Chapter 222: The Exposure of Stolen Articles
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
Madam Pei looked as though she had been struck by lightning. Her gaze was empty as she faced Lu Yuan Ze, his biting words echoing in her ears like a harsh, relentless storm.
In the past, she had taken pride in believing she was his one true love, the woman who had ousted the unloved Madam Xu. But now, barely a year into their marriage, they found themselves at each other’s throats.
“Madam Xu is a woman of dignity and virtue, and she raised children who are just as principled and honest. And you?” Lu Yuan Ze pointed accusingly at Lu Jing Huai. “He lacks even the courage to step into an examination hall, wasting his days just like you do!”
Madam Pei’s laugh was wild, her face twisted in a manic grin. “Like me? How utterly absurd!”
“Lu Yuan Ze, are you trying to shift the blame now? You maintained a mistress for eighteen years. It was you who indulged in the luxury of multiple women!”
“You scorned Madam Xu for being too bland and lifeless, and now you’re filled with regret?” she jeered. “Well, too bad for you, because Madam Xu doesn’t need you anymore. She has General Rong and the son of the Protectorate Duke. Why would she bother with you now!”
Overcome with anger, Lu Yuan Ze’s hand whipped through the air, the force striking Madam Pei, causing her to scream in agony.
“All you have left is Jing Huai. Beat him to death! Do it, and you’ll have no one to mourn you in your old age.”
“You’re impotent, and I know it. Jing Huai is all you have left. You pushed Lu Yan Shu, Lu Zheng Yue, Lu Yuan Xiao, and Chao Chao out, erased them from our family records. Kill him and the Marquis Zhongyong line ends with you,” she taunted, her tears flowing freely.
The pain in Lu Yuan Ze’s heart was almost unbearable. The marquis household once stood for grace and elegance. He remembered how Madam Xu would always leave a light on for him, the house filled with the laughter of their children—a time that now seemed like nothing more than a distant dream.
His life now was mired in petty squabbles, his prestigious family reduced to a subject of ridicule since his divorce from Madam Xu. Dropping the whip, he felt utterly defeated.
“Why won’t you take the royal examination?” His voice was hoarse with desperation. “You mustn’t lose to Yan Shu. Lose to anyone but him!” he pleaded, his voice tinged with madness.
He had disowned his paralyzed eldest son in favor of Jing Huai’s supposed talents. Yet, now Jing Huai was being overshadowed by that very son he had discarded, making him appear foolish.
Jing Huai lay on the ground, barely able to open his eyes. The maids around him trembled, too frightened to approach. One maid in particular was shaking uncontrollably, her eyes fixed on the ground away from Jing Huai.
Then, breaking the heavy silence, one maid boldly spoke up. “I know why he won’t take the exam!”
This maid had once served in Madam Xu’s quarters but was kept because her indenture was tied to the marquis household. She pointed at the visibly shaking maid and announced, “She was the ink maid in Young Master Yan Shu’s study. Her name is Mo Er.”
“When Young Master Yan Shu was paralyzed, he became distraught at the mere sight of books. The master confiscated his books, and Madam Xu ordered his manuscripts to be burned.”
“She distracted me, and Miss Wan Yi snuck away with Young Master Yan Shu’s manuscripts, giving them to Young Master Jing Huai.”
“I saw those manuscripts in Young Master Jing Huai’s study just a few days ago. They were never destroyed!”
The maid’s voice quivered with fear as Lu Yuan Ze’s face turned stormy. Before she could finish, Jing Huai’s weak, desperate voice cut through, “I didn’t plagiarize! I didn’t!” His tone was desperate, filled with a haunting desperation.
“I would never steal from Yan Shu. Yan Shu is a cripple; he can’t be better than me!”
Lu Yuan Ze drew in a shaky breath, his heart pounding fiercely as if trying to escape his chest. “You once admired Yan Shu’s intellect. I gave you countless books. Could it be…?” His voice faltered, trailing off into uncertainty.
His face darkening with each passing second, Lu Yuan Ze stormed into Jing Huai’s study. “Don’t go in, don’t!” Jing Huai struggled to his feet, attempting to block him, but in his fury, Lu Yuan Ze shoved him aside, causing him to collapse in agony.
Frantically searching the room—across the desk, through the bookshelves, beside the bed—Lu Yuan Ze found nothing.
Then he remembered the secret compartment hidden behind the wall. With a deep breath, he opened it, his heart sinking at the sight of the thick stack of yellowed papers. The handwriting was neat, unmistakably Yan Shu’s.
Yan Shu had been a prodigious and diligent child, practicing his writing incessantly from the age of three. He had even required a specially made desk due to his small size.
As Lu Yuan Ze leafed through the manuscripts, it became clear: page after page bore Yan Shu’s handwriting. Many of these articles had been published under Jing Huai’s name.
Gripping his chest, Lu Yuan Ze felt an overwhelming surge of pain. His forehead beaded with cold sweat, his hands shaking—one clutching the table for support, the other holding the damning manuscripts.
He remembered how, after Yan Shu’s accident, Jing Huai had suddenly expressed admiration for his brother’s talent, asking to see his books. Not long after, Yan Shu had demanded his manuscripts be burned.
But now, the truth was laid bare before him.
“You plagiarized Yan Shu’s work!”
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
Examining the manuscripts further, Yan Shu’s brilliance was undeniable. The topics covered had clearly aided Jing Huai in his examinations.
“Yan Shu was a true genius, far surpassing what I had imagined. He could have been top of his class,” Lu Yuan Ze realized bitterly. “You used his talent to pass your exams. You deceived me into forsaking him!”
Lu Yuan Ze spat blood, the pain in his chest numbing him to the core. His mouth filled with the taste of iron, dizziness overwhelming him as he stumbled while a servant rushing to his aid.
When Yan Shu had become paralyzed, it had devastated him. Jing Huai’s emerging talent had once seemed like a beacon of hope, leading him to pin all his aspirations on Jing Huai, even planning for him to replace Yan Shu as the family heir.
But he had never suspected the horrific truth.
Jing Huai was no scholar—he was an impostor who had stolen his brother’s work.
Man this snack really gotten spicy.