did that boy hit you?" Mrs. He pretended to be oblivious of the issue at hand. "Youngest daughter-in-law, don’t worry. I will certainly tell his father to punish him. He won’t dare to do it again. As for the conspiracy theory, it must have been the fever; he was operating out of a fevered mind. So you should stop saying that. He was most likely joking," she added.