Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 480 - 471: Looked Forward to this Day

Chapter 480: Chapter 471: Looked Forward to this Day

Chen Afu opened the letter as it was handed to her. It said that the old Marquis would be staying in the Capital City from now on and would no longer visit Dingzhou. Li Xuan was doing well and Duke Rui and his wife were reluctant to let him leave. After the New Year, he would enter the palace to learn with the royal grandsons. It also mentioned that he missed his great-grandson and great-granddaughter, and hoped to have Chu Lingxuan and her bring the kids to the Capital City in the not-too-distant future...

After reading the letter, Chen Afu felt strongly that a good turn of events that the Chus had been hoping for was on its way.

She said to Chen Shiying, "Father, we may not be staying here for much longer and might be returning to the Capital City soon. Grandfather said he misses the kids."

Chen Shiying, having harbored some suspicion, said, "The real home for you all is the Yong’an Marquis Mansion. Showing filial piety to the elders there is only appropriate."

After dinner, Chen Afu took the kids and a carriage full of gifts back to the Chus.

In the carriage, she told Chen Dabao and Chu Hanyan that their great-grandfather, Fifth Uncle, and Xiao Lixuan wouldn’t be coming back to Dingzhou anymore. Dabao and Ms. Chu listened with pursed lips.

Chen Afu laughed and said, "Great Grandfather said he misses you and possibly in no time at all we will be going to the Capital City."

The eyes of the two little ones lit up, bouncing with joy. Ms. Chu was just over three years old when she left the Capital City. Back then she hadn’t remembered what the Capital City was like. Dabao had never been to the Capital City; he had only heard from Fifth Uncle that it was far bigger and bustling than Dingzhou.

Dabao asked again, "Mother dear, are we bringing this son with us this time?"

Chen Afu, holding him in her arms, responded, "Of course, this time all of us are going."

Seeing Dabao’s large, grinning mouth, a shiver ran through Afu’s heart and she hugged him tighter.

Just before bedtime, Chu Lingxuan suddenly returned. He was covered in dust and sweat, which made his hair wet even in the cold winter. He seemed to have lost some weight as well.

Afu felt incredibly sorry for him. She undressed him, ordered the servants to fetch some hot water for him to bathe, and eased him into relaxation.

After Chu Lingxuan came out from the bath, Afu dried his hair. When the maids left, she showed him the letter from the old Marquis and asked, "What should we do with mother if we leave for the Capital City?"

Chu Lingxuan answered, "Mother absolutely cannot leave the residence before the Second Prince’s party is eliminated. When we are not in Dingzhou, we will invite Second Brother and Second Sister to accompany mother." He continued, "If the Second Prince and the Wangs truly rebel in Southern China, there’s a possibility that Third Uncle and I will have to put it down. In the future, I might be busier..."

Afu’s heart tightened. Swords and arrows are blind and furthermore, the Chu family has run afoul of the Second Prince’s party. Unfortunately, the Divine medicine left by Master Wu Zhi had already been used up. She knew she couldn’t stop Chu Lingxuan from trying to gain accomplishments or sacrificing his life for the Ninth Prince. Her nose tingled, and her eyes filled with tears.

She tucked her head into his chest, saying with a sob, "For the children and me, you have to take care of yourself. You must survive and come back."

Chu Lingxuan held her in his arms tightly, his chin resting on her head, and reassured her, "Don’t worry, we are fully prepared. For you and the kids, I will cherish my life." Feeling his wife’s shivering body against him, he laughed, "They say you are blessed. A blessed lady will never be a widow."

With that, he brought laughter to Afu’s tear-streaked face.

When they went to sleep, Afu held onto Chu Lingxuan tightly, her legs intertwined with his, as if fearing that he could set off for the battleground at any moment. Even though Chu Lingxuan’s body was stiff, she continued to cling to him. Eventually, Chu Lingxuan laughed quietly and took her hands, guiding them on his body...

The next day, when Chen Dabao and Ms. Chu came to the living room for breakfast and saw that their father was home, they were delighted and came over to greet him. Dabao asked, "Father, great-grandfather misses us and wants our family to go to the Capital City in a few days. I once heard Fifth Uncle say that the Imperial Palace is so big that one couldn’t finish circling around its walls in a carriage in less than a two hours. Is that true?"

At times like this, Chu Lingxuan couldn’t help but feel affectionate towards this trouble-making Shiyi. Pulling him close, he smiled and said, "Yes, about that size." He then helped to neaten the already orderly clothes on his small body.

After breakfast, Chen Afu led the two kids out to see Chu Lingxuan off. They watched as he disappeared from the courtyard entrance.

The entire day, Chen Afu was anxious. The Emperor intended to issue the Imperial decree to appoint the Ninth Prince as the Crown Prince in court today.

Unfortunately, communication wasn’t swift in those times. Even if someone headed this way at full speed upon receiving the news, it would still be late at night before they could deliver the message here.

In the east room, Chen Dabao sat at a table, writing in large characters, whilst Ms. Chu was learning how to tie knots.

Chen Afu stared blankly at Dabao, her mind filled with conflicting emotions. From morning to night, she both yearned for and feared this moment.

Dabao would lift his head to smile at his mother in between his writing. He felt that his mother seemed particularly different today, her gaze contained something he found hard to comprehend. But he loved it when his mother looked at him like this, which made him feel incredibly joyous.

Under normal circumstances, Chen Afu would remind Dabao to concentrate on his studies. But today, she said nothing. Whenever Dabao looked up and smiled at her, she would just smile back.

The Dabao of today had fair lips and white teeth. He was handsome and tall for his age. Dressed in an orange embroidered light gown, matching trousers, and two blue silk ribbons tied to his hair bun, he looked every bit the rich little prince. This was vastly different from the thin and short poor country boy he used to be four years ago. But his affectionate gaze at her was unchanged...

Mrs. Li and the maids serving in the room noticed that Chen Afu was behaving differently, but they didn’t dare to question her and could only ponder to themselves.

Even the less-sensitive Ms. Chu noticed the difference, and asked, "Mother, what’s wrong? Your eyes are red."

Chen Afu quickly composed herself and smiled, "Oh, really? I might be having internal heat lately."

That evening, Chu Lingxuan unusually returned on time, as he impatiently awaited news from the Capital City. He came to the parlor to chat with Chen Afu and the children before heading to the Luomei Nunnery for dinner with Liao Chen.

At night, Chen AfuDabao sent the children to rest and nursed Yu’er, then she heard Chu Lingxuan’s hurried footsteps. She got up to greet him. Chu Lingxuan had already entered the parlor by then. He laughed aloud, but not loud enough to wake her, "I’ve just received a letter from father, the Ninth Royal Highness has been officially nominated as the Crown Prince by the Emperor, and Shan Jieyu has been conferred as Consort Shan."

Chen Afu, animated, exclaimed, "This is such great news. Finally, after many years of patience, we have awaited for this day..."

Before she could finish her sentence, she was pulled into Chu Lingxuan’s arms. The servants in the room quickly blushed and retreated to the adjacent room.

Chu Lingxuan, speaking softly into her ear, said, "Father asked us to get ready to head to the Capital City soon. The Emperor, Consort Shan, and the Crown Prince are looking forward to Shiyi’s arrival in the palace. From now on, you might start residing permanently in the Marquis Mansion."