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During lunchtime, the women were in the west hall, and the men were in the east hall.
Chen Feng didn’t take a seat at the table but stood behind Princess Rong Zhao. In ancient times, it was common for daughters-in-law to serve their mothers-in-law at meals this way. They had to wait for the mother-in-law to ask them to sit before being able to eat.
Chen Feng served Princess Rong Zhao a few dishes, but the princess frowned and remarked, “Didn’t Lingxuan’s wife inquire about my favorite dishes before? Why didn’t she ask?”
Third Madam Chu chimed in, “Lingxuan’s wife did ask me, and I told her you love Eight Treasures in a Golden Basin, Phoenix Tail Fish Fin, Lotus Seed Tofu, and Deer Meat with Sesame. She served you correctly.”
Princess Rong Zhao coldly stated, “I’ve been feeling a bit unwell lately and can’t eat deer meat.”
Chen Feng quickly responded, “I didn’t know, Mother.”
Impatiently, Princess Rong Zhao waved her hand, “Enough, I can’t stand your service, the more you serve, the more irritating it gets.”
Seeing a vacant seat between Xue Baoyi and Chu Zhen, Chen Feng moved to sit there.
Despite Chen Feng sitting between them, Chu Zhen continued to try to please Xue Baoyi, engaging her in conversation. However, Xue Baoyi seemed uninterested and only occasionally responded with a simple “hmph.”
As they were eating, a piercing scream suddenly rang out—it was Chu Zhen’s voice. A serving girl accidentally spilled a dish on Chu Zhen’s left shoulder, causing the meat and oil to drip down her arm. Chen Feng’s right arm also got splattered with oil and soup.
The serving girl knelt down in fear, crying, “I don’t know what happened, my arm suddenly went numb, and the dish spilled…”
Third Madam Chu stood up, coldly stating, “Princess Rong Zhao, what’s going on here?” This can’t just be blame on a servant’s mistake. However, this time, the servant truly made a mistake—the dish spilled.”
Princess Rong Zhao stood there, still processing the situation, while Marquis Chu and a few other men walked over from the west hall.
Marquis Chu, with a stern expression, said, “Xuan, take your wife and leave. Your father is incompetent and can’t protect you in this residence.”
Chu Lingxuan, who was eager to leave, took Chen Feng’s hand and walked towards the outer courtyard after hearing Marquis Chu’s words.
In the outer courtyard, they directly boarded a carriage back to the Yongning Marquis Residence.
Damn, this half day felt more exhausting than running a marathon. After freshening up, Chen Feng lay on the bed, closing her eyes to rest.
Chu Lingxuan dismissed the servants and lay down beside her, taking her hand and expressing, “I’m sorry. I always thought I could protect you, but I still let you suffer.”
Chu Lingxuan felt deeply remorseful.
As Chen Feng opened her eyes, she responded, “You, along with Grandfather and Third Aunt, you all have protected me very well. Compared to staying with the… no, compared to Mother-in-law, my minor grievances are nothing.” She turned to look at Chu Lingxuan and continued, “In the past, I felt particularly indignant for Mother-in-law, thinking she was forced into the monastery, away from family, living a pitiful life. But today, I suddenly realized that Father-in-law is the most pitiful, even more so than Mother-in-law. While she is away from worldly affairs, living authentically and comfortably without having to act, Father-in-law has to endure daily acts with the overbearing Princess Rong Zhao. If he had a gentle and peaceful nature, it would be bearable, but he’s clearly not that type… he lives a truly tiring life.”
Chu Lingxuan let out a deep sigh. He used to resent his father, feeling that as a man, he forced his wife into a nun, drove his children away, and indulged in disgraceful acts with that shameless woman. It wasn’t until recently that he learned the truth from his grandfather—that his father endured humiliation for the sake of the Ninth and Eleventh Princes.
After the Emperor ascended the throne, he reconciled with the Yuan family and appointed the eldest son of the Empress as the Crown Prince. However, the Crown Prince was murdered just two days after his appointment. Empress Wang was not innocent in this matter, and Concubine Sun was involved as well. The Emperor, seething with anger but unable to act against them due to lack of direct evidence and their powerful families’ recent support, was hesitant to confront them to avoid appearing vengeful.
The Emperor felt remorseful towards the Yuan family and the Empress, failing to preserve even a trace of the Yuan family’s bloodline. Determined to pass the throne to someone related to the Yuan family, he believed that this was the only way to face the Empress and repay General Yuan, burdened by his own actions.
Three years later, during a secret outing, the Emperor took an interest in a bright-eyed and clear-toothed commoner girl named Shan Lingling. Not only did he favor her that night, but he also brought her into the palace. However, after a few days, he realized that Shan Lingling wasn’t as exceptional as he initially thought—she was simple and lacked education, merely labeled as a talented woman before being dismissed from his mind.
In reality, Shan Lingling was the daughter of the Empress’s own brother, the granddaughter of General Yuan, named Yuan Lin, who was “executed” the night before her execution. It was the Crown Prince, along with trusted aides like Chu Guangche, who rescued her and sent her far away… At that time, the Emperor only sought to preserve a trace of the Yuan family’s bloodline, as he knew that male descendants were not an option and thus saved the 12-year-old Yuan Lin.
Had the Crown Prince survived and ascended smoothly, the Emperor and Yuan Lin would never have crossed paths. However, with the Crown Prince’s death, Yuan Lin was the last descendant of the Yuan family. Thus, when Yuan Lin, now known as Shan Lingling, turned fifteen and was brought back to the capital, the Emperor coincidentally encountered her…
Shan Lingling was fortunate, after a few instances of favor, she became pregnant and gave birth to the Ninth Prince.
Following the saying “the mother’s value determines the son’s status,” the Emperor named Shan as a concubine and bestowed the name Li Zeping upon the Ninth Prince. This mother-son duo was an invisible presence, as the Emperor didn’t pay them any heed. It was only when the Ninth Prince turned six that the seven-year-old Chu Lingxuan was assigned as his companion.
The mother and son lived quietly, minimizing their presence and avoiding conflicts with the Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Seventh, Eighth, and Tenth Princes (the Sixth Prince had passed away).
During this time, the Emperor favored the Third Prince, born of Concubine Sun, for his intelligence and benevolence. Delaying the appointment of the Second Prince, born of Empress Wang, as Crown Prince, the Emperor faced opposition from Empress Wang, the Second Prince, and the Duke of Wang, as they resented Concubine Sun and her son. Their ongoing conflicts remained unresolved.
The Second and Third Princes engaged in intense rivalry, with the Second Prince even being severely injured by the Third and Fourth Princes. After recovering, the Second Prince’s personality drastically changed, instead of immediately confronting the Third Prince, he conspired with Empress Wang and Concubine Ma to expose Princess Rong Zhao, who admired Chu Guangche (Marquis Chu) from her youth, and Chu Lingxuan, who had a promising career, in a scandal.
Chu Guangche was secretly groomed by the Emperor for the Ninth Prince. Although the Emperor favored his eldest daughter, Princess Rong Zhao, he wouldn’t let her obstruct the Ninth Prince’s path or impede Chu Guangche’s future. Just as he contemplated how to suppress the situation, the Ninth Prince met with an accident, rendering him unable to inherit the throne…