Chapter 13: A Fateful Encounter
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
“Madam, it seems the Third Young Master is truly improving,” remarked Deng Zhi as she gently massaged Madam Xu’s temples.
“Yesterday, he returned home and diligently reviewed his studies. This morning, he came to greet you in the courtyard and has already headed to the academy. You can finally ease your worries a little.”
Madam Xu remained silent. Last night, Lu Yuan Ze had made a dramatic visit.
The Old Madam had fallen gravely ill after witnessing the punishment of the bookboy. Feverish and terrified, Lu Yuan Ze barged in to demand answers. Unable to contain herself, Madam Xu retorted with a question: whether safeguarding the family’s reputation was more important than indulging Lu Yuan Xiao’s errant behavior.
Furious, Lu Yuan Ze stripped her of her household management duties and accused her of disrespecting her mother-in-law, sentencing her to confinement in the courtyard to reflect on her supposed misconduct.
This morning, Lu Wan Yi had come sobbing, protesting that she didn’t want the household management rights and blaming her elder brother for causing trouble. Madam Xu barely managed to comfort her before sending her away. Yet, her confinement was far from over when a eunuch from the palace arrived with a summons.
“Madam, Madam, the palace has sent for you!” Lu Yuan Ze came rushing in.
Deng Zhi suppressed a laugh. How ironic! Barely a day into her punishment, and the Marquis himself was forced to plead for her.
Lu Yuan Ze’s face was stiff, but his thick-skinned resolve held firm.
“Shi Yun, what matter requires your presence in the palace? I inquired, but the eunuch only gave me a dismissive glance without explanation.”
Madam Xu spoke calmly, “Since I am confined, Marquis, you should go in my stead.”
Lu Yuan Ze’s expression froze.
The eunuch waited outside. Left with no choice, Lu Yuan Ze sighed and softened his tone.
“Shi Yun, I was too hasty yesterday. Mother is old and frail. Seeing the boy punished so severely gave her the impression you were targeting her. She was frightened. Father fought on distant battlefields when we were young, and it was Mother who kept the household afloat. Even after Father’s passing, she bore everything alone. Can you not understand her struggles? Shi Yun, you’ve always been empathetic. How could you be so unfilial?”
His gaze, brimming with apparent sincerity, had once melted her heart.
Today, however…
[Ha! Your mother’s hardships have nothing to do with my own mother. Her struggles aren’t my burden. Outsourcing filial piety? Truly, what a ‘pious’ act!] Little Lu Chao Chao babbled, drooling in her swaddle.
Fresh from the sting of manipulation, Madam Xu’s mind cleared with startling sharpness. Outsourced filial piety—how apt! She vividly recalled how, years ago, she had tirelessly nursed the Old Madam through illness, only for Lu Yuan Ze to reap the credit.
“My parents raised me with care. Now that they are imprisoned, the Marquis wishes for me to sever ties. What kind of filial piety is this?” Madam Xu retorted, her words sharp.
Lu Yuan Ze’s brows tightened. He scrutinized her with suspicion.
This wasn’t the Madam Xu he knew. Yet her years of obedience couldn’t have been feigned. Surely, her recent defiance was merely a bid for his attention. Smirking inwardly, Lu Yuan Ze assured himself that his meticulous grooming over the years hadn’t gone to waste.
“I see you’re upset. Tomorrow, I’ll ask someone to smooth things over,” he replied.
Madam Xu said no more, but she calmly freshened up before leaving to accept the summons. When Lu Yuan Ze tried to follow, the eunuch stopped him.
“The Marquis will wait outside. Without a royal command, you may not enter the palace,” the eunuch stated firmly. His gaze then landed on the swaddled Lu Chao Chao.
“Bring the Lu family’s little girl along. The Eldest Princess has been asking after her.”
Lu Yuan Ze’s face darkened. Even his 40-day-old daughter had received an invitation to the palace!
[Serves him right!] Little Chao Chao gleefully kicked her tiny legs.
Madam Xu suspected that the blood petition under the crooked-neck tree had been effective. Upon entering the Imperial Study, she left Lu Chao Chao with Deng Zhi to wait outside.
Inside, the atmosphere was suffocating.
Kneeling at the center were her father and elder brother, their postures tense under the weight of the Emperor’s stern gaze. Madam Xu prostrated herself on the ground, completing the formalities despite breaking into a cold sweat.
“This humble subject greets Your Majesty,” she said.
Emperor Xuan Ping didn’t speak, only gesturing lightly. A eunuch presented her with a brush, ink, and paper. His sharp voice pierced the silence.
“The Marchioness of Zhongyong is invited to write a few words.”
Her heart pounded, but Madam Xu’s expression remained composed. She lifted the brush. Those behind her couldn’t see what she wrote, but the eunuch at her side visibly flinched as he read the words.
When she finished, she resumed her place kneeling on the floor. The eunuch presented the paper to the Emperor, who studied its eight bold characters in silence.
Old Master Xu, his hair and beard stark white, knelt unyielding. A man of iron resolve, he had come prepared to offer his life in protest. Yet, seeing his daughter summoned, a single tear rolled down his weathered cheek.
“Your Majesty, this old servant is willing to…” Before he could finish confessing guilt, Emperor Xuan Ping laughed heartily.
“Marvelous! Truly marvelous! Such purity and harmony, such prosperity and peace!”
The Emperor descended the jade dais and personally helped Old Master Xu to his feet.
“Old Grand Tutor, I have wronged you. The Xu family’s loyalty to Northern Zhao is unparalleled. Even the women of your household dedicate themselves to the empire.”
The Emperor’s tone turned cold. “To think someone dared to slander the Xu family—an act of unforgivable malice!” He gestured toward a bloodstained petition.
“This was uncovered from the Xu household,” the eunuch announced.
Old Master Xu trembled as he examined the prayer—a handwritten Buddhist scripture inscribed in blood, accompanied by a solemn vow: “May thirty years of my life ensure Northern Zhao’s peace and Your Majesty’s health and prosperity.” At the bottom, the names of every Xu descendant were signed, each sealed with a bloody handprint.
“The Xu family is exceptional,” Emperor Xuan Ping declared.
Old Master Xu’s heart ached. Only Madam Xu could replicate every family member’s handwriting flawlessly—a skill she had never flaunted. Her palms, however, were clammy with sweat. If not for replacing the cursed doll in time, the Xu family would have faced calamity.
“Though a woman, I was taught to value loyalty and service above all,” Madam Xu said, her voice steady. “The Xu family lives by this creed. While confined to the rear courtyard, all I could do was pray for Your Majesty’s well-being.”
The Emperor’s laughter echoed. “The Xu family has raised remarkable children and grandchildren!” He clapped Xu Yi Ting on the shoulder.
“To compensate for your suffering, Xu Yi Ting is hereby appointed Grand Chancellor, effective immediately!”
“Your Majesty, I shall not disappoint,” Xu Yi Ting declared, his steady voice reverberating through the chamber.
“Excellent!” The Emperor turned to Madam Xu.
“Despite being a woman, your devotion to Northern Zhao is extraordinary. You are conferred the title of Third-Rank Lady of Honor. Draft the decree!”
Outside, Lu Chao Chao’s jubilant thought resounded. [Ahahaha! That scoundrel of a father only climbed to Fourth Rank after 36 years, clinging to the family’s legacy.]
[My mother is Third Rank now. This will drive him mad!]
Inside the study, Xu Yi Ting blinked in confusion, doubting his ears.