Chu Xiang did not expect the pair of mother and son to have such conflicting views. In order to achieve his ambitious goals, Lee Bohan needed the royal palace to be void of any spies and strictly guarded. But with Royal Concubine Yu’s overestimation of her own abilities, she would often cause trouble for him. In a situation where even a single slip may cause everlasting sorrows, Lee Bohan could not afford to allow any sort of mistakes to take place in the royal palace and thus naturally hopes for his mother to enjoy the later years of her life.
However, their conflicting views actually benefited Chu Xiang as she would be able to continue acting like the jealous woman. As long as she took good care of Royal Concubine Yu, Lee Bohan would definitely give her the greatest freedom.
Looking at the color of the sky outside, Lee Bohan asked, “Your father had always believed that you were ill. Do you want to meet him today?”
“In that case, I’ll go visit them personally. I assume they’re doing well?” Chu Xiang took a seat in front of the mirror and changed her hairpin.
Walking behind her, Lee Bohan took the hairpin and helped her stick it through her hair. “Your parents and two elder brothers are both doing fine. However, your eldest sister-in-law fell ill during her time in prison while your second sister-in-law had a miscarriage. Thus, they’re both in the process of recovering from that right now. Your nephew and niece are doing well.”
Chu Xiang acknowledged his words with a soft hum. “Your Highness, thank you for saving them. Has my father seen the letter I wrote for him? What did he say?”
“At that time, Father-in-law sighed and said that you’ve matured after going through an experience of life and death, no longer the same adorable daughter he remembered.” Lee Bohan placed his hands on her shoulder and looked at her through the mirror. He asked out of curiosity, “Are you really that different from the past you? How could there possibly be someone like you in this world, capable of accomplishing things you should’ve never done before? Could it be that you’re some sort of immortal who descended from the heavens?”
Chu Xiang let out a slight giggle. “Have you gotten into the habit of acting? Even acting when we’re alone inside, do you want me to say that you’re a god who descended upon the earth? The world is a big place filled with all kinds of extraordinary people. You’ve only happened to come across one of them, so why make such a big fuss about it? If you want me to cook for you, my cooking can’t even compare to that of a peasant woman.”
“Why does it feel like you particularly care about your cooking? Do you want to learn how to cook?” Lee Bohan pulled a chair over and sat down. Leaning against the side of the dressing table, he then stared at her touching up her brows.
While doing her makeup, Chu Xiang said, “I was starving so much in the doghouse that I felt that I ought to learn how to cook.”
Lee Bohan thought back to the scene when they first met. Back then, it would have been fairly reasonable for him to snap her neck in order to prevent any issues from arising in the future. However, after he saw her holding onto the pigeons, he subconsciously figured that she was different compared to the others.
“Fortunately, I followed you back to the doghouse that day. Otherwise, I would never have discovered a gem like you.”
Chu Xiang tidied her clothes. “I will serve and assist you with all my heart from now onwards. You should let anyone trouble me either. I simply want to live a free and unrestrained life, okay?”
“Alright,” Lee Bohan responded with a smile before ordering his men to bring her over to visit her family. Figuring that they had many things to catch up on, he chose not to go and interrupt them.
With that, he had somewhat ascertained Chu Xiang’s personality. She was someone who despised having their freedom taken away from them and hated being trapped in a cage. He could not comprehend just how Grand Chancellor Chu and the rest of her family managed to raise such a strange daughter.
Chu Yiru and the others lived in an official residence not far from the royal palace. Having changed his name from Chu Yiru to Chu Yi, nowadays, he lived in hiding as one of Lee Bohan’s advisors. Afraid of getting discovered, he would rarely ever leave the house. Only a handful of individuals knew of their stay in this place.
Lightly dressed, Chu Xiang walked into the room from the back entrance of the Chu residence. Upon entering the place, she saw her entire family waiting in anticipation for her—their faces filled with excitement.
“Xiang’er! It’s really Xiang’er!” Miss Lin slowly approached her and grasped her firmly onto her hand with tears dripping her cheeks. “Xiang’er, I finally get to see you!”
Chu Xiang hugged her back and chuckled, “Mom, isn’t this our family reunion? It should be a day of celebration, so don’t cry.”
Chu Yi cleared his throat. “Xiang’er is right. Today is a day of celebration. Let’s head over to the living room. It isn’t every day that our family gathers together like this, so let’s have a good chat and catch up on everything when we’re given the chance.”
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