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Chu Lingxuan explained that when Princess Rong Zhao proposed that a daughter-in-law should serve her parents-in-law, it was only natural. Old Marquis Chu went to the Emperor to appeal, while Chu’s Third Madam went to the Empress Dowager to plead her case.
When the old Marquis entered the Golden Hall, the morning court session had not yet concluded.
Family matters in the royal household were significant events. After the Marquis’s plea, court officials began discussing the issue.
Years ago, the incident involving Chu Hanyan had caused quite a stir. Many court officials had witnessed the poor condition of the girl, who appeared frail and feeble. It was deemed inappropriate for the royal family to forcefully separate a couple and mistreat the wife. The accusations against Princess Rong Zhao flew into the palace like snowflakes. The Emperor and the Empress Dowager, with limited arguments, also punished Princess Rong Zhao.
This time, when Princess Rong Zhao wanted to cause trouble for the newlywed bride, many people were displeased. Though a stepmother was still a mother, the tragic outcomes of Lady Ma and Chu Hanyan were considered cautionary tales. They voiced concerns about not allowing the same fate for the new bride, and so forth.
However, some defended Princess Rong Zhao, claiming that the incident with the young girl was an accident caused by deceitful servants, and Princess Rong Zhao was deeply remorseful upon learning the truth. They argued that as a stepmother, she had the right to expect the daughter-in-law to serve her parents-in-law, as it was a matter of filial piety.
The Emperor’s two sons, the Second Prince and the Third Prince, were specially permitted to attend the morning court session.
Normally, whenever the Second Prince supported something, the Third Prince opposed it, and vice versa.
The Third Prince spoke first, emphasizing the importance of not indulging the eldest princess’s faults and not hurting the hearts of the court officials…
On the contrary, the Second Prince argued that nobody was perfect, and Princess Rong Zhao had already suffered greatly from her past negligence and acknowledged her mistakes. Filial piety should come first, and if a daughter-in-law didn’t respect her parents-in-law, it would be a waste of her role as a wife and daughter-in-law…
The Second Prince’s impassioned speech led some who had previously opposed Princess Rong Zhao to reconsider their stance.
A court official supporting Princess Rong Zhao asked the old Marquis, “Master Chu, by bringing the daughter-in-law back to the Chu family and not showing respect to the parents-in-law, are you planning to treat her like a deity? Hehe, no wonder they say your Chu family lacks manners.”
The old Marquis was furious, retorting, “Nonsense! Besides the princess as a daughter-in-law and my son as an elder, am I not an elder? I treated the princess as a daughter-in-law, it’s unavoidable. If I can’t respect my granddaughter-in-law as a grandfather, what’s the point?!” His words were somewhat disrespectful, but he continued, “Due to my poor health, I will be going to the countryside for treatment in a few days, and my granddaughter-in-law must accompany me. If she refuses, my third daughter-in-law will have to go. My second son is also unwell and can’t be separated from his wife.”
All the court officials knew that his third daughter-in-law was Changhua County Princess, the Empress Dowager’s beloved granddaughter, often summoned to the palace to keep the Empress Dowager company. For the sake of filial piety, the Emperor wouldn’t allow Princess Changhua to leave the capital after returning from the border.
As the two factions argued almost to a standstill, the Emperor spoke up, “Let Chu Aiqing’s daughter-in-law stand in for Rong Zhao to show respect to the old Marquis. Filial piety comes first, my children must set a good example.”
His words were well-received, and the court officials resounded, “Long live the Emperor!”
Upon hearing the Third Madam of Chu’s pleas, the Empress Dowager dispatched palace attendants to the Princess’s Residence to rebuke Princess Rong Zhao. She emphasized that the incident from a few years back had brought shame to the royal family, and such behavior would not be tolerated.
Feeling extremely embarrassed, Princess Rong Zhao vented her frustration by breaking numerous porcelain objects in her residence, making it clear she wouldn’t show her face during their celebratory occasion.
Nevertheless, they still had to visit the Princess’s Residence two days later. After all, the Marquis of Chu was his biological father, and they couldn’t provide others with an opportunity to attack them for being unfilial. Chu Lingxuan assured Chen Feng that his Third Aunt would accompany them on that day.
Delighted by the news, Chen Feng found the situation much better than expected. She leaned in, kissed Chu Lingxuan on the cheek, and exclaimed, “Mister is so kind, Grandfather is so kind, Third Aunt is so kind.”
Chu Lingxuan froze, feeling a sudden warmth on his face from her kiss. The soft touch of her lips and the proximity of her body left him restless as he remarked, “Are you trying to provoke me again?”
Startled, Chen Feng quickly settled back down, wrapping herself tightly in her blanket, and with closed eyes, she said, “Okay, I’m going to sleep now.”
Chu Lingxuan, his body halfway leaning over, stuttered, “Fe… Feng, I… I…” his voice hoarse, breath quickening.
Seeing his discomfort, Chen Feng felt even more uneasy, sensing her own pain intensifying. She struggled to respond, “Mister, I really… really…”
Understanding her distress, Chu Lingxuan realized he couldn’t push her further and decided to lie back down. Still feeling uncomfortable, he got up and headed to the washroom.
Upon hearing the sound of water from the washroom, Chen Feng felt guilty. She couldn’t help it, her body was still young and fragile… Although in this era, getting married at seventeen was considered late, in her past life, she was still several years away from the legal marriage age.
As Chu Lingxuan lay back down, despite the distance between them, she could still feel the coolness emanating from his body.
It was February, early spring with a lingering chill in the air, especially in the middle of the night. Chen Feng, feeling a pang of heartache, leaned over and said, “Mister, are you feeling cold? Let me have some ginger soup made for you to ward off the cold, how about that?”
Chu Lingxuan gritted his teeth, “Don’t come over, don’t talk to me.” He scolded, “What a foolish woman, no, a bad woman.”
Upon hearing this, Chen Feng quickly lay back down, muttering softly, “I’m not foolish.”
She grinned mischievously, appreciating that this man truly knew how to treat her delicately.
Closing her eyes to sleep, after a while, she rolled over and softly asked, “Mister, there’s a question I’ve been pondering for a while.”
“What’s the question?” Chu Lingxuan’s voice was tinged with weariness.
Chen Feng moved closer to him, whispering in his ear, “I’ve been thinking, that woman is the Emperor’s daughter, Third Aunt is the Emperor’s niece, and Dabao is… his son. So, Dabao’s true identity is their younger brother. And since we are Dabao’s foster parents, and he calls us father and mother, doesn’t that make our seniority higher than Grandfather, Third Uncle, and Third Aunt, almost like peers with Grandfather?”
Chu Lingxuan chuckled at her words, “You’re not just foolish, you’re incredibly foolish.” After a moment of laughter, he added in a low voice, “The youngest room produces the senior, and indeed, Dabao’s seniority is high. However, until Dabao acknowledges his heritage, we will go by our family’s order of seniority. Third Aunt is our senior, which makes her Dabao’s senior as well. My father and Third Uncle are even more senior. When Dabao officially recognizes his ancestry, we’ll see how the royal family arranges it.”