Chapter 107: Lu Yuan Ze Kneels
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
Lu Yuan Ze was so enraged that he fainted on the spot. The banquet’s distinguished guests, usually so cautious about their reputations, couldn’t keep the scandalous news contained. Lu Chao Chao spread the gossip like wildfire throughout the city, fueling the public’s appetite for juicy tidbits.
“Did you hear? Marquis Yuan Ze is impotent!”
“Oh my, he went wild. They say he was caught in the act at his daughter’s first birthday banquet!”
“Shameless! And it was his daughter’s first birthday banquet!”
“There’s even more scandalous news! Remember the genius Lu Jing Huai? He’s actually Marquis Yuan Ze’s son!”
“Madam Pei is Marquis Yuan Ze’s mistress!”
“Madam Xu, the pampered only daughter of the Xu family, was deemed unsuitable by Tutor Xu. Yet, Marquis Yuan Ze knelt at their door for three days and nights while Madam Xu went on a hunger strike, causing a rift with her family before finally marrying him.”
“Despite the family split, Madam Xu’s dowry was so lavish it made people green with envy.”
“I also heard Marquis Yuan Ze hasn’t visited the Xu family for years, and Madam Xu hasn’t returned home either due to her husband’s dislike of her maiden family.”
“I once saw Tutor Xu secretly watching his daughter from a corner. The heart of a parent is truly pitiable.”
“Oh dear, she sacrificed so much, and who would’ve thought Marquis Yuan Ze was such a person!”
“Lu Jing Huai and Lu Yan Shu are about the same age. It seems Marquis Yuan Ze was already involved with his mistress when he was begging to marry Madam Xu.” The crowd buzzed with speculation after that last bit.
“Lu Jing Huai squanders wealth, and it turns out he’s spending Madam Xu’s dowry. How shameless!”
“Later, Madam Xu even sued them, and the whole family had to sell everything to repay the money. Oh my, where do they get the nerve to commit such acts in the Marquis’s residence?”
“Madam Xu is truly a tragic figure. Not only did she support the entire Marquis’s household, but she also supported Marquis Yuan Ze’s mistress’s family!”
While the entire capital spouted scornful words towards the indecent couple, the Xu family finally paid a visit to the Marquis’s estate.
Xu Yi Ting, along with his wife, Mrs. Zhou, stood sternly at the entrance of the hall. Dragging his sickly body, Lu Yuan Ze struggled to get up from bed. As soon as he entered the reception door, Xu Yi Ting kicked him to the ground.
Marquis Zhongyong, barely surviving a close call with death, now felt so much pain that his mouth filled with the taste of blood.
“What did you say when you begged to marry my sister back then? Do you remember?” Xu Yi Ting, a healthy and strong man, delivered a punch that caused blood to stream from Lu Yuan Ze’s nose and mouth.
Rolling up his sleeves, Xu Yi Ting presented a striking contrast to the frail Marquis. “You despicable creature, how dare you betray her! She starved herself for you, tried to hang herself for you, and broke ties with her family just to marry you! How dare you betray her!”
Xu Yi Ting’s eyes were bloodshot. He had long discovered Lu Yuan Ze’s mistress, and now he finally had the chance for revenge!
Mrs. Zhou hurried forward to intervene, saying, “Don’t use force; let’s talk it out. Marquis Yuan Ze, calm down. Husband, you calm down too.” She tightly grasped Xu Yi Ting’s arm, urging him to stay calm.
As she pulled him aside, Lu Yuan Ze, already weak, took two more kicks. The force of the kicks sent him flying into the doorframe with a loud thud, causing his whole body to curl up in pain.
“My son, my son!” The old lady, hearing the commotion, rushed over in panic. Seeing her son writhing in pain on the ground, she cried out for a doctor. “Xu family’s brat, what do you mean by this? How dare you come to the Marquis’s residence and harm someone! If Madam Xu Yun were capable of managing her man, Yuan Ze wouldn’t have gone out to find someone else!”
Mrs. Zhou gave Xu Yi Ting a tug and gently shook her head. Although this old woman was vile, she still held the status of an elder. If Xu Yi Ting resorted to violence, the impeachment documents would be all over him tomorrow in court.
“Where is my sister?” Xu Yi Ting’s eyes were deep, holding back his anger. Just as he finished speaking, Deng Zhi spoke up, “Milord, Madam fainted from anger yesterday. Please, come with me to Tingfeng Yard.”
Unlike what others thought, Deng Zhi had arrived long ago and watched the whole show from the side. She intentionally waited for Marquis Yuan Ze to get beaten before appearing as her own form of revenge.
Xu Yi Ting followed the maid and servants to the backyard, expecting to find his sister in tears. But to his surprise…
“These bluestones cost quite a bit; remember to pry them out and take them. And bury that well in the backyard. Don’t leave a single chair or bench behind.” Madam Xu was holding a ledger, calculating everything. “By the way, I bought all the beds in the residence.”
Madam Xu was meticulously checking her expenses and left her older brother Xu Yi Ting looking bewildered.
“Brother? Brother, why are you here?” Madam Xu’s eyes sparkled upon seeing her brother.
Xu Yi Ting felt a twinge of sadness. Once, his sister was pampered and willful under their protection. Now, she had been tormented by Lu Yuan Ze into this state!
“If I didn’t come, I feared you’d be completely taken advantage of. Fortunately, you’re not entirely foolish.”
“Last night, the whole family was so angry they couldn’t sleep.” Mrs. Zhou approached and affectionately held her.
Seeing her sister-in-law’s rosy complexion and lack of distress, she was very surprised. This sister-in-law had been pampered since childhood and adored in the Xu family. Upon meeting Lu Yuan Ze, she seemed bewitched. Now, her eyes were clear again, and Mrs. Zhou was happy.
“You’ve finally come to your senses. As long as you’re not suffering, it’s good. Come home with us.”
Madam Xu touched her face at the concerns thrown her way. Unlike Pei Jiao Jiao, who was pampered outside like a young girl, she, however, had toiled for the Marquis’s household for half her life and, despite good maintenance, had aged significantly.
Seeing her relaxed demeanor, Xu Yi Ting and his wife finally breathed a sigh of relief. The couple didn’t linger long, only saying, “Sister, the Xu family’s doors are always open to you. We are forever family.” Mrs. Zhou held her hand, speaking earnestly.
Madam Xu nodded with a smile.
After seeing her brother and sister-in-law off, the maid announced that the old lady was summoning her to Deshan Hall. This request caused Madam Xu’s expression to turn cold.
That night, Madam Xu crossed the corridor, following the maid and servants, arriving outside Deshan Hall where Lu Yuan Ze and the old lady were seated in the main seats – the latter was silent, and the former looked utterly embarrassed, unable to meet his wife’s gaze.
“Wife, now that things have come to this point, I admit, I have wronged you.” Lu Yuan Ze slowly stood up and used his usual tactic of trying to soften his wife up. “Wife, I truly admire you. I didn’t want to hurt you, so I kept Pei Jiao Jiao outside. Wife, can you acknowledge Jing Huai and Jing Yao as your own, making them your legitimate children? Jiao Jiao is from a humble background and can’t be the main wife of the Marquis.”
Pei Jiao Jiao never would’ve expected of being abandoned so quickly, nor could she predict that after this incident, every time Lu Yuan Ze saw her, he would be reminded of today’s disgrace.
“Wife, Yan Shu is already paralyzed. Zheng Yue has been a playboy for years, and Yuan Xiao is incredibly foolish, not even half as capable as Jing Huai.”
“Jing Huai respects and esteems you and will surely regard you as his own mother. If you acknowledge him as your son, allowing him to inherit the title of Marquis, would that be alright?” Lu Yuan Ze pleaded in a low voice.
Upon getting no reaction from his wife, Lu Yuan Ze quickly dismissed the servants and gritted his teeth. With a thud, he knelt on the ground, causing the old lady to shoot daggers with that glare at Madam Xu.
“Wife, we’ve been married for eighteen years. Save me once, save the Marquis household once, alright? The Marquis household cannot be without an heir.”
The old lady, with a sullen face, said darkly, “He only committed the mistake that all men under heaven would commit. He has knelt before you, what more do you want?”
Idiots. Annoying bunch. Someone should give that old witch a blow to her mouth….
The grandmother is shameless utterly shameless