Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 506 - 497: A Possibility

Chen Afu pretended not to hear, while Mrs. Chu lambasted Feng Miaohua for her lack of upbringing, for being ruthless and vile even though she was still young, for being difficult to wed because of her future prospects, etc. Princess Ronghe was livid, and Feng Miaohua was sobbing uncontrollably.

This banquet gathered almost all of the prestigious families in the Capital City. With Mrs. Chu’s words, it would be difficult for Feng Miaohua to find a good marital match in the future, unless it was bestowed as a reward.

Queen An, the hostess, also apologized to Mrs. Chu and Chen Afu. She cursed Rong Zhao a thousand times in her heart, believing that Rong Zhao had brought bad luck to the An Royal Mansion. This was the first time such an incident had occurred at her Lotus Banquet, which she had been hosting for over a decade.

Ying Hui and Zhang Ziqi, who initially did not want to offend Feng Miaohua, explained in a low voice, embarrassed. They were scared earlier but now realized it was the maid who deliberately burnt the person.

Chen Afu thanked the frank Sixth Princess Li Cheng and Zhu Ying’er. Li Cheng was close to Shiyi and also being a princess, she wasn’t afraid of Feng Miaohua seeking revenge on behalf of Chu Hanyan. But it was rare for Zhu Ying’er to stand with Chu Hanyan. Chen Afu thought, he needs to invite Zhu Ying’er to his house more often in the future and cultivate her as Ms. Chu’s most intimate confidante.

Shiyi did not go to the Outer Court during the meal, but sat beside Chu Hanyan, arranging the dishes for her and coaxing her to eat more.

In the eyes of the bystanders, Chu Hanyan had injured her left hand, if it was her right hand, the Eleventh Prince would definitely feed her personally. Although a bit much, Eleventh Prince was currently the Imperial Palace’s most beloved prince by the Emperor and Empress, as well as the Crown Prince, so no one dared to openly object.

Chen Afu also managed to find a quiet place to whisper a few words to Yu’er, fearing it might take revenge on Feng Miaohua. Reminding it, a gentleman’s revenge is not overnight. This grudge will be revenged, but Yu’er can’t strike now. His concern wasn’t about Feng Miaohua getting hurt; he’s worried about arousing suspicion – that whenever they were offended, they would be attacked by birds. The Chus’ special relationship with birds must never be known to outsiders.

Yu’er was planning to peck a couple of holes in Feng Miaohua’s hand, but listening to its master’s words, chirped, "Alright, we’ll keep this debt for now. But I’ll make that wench pay, I’m going to steal from her house tonight."

"Good, steal a lot." For the first time, Chen Afu encouraged Yu’er to steal, and to steal a lot more than usual.

The people of Chu family endured through the rest of the meal, with no interest in the post-lunch main event—the display of the children’s talents, and excused themselves to go home. Mrs. Chu and Chen Afu already quietly agreed that Mrs. Chu would directly proceed to the imperial palace to meet with the Empress Dowager. Chen Afu originally wanted to complain at Kunning Palace as well, but considering a terrified Chu Hanyan can’t be left along even for a second, he took the children straight home, holding Ms. Chu in his arms all the while.

Shiyi and Li Cheng also returned to the palace, eager to report to the Emperor and Empress.

Inside the carriage, Li Cheng saw Shiyi with pursed lips and an occasionally heaving chest, indicating that he was still angry. She tried to dissipate his anger, "Imperial brother, stop being angry. Ms. Chu’s hand wasn’t seriously injured. With you as her pillar of support, no one will dare to bully her again."

Shiyi shook his head and said sadly, "Hanyan is especially kind and gentle, she’s also timid. Life is unpredictable, who knows what kind of people or situations she might encounter in the future. I am really worried, what if someone bullies her again when I and... Mrs. Chu, are not around. Every time I think about her being bullied, her tear-streaked face, my heart aches terribly..."

Suddenly, an idea sparked in his mind, causing his eyes to light up, "What if, I ask the Empress Mother, to let me marry Yan’er. Once she becomes my wife, no one will dare to bully her again."

Li Cheng was taken aback and exclaimed, "Imperial brother, you’re only eight years old this year. How could you possibly consider marriage at eight? I heard that our imperial brothers were only bestowed marriage by the Emperor after they turned fifteen, and actual marriage only takes place at sixteen or seventeen."

Shiyi insisted, "Eight isn’t too young. Chen Shiying married my grandmother when he was only five..."

He then thought about the time when he was little and regretted not becoming his mother’s son-in-law. Now it seems, it was a good thing he didn’t marry his mother as a child, otherwise what would happen to Yan’er. His mother is strong, she can manage well even without him. But Yan’er will be bullied without him and his mother’s protection. Moreover, if she marries a man not good to her in the future, she will be bullied even more... The thought of Yan’er marrying another man made his heartache even more. He became more determined to keep Yan’er by his side as soon as possible, in case he lost her to someone else.

Seeing the determined gaze of her imperial brother Shiyi, Li Cheng felt it was inappropriate to dissuade him any further.

Upon entering the imperial palace, they went straight to Kunning Palace, where the Empress Shan resided. Surprisingly, the Emperor was there too, talking to Empress Shan.

Although Shiyi had only been in the palace for half a year, he could already tell that his mother didn’t like it when his father visited her palace. Whenever his father visited, she couldn’t go to the Small Buddha Hall to practice her religion and had to discuss matters she didn’t like. Perhaps his father hoped to find some peace here with his mother, hence frequently visited her, even more so recently.

After Shiyi and Li Cheng paid their respects to the Emperor and Empress, Li Cheng recounted how Feng Miaohua targeted Chu Hanyan, and how she colluded with her maid to burn Chu Hanyan’s hand.

Having witnessed it, she recounted the event in great detail.

The Emperor already knew about Princess Ronghe bringing disgrace upon herself and was worried about how he should handle the impeachment officials with too much time on their hands who would surely submit petitions about Princess Ronghe provoking the Bird Fairy again. Now, hearing about Feng Miaohua’s actions towards the Chu family, his daughter and granddaughter were really causing him headaches.

The Empress turned gloomy upon hearing what happened. She despised those who harmed others through hidden scheming the most. Her eldest son was crippled because of them, and had even been severely injured. If it was not for Master Wu Zhi who found the divine medicine, her eldest son would have been ruined. Even though she was always low-key and enduring, she had still been frequently victimized in the past.

Moreover, the Chus significantly benefited both her eldest and second son. Her second son often praised his relationship with Ms. Chu. She clearly knew that actually, her son got along even better with Mrs. Chu but avoided mentioning it too much to prevent her from feeling upset.

Though she had been practicing Buddhism for more than two decades, and knew that good and evil have their retributions, and one must reward kindness, she also understood that this was not the case in the Imperial Palace. One only had to see how the Emperor already regretted tricking Chu Guangche for so many years and planned to continue doing so.

It’s good that Shiyi is cautious.