Chen Afu had already gone to bed. When he heard that Chu Lingxuan had returned, he quickly got up.
Seeing Chu Lingxuan's tired look and dark eyes, Chen Afu felt very distressed. For his father, he had suffered a lot, and perhaps he had also suffered a lot of anger. He said, "Lingxuan, I'm sorry, I made things difficult for you. It's not surprising that your uncle didn't agree. Let's ask someone else."
Chu Lingxuan shook his head and said, "My uncle agreed. He said that the high yield of grain in my father-in-law's jurisdiction was not only his father-in-law's credit, but also his credit. My uncle can't do anything about Jiangnan, but no one can erase my father-in-law's achievements in Dingzhou Prefecture in the past two years. He will do his best to exonerate my father-in-law."
This is really good news.
Chen Afu knew that although Chu Lingxuan didn't say it, he must have been bullied or scolded a lot.
Chu Lingxuan did encounter a lot of difficulties at the hands of the Luo family when he went to Shizhou Prefecture.
He arrived at Luo's house in the afternoon of the next day, and the servant took him to the guest room and left him alone. He wanted to go into the inner house to visit the old lady, but without Mrs. Luo's order, he could not enter the second gate. In the evening, Luo patrolled the house and did not see him.
Fortunately, Mr. Luo Si had a good relationship with him since childhood, and Mrs. Luo Si also had a good impression of Chen Afu. Mr. Luo Si "secretly" went to see him, and then took him to the back house to meet Mrs. Luo.
Old Mrs. Luo had always been in poor health. After her daughter and son-in-law got into trouble, she became so angry that she became half paralyzed and could no longer get out of bed.
Chu Lingxuan came to her bedside and knelt down to kowtow to her, choking with sobs, "Xuan'er is unfilial and makes grandma worried."
The old lady lying on the bed turned her back to him angrily and cried, "You cruel little bastard, you haven't come to see me for so long. I miss my most pitiful daughter and my most beloved grandson so much that I am almost dying. My daughter is not convenient to come to see me, so you should come to our house more often. You really don't even want to see your closest grandma and uncle after you got married."
Chu Lingxuan kowtowed several more times, burst into tears, and said, "Grandma is ashamed of her grandson. I miss grandma and uncle, too, but, I know I did something to make my uncle and aunt angry, so I want to wait until they calm down before I apologize."
This is just one of the reasons. Another reason is that since I got engaged to Chen Afu, I have more things to do, not only in the army, but also with the Ninth Prince and the secret forces, so I have never found time to come here. This place is more than 300 miles away from Dingzhou Prefecture. Even if I only stay in Luo Mansion for one day, it will take at least four days to go back and forth. For Chu Lingxuan now, four days are precious.
Fourth Master Luo smiled and tried to persuade her, "Grandma, you cried because Cousin Xuan didn't come, saying that we grandchildren were not as pleasing as grandchildren. When he came, you turned your back on him. Don't tell me that Cousin Xuan really thought that you would never see him again, and now that he's gone, you're here to scold us to vent your anger."
After hearing this, the old lady turned around, and Chu Lingxuan threw himself into her arms, and the two of them hugged each other and cried bitterly.
After another round of persuasion from Mr. Luo, the two finally stopped crying. Chu Lingxuan stood up and personally wiped the old lady's face with a wet towel, and then gave her a massage, finally making the old lady smile.
The old lady was 62 years old this year. Her hair was completely white. She was very thin and pale. She looked much older than Chu Lingxuan had seen before. He felt ashamed and thought he should put aside his pride and official duties and visit the old lady earlier. He always thought the old lady was angry with him, but he didn't expect that the less he showed up, the angrier she would get and the worse her health would be.
In fact, even if the incident with Chen Shiying had not happened, Chu Lingxuan would have asked Chen Ahfu for a green leaf agarwood for the old lady when he came to Luo Mansion. He had heard and seen that this kind of incense not only smells good, but also can strengthen the body and prolong life. Just look at Ahfu and you will know that childbirth is so dangerous, and the smooth birth of the child must have a lot to do with the green leaf agarwood. He said that the incense was given to his uncle, and he knew that his uncle would also give it to his grandmother.
The old lady scolded again, "Bad boy, what's wrong with your cousin? If you marry her, not only will Yan'er's life be better, but she will also have a closer relationship with your uncle in the future. It will only benefit you and not harm you."
Chu Lingxuan blushed, sat beside the bed, held the old lady's hand and whispered, "Grandma, what you said is embarrassing for your grandson and your cousin."
Fourth Master Luo also laughed and said, "Grandma, if Third Sister hears what you say, she will cry to death again."
The old lady thought about it and said with a smile, "Yes, when people get old, they become confused and start to talk nonsense."
Chu Lingxuan took out a cotton waistcoat that Chen Ahfu had made for the old lady and gave it to her, and also took out two jars of wine, as well as snacks made by Aunt Hua, and the tonic he had bought. The old lady only glanced at the tonic, and she was so arrogant that she didn't even look at the things Chu Lingxuan's wife had given her.
Chu Lingxuan smiled and whispered to the old child, "Grandma, this kind of wine contains extremely precious medicinal herbs that can strengthen the body. Not only does my grandfather like it, but I heard that even the Queen Mother likes to drink it. I sent you two jars before. If your uncle is unhappy and your nephew gives it to the servants, it will be a waste of gifts."
When the old lady heard that even the Queen Mother liked this wine and it could strengthen the body, she said, "You sent this wine before? How come I didn't know about it?"
Fourth Master Luo hurriedly said with regret, "That's really a waste of gifts. My father and I gave all the things that cousin Xuan sent to us as rewards to the servants."
He wanted to say "my mother", but was afraid that his mother would be scolded, so he changed it to "my father".
The old lady couldn't bear to scold her son, so she scolded Chu Lingxuan again, "Bad boy, why didn't you explain it clearly to your uncle?"
Chu Lingxuan smiled and said, "The Queen Mother likes that wine. I heard about it from my third aunt when I went to Beijing to do some work a few days ago. Grandma, drink half a cup every day in the future. It will be good for your health."
The old lady said, "Bring a jar to my eldest son. He works hard day and night on court affairs."
Chu Lingxuan said, "I brought another jar for my uncle."
After talking for a while, the old lady felt sleepy, and Chu Lingxuan and Mr. Luo Si stood up to say goodbye.
The old lady took Chu Lingxuan's hand and warned, "Your uncle is angry and he scolds you, just listen. He is really doing this for your own good and for your mother. He was really worried about you and your son. Don't let him down, you must mend your relationship..."
Chu Lingxuan agreed and stepped out.
Fourth Master Luo accompanied Chu Lingxuan to the outer study room of Luo Xun's mansion. Fourth Master Luo patted Chu Lingxuan on the shoulder and walked away.
Chu Lingxuan looked at the starry sky and walked into the yard with gritted teeth.
The gatekeeper did not stop him, and Chu Lingxuan went straight into the study. Luo Xunfu was looking down at a letter.
Chu Lingxuan bowed and called out, "Uncle."
Luo Xunfu seemed not to have heard it and didn't even look up.
Chu Lingxuan didn't know what to say and just stood there stupidly for a long time. Even when the moon was at its highest point in the sky, Luo Xunfu still didn't look up.
Chu Lingxuan called out again, "Uncle."
Luo Xunfu finally raised his head and sneered, "You still remember that you have an uncle like me?"
Chu Lingxuan bowed deeply to the ground and said, "Uncle, I am ashamed of myself. I will never forget the great kindness you have shown me..." He then talked a lot about the help that Luo Xunfu had given to Abbot Lechen and himself.
Luo Xunfu waved his hand and said, "Those things are what I should have done. Yun'er is my biological sister, and you are my biological nephew. All I did was to hope that you and your mother would have a better life in the future. But what did you do? Could it be that the daughter of my Luo family is not as good as the illegitimate daughter of a prefect? By doing this, you not only humiliate yourself, but also humiliate your noble mother..." He scolded and scolded Chu Lingxuan, and got angry and threw a book on Chu Lingxuan's head.
Chu Lingxuan did not dare to hide. He lowered his head and listened to the lesson, then began to explain. Chen Afu was not an illegitimate daughter at all, but the real eldest daughter of Chen Shiying. It was only because Chen's mother was vicious and selfish that she drove away Chen Shiying's real wife and let Chen Afu live in someone else's house. At the beginning, for the sake of Chen Shiying's reputation, Chen Afu was wronged to marry Chu Lingxuan in the name of an illegitimate daughter. It was also said that Chen Afu was smart and virtuous, and "cured" the "idiocy" of Yan'er and Rui Wang's legitimate son, and his mother liked Chen Afu very much. At the same time, Chen Afu was also valued by Master Wuzhi, who said that she had great fortune. And, he offered the green leaf agarwood. It was also hinted that the ninth prince's sick leg had healed a lot. He had endured humiliation for so many years, and he would definitely avenge the second prince's "injured leg" and seize the throne... Finally, he said that since all these things were revealed, he would let Chen Shiying restore Chen Afu's true identity as the eldest daughter.
These points undoubtedly touched Luo Xunfu's heart, especially the last one. The second prince helped Princess Rong Zhao force her sister to become a nun, forced her brother-in-law to be her husband, and made her mother paralyzed in bed, and she kept looking for reasons to attack him. He knew that if the second prince became the emperor, not only would his future be ruined, but he might also be dismissed from office and have his property confiscated.
Furthermore, it turns out that Chen Ahfu is not an illegitimate daughter. Judging from her willingness to compromise, her filial piety is even more commendable.
Luo Xunfu looked down at the green leaf agarwood in his hand. As soon as he took it out, a faint fragrance that he had never smelled before immediately spread. Being in this faint fragrance, he felt refreshed, as if his whole body was relaxed. It is said that this kind of agarwood was made by Master Wuzhi. Not only is the fragrance long-lasting, but it can also strengthen the body and prolong life. It is just right for his sick mother. Master Wuzhi only gave this kind of incense to the emperor and Prince An. Chen Afu also has it, and it is indeed valued by Master Wuzhi. She can also "cure" mental illness, which also shows that this woman is far from being as simple as she seems.
Luo Xunfu figured out the key points and said, "Chen Shiying is a good official. If he gets into trouble, it will be a loss for the court. Even if Xuan'er doesn't come to intercede, I will do my best to exonerate him..."
The two talked for a long time, and it was already past midnight when Chu Lingxuan went to the guest room to rest. The next day, Chu Lingxuan went to see his two aunts again, but neither of them saw him.
Mrs. Luo was angry because Chu Lingxuan didn't marry her concubine's daughter. Mrs. Luo was angry because Chu Lingxuan knew the reason. No one else in the Luo family knew. It turned out that Mrs. Luo wanted to marry one of her nieces to Chu Lingxuan as his successor, but Chu Lingxuan didn't agree and married a woman with such a background. Mrs. Luo was so angry that her chest hurt.
Chu Lingxuan had no choice but to ask his servants to take the gifts for them in. He went to visit the old lady again, and set off for Dingzhou Prefecture in the afternoon.
On the 12th day, Steward Luo also sent someone to deliver a letter from the capital. For so many days, the imperial censors' impeachment memorials to Chen Shiying flew into the palace like snowflakes. There were five charges in total. The first was that he divorced his wife after passing the imperial examination and remarried after divorcing his wife. Although Wang was not listed in the county government, she entered the Chen family as a child bride, served and buried Chen Shiying's father, and was actually the legal wife. The second was that Chen Shiying accepted huge bribes after passing the imperial examination and bought a large piece of land and a four-story house. The third was that he indulged Zhao's relatives and bullied his neighbors. There were two more things about Chen Shiying in Jiangnan. One was that he accepted 5,000 taels of silver from a businessman, and the other was that he sent someone to kill an old scholar in order to obtain his heirloom - two authentic works of Zhong Yao.
Chen Shiying refuted the last three things with fiery words, saying that he had not done them. As for the first two things, he only said that he could not be considered to have divorced his wife and remarried, because Wang was already married when he married, and the money for buying the land and the house was given by the Tang family...
Because of these things, Chen Shiying has been suspended from his post and cannot return to Dingzhou Prefecture for the time being. He is under investigation in the capital.
Manager Luo's letter also said that the Chu family had used their connections, and Prince Rui would also go all out...
Chen Ahfu gritted his teeth in anger. Chen Shiying was really a foolish filial son. He was willing to sacrifice himself for that evil old woman. Even if the last three charges were cleared, if the first two charges were proven, he would not only have no future, but also go to jail.
She wrote a letter, and then tore it up. She asked someone to call Luo Fang and gave him some instructions, asking him to go to Chen Shiying's hometown immediately. No matter how evil that wicked woman was, Chen Shiying would not punish her for the sake of filial piety. He had to pass these things on to the elders of the Chen family and let them take action.
On the thirteenth day of the winter month, the news that Chen Shiying was suspended from his post pending trial reached Dingzhou Prefecture at the fastest speed.
Jiang also received the letter sent by her father. His father also asked people to find connections in the capital, but unfortunately he couldn't find anyone with connections. Ordinary connections would definitely not help so much. The son-in-law was probably doomed this time...
Jiang came to Chen Afu again to cry and ask for a solution.
This time, Chen Yulan came with Jiang, his eyes were red. After seeing Chen Afu, he pulled Chen Afu's sleeve and cried.
There were some things that Chen Ahfu couldn't say much about, so he could only comfort them, saying that Luo Xunfu, their immediate superior, would definitely help them, and that he had found many connections in the capital, and Chu Lingxuan had found a few witnesses, so it shouldn't be a big deal. He told them not to panic, to go back and live their lives behind closed doors, and not to pay attention to the rumors from the outside world...
Now the Chu family and Chen Afu are the most powerful backers of Jiang mother and son. After listening to her words, they felt more at ease and returned home.
After returning home, Jiang called the chief steward and some key managers to the meeting room and briefly informed them of the situation, asking them not to make a fuss and not to tell the old lady and the girls, especially the old lady and the second girl.
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