Chapter 116: Fighting for Dignity, Not Bread
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation
While the Marquis Zhongyong’s Manor was in disarray, desperately seeking powerful connections, an unexpected scene unfolded in the Fang Residence.
Lu Chao Chao was at the center of it all.
“Little ancestor, please take the seat of honor,” Minister Fang personally picked up Lu Chao Chao and, with a beaming smile, placed her on the most esteemed chair.
The Old Madam Fang held Shi Yun close, her eyes glued to her daughter, unable to look away.
Fang Xu An scratched his head in confusion. [Wait, so our adopted son is now our son-in-law?]
The Old Madam wiped her tears, saying, “I always thought the heavens were unfair to me. But now I realize, they had already sent you to me long ago. The heavens never wronged me.”
Shi Yun was equally tearful. “My foster mother sold me to a brothel in exchange for food for my brother. I cried in despair. By sheer luck, I escaped and was saved by you, Mother. The Fang family did not disdain my lowly origins and even married me into the Minister’s Manor.”
“After marrying in, I found harmony with you in everything. Yet, I never imagined you were my birth mother.” Her tears fell freely, her past grievances from being sold now wholly resolved.
The three-year-old grandson glanced between his father, mother, and grandmother.
“So should I call her maternal grandmother or just grandmother?” The little boy clapped his hands joyfully.
“Call her grandmother all the same. We’re one big family now,” Fang Xu An said, his heart alight with joy. No one would ever mock him as an adopted son again.
The Old Madam, brimming with happiness, turned to Minister Fang. “Old man, you’ve finally done something right for once!”
Turning back to Lu Chao Chao, she asked warmly, “Little ancestor, do you have anything to say?” Her gaze softened, as if looking at the world’s most precious treasure.
The entire family waited eagerly for their benefactor’s words of wisdom.
Standing on the chair, her chubby face full of solemnity, Lu Chao Chao declared deeply, “Bring me a pot of milk.”
Pfft…
She was only a little over a year old. Such a misstep! Fang Xu An personally went out to fetch her the milk.
With her stomach round and full, Lu Chao Chao was contentedly feasting when the gatekeeper announced, “The eldest young master of the Lu family is here to fetch the little ancestor.”
Lu Yan Shu arrived at the Minister’s Manor only to find himself treated with an over-the-top level of respect.
Even the minister, the Old Madam, the eldest son, and his wife all came out to greet him?
[Do I have that much face?]
They even escorted him and Lu Chao Chao all the way to the gate.
“Little ancestor, if you suffer any grievances, come tell me. This old man will make it right for you!” Minister Fang rolled up his sleeves, looking deadly serious.
Lu Yan Shu was dumbfounded.
[Little ancestor?]
Little did Minister Fang know, when Lu Chao Chao started attending the Imperial Academy, he would spend his days answering constant summons to meet with her teachers.
Every time Lu Chao Chao caused trouble, half the court would clear out to back her up!
Yawning, Lu Chao Chao murmured, “Go home…”
[Heh, good deeds bring good rewards. The Old Madam’s lost daughter has finally been found.]
Lu Yan Shu’s gaze sharpened. His little sister’s ability had once again shattered his understanding of reality.
By the next morning, the capital was abuzz with news that Minister Fang’s long-lost daughter had been found.
Even more astonishing was the revelation that she was the Fang family’s eldest daughter-in-law!
The adopted son of the Fang family had become the son-in-law.
And their grandson? A legitimate member of the Fang bloodline.
The city was in an uproar.
The Fang family’s next move caused an even greater stir.
Early in the morning, the entire Fang family, led by the elderly Minister Fang, marched to the Lu household with gongs and drums. Passing by the Marquis Zhongyong’s Manor, they left jaws on the floor.
“I heard it was the Marquis Zhongyong’s youngest daughter who was found.”
“Nonsense! She divorced her husband. It was the Lu family’s little girl.”
“Oh my, that little girl is incredible. At just over a year old, she recognized the lost Fang daughter at a glance.”
Amid the fanfare, the entire Fang family knelt at the Lu family’s gate in gratitude.
[Without Lu Chao Chao, our Fang family would have fallen apart.]
Lu Yuan Ze ground his teeth in fury, his expression dark and foreboding.
“Jing Huai, you must pass the provincial exam and claim the top rank! Let’s regain some dignity for our family!” he commanded, his face as grim as ever.
Adding to the Marquis’s frustration, the Eldest Princess gave birth to twins the night before. A boy and a girl—a dragon and phoenix pair.
She publicly declared it was because she had held Lu Chao Chao.
Not long after, Madam Qin, wife of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, claimed, “I too conceived after holding Chao Chao.”
This sparked a peculiar trend in the capital: holding Lu Chao Chao to boost fertility.
Madam Xu, surrounded by an avalanche of visiting cards, felt her head throb.
“Gather some of Chao Chao’s worn clothes and distribute them to the families. They can share in the good fortune,” she instructed. No way was she letting anyone hold her precious Chao Chao.
“Oh, and don’t forget to remind Yan Shu to sign up for the provincial exam.”
Deng Zhi nodded eagerly. “Understood.”
Since the divorce, the eldest young master often practiced walking around the manor walls.
The separation brought no benefits to the Marquis Zhongyong’s Manor, but it left them seething.
“From tomorrow, I’ll pray to Buddha every day, seeking blessings for the eldest young master’s success,” a cheerful maid proclaimed.
[Bowing to Buddha is pointless. Better to bow to me,] thought Lu Chao Chao.
Madam Xu chuckled.
“The Eldest Princess is hosting a three-day feast tomorrow. She specifically insisted on your attendance.”
The very first invitation went to Lu Chao Chao.
“Brother and sister…oh, I summoned them!” Lu Chao Chao puffed out her chest proudly.
“Yes, yes, you did,” Madam Xu replied with a smile.
In truth, the Grand Tutor and her brothers had come to persuade her to return to her natal family. She had refused.
Having established her own household, she was determined her four children would excel no less than Lu Jing Huai.
[Fighting for dignity, not bread. I have my pride, too.]
The next day, bundled up like a bear cub, Lu Chao Chao rode her dog to the Princess’s Manor.
“Let me hold her!”
“No, let me hold her first!”
As expected, the female guests clamored to hold Lu Chao Chao, who turned green with frustration.
“Madam Xu, the Marquis Zhongyong’s Manor failed to appreciate you, but that’s their loss. Have you considered remarrying?”
“In these times, a woman needs a pillar of support.”
Some even attempted to matchmake for Madam Xu, but she politely declined each time.
Never had she imagined that after her divorce, she’d become more sought after than she had been as an unmarried maiden—and with increasingly absurd offers.
On the return journey, just as they were about to board the carriage, a woman pulled Madam Xu aside for a private conversation.
Lu Chao Chao stood idly by her dog.
Hostage Prince Xuan Ji Chuan happened to be passing by the Princess’s Manor. He recalled his sister’s words:
“Lu Chao Chao is innocent and kind-hearted. His Majesty dotes on her far beyond the norm. If you can win her favor, it will benefit you greatly in both Northern Zhao and Eastern Ling.”
Xuan Ji Chuan had dismissed her advice. [Chao Chao is only a year old!]
But his sister’s constant nagging left him no choice.
At that moment, he spotted a bear cub edging closer to a silly dog lying in the snow.
[This is my chance! Time to impress her!]
He leaped forward dramatically, stepping on the bear cub and shouting, “Silly dog, where’s your master?!”
[Ha! I saved Lu Chao Chao’s dog. My sister will definitely praise me!]
For a brief moment, he swore he saw disbelief and shock on the dog’s face.
The bear cub beneath his foot wriggled, but Xuan Ji Chuan applied more pressure. “Still not behaving? Lying under my foot won’t save you!”
The bear’s face was pressed into the snow, letting out muffled cries.
“This bear cries like a person! Hahaha!”
The silly dog howled and bit at his trousers, tugging fiercely.
“Silly dog, I just saved you! Why are you pulling me?”
“Where’s your master?!”
Before he could finish, the bear cub struggled, revealing a small face filled with blazing fury.
[Oh no.] Xuan Ji Chuan felt a chill run down his spine as he took a step back.
[Dead. I’m so dead.]
Bruh lmao