Chapter 131: A Failed Attempt
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
The door burst open with a resounding crash. Lu Yuan Ze stood at the threshold, his face contorted with rage. “You wretch, let’s see who dares to pick up my discarded trash!” he bellowed.
Madam Xu, previously kneeling, recoiled in fear and fell back, sitting abruptly on the cold floor. Hidden behind a curtain, the king’s gaze darkened as he watched the scene unfold.
“What are you doing here? This is no place for you! Leave immediately!” Madam Xu’s heart raced. Had Lu Yuan Ze lost his mind? Was he aware of who lurked behind the curtain?
Lu Yuan Ze sneered, ushering in three or four imposing men. “Is there anywhere in this capital I am forbidden?” he mocked. “Xu Shi Yun, a divorced woman with children, daring to remarry? I must see who is desperate enough to claim my discarded trash!”
Advancing steadily, Madam Xu’s eyelids fluttered in distress. “Show yourself!”
“Who would be so desperate to want her?” Lu Yuan Ze taunted, reaching for the curtain.
“You two adulterers…” His voice faltered as the curtain lifted, revealing the calm, imposing figure of the king, with Eunuch Wang smirking disdainfully beside him.
Struck dumb, Lu Yuan Ze staggered back as if hit by lightning, his face a mask of shock. [The king! How is this possible?]
His legs buckled, and he collapsed to his knees, trembling violently. “Y-Your Majesty?” he stammered, terror infusing his voice.
Reminded of his earlier insults, Lu Yuan Ze wished the earth would swallow him whole.
“Desperate? Trash? Scoundrel?” the king mocked, his voice icy as he delivered a sharp kick to Lu Yuan Ze’s chest.
Lu Yuan Ze yelped, curling up on the floor in agony. He scrambled to his feet, only to kneel again, clutching his chest, which throbbed painfully from the blow and his preexisting ailments.
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation
“I deserve death… I didn’t know…” Previously arrogant, now he was consumed by fear, repeatedly striking his own face until blood marked his swollen cheeks. He didn’t dare stop, not until the king commanded.
The burly men accompanying him had already prostrated themselves, their bodies shaking.
The king’s voice boomed through the room, “Madam Xu is a woman of virtue and has served North Zhao well, raising her children with diligence. She will be duly rewarded.” He helped Madam Xu to her feet, his tone resolute. “The agreement stands firm.”
“I shall instruct the Astronomical Bureau to choose an auspicious day for her to be officially honored,” he declared, laughter in his voice as he considered the addition of Lu Chao Chao to his family.
Eunuch Wang nodded to Madam Xu, “Sometimes misfortune reveals our true fortunes. You are truly blessed.”
The humiliated Marquis Zhongyong continued his self-punishment, oblivious to the full extent of his loss.
As the king departed, Madam Xu fixed her gaze on the still kneeling Marquis. “Marquis, continue slapping your oversized face. It suits you. Also, my remarriage is none of your concern! Do you think everyone is as shameless as you?” she taunted, spitting in his face before turning to leave, her laughter mingling with the sound of ongoing slaps.
Lu Yuan Ze, left to his own devices, slapped himself into unconsciousness and was later demoted for his insolence.
That evening, as the Ghost Festival commenced, Madam Xu’s household fortified their home with protective charms against the roaming spirits.
Outside, Lu Chao Chao sat contentedly eating a roast duck leg, oblivious to her brother Lu Zheng Yue’s puzzlement over the symbolic return gift from Wen Ning.
Madam Xu fretted over the Fourth Prince’s safety, whom Lu Chao Chao was to protect. “Can you really guard him against evil spirits?” she worried, unaware of Chao Chao’s true strength.
Chao Chao giggled, her chubby fingers clutching the duck leg. “Me pwotect! Chao Chao stwong!” she babbled with confidence.
Preparations were underway for a city-wide effort to repel spirits, led by her son Lu Yan Shu and Lu Jing Huai from opposing ends of the city, their groups set to converge by dawn.
As night fell, the capital turned desolate, its residents huddled inside. A carriage raced to deliver the Fourth Prince to the safety of the Lu residence just as darkness settled.
“Made it just in time,” gasped the servant, relieved. The night promised danger, but with Chao Chao’s untested powers, hope lingered.
“Chao Chao, thank you,” Xie Jun An managed, stepping from the carriage, his face drawn with fatigue and anxiety.
Madam Xu, though reassured by her daughter’s confidence, remained tense as the city braced for a night of supernatural peril.