Chapter 109: Choices

This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.

Madam Xu returned from the Virtue and Kindness Hall deep into the night, but no one in the courtyard had gone to bed. Even her three sons waited for her there.

Eighteen years of deceit—the fiery passion of her youth had been nothing but a lie. Her life now seemed so desolate. Yet when Madam Xu saw everyone’s worried gazes, her lingering resentment began to dissolve.

“Mother, are you alright?” Lu Yuan Xiao stepped forward to support her. Though others saw him as foolish, Madam Xu knew her son’s sincerity ran deep.

She patted his hand, offering a reassuring smile to everyone.

“I’m fine. It’s just…” Her voice faltered. “Hearing them demean you all made my heart ache.” Her children were once proud sons and daughters of heaven, brought low by others’ schemes.

Her eldest son, Lu Yan Shu, once gifted, had been crippled. Her second son, Lu Zheng Yue, had become entangled with Lu Jing Huai, even allowing Su Zhi Qing to infiltrate his life, turning him into a hopeless romantic. Her youngest, Lu Yuan Xiao, was seen as dim-witted.

“Mother,” Lu Yan Shu said, holding a book in his hand, his once-paralyzed fingers now nimble. “The more he belittles us, the better our chances of leaving this household. This is a blessing.”

Once an arrogant prodigy, Lu Yan Shu’s crippling injury had tempered him into a man as deep and still as cold water, exuding an air that naturally commanded respect.

Madam Xu nodded, comforted. “Yes, you’re right. The more he underestimates us, the greater our chance to reunite as a family.”

Lu Yuan Ze’s contempt was evident. Never had Madam Xu considered returning to her family. She had three sons and a daughter; her eldest was already seventeen. If not for Jiang Yun Jin’s broken engagement, she might have been a grandmother by now.

Dragging her children back to her family would wound their pride. How could she bear such humiliation? Steeling herself, she refused to dwell on sorrow.

Little Lu Chao Chao was already asleep in her eldest brother’s arms, her cheeks flushed red. Everyone gazed at her with gentle affection.

Lu Yuan Xiao smirked. “He’s always praising Lu Jing Yao’s cleverness, but she’s rather foolish. If she hadn’t called out for her parents when they were caught red-handed, it might have dragged on longer.”

“And this is supposed to be the mind of an adult?”

Madam Xu chuckled softly. “She’s not stupid, just an ordinary person. But she’s a soul from a thousand years in the future, standing on the shoulders of giants. Still, she’s no more than an average person from that era.”

“Crossing through time or being reborn doesn’t raise one’s intelligence,” Lu Yan Shu said, not even looking up from his book.

“Besides, Lu Yuan Ze used my dowry to support them, living extravagantly. Now that I’ve reclaimed it, they must live frugally. Luxuries are easy to adapt to, but hardships are not. Even Lu Jing Huai wears last year’s fabrics. How much better can she fare?”

“And she considers herself exceptional, unable to endure grievances. Seeing the wealth of the Marquis’s Manor has clearly dazzled her,” Madam Xu added. She could understand her perspective. When Pei Jiao Jiao and Lu Yuan Ze were caught in the act, there was no room for recovery. Revealing her true identity was her only chance to seize a place in the household and its riches.

“Foolish time travelers won’t turn into geniuses overnight.”

Lu Zheng Yue sneered. “Father expects Lu Jing Huai to bring honor to the family, become a Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, and restore the household’s glory. Ridiculous.”

His success had come from stealing his elder brother’s works.

Lu Yan Shu’s lips curved into a cold smile. “Then let us take everything back, one by one.”

Lu Zheng Yue sighed. “Fortunately, we’ve kept his recovery a secret.”

Lu Yan Shu gestured dismissively. “Tomorrow, spread word of Father and Mother’s impending divorce to Madam Pei. We needn’t lift a finger; others will act for us.” A servant pushed his wheelchair toward the door, his voice fading as he departed. “The ones who should worry are not us.”

Indeed, Madam Pei had already lost her wits.

In the Marquis’s Manor, she had planted spies, but Madam Xu was well aware and deliberately let them relay messages.

“Eighteen years I gave him, bore his children, and now he only wants to bring the children back?” Pei Jiao Jiao raged. “If Madam Xu leaves, let her! Without her here, there’s no one to stand in my son’s way. Lu Yuan Ze won’t abandon me!”

She clutched Lu Jing Yao, sobbing. “You must bring glory to this family. I’ve sacrificed everything for you siblings. I have nothing left but you!”

“Mother, I understand,” Lu Jing Huai replied, his back to her, frowning. When he had sought Su Zhi Qing that day, she avoided him, leaving him unaware of Madam Pei’s exposure. His peers’ scornful gazes afterward had been unbearable. Yet he dared not voice his resentment.

“You’ve suffered so much for me. Only you deserve to be my mother, not Madam Xu. If you’re not welcomed into the manor, I won’t acknowledge my lineage.”

“I’ll achieve the Triple Crown, bring you an imperial title, and crush Madam Xu beneath our feet!” His sincerity brought a smile to Madam Pei’s face.

Lu Jing Yao chimed in, “Brother, let me gift you a poem…”

His eyes brightened. He knew his sister wasn’t ordinary, her knowledge far beyond their time. What did it matter if she was some demon? She supported him.

Back then, her recitation of the poem “Will Enter Wine” had brought him fame in the capital and secured their recognition by their father.

She began to recite “Climbing High”:

“The sky is high, the wind is strong; monkeys wail in sorrow. Clear sands and pure waters; birds circle back.”

“Boundless falling leaves drift and descend; the unending Yangtze flows mightily.”

As her words flowed, Lu Jing Huai trembled with excitement. Lu Jing Yao’s eyes sparkled with pride. Such timeless verses were enough to boost her brother’s status. Their father’s choice was now clear.

That very night, the poem spread through the capital, drawing rapturous praise. Some exclaimed he was a peerless genius.

In the palace, the Emperor read the report with a strange expression.

“Lu Jing Huai wrote such an immortal piece at seventeen?” He scoffed. “To craft such melancholy verses of old age—whose work has he stolen this time?” With a wave of his hand, the courtiers trembled.

The Crown Prince remained impassive, recalling Chao Chao’s revelation that Lu Jing Yao was a soul from another world. [Hmm, I wonder if dissecting her would yield answers.]

Lu Yuan Ze, aware of the rising inquiries about Lu Jing Huai, made his decision. The cripple, the rogue, the fool, and the infant couldn’t compare.

“Let them go. I’ll watch them struggle. A divorced woman and her useless brats will suffer!” He sneered. “My Marquis’s Manor will soar to greatness. They’ll never measure up!”

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