Proud Feather

Chapter 11 Maternal Family
As soon as Chu Ling said she wanted to go to the Anguo Mansion, the emperor immediately agreed. The atmosphere in the palace was depressing, and he was worried that his daughter would become sick from boredom. Having several sisters in her maternal grandmother's family would also help to cheer her up.

So, the next day, Chu Ling went to the Duke of Anguo's Mansion with a large cart of gifts prepared by Concubine Shu.

When she saw her white-haired grandmother, her eyes immediately turned red.

The people she felt most sorry for in her previous life, besides her father, were her grandmother.

At first, she was angry with the emperor, and her grandmother repeatedly advised her, but she would not listen. Later, she got into trouble, and her grandmother was afraid that the emperor would blame her, so she brought her mother's belongings to the palace and knelt there for an entire afternoon.

When she left the capital, her grandmother hugged her and cried, saying that she was afraid they would never see each other again in this lifetime. As a result, her words came true. Not long after she left, her grandmother fell ill and died along with her father.

That’s not all. After my grandmother died, the Anguo Mansion lost its protection, and my uncle was falsely accused of collaborating with the enemy. It was said that he resented the late emperor because his father and brother died in battle. In the end, his property was confiscated and his family was exterminated.

Unable to leave Shangyuan, Chu Ling could only send a messenger back to the capital. However, it was too late. His uncle committed suicide in prison, and the women in his family followed suit. Even his two married cousins were not spared. The Feng family, a family of loyal and brave men, died on the battlefield, ultimately ending in annihilation.

Thinking of this incident, Chu Ling hated his second brother to the core.

The Anguo Mansion has fallen into decline, and there are no male descendants in the next generation. Yet he doesn't let them go. How cruel!
Now, looking at her still-living grandmother, she felt extremely remorseful and cried out, "Grandma!"

Seeing her like this, the old lady of the Duke of Anguo finally burst into tears that she had been holding back with great difficulty: "A Ling!"

The grandfather and grandson embraced each other and cried bitterly until the Duke's wife, Madam Du, came to persuade them, "Mother has just recovered from her illness. She should not continue to grieve and harm her health. The princess is still young. What will happen if she is emotionally hurt?"

The last sentence persuaded the old lady. Yes, the child fainted while crying at the funeral. She must not follow her mother's old path.

"I'm just getting old and confused." The old lady wiped the tears from her face and forced a smile, "Don't cry, A Ling, grandma is fine. Come on, let's talk inside."

The Anguo Mansion was now sparsely populated. Aside from the family of Feng Xiao, the heir to the title, there were only two widowed wives. Both wives had only one daughter, and Feng Xiao himself had only one daughter. With so few people living in such a large mansion, it was inevitably lonely and desolate.

In the past, everyone was looking forward to Chu Ling's arrival. She was lively and would play with her sisters, bringing laughter and liveliness to the garden.

Naturally, no one could laugh these days, and they deliberately avoided talking about sad things, only chatting about insignificant gossip. Chu Ling also tried to please her, picking up some funny and heartwarming things to talk about, which finally put a smile on her grandmother's face.

——The eldest brother is gone, and the others must go on living.

After lunch, the old lady said, "A Ling, you've been talking to grandma for so long, why don't you relax and go play with your sisters?"

Seeing the weariness on her face, Chu Ling readily agreed: "Okay, Grandma, take a break first, I'll come back later."

The old lady smiled and nodded, watching her and the young ladies walk away, and the expression on her face gradually faded.

The Duke's wife sighed and said, "The princess has become much more sensible."

The old lady smiled bitterly, "I'd rather she wasn't sensible. I heard she was very caring towards the elders during the mourning period. Everyone said her kindness was very much like the prince's, but I felt very sad when I heard that."

The Second Lady said, "This isn't a bad thing. With the Crown Prince gone, the Princess will be able to protect herself if she becomes sensible. The Imperial Palace may be ablaze with glory, but who knows how many hidden arrows are hurled at it from behind."

Hearing her mention it, the old lady's face turned ugly and she slapped the armrest vigorously: "If I find out which bitch harmed Ayi, I will kill him even if I have to sacrifice my old bones!"

The Duke's wife looked at the broken armrest and her heart skipped a beat. "Mother, this isn't a battlefield. We can't just go about killing people." The old lady realized she had lost control and apologized as she had the chair removed. "It needs fixing again. Blame my quick hands!"

The eldest lady couldn't help but curl her lips: "Everyone says that the princess has a lively personality, unlike the late queen. I think she looks exactly like her mother."

The Second Lady agreed, "Besides, Mother has never shown her temper in front of the Princess. They are so similar, the blood relationship is truly wonderful."

Speaking of this, the old lady showed a bit of pride: "That's true. When I was young, my father didn't let me go to the battlefield, so I ran away secretly and won a battle. If I wasn't a daughter, maybe I could have become a general and been awarded a title or something."

Several ladies joined in the fun, and the atmosphere in the room became somewhat relaxed.

On the other side, Chu Ling and her three sisters were strolling in the garden.

Her eldest cousin, Feng Lingzhen, was a year older than her. She inherited the Feng family's military bloodline and loved wielding swords and spears. Her second cousin, Feng Lingyi, was the same age as her, but more gentle. Her third cousin, Feng Lingwei, was a year younger and her closest friend. The two of them used to play around everywhere, and no one dared to mess with them.

Chu Ling first glanced at Feng Lingzhen, who was itching all over, and said, "Cousin, you can do whatever you want. You don't have to accompany me."

Feng Lingzhen was stunned for a moment, then asked blankly, "Is that okay? You're not going to complain to Grandma, are you?"

Chu Ling couldn't help but laugh. Her eldest cousin was straightforward and couldn't stand her reckless behavior, so they didn't get along very well. But later, when she was demoted to Shangyuan, her eldest cousin often sent her letters.

Her eldest cousin's letters were different from others. She didn't lament the passing of time, but simply asked about the north and the western frontier. She lamented that she had no chance, otherwise she would have joined the army and fought in the battlefield. Every time she received a letter from her eldest cousin, she felt very happy, as if being demoted to Shangyuan was a blessing.

But now, let’s let my cousin go!

"You're too lazy to entertain me, and I'm too lazy to entertain you. We can both get a bargain, isn't that great?"

Feng Lingzhen thought about it and felt relieved: "Then I'll go! If you need anything, please send someone to call me."

Chu Ling agreed and looked at Feng Lingyi again: "Second cousin, you can leave too."

Feng Lingyi shook her head: "There's nothing to do when we get home, so I'll just go shopping with you guys!"

Chu Ling knew she was worried, so he accepted her kindness and said, "Okay then!"

Only the third cousin was genuinely happy. She pulled her aside and said, "A Ling, I just got a bird that can speak human language. Do you want to go and see it?"

Chu Ling had seen that bird in her previous life, and she immediately remembered it when she mentioned it: "Really? Where did it come from?"

"Tian Huier lost to me. You don't know, she insisted on competing with me in pitching pots..."

Tian Huier! This name brought back distant memories for Chu Ling.

She remembered that the first time she quarreled with her father in her previous life was because of Tian Huier.

(End of this chapter)