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Madam Jiang’s face flushed with anger, her hand trembling slightly as she held the handkerchief. She said, “Do you think you paved a golden path for your son? Indeed, your son’s career path was smooth, but deep down, he has always been anxious and fearful that your misdeeds would be uncovered. He is your son, but you do not truly understand him. He is upright, honest, and prefers to earn his position through merit, step by step. All your grandiose schemes were for your son’s benefit. In reality, it was for yourself, to ensure a comfortable life, at the cost of ruining Wang Juan, tarnishing your son’s reputation, and even risking harm to your own granddaughter… Indeed, marrying your son is the greatest fortune of my life. He is talented, handsome, and of noble character. However, I wish for his happiness, peace of mind, without the burden of helplessness and obligation. If he can live a happy life, I would rather not have married him. Now, he has been suspended, and may even face imprisonment, yet he refuses to blame you for those misdeeds and bears it all himself… He, he is too foolish!”
As she spoke, Madam Jiang covered her mouth with the handkerchief and began to cry.
The old lady, upon hearing that her son faced imprisonment for taking the blame for her misdeeds, trembled in shock. She yelled, “Those matters were caused by Chen Feng, that wretched girl. She hates me, hates our family, and is targeting my son. She has dredged up old issues from over a decade ago, aiming to destroy our family! It’s all Wang Juan’s fault, despite her seemingly honest appearance, she sneakily got involved with my son and sired an illegitimate child. That unfilial child, causing harm to her grandmother, her father…”
Madam Jiang wiped her tears and retorted, “Mind your words. Wang Juan was your son’s legal wife, them having a child was a matter of propriety, not as scandalous as you claim. You are the one destroying our family, not Wang Juan. Don’t shift your sins onto others. Now, Feng and son-in-law are trying to leverage connections to clear your son’s name. Yet, you still insult them like this! Without Feng, your son, and our family would be ruined.”
The old lady grew more fearful, suddenly straightening her back, her eyes widening in alarm. She shouted, “If that wretched girl helps clear my son’s name, will she use the opportunity to incriminate me and put me in jail? No, you go tell her not only to save my son unscathed but also to ensure I am not implicated. If she dares to betray me and harm her own grandmother, heaven will not forgive her.”
Madam Jiang had never encountered such a selfish mother. Normally, a mother’s first instinct in times of trouble should be to sacrifice herself to save her son. However, this mother, when her son acknowledged her misdeeds out of filial duty, still prioritized her own safety. While she berated Chen Feng and her mother so harshly, she expected Chen Feng to save her with confidence.
Madam Jiang couldn’t bear to continue talking to the old lady. Even looking at her made her feel nauseous. She knew that, despite everything, the old lady was still her mother-in-law, and dealing with her should not be her responsibility. She shook her head and said firmly, “Even heaven hasn’t taken you, it truly has no eyes. But people do. Mother-in-law, vengeance may not come immediately, but it will come. It’s not about not seeking revenge, the time just hasn’t come yet.” With that, she turned and walked away.
Chen Yuhui followed Madam Jiang outside, crying, “Mother, now that father is in trouble, will my engagement with the He family be affected? What should I do if that happens?”
Madam Jiang turned back, coldly saying, “What should you do? How would I know? You’re the one who jumped into the lake, and it was you who led the man to save you.” Seeing Chen Yuhui’s stunned expression resembling the old lady’s, Madam Jiang furrowed her brow and continued, “Go back to your courtyard and copy the ‘Lessons for Women’ fifty times. Stop causing trouble and drawing attention to yourself.”
Feeling Madam Jiang’s icy gaze, Chen Yuhui’s heart sank, and she quickly walked back to her own courtyard.
She felt like the sky was falling. Turning sixteen this year, if her father faced trouble and the He family called off the engagement, who would want a woman who had broken off two engagements?
It was all Chen Feng’s fault, along with Jiang’s malice, plotting to ruin her promising marriage prospects and leaving her in this embarrassing situation… Grandmother was right – heaven had eyes, and it wouldn’t overlook her or Jiang.
Madam Jiang ordered someone to investigate who had passed on the information to Chen Yuhui. It was soon discovered to be a servant who had taken five taels of silver from Chen Yuhui and shared the street gossip she had heard. Initially, Madam Jiang considered having the servant severely punished, but considering her husband’s uncertain future, she decided to sell the servant instead.
The days of waiting were excruciatingly long. The Chen residence remained closed off, its members anxiously enduring each passing day.
Chu Lingxuan returned seven days later, on the 23rd of the winter month.
Chen Feng had finished freshening up and was about to lead Yu and Ming into the space. The children knew it was the time when their mother would take them to the most comfortable place, to play with their beloved older brother, Golden Treasure, and their favorite playmate, Jinbei. They excitedly called out to Chen Feng, eager for the fun time ahead.
Suddenly hearing the maid’s voice in the courtyard, “Master has returned.”
Chen Feng’s face lit up, rushing out to greet Chu Lingxuan, who had already entered with determined steps.
Chu Lingxuan looked thinner, a stubble of blue beard growing on his lips, his complexion weary and grayish, clearly showing the signs of non-stop travel. Chen Feng felt immense distress, ever since Chen Shiying’s troubles began, he had been running around outside almost every day.
She personally helped Chu Lingxuan remove his outer garments before he headed to the bath chamber.
Chen Feng had intended to go to the small kitchen to make Chu Lingxuan’s favorite chicken broth dumplings, but the two children began crying inconsolably, so she had to comfort them and feed them again.
After settling the children, Chen Feng sent the maid away and started drying Chu Lingxuan’s hair.
Chu Lingxuan explained Chen Shiying’s situation. As Chen Shiying was the biological father of Chen Feng, his eleventh prince “mother”, talented, and had made significant contributions to the court, the Emperor was reluctant to punish him.
However, numerous officials and bureaucrats accused him, and due to undeniable evidence against Chen Shiying, the Emperor had to suspend him from his duties. Since there was no conviction and with support from the Prefecture and other influential figures, Chen Shiying was not imprisoned but placed under house arrest in a small courtyard, guarded by the Imperial Guards. He was provided with food, drink, and some freedom.
Regarding the five charges against Chen Shiying, the third charge of “allowing Zhao Family’s relatives to exploit neighbors’ resources” had been proven unfounded, as Chen Shiying rectified the situation by returning the seized lands.
The first charge of “abandoning his lawful wife after passing the civil service exam, then remarrying” was dismissed. When he remarried, Wang Juan had already married someone else while pregnant with another man’s child. Additionally, the accusation of abandoning his lawful wife was proven to be orchestrated by Chen Shiying’s mother without Chen Shiying’s knowledge.