He had been detained for more than ten days and was still in a daze. The prison boss just said to him, "You can go now," without saying another word.
When he returned to the Chu family, he found that all the imperial guards who had surrounded the Chu family had withdrawn, and he entered the house smoothly.
Chu Lingxiao's return made everyone in the mansion overjoyed, and they all rushed to say goodbye.
"The master is back!"
"Madam, the master is back safely!"
When the news reached Rongfu Hall, the lady was overjoyed. She ran out to greet people in person and held her eldest son's hand tightly.
The mother and son walked towards Chu Lingxiao's study, talking as they walked.
"Lingxiao, you're back. Mother can finally rest assured." The old lady smiled from ear to ear, as if she had suddenly become several years younger. As she spoke, she began to feel sorry for her eldest son, "You've become thinner and more haggard!"
"Mother, how is things at home lately?" Chu Lingxiao asked anxiously, "Why was I released?"
As soon as he came back, he felt that the atmosphere at home was different. It was like the return of spring after the snow melted, which made Chu Lingxiao wonder: Could it be that Chu Yunyi had followed Kang Hongda, so he was fine? "Good, everything is fine at home. Now it's really a happy ending after all the hardships!" The smile on the lady's face deepened, and deep wrinkles appeared at the corners of her eyes and lips. "Don't you know that the emperor has passed away?"
"What, the emperor passed away?!" Chu Lingxiao really didn't know, and his voice rose three points.
Wherever he looked, everything from people to objects was very plain, but he just thought it was because the mourning period for Chu Lingyu had not yet passed. He didn't expect it to be a national mourning.
The lady dowager gave Nanny Wang a look, and Nanny Wang sent the maids and old women away so that the mother and son could talk more conveniently.
The lady was overjoyed and told her eldest son about the incident in which Gu Jue led the Black Armor Army to force the emperor to abdicate.
Previously, this matter had not been concluded, and the lady did not dare to be happy too early, let alone show off. But now, the late emperor has been buried, and the prince was seriously injured by the late emperor, and there has been no news so far. Gu Jue has been in charge of the situation in the palace since the day of the forced abdication, which means that Gu Jue is likely to ascend the throne.
Seeing her eldest son coming back today, the old lady felt more and more that her guess was correct, and that their Chu family had finally turned the corner.
She pulled Chu Lingxiao aside and talked non-stop, imagining the future: "Lingxiao, Prince Chen is our Chu family's son-in-law. If he can successfully ascend the throne, then our Chu family can at least be given the title of Duke of Cheng'en."
"I've thought about it carefully. Even if Prince Chen doesn't ascend the throne, he will definitely support the Second Prince to take the throne. Then the Chu family will be the emperor's in-laws!" Concubine Chu is the Queen Mother. In other words, Chu Lingxiao, as the Queen Mother's brother, can also be conferred the title of Duke.
"Now even the second wife has become obedient!"
Speaking of the second branch, the lady couldn't help but think of the second son Chu Lingyu who died young. She felt a little distressed, but annoyed with Liu. She frowned and said, "Liu and Lingjie are short-sighted. When you were first taken away by Kang Hongda's men, they quarreled every day. Later, when they saw that Prince Chen was in power, they calmed down. They just waited for our Chu family to rise and the second branch to rise."
Recently, the Chu family has been unprecedentedly united. Even the third and fourth wives, who were born out of wedlock, come to her every day to show their filial piety, and the lady's life has become better.
Chu Lingxiao had been locked up in prison for some time, with no access to information or sight, and had no idea what was happening outside. Now, as he listened to the lady's story, his emotions were also affected, from shock to surprise, and he still felt a little bit of disbelief after listening.
"Mother, is what you said true?" Chu Lingxiao looked at the lady with great joy and couldn't help pinching his thigh. The pain told him that this was not a dream.
"Can I joke about this?" The lady also felt that this matter was so unexpected that she still occasionally felt it was not real.
She calmed herself down and said softly, "Lingxiao, listen to my advice and go and coax Ah Zhi back. Also, Sister Chen's last name must be changed back."
"Sister Chen is a member of the Chu family, the eldest daughter of the Chu family. How can she take another family's surname? Tell me, is this reasonable?"
Indeed. Chu Lingxiao thought thoughtfully.
If Gu Jue ascends the throne, Shen Qianchen will be the queen; if Gu Jue does not ascend the throne, he will at least be a regent.
No matter what the situation is, Shen Qianchen must be "Chu Qianchen". Otherwise, when outsiders hear her last name, they will probably suspect that she is not on good terms with the Chu family...
Changing the surname cannot be delayed.
However, Chu Lingxiao felt a little embarrassed to go to Shen Zhi and beg for her forgiveness.
Chu Lingxiao still remembered that the last time he saw Shen Zhi and Pei Linye being very intimate outside the Shen residence, it was clear that Pei Linye had other intentions towards Shen Zhi.
Whenever Chu Lingxiao thought of the scenes at that time, he felt like his head was green and he was holding his breath in his heart.
That time, he had someone scratch the door of the Shen residence in order to scare Shen Zhi and then coax her, but Shen Zhi actually got involved with Pei Linye, which disappointed him so much.
No man can stand being cuckolded! Chu Lingxiao couldn't swallow this breath, jealousy surged in his heart, and he really wanted to throw Shen Zhi and Pei Linye into the pig cage together.
And Mu Ge'er is also so close to Pei Linye, is he trying to recognize the thief as his father? !
"I'm not going." Chu Lingxiao said awkwardly.
Forcing Chu Lingxiao to kowtow to Shen Zhi would be like asking for half his life.
Chu Lingxiao regretted marrying Shen Zhi for who knows how many times. If it weren't for Shen Zhi, his life would not be like this!
The lady was also troubled, but thinking about the fact that the family was now unable to make ends meet and even sold a lot of the family property, she could only harden her heart and say, "Ling Xiao, you are already an adult, you should always consider our Chu family."
"Now the Prince of Chen will most likely ascend the throne, and the glory of our Chu family is just around the corner. Are you willing to let the Shen family take away the glory that should have belonged to the Chu family?!"
"Don't forget, Sister Chen was the one you secretly gave to Minshan, and now she still has resentment towards you as her father..."
When Chu Lingxiao heard the word "Yuan Ai", he seemed to have been stepped on a sore spot. He stopped in frustration and said angrily: "She dares?!"
"I'm her real father!"
"If she dares to be unfilial to me, she will be impeached by the Imperial Envoy."
The Great Qi Dynasty emphasized filial piety. Even if a father killed his son or daughter, it was still okay. It was the unfilial children who should reflect on their actions.
He gave Shen Qianchen to Jiang Minshan, but so what? He was her father, and he had the final say on who he wanted to give her to.
This is a family matter, and even the Jingzhao Prefecture has no right to interfere in the Chu family's affairs.
To put it bluntly, if this girl hadn't become a concubine, the late emperor wouldn't have issued an edict to give her to Prince Chen. Her blessing today is all because of me! The more Chu Lingxiao thought about it, the more he felt that this was the case, and he straightened his back.
The lady rubbed her brows tiredly and said tiredly: "Ling Xiao, don't forget that Sister Chen's surname is no longer Chu."
The name Shen Qianchen is no longer even on the Chu family's genealogy, which makes things a little troublesome.
Chu Lingxiao: “…”
"This is not just your business now, it concerns the entire Chu family!"
"As long as Ah Zhi and Sister Chen can come back, are you still worried about not having a job in the future? The King of Chen is in need of people right now!"
When Chu Lingxiao heard the errand, he was excited.
Just as the lady said, the court is now in the period of transition from the old to the new, and many of the civil officials in the court were the confidants of the late emperor. It is impossible for Gu Jue to use these people with confidence. In other words, the court will inevitably usher in a wave of purges.
As the father-in-law of the Prince of Chen, he naturally had an advantage. He couldn't just sit there and watch the Shen family snatch away what originally belonged to him, right? !
Chu Lingxiao gritted his teeth and nodded, "Okay, Mom, I'll go get Shen Zhi back tomorrow morning...but I'm worried that she won't come back..."
After being married for more than ten years, Chu Lingxiao has some understanding of Shen Zhi's stubborn temper.
Shen Zhi is a domineering person who can't tolerate any sand in her eyes, unlike his Min Shan who only has him in her heart...
Thinking of Jiang Minshan, Chu Lingxiao's heart was moved and his expression softened.
The lady didn't notice Chu Lingxiao's distraction, and said confidently, "You just don't understand women's hearts!"
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"For a mother, her child is her lifeblood. If it weren't for Sister Chen, Azhi wouldn't have divorced you!"
"Now for Sister Chen, she will be soft-hearted and consider everything for Sister Chen. Think about it, it's impossible for the mother of the country to have divorced her parents, right? Do you think the prince can afford to lose face like this?"
"Perhaps because Sister Chen's birth is flawed and has given rise to gossip, the Prince of Chen wants to make her his queen."
These words were not only used to persuade Shen Zhi, but the lady herself also thought so.
Therefore, this matter should be dealt with quickly rather than later. If Prince Chen really deposed Shen Qianchen and appointed a new queen, then the wealth of their Chu family would be greatly reduced.
Chu Lingxiao thought about it and felt that this was the truth. He became anxious and quickly stood up and said, "Mom, I'll go find Ah Zhi now."
"Wait!" The lady reached out and held him back, feeling relieved. "You just came back today. Have a good rest first, clean yourself up, and go tomorrow."
As they were talking, the mother and son arrived at the door of Chu Lingxiao's outer study and stopped under the eaves . The lady looked her eldest son up and down and couldn't help but sigh.
The clothes Chu Lingxiao was wearing were already dirty and torn, his face was covered with dark stubble, his hair was greasy, and he looked so unkempt that he looked as if he had just crawled out of a bowl of rotten food from the previous night. He looked no different from a beggar on the street.
If Chu Lingxiao went to see Shen Zhi like this, the lady would be afraid that it would backfire.
Therefore, Nanny Wang quickly ordered the head maid to prepare a bathtub, hot water, etc. for Chu Lingxiao.
The lady thought hesitantly for a while, then said with determination: "When you see Ah Zhi, tell her that the title will be passed on to Mu Ge'er in the future."
"If it really doesn't work, just give Brother Yi away as an adoptive son."
"Mom!" Chu Lingxiao blurted out in shock. Chu Yunyi was his most beloved son.
After saying this, the lady felt relieved and said earnestly, "Lingxiao, do you still remember your fourth cousin Chu Lingxiang? He is almost forty years old and has no children. He has always wanted to adopt a child. Why not adopt Brother Yi out?"
"..." Chu Lingxiao's face didn't look good.
The lady continued, "You also know that Ah Zhi's heart has always been with Brother Yi and Sister Huang, so let's adopt them out together. From now on, the title will of course belong to Brother Mu."
"In this way, Azhi will also feel relieved."
In the eyes of the lady, Chu Lingxiao and Shen Zhi already have a son and a daughter, and both of them are almost thirty years old. In fact, they are no longer at the age of jealousy. As long as the interests of their children can be protected, Shen Zhi will naturally take a step back.
Even if Pei Linye really had some feelings for Shen Zhi, how could this couple who got married later in life be compared to Chu Lingxiao and Shen Zhi who were a young couple.
After all, Chu Lingxiao was too cruel. His actions hurt Shen Zhi's heart first. As long as he was willing to bow his head and express his stance, he would be able to coax Shen Zhi back, and the family would live in harmony in the future.
Their Chu family can also move to a higher level!
"Lingxiao, you are a man, can't you see the conflict of interest?" The lady patted Chu Lingxiao's upper arm.
She wanted to persuade him a little more, but a maid who was guarding outside the courtyard came in and said, "Madam, Master, Aunt Jiang is here."
Hearing this, the lady closed her mouth and said nothing more.
After a while, a graceful figure in a water-green embroidered skirt was seen walking towards this side. She was like a weeping willow or a delicate flower, with a slender and graceful figure.
"Cousin!" Aunt Jiang was not wearing any jewelry, only a simple pearl hairpin in her hair. Although she was dressed simply, she looked bright and elegant, with a delicate but not coquettish charm all over her body.
When she walked in front of Chu Lingxiao, her affectionate eyes were already filled with crystal tears. Her eyelashes trembled, and a line of tears slid down the right corner of her eye, but her eyes did not blink for a moment, staring at Chu Lingxiao infatuatedly.
As soon as the lady saw Aunt Jiang, she thought of Chu Yunyi and Chu Qianhuang, brother and sister, and she couldn't stand it anymore.
She cleared her throat and said gently, "Minshan, please take good care of Lingxiao. I'll go back first."
Aunt Jiang quickly bowed to the lady-in-waiting and respectfully saw her off.
At this time, the maid came out of the study and said respectfully, "Master, Auntie, the hot water for bathing is ready."
Aunt Jiang curled her lips slightly, took Chu Lingxiao's arm and walked inside, saying softly: "Lingxiao, let me help you wash up."
"You've lost weight. You've suffered a lot these days!"
"Later, I'll have someone call a doctor to come to the mansion to take your pulse."
With the soft jade and warm fragrance by his side, the beautiful woman was gentle and considerate, which made Chu Lingxiao feel quite comfortable watching and listening to her. The hardships of the past few days seemed to be swept away with her words, and he felt relaxed all over.
Even if he had to face Shen Zhi's cold words tomorrow, Chu Lingxiao didn't think it was a big deal.
Afterwards, Chu Lingxiao bathed, changed clothes, shaved, and trimmed his nails under the care of Aunt Jiang. It took more than an hour before he felt completely reborn.
After a good night's rest, Chu Lingxiao went to Shen's house the next day in high spirits, but was turned away.
(End of this chapter)