Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 485 - 476 Li Zetai

Chapter 485: Chapter 476 Li Zetai

After hearing Chen Afu’s words, Jin Yanzi chirruped, "I’m sad for myself, but even more for mommy. In future, stinky Dabao won’t be mommy’s son anymore. Mommy will definitely be even more heartbroken."

With that, tears welled up in her lima bean eyes again.

Oh dear, Chen Afu was moved by this child to the point her nose felt sour.

Chen Afu quickly lifted the little one up and gave her a couple of kisses, saying, "Baby, you really are a good child, so thoughtful of mommy. But, mommy still has you, Yan’er, Yu, Ming, Yu’er, and Beibei. With all of you, mommy is already very, very happy. Although Dabao isn’t officially mommy’s son, mommy still considers him her son in her heart...".

Just as she finished feeding Yu’er, a servant from the Outer Court came to report that the Crown Prince Chu had returned, and he wanted to discuss some matters with the elders, telling her to rest first.

That night, Chen Afu had a dream. She dreamed that she had just crossed over not long ago and was living in the old house in Xiangluo Village. She was lying on the bed, holding Dabao like a huggable cushion. However, this cushion was quite hard and uncomfortable. With Dabao in her arms, she kept changing positions to make herself more comfortable.

"Afu, Afu, wake up, what’s wrong with you?"

Chen Afu was tossing and turning in bed when she was awakened by Chu Lingxuan. She sat up abruptly, looked at Chu Lingxuan, then looked at the embroidered quilt and net tent on the bed, the luxurious furnishings in the room, the large candle on the jade candlestick, and finally fully came to her senses. It turned out that she was dreaming, she had crossed over nearly four years ago, gotten married, and had a child. Poor Dabao turned out to be a prince and had been taken back to the Imperial Palace.

She gripped Chu Lingxuan’s arm and asked, "Lingxuan, how is Dabao doing? They say there are no familial affections in the royal family, he hasn’t been subject to any injustices, has he?"

Chu Lingxuan sighed and sat down, wiped the sweat off her forehead, and said, "The little prince is doing well in the palace. These years, the Emperor has been thinking of him, and the Virtuous Consort and Ninth Prince have been looking forward to his return. They cherish him dearly, how could they let him be wronged! He will surely be unaccustomed at first, but he will gradually get used to it. The Emperor has already bestowed him a name, Li Zetai, hoping that he will have a peaceful and comfortable life. Tonight, a banquet was held in the palace. All the consorts, princes, grandchildren, and princesses attended, except for Queen Wang and Eighth Prince who didn’t attend because of illness."

"Thank me? In fact, before I recovered from my illness, it was my mother who took care of the little prince." Chen Afu said with a wry smile.

Chu Lingxuan continued, "Among those gifts, there are also some for your parents. Tomorrow morning, I will have someone ride quickly to Dingzhou to inform them about the true identity of the Eleventh Prince, and to tell them what to say to outsiders."

Chen Afu nodded and prattled on, "At today’s palace banquet, the expressions on Lady Ma and Rong Zhao must have been interesting, right?"

Chu Lingxuan laughed and nodded, "Yes, Lady Ma was still okay. Rong Zhao was certainly memorable. On the surface, most people seemed more delighted than surprised, only she showed more surprise than delight. Meanwhile, the double for the Second Prince was captured before he could be silenced. So was Queen Wang’s younger brother, Wang the Eighth, while he was fleeing. They are still being interrogated secretly, without any action taken against the rest of the Wangs. However, even if the Emperor doesn’t want to admit it, he knows the Second Prince must have fled to the Southern Province..."

Meanwhile, in the sleeping chamber of Si Yuan Palace, Li Zetai, the little Eleventh Prince now clad in yellow silk and satin underwear, was lying in the Warm Pavilion, exhausted and asleep. Even in his dreams, he remained restless. In his dream, he was still in Xiangluo Village, sleeping on that earthen bed, clinging desperately to his mother. Even when his mother was constantly tossing and turning, sometimes pressing him so hard that he found it a little difficult to breathe, he was still reluctant to let go. His mouth muttering hazily "Mom, mom...".

Consort Shan, who was sitting by the side, was holding the Eleventh Prince’s hand with tears rolling down her cheeks. "Eleventh, Eleventh, Your Mother the Consort is here, your mom is here..."

She sat till midnight, before being persuaded by the palace maid to rest on the bed.

The next morning, when the Eleventh Prince opened his eyes, a dazzling yellow filled his view. A yellow net tent, yellow quilt and pillow with embroidered auspicious birds on them. He sat up with a start, only then remembering that he was a prince, having already entered the palace. His birth mother, the Virtuous Consort, was so reluctant to part with him that she let him sleep in her sleeping chamber.

At this time, Mrs. Luo and Qiu Yue along with two unfamiliar palace maids walked over. After paying their respects, they rose to serve him.

Mrs. Luo and Qiu Yue had already been freed from their status as slaves by the Chu family, and perhaps they would soon become high-ranking female officials. Their status was quite different from those newly entered palace maids. The moment they entered the palace, they served as personal attendants and senior maidens to the prince.

The little Eleventh Prince put on a yellow robe embroidered with four-clawed python patterns among the cloud patterns, put on a purple gold crown set with seven pearls from the East and various gemstones, and went to the side hall.

Not only were Consort Shan and the Sixth Princess there, even the Crown Prince had come.

Little Eleven walked over to pay his respects to Consort Shan and the Crown Prince, saying, "Greetings, Mother Consort, Greetings, Royal Brother."

Just as he had finished paying his respects, he was pulled into Consort Shan’s embrace. She held his little face and looked at it over and over again, asking with pity the same question she had asked so many times yesterday, "Good child, how have you been in the countryside?"

Despite their limited interactions, the Eleventh Prince could see his mother’s love for him. However, this mother of his looked even older than Granny. As for his father, the Emperor, his beard was already gray. He was not much younger than Grandpa Chu. What astounded him more was that his elder sister turned out to be that bad woman who had bird’s poop on her petticoat. Then his grandfather had become his brother-in-law. Li Xuan used to call him big brother, but now called him Eleventh Uncle. In addition, he now had nine brothers, five sisters, and numerous nephews and nieces...

There were many things he was not accustomed to and found incredible in his heart, but he still obediently nestled in Consort Shan’s arms and said, "Mother Consort, your son has been doing very well, Mother... oh, no, Mrs. Chu, Crown Prince Chu, as well as my Granny, Grandpa, and Uncle in the village, they all treat your son very well."

The journey to the palace yesterday had been full of repeated admonishments from Chu Lingxuan - he must never again call himself Daddy, or call Chen Afu Mommy. His father was the Emperor, and his mother was the Virtuous Consort.

Thus, the little Eleventh Prince referred to Chen Afu as Mrs. Chu, while still calling Wang and the others his Granny, Grandpa, and Uncle from the countryside. After all, Consort Shan had no family left, so such appellations were unlikely to upset the Emperor and the Virtuous Consort.

The Crown Prince sitting aside laughed, "Mother Consort, look at little Eleven, tall and chubby, and his facial features open and bright. This shows that not only did he live a good life in the past, but he also lived happily. At least, he lived much better than Mother Consort and I did in those past dozen years...".