Chapter 116 - 115 Broken-Hearted
Chu Lingxuan finally figured out why he always found Chen Afu familiar—it turned out that she looked too much like Mr. Chen!
Even though Chu Lingxuan didn’t explicitly express his thoughts, Manager Luo understood his master’s implication. He nodded and said, "Indeed, Madam Chen resembles Mr. Chen. It’s said that Mrs. Wang claimed to be pregnant a month after marrying Chen Ming. Considering that Chen Ming was close to death at that time, it’s hard to believe how..." He paused, before adding, "Besides, Mrs. Wang bore Madam Chen prematurely after only seven months of marriage. Without a doubt, Madam Chen is Mr. Chen’s legitimate daughter."
After he thought about the hardships faced by the mother and daughter, Chu Lingxuan sighed deeply, feeling a profound sense of sorrow. Little did he know, women like his own mother—laden with suffering, yet enduring—still existed in this world. Perhaps, to them, death was liberation. However, for the sake of their children, they chose to live on, despite their formidable circumstances.
He also remembered the first time he came across Chen Afu, who appeared so destitute, bullied by a county magistrate’s son. If not for his timely intervention, he dreaded the possible outcome. Regardless of everything, she was a genuine young lady of an official family. She deserved to live a life of dignity. Having thought this, he felt an urge to treat Yan even better...
Chu Lingxuan picked up his teacup and took a sip, before he impertinently remarked, "Mr. Chen’s reputation has always been impeccable. He’s known to be courteous and principled—an official of rare excellence. Not even the Emperor could help but applaud him, yet who would have guessed there’d be such a huge skeleton in his closet? If a ruthless person were to know and exploit this secret, his name would be ruined. As for the evils committed by Mrs. Chen, it remains a mystery whether he was truly uninformed or pretended to be ignorant. However, if he knew and let Mrs. Wang become pregnant, only to later drive her out, his character would indeed be questionable."
Luo Yuan bowed respectfully and said, "Mrs. Chen is very astute. When she sent Wang Juanniang away from The Chens, the news of Mr. Chen passing the exam in Hu’an province had yet to reach us in Jibei Province. He hadn’t returned, either. It’s uncertain whether The Tangs would have rushed to inform him. The reason she presented was that Mrs. Wang was unvirtuous and jealous. She claimed that Mrs. Wang’s inability to understand poetry and songs made her unfit to offer scholarly inspiration to her husband, hence she wanted to arrange for another concubine for her son. However, Mrs. Wang was not willing, creating a scene with tears and tantrums, even requesting to leave of her own accord. Mrs. Chen, infuriated to the point of a heart attack, had no choice but to send her back to her parents’ house. Regarding how Mrs. Chen forced Mrs. Wang to request departure, urgently urged Mrs. Wang’s stepmother to arrange her marriage, and managed to convince them to willingly consent without explaining the real reasons, remains unknown." He quickly added, "The fact that Mrs. Wang remarried so quickly might have been to secure a status for the child in her womb, I suppose."
Chu Lingxuan heavily dropped his teacup onto the table with a scoff, "Regardless of how eloquent the old woman might be, it cannot change the fact that her son cruelly sent Wang Juanniang away upon passing the exam! I absolutely despise people of this sort who resort to any means to fulfill their selfish desires."
Seeing that his master was enraged and remembering the hardship his own master had faced, Manager Luo couldn’t help feeling sour inside. After a moment of silence, he asked, "Master, Madam Chen is undoubtedly Mr. Chen’s own, erm... flesh and blood, should she continue to teach needlework to Miss Yan?"