Chapter 700: Rural Estate (2)

Chu Lian had nothing but disgust on her face the moment Xiao Bojian was mentioned.

Ever since she had come to the Great Wu, she had immediately drawn the line with him. Who could have known that he would stick to her like gum? She couldn’t even leave him behind no matter what she did. He was always lurking somewhere nearby at unexpected times.

She looked down at her large belly and thought for a bit before nodding.

“Alright, I’ll go to the rural estate. However, you have to be careful even when you’re alone in the capital.”

That very day, He Changdi personally escorted Chu Lian out to a rural estate on the outskirts of the capital.

Accompanying her were Wenqing, Wenlan, Xiyan, the two senior servants, as well as Great Doctor Miao, a midwife, a female physician and so on.

They used a plain, unmarked carriage and travelled by some secret routes made by Prince Jin’s subordinates, so no one was the wiser.

Thus, Chu Lian settled in to the rural estate and waited for her child to arrive.

This rural estate had been bestowed upon her when the emperor had given her the title of Honoured Lady Jinyi. She had never been here before, and she had just left it to the senior servants to manage on her behalf.

It was only during this trip that she finally found out what the estate looked like.

The estate was surrounded by lush, green mountains. It had been one of the imperial family’s estates previously, so it had good scenery. This area was close to the tea garden that Chu Lian had bought.

Despite the harsh winds of winter blowing, the tea garden was still a vibrant patch of green, giving an elegant touch to the area.

The weather had been good these few days. Chu Lian had followed Great Doctor Miao’s advice and would have Wenqing support her as she walked a slow round outside every day. Moving her body would be good for a smooth delivery.

He Changdi couldn’t visit every day. Even if he managed to come to the rural estate, it would be late in the night.

Chu Lian had already gotten used to his absence.

On the fourth of December, the cold and frigid weather had given way for an abnormally warm and sunny day. After breakfast, Wenqing and Wenlan accompanied Chu Lian for a walk to the tea garden.

Following beside them was Imperial Physician Li, the female physician who had treated Chu Lian at the spring hunt. He Changdi had requested for her from the Imperial Physician Institute for Chu Lian’s delivery.

Afraid that Chu Lian’s labour would start at any moment, Physician Li had stuck close to her side these two days.

As the ladies accompanied Chu Lian in a slow walk, Physician Li asked with a smile, “Madam, do you feel anything different about your body today?”

Chu Lian was wearing a light yellow brocade dress today. On the outside, she had a soft, white rabbit fur cloak. Her smooth hair had been pulled up into a simple bun with two locks framing her face, giving her youthful face a motherly appearance. Her hair was fixed in place with a single white jade hairpin. If not for her swollen belly, she might have looked like a young, unmarried lady instead.

Chu Lian shook her head and rubbed her belly lovingly. “No, I feel fine. I’ll be troubling you in the the next few days, Physician Liu.”

Physician Liu was keeping pace with Chu Lian, “Not at all, Madam. This is part of my job.”

As the warm sunshine beat down on them, it gave a golden glow to the entire tea garden. There wasn’t any wind blowing today too. The warm sunlight on her body kept her warm, while the fresh air from the tea bushes brightened her mood.

Chu Lian didn’t feel tired at all even after walking for more than fifteen minutes. As she gazed out at the fields of green, the worries from the past few days seemed to have dissipated.

She turned to Wenqing and ordered, “Let’s walk for another fifteen minutes.”

Wenqing and Wenlan were happy to hear that. When the weather wasn’t very good, Chu Lian wasn’t willing to leave the estate at all with her cumbersome body. They would always have to coax her for a long time before she would get up and move around.

Senior Servant Zhong had already told them that Madam’s belly was too big for her first child and that she would have to exercise often before the birth, otherwise the delivery would be difficult.

If Master was around, he would have been able to persuade Madam to go out in a few words, but they didn’t have that ability.

While Chu Lian was walking slowly at the borders of the tea garden, she didn’t notice two girls dressed as villagers not too far away.

When Chu Yuan passed by the little lane next to the tea garden, carrying a basket of vegetables, she abruptly stopped and stared with wide, disbelieving eyes at the noble madam being supported by a maidservant.

The handmaid Xiaoqin found it strange that her miss had suddenly stopped in her tracks. She turned to ask, “Miss, what’s wrong?”

Following Miss Yuan’s gaze, Xiaoqin couldn’t help but gasp at the sight, “Sixth MIss!”

Miss Yuan was brought back to her senses by the maidservant’s exclamation. She turned to glare viciously at the maidservant, “Quiet!”

Xiaoqin hurriedly nodded her head in acknowledgement.

While the woman in the tea garden was dressed simply, anyone with a discerning eye would be able to tell that her clothes were all made of top-quality materials even at this distance.

Her dress was made from imperial brocade, while her mantle was made of Sichuan brocade. Even that jade hairpin on her head was made from the rare and glossy white jade.

Back in their days in the Ying Estate, Sixth Miss Chu Lian had always been a pitiful sight. She hadn’t even owned any presentable accessories. However, now she was living a life of luxury, served by scores of servants. Marquis Anyuan treated her like a precious treasure. Even if she wanted to, Chu Yuan couldn’t stop her immense jealousy from showing in her eyes.

Even though they had been born to the same father, why was there such a huge difference in their fates?!

She was also a legitimate miss of House Ying. How was it that Chu Lian had been able to marry such a good husband, while she had been bestowed to a half-wit! Even Xiao Bojian still carried lingering feelings for Chu Lian.

Looking at the joy on Chu Lian’s face as she enjoyed her walk in the tea garden, the venom in Chu Yuan’s eyes was almost tangible.

Xiao Bojian had been searching all over for new of Chu Lian in secret. Who could have thought that she had been sent out to this rural estate by He Changdi? The fact that she had managed to stumble upon Chu Lian must have been the will of the heavens!

Xiaoqin was panic-stricken by the sight of Sixth Miss. She carefully reminded Chu Yuan, “Miss, let’s hurry and leave. If Sixth Miss finds out we’re hiding here, it’ll be bad for us.”

Chu Yuan suddenly let out a grim laugh. She pulled Xiaoqin along as she turned and ran away. In her heart, she was still thinking: ‘Bad for us? Hmph, it’s going to be bad for Chu Lian instead!’