Chapter 206: Joining Hands in Design

Chu Lingxuan said, “If I can’t protect my wife, then what’s the point of marrying her? Mother, rest assured, I have ways to keep her from entering the princess’s residence. And until the situation becomes clear, I won’t even let her stay at the Marquis’s residence in the capital.” He then chuckled, “From what I know, this girl is not one to be easily controlled.”

Abbess Liao Chen said, “That’s great. If she enters, the person who will be happiest is Yanyan. However, she’s a commoner, which is acceptable, but the critical issue is that she also has a son. How will you explain this to others? Also, she’s Chen Shiying’s biological daughter, yet she hasn’t returned to her roots, and Chen Shiying’s mother is acting in this way… These might become ammunition for your enemies to attack you. Have you considered this?”

Chu Lingxuan coldly said, “After experiencing so many changes, I’ve grown indifferent. As for her background, mother, your status isn’t low, yet you were forced to leave the family. Now, my father has retired, my mother has become a nun, my daughter is mentally challenged, and I’ve hidden away in Dingzhou. Once that woman gives birth to a son, my position as heir apparent might be in jeopardy, and the Marquis’s residence has been thrown into chaos… Tell me, which good family in the capital would be willing to marry their daughter to me? Otherwise, that Chen woman wouldn’t have dared to propose her average-looking illegitimate daughter to me. As for her past, let others laugh, our family’s past has also been the subject of ridicule.”

“Choosing such a girl, who has no background and is staying far away in the countryside, might be the best option for now. Furthermore, she is the first girl my son has genuinely wanted to marry. She’s intelligent, kind, genuinely cares for Yanyan, and I can entrust the family to her, allowing me to focus on external matters. I’ve already discussed this with my grandfather, and he agreed. As for Dabao, it’s simple, before marrying her, I’ll recognize Dabao as my adopted son. None of these are problems. The only difficulty now is her background. If she truly is a commoner, it’s manageable. But she is Chen Shiying’s daughter, and from what I’ve seen, Chen Shiying is reasonable. At the very least, he won’t become a burden. However, his mother is quite annoying, always trying to meddle. The day before yesterday, I spoke to Chen Shiying about his mother’s actions, and he came to the Marquis’s residence to apologize, saying he would ‘take care’ of his mother…”

Tears welled up in Abbess Liao Chen’s eyes. “It’s all my fault, harming you.” she said.

Chu Lingxuan said, “What does it have to do with you! Because Father has always been a concern of that woman, and the Second Prince, to eliminate opposition and prevent us from becoming allies of the Ninth Prince, they conspired against Father… Our family has been torn apart.”

Abbess Liao Chen said, “Your grandfather and father used to say that although the Second Prince was born of the empress, he was brave but lacked wisdom, was headstrong, and was not trusted by the Emperor. However, his recent actions…”

Chu Lingxuan added, “Yes, Grandfather and Father misjudged him. The Second Prince not only has courage and wisdom, but he’s also ruthless… I don’t know why he hates the Ninth Prince and our Chu family so much. When I was young, I was a tutor to the Ninth Prince, but at that time, our Chu family had not yet taken a side, and we hadn’t made enemies with the Second Prince. Because the Ninth Prince was young and his maternal family wasn’t powerful, he wasn’t involved in the power struggles of the older princes. However, that time when he was secretly attacked and fell off a cliff, everyone suspected it was the doing of the Third Prince or the Fifth Prince. He didn’t retaliate against those two princes but suddenly allied with that mother and daughter to plot against my father and secretly crippled the Ninth Prince’s leg…” He paused, his voice growing softer, “Nowadays, the Emperor is increasingly suspicious as he ages, and the Second Prince manages to have his way in every matter…”

……

On February 29th, an auspicious day, Chen Feng and her son moved to their new home. All their belongings had been taken over the day before, and except for Auntie Mu, who would continue to stay at Luyuan, the other servants would move to Fengyuan. Their belongings had also been moved over the previous night.

Early in the morning, Chen Lu started crying again. He was reluctant to leave his sister and nephew. He felt that with his sister moving, they were no longer one family.

Feng comforted him and promised that he would also move to Fengyuan today, which eventually calmed him down.

However, Chen Ming, who had promised to come back, didn’t show up for some unknown reason, leaving both Feng and Mrs. Wang feeling uneasy.

Chen Feng, holding Dabao’s hand, led the way into Fengyuan, while Mrs. Wang carried a set of blue and white porcelain bowls, and Lu carried a sack of fine rice. Zhui Feng and Wangcai followed behind, while Qiqi and Gray stood on the backs of the two dogs. The Golden Swallow, which had gone to the woods to forage, hadn’t returned yet.

They went straight to the main hall of the house. Chen Feng occupied the east wing of the main hall, with the living room in the west wing. Behind the east wing, there was an annex used as her private meditation room. The two side rooms were used as her small study and workspace, and the other was where Autumn (Lin Zhi) and Summer (Zeng Xiaoqing) stayed during the night.

The three main rooms in the west wing would be Dabao’s future bedroom and study, and were currently being used as guest rooms. The north room was the bedroom for the animals, decorated according to their preferences and habits. The south room was the dining room.

The three main rooms and two side rooms in the west wing were all connected and served as a nursery and activity room.

The rear building served as the kitchen and storeroom, with an additional room where Old Zeng lived. The other servants lived in the rear wing.

Chen Feng had already purchased a narrow strip of land behind Fengyuan and Luyuan, where a row of houses would be built for the settled servants in the future.

After entering the house, they opened the lattice windows, filling the room with bright light. The fragrance of the spring breeze, carrying the scent of fresh leaves, wafted into the room, creating a pleasant atmosphere.

Shortly after, Chen Gui arrived, carrying a sack of white flour. Unexpectedly, Hu Laowu’s family also accompanied him. The Hu family brought a pair of blue and white porcelain vases, which, although ordinary in quality, were considered valuable in the countryside.

Hu Laowu smiled and said, “I heard from Gui that you’re moving today, so I brought my family to congratulate you. We’re relatives, and how can we miss such an important occasion as Feng’s housewarming?”

Although Chen Feng didn’t particularly like him, she didn’t want to offend anyone, especially since they had come to congratulate them on their new home. She quickly smiled and said, “Welcome, Uncle and Aunt Hu. I was hesitant to invite you over, fearing you might be too busy. Your presence makes me very happy.”

Hu Cuicui looked around and exclaimed, “Sister Feng, your house looks much better than my Auntie’s.”

Hu Wui glanced at Chen Feng and then quickly averted his eyes.

Soon after, Wu Changgen’s wife arrived with her son Shitou and daughter Wu Xiaoqing. Another young woman, with thick eyebrows and a sturdy figure, appeared, clearly someone skilled at manual labor.

Changgen’s wife smiled and said, “This is Chanshen’s wife. She’s new here and I’ve brought her to visit today.”

Wu Chanshen had gotten married last month, and although Chen Feng hadn’t attended, she had sent a gift through Mrs. Wang.