Chapter 123: Even Babies Take Kickbacks
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
Xie Yu Nan wept.
He sobbed the loudest and hardest.
His face still bore the fresh marks of slaps, and his previous arrogance had vanished entirely.
“Just leave. I don’t want to see you ever again.” Limping, Xie Yu Nan carried Lu Chao Chao to the door.
But Lu Chao Chao clung tightly to the doorframe, yelling, “Wuo won’t leave!” She held on with all her strength as if her life depended on it.
Xie Yu Nan cursed under his breath. “Wan Wan doesn’t want me anymore, wants to divorce me, and even plans to abort the child! This is like stabbing me in the heart. Why don’t you just kill me outright?”
“Take the 100,000 taels borrowed from the national treasury and return it tomorrow. Now leave!” He needed to coax his wife back.
Damn that Lu Chao Chao.
Seeing her unmoving, stubborn demeanor, Xie Yu Nan ground his teeth in frustration. He blamed this entirely on her miserly habits learned from the Zhou family.
At such a young age, she already knew how to skim money!
Xie Yu Nan clenched his teeth. “Fine! I’ll give you 150,000 taels! Just run this errand for me, and I’ll even throw in some gold melon seeds.”
He called for a servant, who brought out a tray of glittering gold melon seeds. Lu Chao Chao coughed awkwardly, her cheeks reddening. Letting go of the doorframe, she mumbled, “This… this is too generous, isn’t it?”
“How embarrassing…” The little toddler’s polite words made her even more adorable.
Though she tried to decline, she opened her pouch wide.
“Shouldn’t take it, huh?”
“Wuo shouldn’t take it, huh?”
Xie Yu Nan: Damn it! What did she learn from the Zhou family?!
While saying she didn’t want it, Lu Chao Chao’s pouch remained open. Xie Yu Nan had no choice but to scoop some gold into it.
After two handfuls, she muttered, “You shouldn’t fill it completely, right?”
Xie Yu Nan: ???
He took the tray and poured the entire pile into her pouch.
The little child sighed. “It’s not that wuor wants it, it’s that you insisted.” Her feigned humility almost made Xie Yu Nan spit blood in rage.
His veins bulged just looking at her.
By now, the sky had darkened.
“Quietly deliver her to the Protectorate Duke’s Manor,” Xie Yu Nan ordered through gritted teeth. Let them laugh at me all they want.
That night, Xie Yu Nan personally carried Lu Chao Chao to the gates of the Protectorate Duke’s Manor.
He hadn’t even eaten dinner.
Protectorate Duke?!!
What a heartless brat!
Fortunately, the Protectorate Duke didn’t make things difficult for Lu Chao Chao. After all, his legitimate daughter was the Imperial Consort Xian.
The Imperial Consort Xian’s only son, the Fourth Prince, was about to return home.
She had already informed her family, intending to send the Fourth Prince to stay with Lu Chao Chao.
With Lu Chao Chao in the capital, the Imperial Consort could see her daily.
Naturally, the Protectorate Duke’s Manor showed great respect to Chao Chao.
“Chao Chao, you can walk already?”
“Last time, when your brother sneaked you into the academy, I carried you in my arms. You probably don’t remember me,” Li Si Qi teased. At nine years old, he had recently joined the Imperial Academy.
Most students in the Imperial Academy were royalty or children of court officials.
However, the Soaring Elegance Academy had gained popularity, and some officials were now sending their sons there to connect with scholars of humble backgrounds.
Chao Chao’s little cheeks flushed as Li Si Qi had someone bring her an iced bowl.
How adorable.
How lovely.
Why couldn’t his mother have a daughter like her?
Then again, with his father’s rugged features, he couldn’t imagine what a sister would even look like!
“Chao Chao, what kind of sack do you like?” Li Si Qi asked with a teasing grin.
Chao Chao, happily eating her iced bowl, tilted her head in confusion.
“Don’t put on that clueless look!” The Protectorate Duke rubbed his temple.
“Chao Chao, the manor indeed borrowed 50,000 taels from the treasury. Tomorrow, bring people to count it.”
The Duke, blessed with one son and one daughter, had seen his daughter enter the palace and give birth to the Fourth Prince.
But the Fourth Prince had been born under an ill fate. He was taken from the palace at birth and raised in seclusion. The Imperial Consort had wept every day since, and the Duke’s heart ached for her and his grandson.
“Chao Chao, the Ghost Festival is approaching. Are you sure you can suppress the spirits?” The Duke couldn’t trust that this one-and-a-half-year-old toddler could manage such a feat. What was the Imperial Consort even thinking?
“Do you know?”
“One year, the Fourth Prince sneaked back into the palace during the Ghost Festival. It caused a flood of spirits to overrun the palace, slaughtering many servants.”
The next day, the court demanded the Fourth Prince’s execution.
They wanted to sacrifice him to appease the heavens.
The Protectorate Duke’s entire family, along with the Imperial Consort, knelt outside the Golden Imperial Hall for three days to barely save his life.
Lu Chao Chao held a small spoon, her milk-stained lips surrounded by white rings from the iced bowl.
“Chao Chao can do it!” The little one almost gave a guarantee.
The Duke hadn’t slept well in days out of worry.
After dinner, Lu Chao Chao stayed the night at the Protectorate Duke’s Manor.
Yu Shu and Yu Qin returned home to report her safety.
The next morning, the Duke personally carried her to the gates of Imperial Uncle Xiao’s estate.
“Imperial Uncle Xiao has a bad temper. If you can’t get the money, just leave.”
“The Imperial Uncle is upset with His Majesty. Even the Emperor avoids provoking him, so don’t try it.” The Duke explained meticulously.
Lu Chao Chao nodded, though it was unclear if she understood.
The servant knocked at the gate for a long time, but no one answered.
The Duke stood under the scorching sun, his head spinning from the heat.
Yu Shu quickly found a parasol to provide some shade, which brought slight relief.
The Duke’s expression darkened. “Imperial Uncle Xiao is too much.”
“A dignified Imperial Uncle, bullying a child under two? What is this?”
Empress Dowager Xiao came from the Xiao family, which had been at its peak under the Late Emperor. However, the new Emperor had been deliberately suppressing them. Both sides were brimming with tension.
“No anger, no anger. Anger kills you, and your enemies will be delighted,” Lu Chao Chao reassured, patting his furrowed brow smooth.
“I’m just afraid you’ll be bullied by the Xiao family.” The Duke couldn’t help worrying for her.
Lu Chao Chao grinned with childlike innocence.
After half a cup of tea’s time, the Xiao family finally opened their gates.
The leading lady was dazzlingly beautiful, adorned with an emerald jade hairpin. Her luxurious embroidered robe trailed elegantly, and a faint smile graced her face, though it didn’t reach her eyes.
This was Madam Zheng, wife of Imperial Uncle Xiao.
After politely greeting the Duke, Madam Zheng glanced at Lu Chao Chao. “So, this is the little girl sent by His Majesty to collect debts?”
“Such a heavy responsibility for one so young. His Majesty must hold her in high regard,” she chuckled softly.
The Duke put Chao Chao down and said solemnly, “Miss Lu is under two years old. If she offends the Imperial Uncle, please don’t blame her.”
Madam Zheng was surprised. The Duke spoke for a mere child?
Was it due to the Xu family?
But the Xu family was no longer what it used to be!
Could there be some hidden advantage?
“Rest assured, Duke. The Xiao family wouldn’t stoop to bullying a two-year-old,” Madam Zheng replied, leading Lu Chao Chao inside herself.
The Duke turned back every few steps, filled with unease.
Ah, such a young child—could she really avoid being devoured by the Xiao family?
What was His Majesty thinking?
As the gates of the estate closed, Madam Zheng released Lu Chao Chao’s hand.
Her disdainful expression was unmistakable.
Stretching out her hand, she accepted a hot towel from a maid and meticulously wiped the hand that had touched Lu Chao Chao.
“Chao Chao isn’t dirty!” Lu Chao Chao protested, waving her little hand.
“Wuo bathe every day. Wuo not dirty.” The little one explained in her soft, childlike voice, fearful of being despised.
LOOKING FORWARD TO MORE!