Chapter 136: The Bestowal of Princesshood
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
Before Lu Chao Chao descended the mountain, she encountered Song Mu—the mother of Song Yu.
After exchanging polite greetings, Song Mu’s voice trembled as she spoke. “I came to pray for Yu-er’s safety.”
“Chao Chao,” her lips pressed tightly together, her eyes filled with hope. “Will he… be safe?”
Chao Chao tilted her head, the small child’s face breaking into an innocent smile. “Grandma Song,” she called sweetly. “He has debts to repay.”
Her tone was cheerful, but her words pierced like ice. “The debt he owes must be repaid.”
Song Mu’s figure wavered, nearly collapsing before her maid caught her. Her face turned ashen. She understood what Chao Chao meant. Years ago, Fufeng Village was notorious for its rampant human trafficking. Though Song Yu hadn’t initiated it, he neither stopped nor punished it. Many women and children suffered, their lives stolen in that cursed village. By any reckoning, Song Yu bore guilt.
Chao Chao’s smile remained, yet her voice carried the chill of winter. “Grandma, he is guilty.” And guilt could not escape judgment.
Staggering, Song Mu seemed on the brink of collapse. Without another glance, Chao Chao tugged on Madam Xu’s sleeve, leading her down the mountain.
The Crown Prince trailed behind, astonishment flickering across his expression. Yuan Man, another survivor of the bandits, had once mentioned Chao Chao addressing Song Yu as “Father.”
“You once called Song Yu ‘Father.’ I thought… you liked him?”
[He was the bandit chief when I was taken. I only called him that to fool him.]
[From the moment I ascended the mountain, his death was sealed.]
Chao Chao’s thoughts were clear. Anyone who trafficked women and children deserved to die. Song Yu had narrowly escaped the flames of retribution years ago, not out of mercy, but to extract every last ounce of usefulness from him.
“Song Yu must die,” Chao Chao said coolly.
The Crown Prince chuckled. “I know. The border reports have arrived—Song Yu is gravely injured.”
For one so young, Chao Chao saw the world in stark contrast—black and white, wrong and right. She had no tolerance for injustice, not even in the cultivation world.
“Pitiful that Old Madam Song, now left with no family, kneels before Buddha, praying for peace.” Deng Zhi sighed softly.
Once, Song Mu had been a prominent lady in the capital. But the previous emperor’s indulgence and Song Yu’s crimes led to their family’s downfall. Forced into exile, they turned to banditry in the mountains. Now, Song Yu, her last remaining son, was gone.
[She is pitiful, but those robbed of their children and families are even more so,] Chao Chao thought, her heart unyielding.
The Crown Prince glanced at her with a faint smile. Chao Chao had not changed.
As expected, within three days, news of Song Yu’s death reached the capital. It was said that Song Mu fainted from grief upon hearing the news. Yet, she endured, arranging a dignified funeral for her son. The emperor, fully aware of Song Yu’s crimes, refused to grant him any honors.
“Old Madam Song has adopted a few orphans. Perhaps it’s her way of preserving the Song family’s lineage,” Madam Xu remarked with a sigh.
“At least General Rong has arrived at the border to stabilize the situation. Without him, the chaos would have escalated,” Deng Zhi said with lingering fear.
General Rong, the Stabilizing Duke’s eldest son and the empress’s brother, was thirty-eight and still unmarried, much to the Duke’s frustration. The Duke had even dug up their ancestral graves, convinced they were cursed.
“Remember when General Rong mistook you for a man and wanted to become sworn brothers?” Deng Zhi teased, her laughter light.
Madam Xu shot her a warning look, silencing her.
Meanwhile, Chao Chao remained indifferent to Song Yu’s death. Beneath the foothills of Fufeng Mountain, unmarked graves held the remains of countless trafficked women. Their vengeful cries haunted the air, their grievances piercing the heavens. From the moment Chao Chao met Song Yu, she had known his fate was sealed.
The capital, however, paid little attention to his demise. Instead, the Lu family received an imperial decree.
“By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees… Madam Xu, a woman of virtue and grace, disciplined and frugal, is hereby granted the First-Rank Imperial Title.”
Draped in formal attire, Madam Xu knelt deeply. “Long live His Majesty!” she said, accepting the decree with humility.
The household brimmed with joy. Though divorced from Lu Yuan Ze, Madam Xu now stood above reproach in the capital. None dared belittle her anymore.
“Congratulations, Madam Xu,” Eunuch Wang offered with a smile.
Madam Xu gave out silver rewards, which Eunuch Wang accepted gladly.
As she looked at the wide-eyed Chao Chao, Madam Xu sighed. She had not benefited from her marriage to Lu Yuan Ze, but thanks to her daughter, she now bore the title of First-Rank Lady. While proud of Chao Chao’s capabilities, her heart remained heavy with worry—Chao Chao was still only a child.
“Madam Xu, you’ll need to bring Chao Chao to the palace today for the ancestral rites and official entry into the imperial registry.”
Chao Chao was already dressed for the occasion, and the Crown Prince personally carried her to the carriage. At the palace, the Sacrificial Hall had been prepared, with civil and military officials assembled.
Among them, Lu Yuan Ze stood in shock, his face pale. The emperor was bestowing the title of princess on his daughter—no, the daughter he had cast out! The child whose name was struck from the family registry!
Already humiliated by the emperor days before, his chest tightened with fury and shame.
When Chao Chao entered the hall, the emperor beckoned her forward. Taking her hand, he faced the assembly. “Does anyone object?”
The officials exchanged silent glances. Lu Yuan Ze, a low-ranking official now, had no choice but to step forward.
“Your Majesty, this girl is my daughter, a child of low birth and unruly nature. She is unfit to enter the imperial registry or to be recognized as a princess! I implore Your Majesty to reconsider!”
“Imperial Uncle Xiao,” Lu Yuan Ze turned to another official, hoping for support. Yet Imperial Uncle Xiao waved his hands frantically, terror etched on his face. “No, no! I have no objections!”
“Lady Lu is wise and kind-hearted. I have no objections!” The man even knelt in fear.
Stunned, Lu Yuan Ze sought another ally. “Minister Fang, what of you?”
“Objections?” the Minister of Rites scoffed internally. [She helped me find my daughter—she is practically my benefactor!] “None at all,” he declared.
“General Protector, do you object?” Another voice spoke up: “Of course not.”
“Official Zhou?”
“I wouldn’t dare,” came the reply. [If I anger her, what if she exposes my secrets?!]
Lu Yuan Ze’s face turned ghostly pale. What were they hiding? What had he missed?
Turning to Minister Jiang, he finally saw a glimmer of hope. Yet before Jiang could speak, the emperor’s voice boomed: “You may raise objections, but I will not listen.”
“Out. All of you,” he commanded. “If you wish to argue further, do so outside.”
The emperor’s patience had run out.
The king is very petty, I like it