Chapter 175: The Death of Lu Wan Yi
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
“Chao Chao’s birthday is the same day as Lu Jing Yao’s?” the Old Madam asked suddenly.
Madam Xu froze. “Yes.”
“Chao Chao was born in the morning, with the first rays of the dawn.”
“Lu Jing Yao was born in the afternoon. Though they share the same year, month, and day of birth, it wasn’t the same time.” The irony was palpable.
“The Old Madam of Marquis Zhongyong’s Manor often said Lu Jing Yao’s fate was illustrious, destined for untold greatness. But if Chao Chao shares the same birth date, why not her?” the Old Madam pressed.
Madam Xu’s eyes widened slightly.
“Moreover, since Chao Chao was born, your life has improved significantly,” the Old Madam continued.
“You saw through Lu Yuan Ze and divorced him, even managing to take three sons and a daughter with you. The paralyzed Yan Shu stood again and topped the provincial examination as the Jie Yuan.
“Yuan Xiao, who had strayed, began studying diligently, suspending his head by a beam and piercing his thigh with an awl.
“Zheng Yue successfully severed ties with Su Zhi Qing, becoming focused and self-reliant.
“And Chao Chao? Recognized by His Majesty as Princess Zhao Yang, graced with a title, and showered with the unique favor of Northern Zhao. Even the hostage prince and the Fourth Prince are under Chao Chao’s care.”
The Old Madam’s expression grew firmer. “Who is truly destined for greatness?”
The more she thought, the more convinced she became.
“When you and Madam Pei were pregnant at the same time, she happened to be nearby. Could she have misjudged, letting her preconceptions cloud her?” The Old Madam’s revelation struck like lightning.
Even Madam Xu’s face bore the stunned look of someone struck by realization.
“It seems… Mother might have a point,” she muttered, though she didn’t voice the unspoken truth: they could overhear Chao Chao’s inner thoughts, and her abilities far exceeded the ordinary.
The Old Madam beamed.
“Wonderful, wonderful! Marquis Zhongyong’s Manor thought they were being clever, but the true noble never even made it onto their family tree.” She clapped her hands and laughed heartily.
Madam Xu couldn’t help but laugh as well. Lu Yuan Ze would be furious.
None of his children were biologically his, and the “illustrious” fate he had fixated on was a complete mistake.
She couldn’t wait for the day Lu Yuan Ze learned the truth.
…
Lunchtime.
“Chao Chao, your stomach hurt last night. Today, no meat for you. Eat more vegetables,” Madam Xu said as she placed Lu Chao Chao beside her.
The table was laden with a feast, its aromas wafting through the air. Lu Chao Chao wiped her mouth.
“It must taste horrible, right?” Her eyes darted to the food.
“Looks awful…”
“Okay, fine, it looks delicious…”
“Can I try just one bite?”
“Actually, I’m not even hungry. I eat all the time anyway…”
“Wah, I’m really good at pretending. Just save me a piece?” Lu Chao Chao babbled, her little mouth never stopping.
Tears of longing betrayed her resolve.
“Look at the poor child. She’s so hungry, she’s losing her senses!” The Old Madam picked up a piece of honeyed quail and placed it in front of her.
Lu Chao Chao swallowed audibly. “Thank you, Grandmother.”
“May Grandmother live a long life blessed with fortune and happiness.”
Madam Xu was astonished. Just to eat, Chao Chao had learned to use such flowery phrases?
Chao Chao savored the quail carefully and pinched the little roll of fat at her waist. Her belly was round, and her clothes were getting snug again.
After lunch, Chao Chao took a light nap. Meanwhile, Madam Xu shared child-rearing tips with Madam Cen, making for a lively discussion.
…
That evening, as Madam Xu had just boarded her carriage, Deng Zhi hurried over. “Madam, something has happened to Lu Wan Yi!”
“Lu Wan Yi was found outside Marquis Zhongyong’s Manor, covered in wounds. She’s on the verge of death.”
Inside the manor, the Old Madam was wailing and making a scene.
Madam Xu furrowed her brows. “Let’s go see.”
She couldn’t pinpoint her feelings. Lu Wan Yi had been raised by her, cherished like a daughter, with much effort and care. Yet, Lu Wan Yi had trampled on her heart.
Madam Xu had long known of Lu Yuan Ze’s mistress, even overseeing Madam Pei’s childbirth.
Lu Wan Yi had mocked her foolishness while accepting her care. Worse, when Chao Chao was born, it was Lu Wan Yi who arranged for the midwife who tried to drown her.
Madam Xu wanted to see how Lu Wan Yi would reap what she had sown.
When the carriage arrived outside Marquis Zhongyong’s Manor, a crowd of onlookers blocked the road.
Lu Wan Yi’s clothes were soaked with blood, her face aged and ghastly, her wrists scarred with layers of wounds.
The Old Madam clutched her, wailing. “Wan Yi, hold on a little longer! The doctor is coming. My Wan Yi, how could Gu Ling torment you so?”
The Old Madam trembled as she lifted Lu Wan Yi’s collar, revealing a body marred by a tapestry of scars, both old and new. Tears streamed down her face.
“Where is the doctor?”
“Pei Jiao Jiao, fetch the doctor!” The Old Madam’s cries were heart-wrenching.
Lu Wan Yi’s injuries were so severe that no one dared to move her.
This year had been full of chaos for the manor, and the Old Madam had long forgotten how long it had been since her daughter last came home.
“You begged for that Top Scholar yourself. How could he do this to you?” The Old Madam recalled Madam Xu’s objections with regret.
When the doctor finally arrived, he found Lu Wan Yi’s face so swollen it was unrecognizable. After taking her pulse and examining her injuries, he sighed.
“Her wounds are too severe, compounded by years of old injuries. This time, her lungs were damaged. There is no cure,” he said.
“She forced herself to return to the manor, but her pulse shows she’s at death’s door.”
As if on cue, Lu Wan Yi began coughing up blood.
The Old Madam trembled in fear. “Summon the Marquis! Quickly summon the Marquis!”
Lu Wan Yi spewed blood, choking out her final words. “I… I… was wrong.”
“Sis… Sister-in-law, I… I was wrong. Please… save me.”
Her teary gaze turned to Madam Xu, filled with regret.
She remembered her childhood, mocked for having an aged mother. She had refused to leave a dark room or call the Old Madam “mother.”
Only Madam Xu had stayed by her door, fasting, gently coaxing her to open up. “If you don’t mind, you can secretly call me mother,” she had whispered while holding her.
Why had she been so foolish?
Why had she helped Madam Pei hide things? Why had she helped Madam Pei harm her? And why had she tried to harm Chao Chao at birth?
Lu Wan Yi’s eyes closed as her hands went limp on the Old Madam.
The Old Madam sobbed uncontrollably. By the time Lu Yuan Ze arrived, Lu Wan Yi had already passed.
Lu Yuan Ze’s face turned ashen, his body struck by an invisible blow. “I will enter the palace at once! Gu Ling must answer to the Marquis’s Manor!” he declared.
The crowd was in an uproar. Who would have thought the legitimate daughter of the Marquis’s Manor had been abused for two years and beaten to death?
Even more shocking was the revelation of Gu Ling’s cruelty.
Madam Xu lowered the carriage’s curtain, her heart calm and untroubled.
Did she pity Lu Wan Yi?
Not at all.
Had they not overheard Chao Chao’s inner thoughts, it would have been her and her children suffering, in a fate worse than Lu Wan Yi’s.
Lu Yuan Ze, your retribution has arrived, though it came late, it came nonetheless.