Chapter 205: Adopted Daughter
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
Lu Chao Chao had the best sleep she had ever had.
Truly, she had never slept so well before.
The little one sat up, her chubby fists rubbing at her sleepy eyes in confusion.
After finishing, she noticed her unfamiliar surroundings and mumbled, “Did I sleepwalk?”
Yu Shu entered, carrying a copper basin. Her eyes were red and swollen.
Last night, one of the servant girls—one particularly close to Lu Chao Chao from her own courtyard—had been affected by the events.
“This is General Rong’s manor. It will take about three days before we can return home,” she explained. A great incident had occurred at the estate, and General Rong was uneasy. He wanted to personally select the guards for protection.
Lu Chao Chao suddenly remembered what had transpired the previous night.
Her small face turned deathly pale in an instant.
“Mother, Mother!” she cried out in panic, jumping off the bed.
Yu Shu quickly intercepted her, scooping her into a hug. “Madam is fine. General Rong has already summoned the imperial physician to examine her. She was prescribed a few doses of calming medicine. Don’t be afraid, everything is over now.”
Yu Shu put on Lu Chao Chao’s socks and shoes, only then noticing how severely frostbitten her small feet were.
She did not ask questions, merely felt a heat rise in her eyes as she lowered her head, applying the medicine with silent tears streaming down her face.
“Apply the medicine a few more times to prevent chilblains,” she murmured. The tiny, pudgy feet were terribly red from the cold.
Yu Shu’s heart ached.
Lu Chao Chao obediently nodded. “Okay, thank you, Yu Shu-jiejie.” Her voice was still milky soft.
Gone was the ruthless little war god from the night before.
After dressing her in warm winter shoes, Yu Shu personally carried her to the adjacent room.
“Should the Princess Sunshine also receive a check-up?” The imperial physician, just about to leave, suddenly inquired.
Madam Xu’s expression changed slightly. She reached out, taking Chao Chao into her arms. “No need, Chao Chao should be fine. She is shy with strangers,” she refused with a smile.
Once the imperial physician departed, Madam Xu secretly sighed in relief.
“Chao Chao, you’re awake?”
Lu Chao Chao murmured a soft acknowledgment, burying her face against Madam Xu’s shoulder. “I’m glad Mother is safe.” At this moment, she could only vaguely recall what had happened before she knocked on the door.
After that, her memories were a blur.
“Was it Uncle Rong who saved us?” she asked with innocent curiosity.
Madam Xu froze. At that moment, Rong Che entered through the doorway, smiling. “Yes, last night Uncle Rong returned. From now on, Uncle Rong will protect you both and ensure no harm befalls you again.”
The Crown Prince followed behind Rong Che. Seeing Lu Chao Chao looking lively again, his heart finally settled.
“Crown Prince-gege, why are your hands so cold?” Lu Chao Chao asked with concern.
The Crown Prince did not reveal his excessive worry but simply smiled and said he wore too little clothing.
Yet every so often, he would bring his hand to her nose, confirming over and over again that she was still breathing before he could fully relax.
“Move your hand, you’re blocking my nose!” Lu Chao Chao started to grow irritated.
Why did he keep touching her nose?
“Chao Chao has just woken up and hasn’t eaten breakfast yet. Go eat something first,” the Crown Prince instructed, signaling Yu Shu to take her away.
Once Lu Chao Chao had left, Rong Che finally spoke. “The ones from last night were from the Southern Kingdom. After investigation, it seems a considerable number of people have been dispatched from there, apparently searching for someone.” Rong Che stole a glance at Shi Yun.
“And Chao Chao… it seems she has forgotten about last night.”
The Crown Prince, already aware of Madam Xu and Rong Che’s connection, had not concealed the truth from him, knowing he would learn of it eventually.
After a moment’s thought, he said, “Chao Chao lacks awareness. When she is severely stimulated, she loses control. Last night, Madam Xu must have seen it for herself?”
Madam Xu, her face pale, nodded.
At that moment, Chao Chao had not been herself.
Rather, she had resembled a divine being who ruled over all.
Devoid of her own thoughts, without joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness.
“Do not worry, Madam Xu. Chao Chao’s heart will soon return to its original state. She will become whole again.” After a thousand years of being revered by the entire kingdom, she would be fully reborn.
Madam Xu burst into tears of joy. “Your Highness, is this true?”
“It is true.” The Crown Prince’s eyebrows curved with certainty.
This was also the reason he had sworn to protect Northern Zhao.
The Crown Prince, after confirming Lu Chao Chao’s condition, swiftly returned to the palace to report back.
The Emperor, deeply concerned about Lu Chao Chao’s wellbeing, was also troubled by the fierce argument he had with the Empress the previous night.
The Crown Prince could not help but feel uneasy.
Upon hearing the news, the Xu family rushed over right after court adjourned, still clad in their official robes.
Xu Yi Ting scrutinized Madam Xu closely. Only when he saw that she was unharmed did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.
“If only I had insisted on bringing you back to the Xu family earlier. This truly gave us all a fright. Even Father and Mother are clamoring to see you.” Madam Xu’s elder sister-in-law supported her into the house and helped her sit down.
“Thankfully, General Rong was next door; otherwise, things might have turned disastrous.”
The incident of Lu Chao Chao taking a life was not made public.
After all, she was only two years old, and the murderer had been reduced to countless fragments. Such a shocking event was bound to incite fear regarding Princess Sunshine.
Once everyone was inside, General Rong, aware that the Xu family had matters to discuss, closed the door and stood guard outside.
Madam Xu’s sister-in-law gave a slight nod. “Lu Yuan Ze is truly nothing compared to General Rong in terms of character.”
“You truly frightened us.”
“The moment we heard the news, the whole household was on the verge of collapse. You only just escaped that nightmare through a divorce, and now this? Once the Abbot of the National Temple returns, I will personally take you there to pray for peace and fortune.”
“What an unjust calamity.”
Madam Xu, however, shook her head gently. “I wouldn’t call it an unjust calamity.”
“Rather, it all started because of me. Sister-in-law, please go to the Lu family accounts later and withdraw some silver. Give financial aid to the families affected by this incident—let it be a token of goodwill.”
Just as her sister-in-law was about to ask further, she saw Madam Xu pull out a jade pendant engraved with a dragon motif.
She had just obtained it from Chao Chao.
Her sister-in-law froze, then lifted her gaze toward Xu Yi Ting.
Xu Yi Ting’s expression darkened. “What do you mean by this?”
Madam Xu smiled bitterly, her eyes brimming with sorrow. “Elder Brother, are you still trying to keep it from me at this point?”
“The one who came last night… was after this jade pendant.”
“I… am not of Xu family blood, am I?” Madam Xu’s voice carried a trace of tears as she looked at her elder brother.
She had lived in the Xu family for over a decade. Father and Mother Xu, along with her three elder brothers, had showered her with love. She had never once doubted her identity.
Xu Yi Ting slumped into his chair, his gaze turning distant as though lost in memories of the past.
“You were a child we picked up.”
“At that time, Father was not yet the Grand Tutor.”
“We found you on a winter night, just like last night, with a raging blizzard.”
“Mother had only recently given birth to our third brother. In her sleep, she kept hearing the faint cries of a baby…”
“She rose countless times to check, but each time, the crying would abruptly cease. It was as if… an illusion.”
“Mother grew increasingly restless, unable to shake the feeling that something was calling to her. Even though it was still dark outside and the blizzard raged on, she insisted on going out to investigate.”
“We brothers, being mischievous as we were, decided to accompany her in the carriage.”
“Perhaps… fate had already decided everything.”
“Following Mother’s intuition, we wandered through the city. We were shivering from the cold, the snow blinding our way, and we strayed farther and farther from home…”
“Just as we were nearing the city’s outskirts, we heard a frail, whimpering cry.”
“The crying was so weak, like a kitten’s, breaking off intermittently, growing fainter and fainter. We all leaped off the carriage and scoured the snow for its source.” Xu Yi Ting sighed deeply.
He had once believed this secret would be buried forever.
Never did he imagine it would now bring calamity upon his little sister.
Last night, she had nearly lost her life.