Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 501 - 492: Juan Flower

Chapter 501: Chapter 492: Juan Flower

Chapter 492: Silk Flowers

Chen Afu looked at Shiyi’s rosy face and the determined look in his eyes that showed unwavering loyalty to his mother. Suppressing the urge to kiss him, he laughed and said, "I know you’re on our side. Just keep that in your heart."

Shiyi nodded obediently and said, "I’ll just talk to mother about this."

After they finished talking, Shiyi went to the side of the small bed to see Yu’er.

Half-year-old Yu’er was lovely as a snow-drop pearl, and she could already sit up. She was dressed in shorts and a shirt that was white with embroidered red strawberries. Two silver bracelets adorned her chubby wrists and ankles, and her hair was fashioned into two tiny ponytails atop her head. Her slightly blond and somewhat curly hair, when untied, looked like two blooming chrysanthemums.

She was very intelligent and remembered this "brother". Seeing him come over and tease her, she grinned and clapped her hands, calling out "ah, ah" a few times to show her delight.

Shiyi was surprised and exclaimed, "Oh, Yu’er has another tooth growing in."

Chu Hanyan laughed and said, "No, two more have grown in. Can’t you see the little white spot on her lower gum?"

Shiyi hugged Yu’er’s face and looked closely, then he smiled and said, "Yes, indeed."

Thinking that Shiyi was teasing her, Yu’er grinned widely, revealing her teeth clearly.

Shiyi was so happy that he kissed her little face and touched her two little ponytails. Then, he remembered something, rummaged through the boxes containing the gifts he had brought for his siblings, and found two brocade boxes. "These are silk flowers made by the Imperial Household Department," he said. "I saw Six Princess wearing them last time and thought Hanyan and Yu’er would look even prettier in them. So, I asked for four."

After saying this, he asked Hong fei to put them on Chu Hanyan and Yu’er.

The flowers were made of fine crimson silk in the shape of peonies, decorated with tiny purple crystals, with a small round red gem as the pistil. They were incredibly delicate and beautiful.

When Hong Fei put them on Chu Hanyan, she indeed looked beautiful. Shiyi nodded in satisfaction.

Then Hong Fei laughed and said, "Your Highness, the flower is a bit large for Princess Yu’er. Let’s wait until she is a bit older."

Shiyi nodded and said, "Then please keep it safe for Princess Yu’er. In the future, whenever I see suitable flowers for my sisters, I will get some for them."

Chen Afu’s face turned a bit red as he said in embarrassment, "That would not be appropriate. It’s not right to frequently ask for girl’s accessories. People would laugh at us. Moreover, Hanyan and Yu’er don’t lack any hair accessories."

Shiyi retorted stubbornly, "The flowers that I give to my sisters are from me. And the accessories that mother buys for them are from her." Cleverly he added, "Mother, rest assured, I also gave some to Six Princess and Wen’er in the palace."

Wen’er is the Crown Prince’s daughter. Although the Sixth Princess and Wen’er had already received the gifts, Shiyi sent an extra one, showing his love as a brother and an uncle. Mrs. Yang, the birth mother of the Sixth Princess and Wen’er, also accepted the gift with gratitude.

Knowing it was impossible to prevent Shiyi from sending the gifts, Chen Afu finally said, "Occasionally asking for these silk flowers is acceptable, but you must never ask for anything valuable. Don’t put people in a difficult position."

Shiyi gave Chen Afu a look as if to say ’spare me the lecture’, and said, "I’m intelligent enough to know what I can ask for and what I can’t. If it really inconveniences them, I can pay in silver." He laughed and added, "I offered to pay for these palace flowers too, but they didn’t dare to accept my money."

Chen Afu muttered to himself, ’Of course they wouldn’t dare. After all, the Imperial Household Department is effectively yours.’

In the evening, Chen Afu invited the Old Marquis and the Third Madame and her children to the Bamboo Pavilion for an early dinner, which they enjoyed very much.

Mrs. Li was so angry that she rebuked them in the courtyard, complaining about how the rural woman had forgotten her place once she had climbed up the social ladder and didn’t even know how to show respect to her elders.

After returning from work, Chu Ling’an heard from Mrs. Shen about his mother’s behavior and he was not pleased. He went to Mrs. Li’s courtyard with a grievous look on his face. He said, "Mother, you’ve managed to offend everyone already. You need to calm down. If not for your own sake, at least consider your son and grandson. Your continual offenses against our older brother and his family have strained our relationships with our elder uncle and third uncle. We’re the ones who will lose out. Look how smart Second Brother and his wife are. They’ve maintained a great relationship with our eldest brother and his family, not only has the Second Brother been promoted to Captain, Mrs. Song’s shop is also doing great business. They’re living quite comfortably. Yet you still fail to see the big picture and keep shouting abuses at my elder sister-in-law. You should know that what you’re saying will undoubtedly reach her ears within half an hour..."

Mrs. Li missed most of what Chu Ling’an said, except for the part about how well Chu Lingqi and Mrs. Song were doing. Angry, she said, "I’m still alive that cheap woman, Mrs. Song should come back and serve me."

Chu Ling’an shook his head and said, "Mother, when has it ever been up to you to decide our family’s matters? You were able to cause chaos in our house before because there were no other female family heads in the house. Furthermore, Grandfather and Older Uncle didn’t limit your behaviour because they wanted others to see how much our family had suffered due to... that person," he didn’t dare to mention Rong Zhao and so referred to him as ’that person’. "You were being used without even realizing it and you villainously followed ’that person’s’ whims. Mother, wake up. If you keep acting like this, don’t expect your sons to protect you."

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Li finally held her tongue, albeit reluctantly.

On the fifth day of the seventh lunar month, Jin Yanzi returned from her southern tour. She reported to Chen Afu that Mr. Chu and Chu Lingxuan were very cunning. They were trying to secretly send envoys to some barbarian tribes in the southern province, offering them attractive conditions to stay out of the conflict. With guides familiar with the terrain, it would be no problem to eliminate the Second Prince’s party...

The conflicts in the south were heating up, but Capital City was still a picture of peace and prosperity.

On the tenth day of the seventh lunar month, Prince An’s mansion hosted the Lotus Banquet. Several days earlier, invitations had been sent out to all the influential families in Capital City, including Yong’an Marquis Manor. The invitation even specifically noted that Mrs. Chu should bring the three children, as the princess loved children, especially the pair of identical twins.

The annual Lotus Banquet at Prince An’s mansion was one of the grandest and most awaited events in Capital City, especially among young men and women. As the weather slowly cooled, the lotuses on the lake were still in full bloom. But in just a few days, these would begin to wither.

Prince An was the emperor’s brother. Although not full-blooded siblings, the two had a close bond. Prince An had assisted the emperor with many things since childhood. He was also close with Master Wu Zhi, and they would occasionally discuss Zen Buddhism together.

Even when Chen Afu was still in the countryside, he had interacted with Prince An’s mansion. Jin Yanzi, in order to "leave a mark wherever she travels", had specifically gone to Prince An’s mansion and pilfered many treasures.