Chapter 20: Poisoned Wine

Chapter 20 The Poisoned Wine

The children had lunch at Chen Yuhu’s and took an afternoon nap.

After waking up, they played for a while—with so many children, the house was bustling.

Sometimes it got a bit too loud and chaotic.

The younger Yuzhi occasionally came to complain, saying her older sisters refused to let her join their games because she was too young.

At times like these, Chen Yuhu had to step in to settle things, urging them to include their little sister.

After she’d sorted it out,

Chen Yuhu sat with the yiniangs, listening to the servant’s juicy gossip about the recent scandal that had rocked the entire capital.

A major incident had occurred at General Yu’s household.

General Yu was caught in an affair with his brother’s wife by his own wife, and the scandal had exploded into a huge drama.

It was said the general's mother fainted right then and there.

Both General Yu and his younger brother had only one son each, and now the legitimate eldest son of the second branch had effectively become the illegitimate son of the main branch.

This was more than just a family feud.

Chen Yuhu felt her rosy view of ancient times crumbling.

Looking up, she noticed everyone's jaws were still on the floor in shock and felt relieved—apparently, not everyone in ancient times was accustomed to such scandals.

As the servant vividly recounted how the two were caught in the act,

Chen Yuhu listened intently, barely able to control her expression.

It was totally explosive.

Even in modern times, this would be gossip talked about all over town.

General Yu's wife had already returned to her parents' home, waiting only for the divorce decree.

Chen Yuhu discussed the matter with the two yiniangs—whether it was better for the general's wife to divorce or not.

They deliberately discussed it in front of the girls, intending for them to hear.

Yiniang Hua said, "If she doesn’t divorce, she can hold this over the general for the rest of her life. As long as she can swallow her pride, easy days are ahead!"

Yiniang Hu said, "In my opinion, she should divorce. The general's wife is only thirty and can remarry. Her children are grown and should understand right from wrong."

"If the children are sensible, they’ll naturally look after their mother later. If they resent her for exposing the scandal and shaming him,"

"then she should divorce now, while she can still bear children, and start fresh. Leaving the past behind wouldn’t be a bad idea."

Chen Yuhu gained new respect for Yiniang Hu's perspective.

See! Everyone has their own calculations, regardless of status. Being too arrogant is unwise—it can come back to bite you.

Chen Yuhu put down her cup. "Qing Qing is right. Living the rest of her life with that disgusting husband—and the second branch’s woman might even be taken in as a concubine—"

"Life would be miserable! Better to make a clean break decisively. The children are grown anyway."

Qing Luo still sat by Chen Yuhu’s couch, listening with narrowed eyes, his young mind turning things over, who knows what.

The girls were also lost in thought.

Chen Yuhu hoped they would learn to tough it out when they have to, to achieve great things—

and to cut their losses decisively when the time called for it.

She loved seeing them mull things over.

In life, you can only rely on others so much.

She couldn’t be with the children forever—they needed the courage and ability to face and handle things themselves.

Finally, it was time for the children’s break from school. Chen Yuhu waited at home early in the morning.

The rooms had already been set up.

Seeing the two boys, now taller and more bookish-looking,

the family gathered together. The boys talked about their experiences at the academy—there were some cliques forming,

often related to family connections and their fathers’ political views.

Following Chen Yuhu’s advice, the two had steered clear of all that, focusing solely on their studies.

Since their father wasn’t in the capital, any drama had nothing to do with them.

Moreover, though their father was away, they attended an academy where their uncle was the dean, so no one dared to mess with them.

That was more than enough.

The room was buzzing with conversation when a maid entered and announced, "Second Young Master Lin is back."

Chen Yuhu immediately stood, and the whole family followed her out to welcome him.

Lin Qingtong had ridden home on horseback. He had come a long way—

at the very least, he seemed much more well-behaved; his former reckless attitude was almost entirely gone.

Seeing the whole family come out to greet him, Lin Qingtong didn’t try to hide his surprise.

He hadn’t expected his two brothers to return before him.

Lin Qingtong had grown taller and tanner over the year.

Chen Yuhu called on all her acting chops, looking at Lin Qingtong with a loving maternal look—

the same treatment she’d given the other two earlier.

By now, Chen Yuhu had mastered the art of playing the role of a mother perfectly.

Just as the family finished dinner amid lively chatter and began saying their goodbyes, a nanny suddenly entered.

Her face was serious, and everyone froze.

The nanny glanced at Chen Yuhu, then at the others. Chen Yuhu frowned.

"What major event has you so worked up? Has something happened to the Marquis?"

"No."

The matron quickly and firmly gave Chen Yuhu her answer.

For Chen Yuhu, as long as their main provider didn't collapse before the young masters grew up, nothing else was a major issue.

So she quickly relaxed, leaning back on the couch to drink her tea. Clearly, her attitude influenced the entire household.

After Chen Yuhu relaxed, it was evident that everyone in the room—from the servants to the masters—relaxed as well.

You could feel the relief in the room.

The matron continued, "The old madam from the Censor's household has sent a letter."

Chen Yuhu's expression turned more serious. Her old mother had always held the attitude that Chen Yuhu should make it on her own if possible, and if not, then so be it.

For her mother to send a letter, it certainly was no small thing.

Chen Yuhu took the letter and opened it in front of everyone.

The letter was brief, just a couple of lines.

But it made Chen Yuhu's heart pound like it was trying to jump out of her chest.

Roughly, it said: The wife of the third branch of the Earl of Cheng'en's household had been ordered to take poison, and Chen Yuhu was advised not to attend the funeral even if she heard the news.

Among the noble families in the capital, unless there was a blood feud, most families maintained some connections.

Major events like weddings or funerals would typically invite many guests.

The elderly lady wasn't sure if the Lin family had any dealings with the Earl of Cheng'en's household, but given that Chen Yuhu had been out socializing a lot over the past year, she was afraid Chen Yuhu might get herself into trouble.

The reason for the execution was simple: the Earl of Cheng'en's household was the Empress's family.

The Empress did not have a good relationship with her own family, and the title of Earl had been granted reluctantly for the sake of appearances.

However, her third brother was exceptionally talented and possessed a striking appearance.

With many autumn banquets taking place, he had somehow caught the Princess's eye.

The Grand Princess was the Emperor's only sister, still in the bloom of youth.

For reasons unknown, likely because talks with the Empress fell through, the Empress Dowager issued an edict ordering him to drink poison.

The elderly lady's letter was to remind Chen Yuhu to keep a low profile during this time and avoid social engagements.

After reading the letter, Chen Yuhu felt completely drained.

The Grand Princess took a liking to him, and he was given poison.

So simple, so careless with human life.

Chen Yuhu's heart trembled. She had originally planned to have her two concubines stay with her tonight but changed her mind.

"Qing Qing and Lian Er, you can go now! It's late, you should both get a good night's sleep. Everyone can go if there's nothing else."

"Limit who comes and goes in the residence these days. The boys should only go out when necessary."

Everyone bowed and said yes.

Chen Yuhu had no time to dwell on them. She was naturally cautious and knew that this matter would cause more trouble. The Empress was not someone to be trifled with.

Who knew what else might be dragged into this?

The Empress Dowager's dissatisfaction with the Empress stemmed from the fact that the Emperor's harem consisted of only the Empress.

But the Empress had single-handedly given birth to four princes, leaving the Empress Dowager with no grounds for criticism.

Yet she often complained that the harem was empty and wanted to bring her own niece into the palace to "share the burden" for the Empress.

In the wish-fulfillment stories for women, everything ends abruptly once the heroine becomes Empress. But who knows what happens after that?

Under imperial power, the heroine cannot always hold the upper hand.