The Return of the Pampered Wife

Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Age of Development

During the gruelling heat of the summer, many forces were hard at work in both the capital and other states, many for different reasons. The proud gongzhu of Northern Yue had long been banished to the imperial temple, forgotten and neglected. Although only a few months had passed, her appearance had taken a downfall. Her originally soft and dewy skin was rough and dry from the lack of care. The vegetarian food made her eerily slim. The months of loneliness had driven her to the point of insanity. Hate was the only thing fueling her to take on each day. Who was she hating ah? Dongfang Ru Huo who was in the comfort of her Fu, relaxing and getting more and more pampered day by day. The difference was comparable to the sky and the earth.

The royal palace of Northern Yue had also been swept up in a storm. Many fractions were clashing and for the Empress, Chen Wu Luan being sent to Southern Xu as a possible Crown Princess, was a stain to her dignity. Yet, she was overflowing with glee when a letter from the Southern Xu Empress came. Not only could she demote Chen Wu Luan to a mere ce fei, she now had a chance to send her own daughter, Chen Qing Qing as Crown Princess to be Empress. A mere daughter of a Prime Minister was not at all a rival to her daughter, the Di gongzhu of Northern Yue. The only thing she had to do was pillow talk the Emperor into it. She sneered in contempt at the thought of the lecherous Emperor. Soon enough, a letter returned to the weiyang palace in Southern Xu. The Empress's face only revealed a grim expression before she put the letter down.

- - -

"Da Xiaojie! Laoye is here!" A few receiving yatou announced from the door. Soon, a middle age man entered. Ru Huo greeted him carefully, then ushered him to the main seat.

"Huo'er, why not call your er mei back ah?" Dongfang Tian Qing's face showed weariness, as if the young girl in front of him was a force he needed to put much effort into. Although Ru Huo's face was frozen in the same sweet smile, her thoughts were not in accordance with her actions.

"Fuqin, er mei was supposed to pray for our family was she not?" A mellow and charming voice gently refuted Dongfang Tian Qing's words. For the last few months, Dongfang Tian Qing had been attempting to persuade Ru Huo to call Dongfang Wou You back. He was always met with a firm refusal. Over time, he could feel Ru Huo's distant attitude towards him.

"She has learned her lesson. Huo'er, you go see her and you'll see ah!" For the last few months, Ru Huo had refused to meet her er mei. Ru Huo raised her eyes to see Dongfang Tian Qing's haggard looking face. His efforts at trying to keep the Fu together did not escape her eyes. However, the amount of hate she felt toward Wou You simply did not allow her to call her back ah! Ru Huo recollected her thoughts. She had to go collect her 'tea' from the An Fu and a look wouldn't change her mind much. A simple nod from Ru Huo made Dongfang Tian Qing's burdens from the last few months melt away. Dongfang Tian Qing let out a relieved laugh and smiled warmly.

"Huo'er. You won't regret it ah!" Then, he stood up, and gave Ru Huo a hug before leaving swiftly.

Ru Huo got dressed in a yellow dress and half her hair was styled up. A few golden pins were used to decorate her hair. Then, she rode the carriage to An Fu. A few shadows closely followed the carriage as soon as it left the doors of Dongfang Fu.

"Da Xiaojie, are you really planning on calling Er Xiaojie back? After everything she had done to xiaojie, it really isn't anything compared to a few months of stuggle ah!" An Er stated with her cheeks puffed up. Her anger and injustice on behalf of her master was seen and Ru Huo's stiff expression faded like snow on a sunny day.

"If fuqin wants to call meimei back, there is nothing I can do to stop him." Ru Huo's frank comment instantly blocked the words about to come out of An Er's mouth. It was true. Although her xiaojie was in favor now, it was impossible to say if she would be in a few months. By going against laoye's words, not only would it block her future road, life in the fu would also become even harder. Although her xiaojie held most of the control in the fu, now that Tong Yiniang was going to manage the courtyard, the times that laoye visited her courtyard also increased and Dongfang Feng Qing was becoming increasingly favored. This was not good news to xiaojie now that laoye wanted to call er xiaojie back too.