Chapter 15: Chao Chao’s Gift
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
The Empress Dowager stared at her in stunned silence. The seamless flow of conversation between the two left her bewildered. She couldn’t fathom how Madam Xu was communicating with a mere two-month-old infant.
Seeing her once-proud daughter reduced to such humility, the Empress Dowager could only nod reluctantly.
“As you wish. But in three months, there will be no more excuses.”
The Eldest Princess wiped away her tears and rose from the floor.
“Chao Chao, you are truly the treasure of my heart. Madam Xu, you have given birth to a remarkable daughter…” The Eldest Princess’s gaze lingered on Lu Chao Chao with visible affection. This was the dream child she had always envisioned.
[If you want, I’ll bestow ten or even eight like her upon you!]
The chubby little one waved her tiny hand imperiously. Madam Xu’s eyelid twitched as she quickly took her daughter into her arms.
“Your Highness, Chao Chao is still just a child and doesn’t understand anything. Please don’t take her seriously.” The Eldest Princess had been married for over a decade and had consulted countless imperial physicians, yet had never conceived.
What if, in three months, she still wasn’t pregnant? Would Chao Chao be blamed?
The Eldest Princess smiled knowingly.
“Rest assured, I understand.” She sympathized with Madam Xu’s protectiveness. Yet, for some reason, she found herself inexplicably believing in Chao Chao.
“Let’s have the meal,” the Empress Dowager suggested, intending to keep Madam Xu in the palace for lunch and to spend more time with her eldest daughter.
Palace banquets were elaborate affairs with countless rules, but the dishes from the imperial kitchen were undeniably exquisite. As the nanny carried Lu Chao Chao, the little one’s dark, beady eyes lit up as the aroma of food reached her nose.
[Meat! Meat! I really want some meat! Just one bite, please?]
She opened her tiny mouth and let out continuous babyish sounds.
[If not, just let me lick the plate!]
Madam Xu broke into a cold sweat.
“Bring her to me,” the Eldest Princess said, gesturing for the nanny to hand over the child.
“Feeling greedy, are you? You don’t even have teeth yet. Wait until your hundredth-day feast, and I’ll let you have a taste of meat.”
The Eldest Princess’s affection deepened as she looked at Chao Chao.
Why couldn’t she have a child like this?
In an unusual move, the Eldest Princess cradled Chao Chao in one arm while picking up her chopsticks with the other. Royal etiquette was momentarily forgotten.
As she lifted a morsel of soft meat toward her mouth, a small, chubby hand shot out from her embrace, gripping the chopsticks tightly. The tiny hand swiftly snatched the meat and shoved it toward her mouth with all her might.
Madam Xu’s heart nearly stopped. She rushed forward and grabbed Chao Chao’s hand.
“Someone, quickly!” Madam Xu had been on high alert since hearing Chao Chao’s thoughts. She narrowly averted disaster.
At just under two months old and without teeth, what if she choked?
Even the Empress Dowager was momentarily dumbfounded.
“Oh my, how quick that little one is! I didn’t even react in time,” the Eldest Princess exclaimed, breaking into a cold sweat despite her limited experience with children.
The two women carefully pried open the tiny hand, retrieving the piece of meat bit by bit. Chao Chao’s eyes brimmed with tears.
[My meat!]
Her pitiful cries echoed in Madam Xu’s mind, making her both exasperated and amused.
“When you have teeth, Mother will make you meat every day. Now let go—this meat is not for you.”
Through a combination of coaxing and gentle persuasion, Madam Xu managed to remove the piece of meat. Yet Chao Chao resolutely refused to let anyone wash the oily residue from her hand, clenching her tiny fist and occasionally bringing it to her mouth for a lick. Her fair, delicate face radiated satisfaction.
Chao Chao sighed inwardly. [Reborn into this life, I may have retained my strength, but my mind is gradually becoming that of a child. Such are the bindings of the Heavenly Dao.]
Sluurp.
Another lick. Delicious.
“The saying goes that nothing is faster than a baby’s hand. How true it is,” the Eldest Princess said, still in shock.
To prevent any further incidents, they held Chao Chao at a distance until Madam Xu finished her meal. Only then did they leave the palace.
“This child is delightful. Since it’s her first time in the palace, I must bestow some gifts,” the Empress Dowager said, waving her hand grandly. An array of jewels and ornaments followed. Among them, the tiny one’s favorite was a golden apple, symbolizing peace and health. She clung to it without letting go.
The Eldest Princess, wishing to make a statement to the Marquis Zhongyong, gifted an enormous night-luminescent pearl.
“Madam Xu, I heard that the Marquis originally purchased eighteen such pearls,” the princess said, her tone pointed.
“Yet only one reached Chao Chao’s hands.”
She didn’t elaborate further. Knowing how deeply her friend loved the Marquis Zhongyong, almost to the point of losing herself, she could only hint at the matter.
Madam Xu lowered her head in silence.
The Eldest Princess sighed.
As they left the palace, Chao Chao clutched her golden apple with both hands, drooling over it.
[We’ve struck gold! Is this real gold?]
Madam Xu sighed. How had she given birth to such a little miser?
Unbeknownst to her, in the cultivation world, sword cultivators were notoriously poor. As a sword cultivation ancestor, Chao Chao had never possessed much wealth in her past life.
“Let’s visit my family and see how Mother is doing,” Madam Xu instructed. Deng Zhi immediately sent someone to make inquiries.
By the time they returned to the Marquis Zhongyong’s manor, it was already evening. Madam Xu had just stepped inside when Lu Yuan Ze hurried out to meet her. His brows were furrowed, and sweat glistened on his face—a rare display of urgency.
“Madam Xu, how did your family… get released from prison?” he asked. Realizing his tone was inappropriate, he quickly added,
“I meant to say, this afternoon, I joined several officials in drafting a petition for leniency. But before it could even be submitted, your family had already returned home. What happened?”
Clutching the petition tightly, he appeared flustered.
Madam Xu’s brows furrowed slightly, her expression weary.
“His Majesty misunderstood the Xu family. My elder brother has been promoted and ennobled.”
She smiled faintly. A closer look revealed a flash of disdain in Lu Yuan Ze’s eyes.
“Whoever reported that witchcraft was being practiced beneath the crooked-neck tree in our family’s courtyard certainly had ulterior motives,” she said.
“But there was no witchcraft, only our family’s loyalty to the court. What lay buried there was…” Madam Xu paused, letting the suspense linger.
Lu Yuan Ze’s curiosity was piqued.
“What was buried there?” he asked, his tone icy.
“The Xu family’s unwavering dedication to the throne,” Madam Xu replied with a smile.
Behind her, Jue Xia interjected, “We should be grateful to the informant. Without them, the Xu family wouldn’t have received such blessings. The elder master has been promoted to second-rank—a faster rise than even our old master. The Xu family is set to thrive once more.” She cast a sidelong glance at the Marquis Zhongyong.
His face turned ashen, his fists clenching tightly as he struggled to contain his emotions.
“What wonderful fortune,” he muttered, forcing a strained smile.
Ying Xue added triumphantly, “And that’s not all. Our Madam Xu has been awarded a third-rank imperial title by His Majesty. The decree will arrive first thing tomorrow morning.”
Her chin lifted with pride. Years ago, Madam Xu had been renowned in the capital. If not for years of suppression by Lu Yuan Ze, she wouldn’t have become so dependent.
Lu Yuan Ze’s eyes reddened with jealousy.
“The Marquis may navigate the court, but our Madam Xu won’t fall behind,” she declared.
[He’s jealous, he’s jealous!] Chao Chao crowed internally. [Her family surpasses his; even his wife’s rank is higher than his. Ha! Look at him, green with envy.]
Chao Chao’s mental laughter filled the air.
A man living off a woman’s fortune? Serves him right!
“Lu Chao Chao, in her heart, sighed deeply. Having been reborn, she found herself retaining her magical powers but noticed her personality and thoughts gradually becoming more childlike, a transformation dictated by the whims of the heavens.”
Gradually? Tbh I thought most of MC’s adult brain went offline immediately? Because the way she thinks and “talks” is completely different from the other characters. Like a cross between someone pretending to be the voice of an baby/animal and an oracle.