Chapter 11: Third Brother’s Gambling
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
Madam Xu could not swallow her anger.
“Delayed?” Madam Xu let out a light laugh, setting her teacup down gently. “Back then, Yan Shu fell into the water, exhausted after saving her. After being rescued, instead of showing concern, she hid in the rockery out of fear, delaying Yan Shu’s rescue. By the time he was saved, he was already not breathing. It was a close call to save his life, and his mind was damaged in the process. He became disabled. My lord, Yan Shu was such a brilliant child. How could you say something like that? Back then, he amazed everyone in the capital with his talent!”
She sighed, unable to contain her grievance for her son.
“The young girl didn’t fall into the water on purpose. She hid because she was scared. Yan Shu’s condition is already set in stone. Would you let this incident create tension with our colleagues? Shi Yun, consider my struggles at court.”
After their marriage, Madam Xu had felt Lu Yuan Ze’s coldness and thus frequently pressured Yan Shu to study. Even as a child, Yan Shu’s heart ached for his mother, studying tirelessly until his eyes turned red, all to bring honor to her in front of his father.
Madam Xu’s lips drooped as she muttered, “No one has the right to speak forgiveness on Yan Shu’s behalf.”
“Forgiveness? Only if they experience drowning in the same pond, suffering as my son did, can they dare to speak of forgiveness,” she said, her tone indifferent.
Lu Yuan Ze’s brows furrowed lightly. The once gentle and virtuous woman he knew had changed. She no longer held him in unquestionable regard. Perhaps his prolonged neglect had left her bitter, intentionally trying to draw his attention.
Glancing at the angered Madam Xu, Lu Yuan Ze gently shook his head. “Alright, Shi Yun won’t forgive, then she won’t forgive.” He lightly patted her hand.
Not long after, Madam Xu excused herself, claiming she needed to nurse Chao Chao. As she left, she heard faint voices from inside the room.
“You insisted on going, and now such a disgraceful incident occurred. How is it now? Was our dear grandchild frightened?” the Old Madam’s voice carried both affection and concern, though there was a rare note of dissatisfaction.
Madam Xu paused slightly in her steps, and Deng Zhi, who also overheard, grew red with indignation.
“The eldest young master still lies ill in the manor, yet they worry about those outside…”
“Mind your words!” Madam Xu cast a stern glance around, silencing Deng Zhi’s grievances.
“Where is the young master?” Madam Xu pressed her fingers against her temple, asking wearily.
A nearby maid quickly reported, “Today is a rest day. The young master must be reading at the Waterside Orchid Courtyard.”
Madam Xu led a small entourage to the courtyard. Outside the ornate gate, a servant spotted the imposing group and bolted toward the house.
[The servant is running to report.]
[That good brother of mine must be up to something interesting!] Little Chao Chao waved her tiny hands in excitement.
Madam Xu quickened her steps. “Stop that servant!” At her command, someone rushed forward, kicking the servant to the ground and pinning him in place.
“Why were you running in such a panic upon seeing Madam?” Deng Zhi scolded angrily.
The servant trembled, his face pale with worry. Madam Xu said nothing, striding directly into the house. From outside, muffled whispers and rustling sounds could be heard.
“Open, open!”
“Big, big, big!”
The captured servant’s face turned an ashen gray, his legs trembling.
Deng Zhi moved to knock, but Madam Xu raised a hand to stop her. The poise of a household matriarch was cast aside, replaced by a mother driven to fury. With a swift kick, she forced the door open.
“Do you want to die, scaring me like that!”
“Who dares? Beware, or this young master will—” Lu Yuan Xiao held a dice in one hand and coins in the other, his eyes bloodshot, fully embodying a gambler’s demeanor. Looking up, he froze under Madam Xu’s icy glare.
The dice fell with a soft clatter to the floor.
Moments earlier, Lu Yuan Xiao’s adrenaline-fueled betting had consumed him. Now, with Madam Xu standing before him, a chilling air surged through him, turning his face pale. His knees gave out as he knelt on the floor, his body trembling slightly.
Behind him, a group of kneeling servants followed suit.
Madam Xu’s chest heaved, her breathing labored as though she had been deprived of air. She felt as if a hand were gripping her throat.
“You… you…!” Madam Xu’s vision swam with dizziness.
[If not for Chao Chao, how much longer would I have been kept in the dark?]
“Madam…” Deng Zhi called out, alarmed.
“Young master, you’ve lost your senses!” Even Ying Xue, the calmest of the maids, was stunned. “An eight-year-old child gambling?”
“How long has this been going on?” Madam Xu’s voice trembled as she leaned on Deng Zhi for support to sit down.
Lu Yuan Xiao had never seen his mother like this. Her disappointment and shock rendered him helpless.
He choked out tearfully, “Mother, I was wrong. I’ve only been doing this for three days.” Just three days of indulgence had turned the once rosy-cheeked boy into one with dark circles under his eyes, chapped lips, and a disheveled head full of dust.
“You enjoy games, you act unruly, and I’ve indulged you because you are young. But gambling at your age? This is a ruinous habit! How dare you!” Madam Xu nearly ground her teeth in frustration. “Who taught you this?” Her anger surged, making her chest ache.
From a corner, a bound page boy whimpered. With a towel stuffed in his mouth, Jue Xia stepped forward to untie him.
The boy, hair a tangled mess, knelt immediately. “Madam, it was Qing Yu and Qing Yan. That day, the young master studied earnestly until late at night. Qing Yu suggested gambling as a way to relax. Qing Yan claimed that a small gamble was harmless fun. They tricked the young master and tied me up when I tried to stop them.”
Lu Yuan Xiao’s two page boys, Qing Yu and Qing Yan, had been carefully selected. Their eloquence and literacy were meant to guide him academically, while two servants, Qing Feng and Qing Shu, attended to his daily needs. Qing Yu and Qing Yan, however, had been gifts from the Old Madam herself.
“Guards! Beat these treacherous servants to death and ensure every servant in the household witnesses it as a warning!” Madam Xu’s usual magnanimity gave way to unrestrained wrath.
The two page boys, their mouths gagged, were dragged away, their eyes filled with pleading desperation directed at Lu Yuan Xiao. For a moment, he wanted to intercede, but the thought of their deliberate schemes to ruin him silenced his plea.
[These two were never innocent. Their sole mission was to corrupt Third Brother, leading him astray.]
[They lured him into gambling, skipping studies, and insulting his tutors, turning him into a target of criticism.]
Lu Yuan Xiao stood dumbfounded as Madam Xu purged all his personal attendants.
“Qing Shu, Qing Feng, you did well this time. Starting this month, your monthly allowance will double. Keep a close eye on Yuan Xiao for me.” She handed them fifty taels of silver as a reward.
Lu Yuan Xiao stood utterly dejected, unable to garner even a glance from his mother.
“Ensure all servants witness the punishment outside the Virtue and Kindness Hall before they disperse,” Madam Xu commanded, her eyes cold.