Chapter 127: The Bloodshed Caused by Lu Chao Chao
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
Duke Xiao, once known for his iron will, now lay crumpled on the ground, clutching his chest with tears streaming down his face.
“The boy is not my son! Nor is the grandson mine!” His words came out in broken, desperate gasps as he ground his teeth in anguish.
Yesterday, Duke Xiao had been firm in his decision to confront Lu Chao Chao, determined to teach her a lesson. But today, she had completely outmaneuvered him with a revelation that hit like a royal flush in a high-stakes card game.
His voice now a mere whisper laced with irony, Duke Xiao tasted blood in his mouth, spitting it out before struggling to his feet. “I just owed some money; I never wanted it to lead to this ruin.”
“You shameless woman, how dare you cuckold me!” he roared, his voice echoing through the room. “Someone, seize that adulterer!” His vision blurred, and his breaths became labored as he gasped for air.
Lu Chao Chao sat quietly on a stool, her calm demeanor hiding a readiness to reveal more, which only served to frighten Duke Xiao further at the mere sight of her.
“What… what more do you have to say?” he asked, his voice gritty as he mustered all his courage.
“He lives in the house,” she smirked, her statement sending chills down the spine of everyone present.
Madam Zheng’s eyes widened with terror, resembling someone who had seen a ghost.
“Where? Where is he?” Duke Xiao bellowed, his eyes bulging with rage.
Ignoring the ensuing chaos, Lu Chao Chao scampered out the door. Despite it being her first visit, she navigated the house with an unsettling familiarity. Whenever she appeared unsure, she would squat down, consulting the tiny flowers and grasses as if seeking their guidance. “This way, right? Thanks…”
Weakened by his condition, Duke Xiao followed with great effort, feeling faint from the exertion.
“This… isn’t this the main courtyard?” He stopped short, shocked to find himself in the very room he shared with Madam Zheng.
Lu Chao Chao pushed open the bedroom door and pointed straight at the wardrobe.
“In there…”
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation
By then, Madam Zheng had been brought to the scene, shaking uncontrollably and gasping for air in her panic.
“Milord, please, I beg you to spare me! I won’t dare again,” she pleaded, collapsing to her knees, her apologies a frantic, broken string of words.
Duke Xiao’s initial disbelief gave way to a boiling rage as he understood the gravity of the betrayal.
“You dared to hide your lover in our bedroom? And even built him a secret chamber?” The memories of countless nights spent unknowingly just feet away from the deceit flashed through his mind. He dared not let his thoughts wander further, fearing his rage might literally become the death of him.
Lu Chao Chao giggled, pushing a stool to the wall and tapping it lightly in a pattern. Soon, a faint response came from the other side.
Duke Xiao, containing his rage, examined the door carefully. He realized it could only be opened from the inside—a secret well-kept until now.
The door to the secret chamber slowly swung open.
“Cousin, thinking of me in broad daylight? That old fool can’t satisfy you, can he?” The voice from inside stopped abruptly as the speaker realized the audience before him.
The man, caught in a compromising state with his shirt wide open and trousers around his ankles, froze as his smirk faded under the piercing gaze of the crowd.
Duke Xiao, his blood pressure soaring, witnessed the brazen scene unfold.
“Such nerve!” someone exclaimed, snapping Duke Xiao out of his shock.
“You vile creatures! This will be the death of me!” he yelled, steadying himself against a table.
With hands over her ears, Lu Chao Chao squatted in a corner, turning away.
“I’m a good baby, I’m a good baby…” she murmured, seemingly indifferent to the chaos her debt collection had unleashed.
Caught with his pants down, Chu An Min shouted for Madam Zheng, who was trembling uncontrollably.
With immense rage, Duke Xiao kicked the man to the ground and spotted a distinctive mark on his buttocks, confirming his suspicions.
Overwhelmed with grief and unable to cry, Duke Xiao felt as if his heart had turned to ash.
“Surprise? What a surprise…” he gasped heavily, looking like he might collapse from rage at any moment.
“Beat him! If he doesn’t die from the beating, throw him to the beasts!” In a fit of rage, Duke Xiao ordered the most extreme punishment, reflecting a bizarre trend among the wealthy of owning ferocious animals.
As Chu An Min was dragged away, Xiao Yu Hang, previously bandaged from an injury, panicked as his wound began to bleed anew.
“Old man, let go of my grandfather. Let him go, or my father will kill you!” Yu Hang screamed fiercely, his voice echoing with desperation.
“What did you call him?” Duke Xiao asked, his voice eerily calm yet laden with a dreadful realization.
A tremor ran through his fingers. The implication of what his grandson had just revealed was too profound to immediately grasp—that his beloved grandson had always known the true identity of his grandfather. At that moment, a servant returned from investigating the secret chamber, carrying news that seemed too much for the old Duke.
“There’s a passage outside the chamber, leading directly to the neighboring house,” the servant hesitated, fearing the impact of his words on the old man.
“Speak!” Duke Xiao commanded, taking a deep breath to steady himself.
The servant glanced at Lu Chao Chao, still detached and covering her ears in the corner, then continued,
“The neighboring property was purchased by the lady. It seems…” he glanced at Xiao Ming Yao and Xiao Yu Hang, “that the young masters have been living there.”
Duke Xiao’s lips trembled as he stared at his son and grandson, both shivering uncontrollably. Pointing at them, he was speechless for a long moment, overwhelmed by the betrayal.
Xiao Yu Hang snarled like a young wolf, his anger flaring.
“Once you’re dead, all the property will be mine. Why won’t you just die!” His words cut through the air, a blunt confession of his true feelings.
Duke Xiao gasped for air, then suddenly lashed out with a kick to his grandson’s chest.
“Ah!” Xiao Yu Hang was sent flying, crashing to the ground and struggling briefly before falling still.
“Yu Hang!” Madam Zheng screamed, her voice filled with panic and despair.
But the servants held her tightly, preventing any movement as she struggled.
Xiao Ming Yao had already knelt, knocking his head on the ground repeatedly.
“Father, it was Mother’s doing. She forced me. I had no choice but to hide this from you,” he pleaded, his voice trembling with fear.
“Father, please spare your son. I was wrong. I won’t dare again,” he begged, hoping for mercy.
“How could Chu An Min be fit to be my father? He’s nothing but a scoundrel. He can’t compare to you!” Xiao Ming Yao tried to distance himself from the adulterer, emphasizing his loyalty to Duke Xiao.
Duke Xiao, hunched over and looking even older than his years, was overcome with a sense of betrayal from his wife and his son.
“You knew all along!” His voice was laced with hatred, not just towards Madam Zheng for her adultery but more so towards Xiao Ming Yao and Xiao Yu Hang.
They had received all his affection, even causing him to drive away his eldest son.
“My own eldest son…” he lamented, the pain evident in his voice.
“Take these deceitful creatures away. Feed them to the beasts after drugging them. Let them suffer a fate worse than death,” he ordered coldly, his eyes glinting with ruthless hatred.
Xiao Ming Yao shook uncontrollably, wetting himself, crying out for his father’s forgiveness.
“You are no son of mine, you spawn of treachery! Drag them away!” Duke Xiao’s voice was cold, his love having turned into intense hatred.
The room suddenly fell eerily silent, the gravity of the moment settling over everyone present.
Duke Xiao was left a lonely figure in the vast room, his family’s betrayal weighing heavily on him.
He turned his gaze to Lu Chao Chao, who looked back innocently, still squatting in the corner.
“Why are you looking at me?” she asked, her voice tinged with naivety. “I’m just here to collect a debt!”
Girl, you just need to collect debt, not destroying a family.
They asked for it LMAO
Well she came to collect debt, alright both the national treasury unpaid loan and the new ones they owe her