Chapter 221: Playing with Real Flowers
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
Princess Sunshine lodged a complaint at the palace last night, leading to dramatic events. In response, the king sent an official to Prince Jingxi’s mansion under the cover of darkness. That night, the little tyrant, Prince Jingxi’s son, received a harsh punishment of twenty lashes with a ruler, delivered personally by his father. This event marked the first punishment for Xie Yuzhou, and the shock was so great that the Princess Consort of Jingxi fainted.
The next morning, in the serene garden of the palace, the sixth prince approached Lu Chao Chao with eyes full of gratitude. “Chao Chao, thank you so much. He tried to swipe my sword as soon as he got here,” he explained.
“My granddad was a general who died on the battlefield. He gave me this sword on my last birthday. I just can’t let it go…” His gaze held a sincere plea.
“Yesterday, he smacked me with an inkstone. My mommy spent hours crying, blaming her humble origins for her inability to protect me,” he added somberly.
“My uncle once saved my father from a deadly threat, that’s why my father still favors that bully. I thought I’d have to just suffer silently.” He felt a lingering unhappiness, even though the king had given him a treasure to make amends.
Lu Chao Chao, frowning, responded in her simple, child-like manner, “You’s so silly. If he bullies you, just fight back real hard.”
“You a prince. Can he really kill you? At most, you’ll be confined for a few days…”
[We all living this life for the first time. Why should we put up with him?]
“When you meet a brat, you need to be even brattier and crazier,” she advised, her frustration evident.
The sixth prince nodded softly, “I understand now. Thank you, Chao Chao.”
After their conversation, Lu Chao Chao made it a point to detour past Prince Jingxi’s mansion just to overhear the consequences of her advice. The louder Xie Yuzhou cried, the more satisfied she felt.
The following day, before dawn, the usual calm was shattered by the sounds of fighting and shouting just outside. Curious about the commotion, Lu Chao Chao, who was about to leave for school, paused at her doorstep. “What’s happening?” she inquired, her voice tinged with curiosity.
The servant accompanying her seemed uncertain but suggested, “Let’s go see.”
As their carriage rolled through the bustling streets, the cacophony of cries and shouts intensified. From a distance, Lu Chao Chao spotted Jiang Yun Jin, looking pale and supported with difficulty by her maid. The local vendors had ceased their activities to watch the unfolding drama.
One vendor exclaimed, “The Marquis Zhongyong’s Mansion—no, they’ve lost that title now, what Marquis! The eldest son, Lu Jing Huai, was caught cheating by his wife!”
“And not just with any ordinary affair—he was caught with three big men. It’s a tale you wouldn’t believe.”
“Children shouldn’t listen to such gossip,” Yuhua, her personal maid, chided, covering Lu Chao Chao’s ears, though she herself was eager to hear more.
“What happened? Tell me everything!” Chao Chao demanded after being denied the juicy details.
The vendor elaborated with great enthusiasm, “It’s exam season, and who would have thought that Lu Jing Huai skipped his exams!”
“His wife, Madam Jiang, suspected him of having an affair and had him followed. What she discovered was beyond belief. She caught him red-handed with three big men!”
“You didn’t see the scene; it was eye-opening! I wish I could unsee it!!”
The whole capital was abuzz. The vendor had even closed his shop to join the crowd.
“Now, the whole capital is talking about it. Marquis Yuan Ze was so embarrassed he slapped him twice and shouted about the family’s disgrace…”
“Lu Jing Huai is finished.”
An apothecary assistant chimed in, munching on melon seeds: “Lu Jing Huai has always been a scoundrel, dabbling with both men and women! He’s been here many times, buying ointments for injuries… on his buttocks…”
“Last time he even bought sleeping drugs and some… stimulating drugs. Though he wore a mask, I recognized him right away.”
Yuhua gasped, “Oh my, playing with real flowers!”
Jiang Yun Jin, overwhelmed by the situation and the murderous glare from Lu Jing Huai, felt her world spinning.
She hadn’t intended to make such a big scene.
But when the door swung open, a crowd of beggars surged in, yelling, “Catch the adulterer! Burn her at the stake!” There was no turning back.
Now, biting her lip, Jiang Yun Jin declared, “I want a divorce!”
“Lu Jing Huai deceived me so deeply!” With no way back and fearing for her life if she returned, she immediately sought refuge at her mother’s house.
The scandal caused an immense uproar.
“It’s true what they say, like father, like son. Marquis Yuan Ze kept a mistress for eighteen years, and now it’s coming back to bite him.”
“This is karma. He kept a mistress for eighteen years, and his son keeps men!”
Lu Chao Chao watched the beggars mingling in the crowd and narrowed her eyes.
“Boss Bun, Boss Bun…” Scarface approached the carriage window, addressing Lu Chao Chao.
“We kept an eye on him like you said, and we uncovered something.”
“This mess isn’t our fault. That kid has a wicked heart.”
“He brought sleeping drugs to ensnare Mr. Yan Shu! He intended to ruin Mr. Yan Shu! We couldn’t let him succeed, so we knocked him out and sent him back.”
“We made him take all the sleeping drugs and stimulants himself!”
Lu Chao Chao frowned, “He really dared!”
“Good job,” she commended, pulling out two gold ingots from her pocket, “Have some tea on me. Thanks for your hard work…” Despite her status, Lu Chao Chao treated everyone like equals.
Scarface accepted the gold gratefully, “Thank you, Boss Bun. Don’t worry, we’ve got an eye on him.”
“Boss Bun sounds better than Princess Sunshine,” he remarked as he left. The beggars knew her more as Boss Bun than as Princess Sunshine.
After Scarface departed, Yuhua, visibly upset, exclaimed, “I was so foolish. Seeing Lu Jing Huai’s miserable state, I almost felt sorry for him.”
“He wanted to use those vile tricks on our young master. Now, it’s just his just deserts! The young master has been paralyzed for ten years and just started walking again.”
“If he suffered such an incident, it would be devastating.”
“He deserved it. It’s justice!”
At that moment, Lu Yuan Ze was in a rage. Holding a whip, he confronted Lu Jing Huai fiercely, “Why didn’t you go to the exam?”
“When did you start liking men?” His voice was laden with pain, as if deeply wounded.
Holding the whip, he seemed on the verge of collapse.
“I abandoned Yan Shu, my legitimate children, my wife, just to bring you into the family with proper status. How could you not take the exam? How could you be with men?!” His heart ached.
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
Lu Jing Huai, covered in bruises and with hatred in his eyes, thought bitterly.
Why not Yan Shu?
Why not Yan Shu!!
Lu Yuan Ze lashed him repeatedly, leaving him bloodied.
“You said you wanted to be a top scholar, to bring honor to the family. Did you learn nothing?” he shouted in anguish.
Madam Pei, kneeling nearby, was panicking, “Jing Huai must have been framed. He must have been framed!”
Lu Yuan Ze whipped her too, her screams echoing through the courtyard.
“Framed? He bought the medicine from the apothecary himself. Was that also a setup?” Lu Yuan Ze couldn’t bear the thought.
It was all too much.
“That’s right, Madam Pei, you’re shameless. You were a concubine yourself, so how could your son be any better?”