Chapter 141: Nightmare
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
The old beggar was pinned to the ground, his frantic screams almost as if he was desperate to reveal something.
Lu Zheng Yue felt a chill spread through his chest. [Uncle Grandfather?]
The Old Madam’s younger brother?
The Old Marquis and the Old Madam were both from Clear Creek Village. The Old Madam’s maiden name was Pei, and she had three sisters and one brother. In the Pei family, this younger brother was doted on excessively, to the point that it spoiled him.
He grew into a man who stole chickens and neglected proper pursuits. A few years back, the Old Madam brought him to the capital and instructed Madam Xu to take good care of him, treating him like a proper master.
Who could have imagined that, in the capital, he would stir up trouble, leaving Madam Xu frazzled with worry?
“Ever since Elder Brother fell into the water, Uncle Grandfather disappeared,” the Old Madam had spent untold amounts of money over the years trying to find him.
Recalling the Old Madam’s heartfelt words and Lu Jing Huai’s suspected involvement in harming Elder Brother, Lu Zheng Yue’s heart sank. Without hesitation, he had the man escorted back to the Lu family estate.
Madam Xu, already informed of the news, waited anxiously at the entrance, pacing back and forth.
[It was him, it was him. Back then, Elder Brother was rescuing Jiang Yun Jin and was almost on shore when this man pushed his head underwater, trying to drown him!]”
“Liang Qin, he harmed Big Brother, harmed Big Brother…” Lu Chao Chao’s tears streamed down her cheeks as she spoke, unsure if her family would believe her.
“Mother believes you,” Madam Xu hugged Chao Chao. The little one never lied.
The maid pulled back the old beggar’s hair for Madam Xu to examine closely.
“It’s him! Pei Yao Zu! The Old Madam’s own younger brother!” Madam Xu’s face darkened as she recognized the man she once had to call uncle.
The Pei family, being commoners, had three daughters before finally having a son. Pei Yao Zu was the youngest. Though he had married in Clear Creek Village, his lustful nature kept him seeking pleasure outside, ultimately driving his wife to take her own life in despair.
Out of pity for her widowed brother, the Old Madam had scolded his late wife’s lack of understanding and brought him to the capital that very night.
Madam Xu’s expression soured further as old memories resurfaced. Years ago, Pei Yao Zu had even attempted to spy on her while she was bathing. Alarmed, she had tightened security around Listening Wind Courtyard to prevent any further incidents.
Her eyes reddened as her body trembled with rage. “Was it you who harmed Yan Shu?”
The old beggar shrank back, fear written all over his face. He shook his head vehemently, inching away in terror.
“How dare you harm Yan Shu? How dare you!!”
With a slap, she struck Pei Yao Zu across the face.
“He called you Uncle Grandfather! He called you Uncle Grandfather! How could you bear to harm a child?!”
Slap! Slap! More blows landed on his face.
“What wrongs did I ever do to you?! How could you hurt my Yan Shu?!” Madam Xu’s voice trembled with anguish, blaming herself for indulging her naïve affections and bringing calamity to her child.
“You cheated and scammed others, and I humbled myself to rescue you. You gambled and couldn’t pay your debts, and I, just your nephew’s wife, came to bail you out! How could you do this to my son?!”
Lu Jing Huai, Pei Yao Zu—how could the two of you stoop so low?
You ate my food, drank my wine, and yet plotted to murder the legitimate eldest son of the Lu family! What heartlessness!
Back then, how young was Lu Jing Huai? Even at that age, he dared to orchestrate murder?
Goosebumps rose across Madam Xu’s skin. She had once believed Yan Shu’s drowning to be a tragic accident, divine punishment for a gifted youth. Now she knew the truth: it was a carefully woven conspiracy. Her heart shattered as guilt engulfed her.
Madam Xu fell ill.
When Lu Yan Shu returned after the first round of the Four Books exam, Madam Xu forced herself to rise, fearing he would notice anything amiss.
Lu Yan Shu, who had been recuperating for six months, stayed at the Examination Hall for a few days. Although he looked a bit disheveled, his complexion showed no severe signs of ailment.
“Quickly, have the physician examine him. Are there any issues?”
“Mother, your son is perfectly fine,” the towering man reassured her. Though sleep had eluded him, he remained composed.
Lu Yuan Xiao chuckled mischievously. “I saw Lu Jing Huai.”
“He was carried out,” he added gleefully. “Assigned to the worst quarters, he vomited once due to the stifling heat. Serves him right.”
Madam Xu clasped Yan Shu’s hand, her gaze fixed intently on her eldest son. When he turned to meet her eyes, she quickly averted her gaze, hiding the redness in her eyes.
“Where is Chao Chao?” Yan Shu asked.
“She is playing in the outer courtyard. Rest well; you still have the second round of exams tomorrow,” Madam Xu replied, avoiding letting Chao Chao approach him lest her thoughts betray their secret.
Yan Shu rested at home for only one day before returning for the essay round. The third round—policy formulation—was the most crucial.
Time flew by. Over these days, Lu Chao Chao had not seen her elder brother.
“Why won’t you let me see Big Brother?” she demanded, standing with her hands on her hips.
“After the exams are over tomorrow, you can see him all you want,” Lu Yuan Xiao replied with a cheeky grin. [If we let you see him now, you’ll surely spill the secret!]
Xuan Ji Chuan stood silently behind Chao Chao, maintaining a low profile. Though he had rested for only a day, he had already resumed attending to her.
Chao Chao didn’t truly treat him as a servant, but seeing his stubbornness, she allowed him to follow.
The group stood outside the bustling Examination Hall. From her spot near the restaurant’s entrance, Chao Chao even caught sight of the Old Madam and Madam Pei.
“Mother, Jing Huai said he did well in the Four Books exam. He’s bound to take first place,” Madam Pei boasted.
“Mother, our Lu family’s ancestors must be smiling from above! Surely he’ll bring home the title of Jie Yuan and bring glory to the Lu family.” Supporting the Old Madam, Madam Pei’s face was alight with pride.
The Old Madam smiled broadly. “Yan Shu is just a cripple. How can he compete with Jing Huai? He’s only caused such a stir for nothing. When he loses to Jing Huai, how embarrassing that will be.” Her tone turned disdainful. “It’s not favoritism; Jing Huai is simply obedient and sensible.”
Madam Pei, being the Old Madam’s niece, naturally shared her partiality toward Jing Huai.
“They’re coming out! The gates are opening!” someone shouted, and the crowd surged forward.
After nine days of grueling exams, many candidates emerged pale and exhausted. Some elderly scholars even collapsed upon exiting.
“I see the Eldest Young Master!” a servant squeezed through the throng, supporting Lu Yan Shu to escape the crowd.
Yan Shu’s face was pale, but his spirit was indomitable. His eyes shone brilliantly. Seeing the expectant yet hesitant gazes around him, he smiled faintly and spoke, “I have not failed your trust. I have given my all.”
After a decade of silence, the capital’s scholars would once again bask in his brilliance.
[Lu Jing Huai has come out,] Lu Chao Chao noted, turning toward the gate.
Madam Pei rushed to her son’s side, her heart aching at his ashen complexion. “Is the physician here?” she asked anxiously.
As Jing Huai glanced up, his gaze locked with Yan Shu’s, who smiled faintly from a distance.
The terror that Yan Shu’s dominance had instilled in him shattered his defenses instantly. Jing Huai collapsed to the ground.
The Old Madam wailed hysterically as she followed her grandson away, never sparing Yan Shu a single glance. So much for impartiality between grandsons?
The family returned home amid lively chatter.
Madam Xu, no longer concealing her illness, clung to Yan Shu, weeping openly.
“Yan Shu, it’s all Mother’s fault! It’s all my fault!”
“You were held down in the water… it was your Uncle Grandfather! He pressed you down!”
Madam Xu sobbed uncontrollably as she held her son. At this moment, she wished she could devour Lu Yuan Ze’s flesh and blood.
Yan Shu suddenly clutched his head as if struck by a heavy blow, his ears ringing. The vivid clarity of his memories blurred, pulling him back into his recurring nightmare.
The sound of rushing water filled his ears as his breath grew labored. He could feel the ground beneath him, was about to climb out, when an immense force shoved him back under.
Pinned firmly underwater, he glimpsed through the murky surface a pair of venomous, sinister eyes.
It was him—Uncle Grandfather.