Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 515 - 506

Chapter 515: 506

Marquis Chu frowned at Princess Rong Zhao. The latter was meticulously dressed—with a full makeup, adorned with pearls and jade, a crimson plum blossom pinned on her forehead, clothed in a close-fitting misty rose brocade jacket and a big red skirt embroidered with phoenix tail flowers. She must have devoted an incredible amount of effort into her appearance today.

Nevertheless, no amount of makeup could hide her rapidly aging face. The wildness and flamboyance that used to gleam in her eyes had vanished, replaced with fear, suppressed ruthlessness, and—an abasement of indignity, a grudge she held against her destiny.

After all, despite her flaws, she was still the Emperor’s eldest daughter, and a proud princess for many years. To accost a man who had lived under her thumb with such language was certainly beneath her dignity—she could utter the words, but her heart was heavy with reluctance.

Marquis Chu’s brows furrowed even more deeply, a mocking smirk pulling at the corners of his lips. "Rong Zhao," he said, "It’s been tough for you to have such a conversation with me. It was you who conspired with the traitors against me and led to the separation of my family. The grave mistake you made has befallen me, my wife and children. How on earth do you think we could live peacefully after this? Could I still...with you...?" Marquis Chu paused. His fists clenched at the thought of the past humiliations he had suffered, and he said, "Have a child with you? Rong Zhao, you’re a woman. Show some decency. Stop deluding yourself about when we ever had a good time."

Each word was a deep cut, making Rong Zhao almost sick with resentment. The final remark left her utterly embarrassed and enraged. The hand that clenched the handkerchief trembled. She pointed a trembling finger at Marquis Chu and screeched, "Chu Guangche, you bastard, you... "

She could not finish her sentence—it seemed too hasty. She had taken so long to come up with this plan, and she could not let her anger ruin it. She had to show weakness, win his heart back, and persuade him to protect her. His intervention would likely hold more weight than her own mother in the eyes of the crown prince. Despite becoming her consort out of necessity, he had shared the same bed with her for years. As a proud princess, she believed she could soften his heart by lowering herself.

She quickly changed the topic, moving forward to hold Marquis Chu’s sleeve. Tears streaming down her face, she said softly, "Chu Lang, those past years may not have been happy for you, but they were indeed the most unforgettable moments of my life. Chu Lang, it was my fault. I’ve wronged your family in the past. I’m genuinely sorry. From now on, I’ll no longer be a lofty princess, but only a daughter-in-law of the Chus. I’ll treat your family as mine, your children as mine, your grandchildren as mine... Is that okay?"

Marquis Chu strained to pull away, raising his voice to say, "Do you actually believe that’s possible? Do you even remember what you’ve done to my family? Out of your selfish desires, you stole another woman’s husband, drove his wife to the nunnery, forced their children to live on the frontier, caused the death of a woman, and drove a child mad. Rong Zhao, think about all the evil things you’ve done. Even if you want to consider them your family, how could they accept you? Do you think a mere ’sorry’ can erase all your misdeeds? Plus, I am a human, not a mindless puppet. Don’t ever mention those old things; I—find them disgusting."

Rong Zhao listened, becoming more and more afraid. The man in front of her had indeed slipped out of her control and was no longer afraid of her princess status. She cried, "Chu Lang, I’m also part of your family. I was your woman for twelve years. We have shared so much good times together..."

Looking at the tear-stained Rong Zhao, Marquis Chu didn’t want to listen anymore. Although she had been his woman for twelve years, those years were the most humiliating period of his life, and he was reluctant to think about them. He said coldly, "Rong Zhao, I used to see you as a proud woman who would rather be hated than looked down upon. Save some face for yourself, so that even if I hate you, I won’t belittle you... Let’s just live here without disturbing each other."

After finishing speaking, he jerked his sleeve free again with a "whoosh", tearing it. Without a glance back at the fuming Rong Zhao, he walked straight out the door.

The sound of a vase smashing echoed behind him, followed by Rong Zhao’s sobbing and cursing, "Chu Guangche, you damned man. Why don’t you just die? What more do you want from me when I’ve already reached this state...?"

As soon as Marquis Chu stepped out of the room, two old maids stepped forward to block his way, saying, "Marquis, you are a subject, you can’t treat Princess Rong Zhao this way."

Marquis Chu gave them a cold glance and spat out a word, "Scram!"

The two old maids, terrified at the sight of the murderous Marquis, hastily stepped aside.

As Marquis Chu walked at a leisurely pace, another woman came into view. Beautiful as a begonia flower, serene as a bright moon, despite being a nun, even if her youthful beauty had faded, she still possessed an elegance that was irresistible...

On the twentieth, the Chus invited relatives, friends, and all those who had sent congratulatory gifts in Capital City. This included the members of many distinguished families such as the Royal Rui, the Xies, the Jiangs, the Zhus, the Yangs, the Zhangs, as well as the Chens, the Hes, the Yangs, and Chen Ayu and her future in-laws, the Maos.

Princess Rong Zhao was also invited. The only reason for her invitation was that they knew she wouldn’t dare to come. She was now afraid of stepping out of her front door in fear of the "Bird Fairy"鸟大仙 attacking her.

Of course, Chen Afu only knew that Princess Rong Zhao feared the "Bird Fairy", but didn’t know that Marquis Chu, who had suppressed his hatred for so long, had finally made a counter-attack. He had severely damaged Princess Rong Zhao’s confidence and face, leaving her in unbearable humiliation and wanting to die. For a long time after, she didn’t dare to face Marquis Chu again.

Marquis Chu also came back that day. He and his younger brothers, Chu Ling’an, Chu Lingwei, and Chu Lingzhi, were hosting male guests in the front yard. Chen Afu, along with Third Madam, Chu Hanyan, Chu Zhen and a few other sisters were entertaining female guests. This time, they audaciously excluded Mrs. Li from the reception duties, asking her to humbly appear at meal times. Frustrated, Mrs. Li didn’t dare to file any complaints, knowing they would be in vain.

Princess Rui arrived early with Xiao Lixuan. Lixuan was dressed flamboyantly—dressed in a long red robe embroidered with peony flowers that flowed down to his knees, matched with pale moon-white trousers and a jade belt tied around his waist. He also wore a cute little red melon hat and a seven-treasure Yingluo ring. The little boy looked even more adorable.

Chen Afu bent over, pinched Xiao Lixuan’s face and said, "Xuan’er looks so handsome today." She then ushered mother and son into the main hall.

Xiao Lixuan wanted to speak to Chen Afu, but was pulled into the hall by Princess Rui. They sat beside the Third Madam and started chatting.

The Third Madam laughed heartily and said, "Oh, Xuan’er looks so beautiful today, just like he’s going to meet his future in-laws."