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Chu Lingxuan noticed Chen Feng’s prying gaze but didn’t immediately provide an answer. Instead, he continued, “When I was seven, my father mentioned the possibility of me being assigned as a study companion to the six-year-old Ninth Prince. The Ninth Prince’s lineage wasn’t prestigious, his mother was Lady Shan, and neither she nor her son received much favor from the emperor. My mother was deeply concerned, as the Ninth Prince was often bullied by the Eighth Prince, born of the empress, and she was worried I might get caught up in it. At the time, my father was a third-ranking general in the Imperial Guards, responsible for the emperor’s personal security. Although his rank wasn’t particularly high, he enjoyed the emperor’s trust. My mother hoped my father would intercede with the emperor to change the arrangement, but my father scolded her harshly. It was the harshest scolding my mother ever received, and she cried…”
After casting a glance at Chen Feng, Chu Lingxuan changed the subject, saying, “In my family, my great-grandfather was highly strategic and versatile, second only to General Yuan at the time. He held the rank of first-ranking Grand Commander but resigned from his post early. He didn’t place much importance on my grandfather’s education, believing that as long as my grandfather maintained the family’s honor and didn’t bring shame, constant favor from the emperor wasn’t necessary. During those twenty years, the Chu family, once among the most elite and distinguished families in the capital, fell to a more average status. However, my father received personal guidance from my great-grandfather. When my father held the position of Commander of the Imperial Guards, my great-grandfather was still only a third-ranking officer. Consequently, my great-grandfather passed on the Marquis of Yongning title to my father. Just as my father’s career was flourishing, and our family was on the verge of complete restoration, we experienced a catastrophic disaster…”
Princess Rong Zhao was born to Consort Ma, who had no other children. She was the emperor’s eldest daughter and was greatly favored. She was ten years younger than Lord Chu Lang. When she was ten years old, she vowed that she would only marry the eldest son of the Chu family. At such a young age, she often found ways to meet him while Lord Chu Lang was on duty, which greatly annoyed him. By the time she was fifteen, despite her crying and objections, the emperor decreed her marriage to Marquis Xue. Several years later, after Marquis Xue’s death, she and her daughter lived in Consort Ma’s Purple Cloud Palace.
At that time, at the age of thirty-one, Lord Chu Lang was both the youngest marquis in the Dachun dynasty and the Commander of the Imperial Guards. Whenever he entered the palace, he was constantly on guard, fearing an unexpected encounter with Princess Rong Zhao, who might express her affections.
One day, the Second Prince summoned him, claiming that the Eighth and Ninth Princes had a fight in his palace, resulting in the Ninth Prince getting a head injury. At the time, the Second Prince himself hadn’t fully recovered from an injury and occasionally allowed the Eighth Prince, along with a few other princes, to play in his palace.
Lord Chu Lang went there and was unexpectedly led into a room by one of the palace attendants, only to find a person dressed in Chu Lingxuan’s attire climbing onto a table. As he approached, the individual lifted their head, revealing themselves to be Princess Rong Zhao. Lord Chu Lang hurriedly turned to leave, but Princess Rong Zhao hugged him from behind. At that moment, the Second Prince, along with a group of people, entered the room…
It was the birthday of Consort Ma, and the Empress, Lady Zhou, and several other consorts were celebrating at Consort Ma’s Purple Cloud Palace. When they heard about the private meeting between Commander Chu and Princess Rong Zhao at the Second Prince’s palace, they rushed over.
This matter reached the emperor’s ears. Even if the emperor knew that Commander Chu was set up, others could easily guess what had happened.
The Second Prince went before the emperor, weeping and confessing to setting up the situation. He claimed he pitied his sister and couldn’t resist her crying and even threatened to take her own life, which led him to carry out this foolish act. He expressed regret and asked the emperor to punish him and so on.
But Princess Rong Zhao was the emperor’s eldest daughter, the sole daughter of Consort Ma, and it was the son of Empress Wang who instigated the whole thing. The emperor was at a loss for what to do when another piece of bad news arrived.
The thirteen-year-old Ninth Prince and the twelve-year-old Tenth Prince were playing when someone pushed the Ninth Prince off a rockery, causing him to break his leg. It seemed that one of the Tenth Prince’s eunuchs had gone mad and, taking advantage of the chaos, used a large stone to crush the Ninth Prince’s leg, shattering the bone.
Three days later, the emperor arranged a marriage between Chu Lang and Princess Rong Zhao, and Mrs. Lou was forced to become a nun. Chu Lingxuan was furious and ran off to the border to join his uncle Chu Guangkai in the military.
“…Although there’s no direct evidence, we all suspect that the Ninth Prince was also a victim of the Second Prince’s scheme. We’ve never been able to figure out why. Our Chu family had no grudges with the Second Prince. Although my father became the Commander of the Imperial Guards at a young age, our family wasn’t influential enough to warrant such an effort from the Second Prince. The Ninth Prince’s status was low and posed no threat to him. He should have been dealing with the Third and Fifth Princes, born of Lady Zhou. Moreover, they had been at odds with each other, so it’s possible that the Second Prince’s injury was caused by the Third and Fifth Princes. It’s strange that the Second Prince didn’t confront them and instead blindsided our Chu family… These questions have been haunting me, leaving me puzzled. It wasn’t until the day before our betrothal, when my grandfather visited Dingzhou Prefecture, that I learned the truth. He found out when he went to discuss our marriage with my father…”
After Chu Lingxuan left, Chen Feng felt unusually heavy-hearted. She grieved for the unjust spirits of the Yuan family and for being unwittingly entangled in an unclear future. Initially, she felt embarrassed, thinking that her marriage to the Chu family with her son, who had a story, would cause trouble for Chu Lingxuan. Now she realized that the trouble the Chu family brought her was even greater.
She was puzzled by how easily the elders of the Chu family had agreed to her and Chu Lingxuan’s marriage. In ancient times, social status was of utmost importance, so why would such a prestigious family accept a bride of her background? It turned out that she was unknowingly drawn into a vortex.
This feeling of being used was truly unpleasant.
“Six years ago, the emperor, in a drunken state, again favored Lady Shan, the mother of the Ninth Prince. On February 27, she gave birth to a stillborn child…”
These words continued to linger in Chen Feng’s mind, refusing to fade away.
“Mother, why have you been standing by the window? Are you waiting for Golden Treasure and the others? It’s so late, they definitely won’t be back today.” said Chen Dabao, lying on the bed.
To prevent him from moving around, his leg was propped up on a small wooden frame. He lay on his side, looking at her, pouting and staring with large, adorable eyes.
In truth, it was this little rascal who had dragged her into the vortex. From the moment Mrs. Wang brought him back home and claimed him as her son, she was drawn into that scheme.
If she were still the naive Chen Feng, she would have been used without realizing it. If, in the end, this side failed, it would be best if Dabao’s identity remained hidden. But if it were exposed, both the naive Feng and the Chen family would undoubtedly meet their end. However, if they were to die, they wouldn’t even know why.