Chapter 117: A Father’s Face Slap

This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation

Lu Chao Chao was seething with rage.

She leapt up and slapped him, though her small stature only allowed her to hit his knee. Frustrated at her own height, she burst into louder sobs.

Xuan Ji Chuan was at a complete loss, fumbling through apologies, but Lu Chao Chao ignored him entirely. Instead, she climbed into the carriage, carried by Yu Qin, muttering and sniffling.

As she crawled into the carriage, the little one sniffled and muttered, “Curse him, curse him…” between hiccupping sobs. No one took her seriously, assuming it was just a childish tantrum.

Meanwhile, Madam Xu seemed distracted as she entered the carriage.

It had been only three days since her divorce, yet someone had already proposed to her?

General Song, who had been pardoned as a former bandit from Fufeng Mountain, had become a trusted aide of the Emperor. Now, he was sending someone to propose marriage? Madam Xu was utterly baffled.

But the surprises didn’t stop there.

As soon as she stepped out of the carriage, an imperial reward was delivered.

Eunuch Wang, eyes crinkling with a warm smile, presented the gifts.

“Madam Xu, spring has arrived and the weather is warming. His Majesty has sent these fabrics and some novel items for you. We hope you won’t find them too modest.”

Most of the items were meant for children.

Madam Xu, overwhelmed and bewildered, thanked the Emperor for his grace as she stared at the room full of rare treasures in stunned silence.

“Gifts from the Song family. Gifts from the palace,” she murmured. “What does this mean?”

Her bewilderment deepened.

[How is this possible? I’m just a cast-off, divorced and discarded!]

Deng Zhi, after tallying the rewards, had a peculiar expression.

“Madam, this doesn’t seem right. Why would His Majesty bestow gifts of such a personal nature?”

Among the items were even a few pairs of mandarin ducks.

[Maybe he wants to be my dad?] thought Lu Chao Chao to herself.

Madam Xu’s heart jumped in fright. This child’s imagination knew no bounds!

[The Emperor wants to marry me? I already have three sons and a daughter! No way…right?]

But Lu Chao Chao, playing with ants nearby, thought otherwise. Why not?

After all, every time she visited the palace, His Majesty would ask, “Can I be your father?”

Even she was growing annoyed by it.

“Mother, if you want to remarry, Yan Shu will fully support you. Don’t worry about us. Everyone deserves happiness,” said Lu Yan Shu, his expression resolute as he stood at the doorway.

“Besides, Mother, you were deceived for eighteen years. He didn’t cherish you, but someone else will.”

Madam Xu couldn’t help but laugh at his sincerity.

“I have you all. Why would I remarry? Don’t overthink things. Tomorrow, we have to visit the Chief Minister for your apprenticeship. Get some rest.”

She had never considered remarrying. At least, not for now.

Lu Yan Shu nodded quietly.

…

The next morning, Madam Xu personally accompanied Lu Yan Shu and Lu Chao Chao to visit the Chief Minister’s residence.

Chief Minister Yuan was a renowned scholar of their time, having only accepted four disciples. Three of them had become top-ranking scholars in past imperial exams, while the fourth, though unacknowledged by the Chief Minister, was now the headmaster of the prestigious Soaring Elegance Academy.

Countless aspirants sought to study under him.

As Madam Xu alighted from the carriage, she spotted a familiar face by the gate. It was a stroke of bad luck.

Her brows arched slightly, a flicker of disdain in her gaze.

Lu Yuan Ze stood outside with Lu Jing Huai, clearly waiting. Upon seeing her, he frowned deeply.

“Xu Shi, I heard that just three days after your divorce, someone proposed to you?” he sneered. “Pfft, you’ll never find a man better than me in this lifetime.”

Madam Xu’s maid Deng Zhi spat, “You mean there’s no man as shameless or vile as you?”

She hurried to assist Lu Yan Shu out of the carriage, pushing his wheelchair.

Lu Yuan Ze smirked coldly. “What’s this? You’re here to seek a teacher?”

He glanced at his eldest son, then at Lu Jing Huai.

“Yan Shu, you’re paralyzed. You can’t take the imperial exams. The Chief Minister has high standards. How could he ever accept you? Go home and stop humiliating yourself.”

In Lu Yuan Ze’s eyes, his son was no competition. Yan Shu was disabled and hadn’t touched a book in ten years. How could he measure up to Jing Huai’s brilliance?

With a sneer, Lu Yuan Ze pulled out his letter of recommendation and knocked on the Chief Minister’s gate.

The gatekeeper peeked out through a small door.

“I am Marquis Zhongyong, here with my son to seek an audience with the Chief Minister. This is my recommendation letter,” said Lu Yuan Ze with a smug air as he handed over the letter.

The gatekeeper glanced at the letter. “The Chief Minister is not home today. Please come back tomorrow.”

Lu Yuan Ze’s face darkened.

“My son, Lu Jing Huai, is renowned in the capital for his talent. He greatly admires the Chief Minister and only seeks his guidance.”

But the gatekeeper was unimpressed. “Marquis, please don’t make things difficult. Even if the Emperor himself came, the Chief Minister is not home.”

Frustrated, Lu Yuan Ze had no choice but to retreat. His temper flared as he turned back toward Madam Xu.

“If Jing Huai couldn’t get in, what makes you think you can?” he sneered.

Madam Xu ignored him and stepped forward, presenting her own recommendation.

“My son, Lu Yan Shu, seeks the Chief Minister’s guidance. May I trouble you to deliver this for us?” she asked politely, her demeanor gentle and calm, unlike Lu Yuan Ze’s arrogance.

The gatekeeper softened slightly. “Madam, the Chief Minister truly isn’t home. Perhaps you can return tomorrow?”

Lu Yuan Ze chuckled derisively. Did she think her reputation held any weight here?

Before the gatekeeper could finish, Lu Chao Chao tugged at his pants. The little one fumbled around and pulled out a crescent-shaped jade pendant—a token given to her by Yuan Man, which she had painstakingly dug out that morning.

“Here. For you!” she said, standing on tiptoe to hand it over.

The gatekeeper almost dropped it. “Madam, bribery won’t help. Besides…” He glanced at the pendant and froze, his expression changing drastically.

This was the ancestral jade of the Yuan family!

The Chief Minister’s family, having only one descendant per generation, had passed this jade down to Yuan Man. Recently, when the young master had been abducted, the Old Madam had nearly fainted from grief. The child was eventually rescued, and this jade had been given to his savior as a token of gratitude.

The gatekeeper’s casual attitude transformed into utter reverence. He dropped to his knees with a thud.

“A noble benefactor!”

Madam Xu was startled.

“Please wait here. Don’t leave! I’ll notify the Chief Minister immediately!” The gatekeeper hastily returned the pendant to Lu Chao Chao and ran off in a panic.

In no time, hurried footsteps approached from within.

“A noble benefactor has arrived. Open the main gate!” boomed a voice full of authority.

With a heavy creak, the grand doors swung open.

Madam Xu glanced inside and froze in shock at the sight of a crowd gathered in welcome. She instinctively stepped back, overwhelmed.

Leading the group was the Old Madam of the Yuan family, her expression solemn and her attire immaculate, radiating a sense of importance. The rest of the household followed behind, including servants and family members, all gathered respectfully.

By her side stood a young boy, just a few years old, clutching her hand.

Lu Yuan Ze, who had failed to even enter, stood stunned as the grand gates opened not for him or his son, but for Lu Chao Chao, who was greeted with the utmost reverence by the entire Yuan family.

[Story Wiki]

[Table of Content]

[Previous Chapter]

[Next Chapter]