Chapter 111: Lu Chao Chao, the Living King Yama

This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.

Lu Yan Shu cast a glance at the servant, who immediately helped him to his feet, though he staggered, kneeling once more in the hall.

All four children knelt before the ancestral shrine.

“Father, may this not hinder the Marquisate’s future. I wish you all the success you desire.”

The children kowtowed to Lu Yuan Ze. His heart felt heavy and chaotic, as though something precious had been lost. [If only Yan Shu weren’t a cripple…]

The old clan leader, staring at the family-severing document, felt his eyelids twitch uncontrollably. [Unfilial! If I were the Old Marquis, I’d be rising from my coffin!]

Lu Chao Chao, seeing the document that severed the ties between Lu Yuan Ze and her elder brothers, couldn’t suppress her glee. A broad grin spread across her face.

The old clan leader proceeded to write the divorce document. Lu Yuan Ze and Madam Xu both signed their names, the severance and divorce documents together to be sent to the authorities.

“And what of the dowry? Surely a distinguished Marquisate wouldn’t stoop to swallowing the dowry of a former daughter-in-law?” Madam Xu waved a hand, and Deng Zhi instructed someone to bring the account books.

The dowry filled three large chests.

The old clan leader was visibly shocked. [No wonder eighteen years weren’t enough to exhaust this fortune!]

The Old Madam, shamelessly, hugged Lu Jing Yao and kissed her repeatedly. “Who wants your dowry? Take it and go!” The Old Madam had no intention of letting Madam Xu belittle her by accusing her of greed.

“The Old Madam is right. Since we’re separating, let’s do it cleanly,” Madam Xu replied, waiting for this very line.

“The Marquisate Zhongyong is a family of pride and honor. How could they covet the property of a former daughter-in-law?” Deng Zhi said with a smile and a deliberate glance. [Let’s see who’s crying later.]

“The separation is done. Pack up and leave the manor!”

“Today, we also need to add the children to the genealogy records,” Madam Pei said, barely containing her laughter.

“Nothing that doesn’t belong to you can leave with you,” Madam Pei added, terrified that Madam Xu might take the Marquisate’s wealth.

Unaware of the Marquisate’s true condition, Madam Pei had spent eighteen years in hiding. Now, stepping into her role as the main wife, she was ecstatic.

“Why are you still dawdling? Record my son’s name in the genealogy! Delay the auspicious hour, and you’ll see my wrath,” Madam Pei scolded the old clan leader, who sighed in irritation. [This woman is utterly uncultured!]

Lu Yuan Ze seemed indifferent, fueling the old clan leader’s inner rage.

“Let’s proceed with the ancestral acknowledgment,” Madam Xu said, a smile playing on her lips.

“Bring the account books and start inventorying the items,” Madam Xu commanded, leading her children away from the shrine without looking back.

The Old Madam grumbled under her breath. “Jing Huai is a genius, a future top scholar! Yan Shu is a cripple—what use is he? You should focus your efforts on Jing Huai. He’ll bring honor and glory to the family.”

“Madam Xu is merely a divorced woman with four children. How long can the Xu family support her? When she’s had her fill of hardship, she’ll return, begging for forgiveness.”

“That stubborn pride of hers will have to be broken.”

Lu Yuan Ze nodded. [She’s been obsessed with love for eighteen years. She must be trying to spite me. Once she suffers enough, she’ll surely return.]

Meanwhile, in Listening Wind Courtyard…

“All the furniture was purchased by Madam. None of it stays.”

“Assign a few people to move everything from Virtue and Kindness Hall.”

“Oh, and the artificial lake Madam funded—fill it in.”

“As for the courtyard’s stone slabs, pry them up! Don’t leave a single piece!”

Lu Chao Chao, clutching her small chest, wobbled alongside her dog. Barely more than a year old, she tied a rope to the chest and draped it over the dog’s head.

[Wow, even the trees are being uprooted!]

“Madam, even the tiles on the roof were replaced when you moved in. Shall we take those as well?” Deng Zhi pointed upwards.

Madam Xu, recalling the significant expense of the renovation, gave a cold laugh. “Smash them on the spot!”

Deng Zhi bowed swiftly. “As you command, Madam!” She turned and shouted at the servants on the roof. “Smash them all! Smash them to bits!”

Crash! Crash! Crash!

The sound echoed throughout the manor. In the shrine, the Old Madam’s unease grew, her eyelids twitching uncontrollably.

Madam Pei supported the Old Madam. “Mother, the genealogy is updated. Let’s head to the gates. What if Madam Xu tries to take anything from the Marquisate?”

“You’re too kind. Why allow a mere divorce? A repudiation would have meant no return of her dowry,” Madam Pei grumbled.

Madam Xu’s dowry was shockingly vast.

The Old Madam’s anger flared. “If not for your shamelessness—entangling with Yuan Ze in broad daylight—Madam Xu wouldn’t have gained such an advantage! We had plans to catch her in an affair!”

Madam Pei’s face stiffened, her lips pressing shut.

“Mother, we must hurry to prevent her from taking anything,” Madam Pei urged, moving quickly with the Old Madam.

Tomorrow, she would be the main wife of the Marquisate Zhongyong—clad in finery and luxury!

Madam Pei’s face lit up with joy, but stepping outside the shrine, her smile froze.

The once splendid Marquisate Zhongyong, with its intricate carvings, pavilions, and grand halls, had crumbled into a wasteland.

“Ahhhh!” The Old Madam clutched her chest, trembling with fury. If not for Madam Pei’s support, she might have collapsed.

“Wretch! What are you doing?!”

Before the words settled, the courtyard’s grand tree fell with a thunderous crash.

“What have you done to the Marquisate?!” the Old Madam cried, stumbling forward as her limbs grew weak.

Deng Zhi replied with a gentle smile. “Why, we’re taking Madam’s belongings.”

“Everything in this manor, from the grass to the stones, was purchased by Madam.”

“Surely you haven’t forgotten the Marquisate’s state when Madam first arrived?”

The Old Marquis had been a warrior, and the Old Madam a farmer’s daughter. Despite imperial rewards, the Marquisate had always struggled to make ends meet.

The manor, gifted by the late emperor, had been pitifully furnished. Madam Xu had begun massive renovations on her second day, replacing everything with high-quality materials.

The Old Madam paled, as if her throat had been seized. Her expression darkened.

“Mother, will you just stand by and let this ruin the Marquisate?” Madam Pei’s voice trembled with heartbreak, her vision spinning.

The Old Madam’s breaths grew labored as her fury peaked.

“The Marquisate has its pride. We cannot use a former wife’s belongings.”

“Madam Pei, as the new main wife, surely you wouldn’t want to use items purchased by my mistress?” Deng Zhi said, gesturing. Madam Xu’s belongings were methodically carried out.

The entire manor was stripped bare, resembling a disaster zone. Tiles smashed, plants uprooted, trees felled, and stone slabs removed.

Standing outside the gate, Lu Chao Chao blinked. [Mother, was the gate also bought by you?]

Madam Xu…

“The gate was commissioned at great expense. Take it down!”

The Old Madam’s fury boiled over. Normally, she prided herself on decorum, but now she roared, “Shameless harlot! You divorce with a cripple in tow. Let’s see how you survive!”

“The Marquisate will trample you beneath its feet. You’ll regret this forever!”

With those words, the Old Madam fainted from rage.

Lu Chao Chao sniffed disdainfully. [A cripple? When he rises, you’ll be terrified!]

[Wow, Mother and I think exactly alike!]

[Also, Grandfather—the coffin was bought by Mother too. Shouldn’t we dig it up?]

The three brothers stared at Lu Chao Chao.

They had never seen a living Bodhisattva but had just witnessed a living King Yama.

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