Chapter 136: Titling the Princess
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
Descending the temple mountain, little Chao Chao and her mother, Madam Xu, encountered Madam Song, the mother of Song Yu.
“I’ve come to pray for my son’s safety. Chao Chao, tell me… will he be safe?” Madam Song greeted them with eyes filled with hope.
The Dongling Kingdom had recently provoked North Zhao repeatedly, prompting Song Yu to answer the call to arms. Since his departure, Madam Song had been plagued by nightmares of impending disaster.
Obedient and polite, Chao Chao called out, “Granny Song, he must pay his debts. Bad things he did need to be fixed.”
Madam Song wobbled, nearly losing her balance. The young maid behind her quickly supported her, but Madam Song’s face turned deathly pale. She understood little Chao Chao’s words.
Years ago, human trafficking was rampant in Fufeng Village. Song Yu did nothing to stop it, resulting in many women and children being abducted. At his core, Song Yu was guilty.
Though Chao Chao’s face bore a smile, her words were cold. “Granny, he bad. He did bad things, which meant he could not escape punishment.”
Madam Song swayed on her feet, and Chao Chao directly took Madam Xu’s hand and led her down the mountain.
The crown prince was somewhat surprised. He had heard from Yuan Man, who had been abducted with Chao Chao, that she used to call Song Yu “Papa.”
“You used to call Song Yu ‘Papa.’ I thought you liked him?”
“I was taken away. He bad man. I just played nice. From the moment I went up the mountain, he was going to be punished.”
Little Chao Chao was fully aware. Those who trafficked women and children deserved death. Originally, Song Yu should have perished in the fire. Sparing his life back then was merely to extract the last bit of value from him.
“Song Yu is going to die,” little Chao Chao said coldly.
The crown prince chuckled. “I know. There’s already an urgent report from the border: Song Yu is severely injured.”
Though Chao Chao was young, her sense of right and wrong was clear. Black was black, and white was white. She would not let Song Yu live.
Back in the cultivation world, she couldn’t tolerate even a speck of dust in her eyes.
“Poor Madam Song, with no one to send her off at such an old age. She’s still praying for peace before the Buddha,” Deng Zhi sighed lightly. She used to be a government official’s wife in the capital, but the previous king’s tyranny led to the Song family’s exile, making bandits of them. Now, her only son was gone.
[She is pitiful, but those abducted and the families who lost their children are more pitiful,] thought little Chao Chao, feeling no sympathy.
The crown prince smiled. Chao Chao was still the same as before.
As expected, within three days, the news of Song Yu’s death arrived. It was said that Madam Song fainted on the spot but still managed to give her son a decent funeral. The king, aware of Song Yu’s deeds, did not honor him.
“The old lady adopted a few abandoned children; it’s a way of leaving a legacy for the Song family,” Madam Xu sighed.
“Thankfully, General Rong hurried to the border to maintain order, or it would have been a disaster,” Deng Zhi said, still frightened.
General Rong was the eldest son of the Protectorate Duke and the queen’s brother. He was thirty-eight this year and still unmarried, much to his father’s frustration, who even blamed the family’s ancestral tomb, exhuming and relocating it.
“Remember when General Rong mistook you for a man and called you Brother Xu, wanting to become sworn brothers?” Deng Zhi laughed, covering her mouth after recalling the madam’s past exploits.
Madam Xu glared at her playfully.
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation
Little Chao Chao had no thoughts about Song Yu’s death. At the foot of Fufeng Mountain lay countless bones of trafficked women, their grievances crying out to the heavens. From the moment she met Song Yu, she knew he would die. Song Yu’s death did not cause any stir in the capital. Instead, the Lu family received a royal decree.
“By the mandate of heaven, the king decrees… Madam Xu, educated and virtuous, frugal despite wealth, adhering to propriety, exemplary in conduct, is hereby granted the title of first-rank noble lady.”
Madam Xu, dressed in fine clothes, prostrated herself deeply. “Long live the king, long live, long live.”
Madam Xu accepted the decree, and Deng Zhi and the others all showed joy in their eyes. Although she was divorced, Madam Xu was now a first-rank noble lady, a status of high respect in the capital. No one would dare to look down on her.
“Congratulations, Madam Xu,” Eunuch Wang said warmly.
Madam Xu offered a reward, but Eunuch Wang initially refused. Only after being told it was a gesture of good fortune did he accept it with a smile.
Madam Xu looked at the innocent Chao Chao and sighed deeply. She hadn’t enjoyed Lu Yuan Ze’s favor but had become a first-rank noble lady thanks to her daughter. She knew Chao Chao was highly capable. But no matter how strong her daughter was, she was still a mother who worried. That’s why she always tried to guide and protect Chao Chao.
Besides, Chao Chao was not yet two years old.
“Madam Xu, today we need to take Chao Chao into the palace to worship the ancestors and formally register her in the royal lineage.”
Chao Chao was already dressed up. The crown prince personally carried her into the carriage. In the palace, an incense altar had been set up in the ancestral hall, and civil and military officials awaited in front of the hall. Everyone bowed their heads, except Lu Yuan Ze, who stood stunned, his face full of shock.
He had only heard that the king had adopted a goddaughter from among the common people, intending to bestow her the title of princess. He never imagined that the girl was his daughter! The daughter he had abandoned, driven out of his home! She wasn’t even on the family register.
Lu Yuan Ze had been kicked by the king a few days ago, and now his chest ached again, unsure if it was from the kick or from anger. As soon as Lu Chao Chao entered the hall, the king raised his hand toward her. “Come here.”
The king held her hand, facing the civil and military officials. “Does anyone have any objections?”
The officials glanced at each other in silence. Lu Yuan Ze, having been recently reprimanded by the king, was now merely a minor fifth-rank official. He had no choice but to step forward.
“Your Majesty, I have an objection!” Lu Yuan Ze glared at Lu Chao Chao.
“This girl is my daughter of lowly birth, unruly and wild. How can she be registered in the royal lineage as a princess? Please reconsider, Your Majesty.”
“Duke Xiao, don’t you agree?” Lu Yuan Ze looked at Duke Xiao, thinking he would support him since Lu Chao Chao had caused trouble for him. He expected Duke Xiao to oppose, but to his surprise, Duke Xiao waved his hands rapidly, fear written all over his face.
“Lu Yuan Ze, don’t try to drag me into this! No, no, I have no objections. Miss Chao Chao is gifted and kind-hearted. I have no objections!” Duke Xiao dropped to his knees in fright.
Lu Yuan Ze was stunned and turned to the Minister of Rites, known for his strictness, “Minister Fang, what do you think?”
The Minister of Rites: “??? Are you joking? Lu Chao Chao helped me find my daughter. She’s practically my ancestor. I have no objections.”
The Protectorate Duke, grateful for her protection of his grandson, the fourth prince, naturally supported, “I have no objections either.”
Minister Zhou, relaxed and composed, said, “I have no objections.” The man still feared exposure of being a cross-dresser if he objected!
Lu Yuan Ze’s face turned ashen and thought, “You all… It feels like you’re hiding something from me?? It seems like something big happened that I don’t know about?!”
He turned to Minister Jiang. After the provincial examination, Jiang Yun Jin was set to marry Lu Jing Huai, making their families closely allied.
“Your Majesty, I have an objection.” The Jiang elder had just stood up, ready to explain his reasons. Then he heard the king say, “I allow you to voice objections.”
Lu Yuan Ze’s face lit up with hope. But then the king said, “But I won’t listen. Go discuss it outside.”
The king: I’m giving you too much face already!!
The king is very petty, I like it