Chapter 158: A Concubine Is Always a Concubine
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
A large group of people moved with great pomp and flair toward Marquis Zhongyong’s Manor.
Seeing Madam Xu at the forefront, the crowd couldn’t help but ask, “Madam Xu, where are you headed?”
Someone by her side immediately answered loudly, “I know! Last time, Madam Xu and the Marchioness of Marquis Zhongyong’s Manor made a bet. Whoever lost had to accept the punishment.”
“Ah, so now she must be heading there to make the Marchioness honor her word!”
“Quick, quick! Let’s go watch the show!”
Word spread quickly, and before long, a lively crowd gathered, bustling with excitement and anticipation.
Madam Xu, who had once been worn out running the affairs of the marquisate, now appeared rejuvenated and radiant after leaving the manor. Her newfound youthfulness and beauty were striking.
Standing at the gate of Marquis Zhongyong’s Manor, Madam Xu ordered Deng Zhi to knock.
“Coming, coming…” The gatekeeper hurriedly opened the door.
“Madam!” His eyes lit up, and he quickly greeted her respectfully.
“No need for such courtesy,” Madam Xu said with a faint smile. “I am no longer a Madam here. Please summon your Marchioness and ask if she still remembers the wager made at the National Temple.”
The young servant’s face fell. Since Madam Xu’s departure, the household had been in a state of decline.
[Hah, she’ll probably fake illness to avoid this. If only we had an imperial physician to prove her wrong.]
Madam Xu waved her hand, and behind her, an Imperial Physician stepped forward, causing a stir in the crowd.
[Wow, Mother is so amazing!]
[Now Madam Pei has no escape…]
Lu Chao Chao watched with gleeful anticipation.
Meanwhile, within the manor…
“What? Why has Madam Xu come to the gate? She must be here to laugh at us! Throw her out immediately!” The Old Madam coughed weakly, her face flushed with anger.
Madam Pei, looking pale, gripped her handkerchief tightly, her knuckles white.
“Say I am ill and unable to receive guests,” she muttered reluctantly.
“But, Madam Xu has brought an Imperial Physician…”
Madam Pei froze, her face stiffening. This wretched Madam Xu! Was there really a need to be so relentless?
[Hmph! If you couldn’t keep your husband, that’s your fault! Why take it out on me?]
The Old Madam cast a suspicious glance at her. “What does Xu Shi Yun want with you?”
Blushing furiously, Madam Pei answered stiffly, “Just a misunderstanding between sisters-in-law. I’ll go clear it up.” She steeled herself and stepped outside.
The moment the gates opened, Madam Pei’s heart sank at the sight of the dense crowd gathered outside.
“Madam Pei,” Madam Xu’s voice was light and mocking, “come fulfill your promise. I thought you might turn coward, but here you are.”
As the two women stood side by side, the crowd’s murmurs grew louder.
Madam Xu, once dismissed as aged and unattractive, now seemed to outshine Madam Pei. The latter, who once basked in the glow of triumph, now appeared haggard, her complexion sallow and heavily powdered, unable to mask her weariness. The light in her eyes was long gone.
“The Marquis must be blind to have divorced such a wonderful wife!”
“Who said Madam Xu was old and unappealing? She’s clearly more beautiful than any mistress!”
Madam Pei’s jealousy burned. She had once believed the marquisate to be a golden nest worth any price to enter. But now, she saw its grandeur was all a facade, its foundation crumbling. Since Madam Xu left, even maintaining daily expenses had become a struggle.
“Sister Yun,” Madam Pei forced a smile and reached out, “this is all just a misunderstanding. Let’s disperse the crowd, shall we?”
Madam Xu easily avoided her touch. “Who is your sister? The Xu family has no ties to someone who climbed her way up from being a mistress.”
She glanced around and continued, “Madam Pei, you’d best honor your word. Otherwise…” She chuckled. “I might have to drag you to the Soaring Elegance Academy to make good on your promise.”
“You can choose to do this here or at the academy’s gates.” Her smile didn’t reach her eyes as she ignored the venomous glare sent her way.
“You!” Madam Pei gritted her teeth.
The academy? Would her husband’s reputation survive such humiliation?
“A bet is a bet,” Madam Xu’s tone remained indifferent. “You spoke the wager yourself; no one else can be blamed.”
[If Elder Brother hadn’t achieved first place in the provincial exams, would you have spared Mother then?] Lu Chao Chao thought darkly. [Thank goodness my brother is exceptional!]
At Madam Xu’s signal, two burly women stepped forward. Madam Pei instinctively took a step back, her expression panicked.
“Madam Pei, please fulfill your promise!”
“Is the great Marchioness Zhongyong too cowardly to pay her debts?” the crowd jeered.
With trembling hands and a heart filled with rage, Madam Pei finally relented. “Xu Shi Yun, must you go this far?”
“How amusing,” Deng Zhi sneered, hands on her hips. “You were the marquis’s mistress for eighteen years, eating and drinking what rightfully belonged to the Madam. Who was it that went too far first?”
Madam Pei had no reply, her face red with shame. But Madam Xu’s patience was waning.
“Madam Pei, let’s not waste everyone’s time. Fulfill your wager now.”
“Exactly! Don’t gamble if you can’t handle the loss!” the crowd roared.
Clenching her fists, Madam Pei closed her eyes and dropped to her knees with a resounding thud at the manor gates.
Before Madam Xu could react, Lu Chao Chao darted from her embrace, too quick to stop.
“Everyone, look! The Marchioness is kneeling!” the child’s sharp voice rang out as she ran through the streets, shouting at the top of her lungs. “Come see! The Marchioness is kneeling!”
Madam Pei’s face turned deathly pale as she trembled with rage. “Xu Shi Yun, you are truly ruthless!”
Madam Xu’s innocent expression conveyed her disbelief. “This… truly wasn’t my doing.”
The crowd grew thicker, pressing in like a wall around the manor gates. Madam Pei’s voice shook as she forced out her humiliation. “A concubine… is always a concubine!”
“What?” Deng Zhi shouted. “Speak louder! Did you not eat today?”
Tears streaked Madam Pei’s face as her hatred consumed her. Her voice cracked as she repeated, “A concubine is always a concubine!” Three times, she declared it, each one louder than the last. Then, in a flash, she stood and fled into the manor, sobbing.
The crowd erupted in laughter and jeers.
“A concubine is always a concubine—a creature unfit for proper standing.”
“Did she really think chasing away the rightful wife would let her bask in the light?” Someone spat on the ground in disgust.
Madam Xu exhaled deeply, the satisfaction plain on her face.
“Let’s go, Chao Chao. Time to head home.” She walked away, triumphant. Hugging Lu Chao Chao tightly, she kissed her on the cheek. “You clever little thing, you made her lose face today.”
[Hmph! Mother deserves this joy!] Lu Chao Chao raised her little fists. [When Elder Brother achieves the Triple Crown, we’ll drive them to despair!]
As the gates of Marquis Zhongyong’s Manor slammed shut, Madam Pei wept uncontrollably on her bed.
“Xu Shi Yun! How could I lose to Xu Shi Yun?” she cried. “My face, my dignity… all gone!”
Clutching her son, she sobbed, “You must win first place in the imperial exams. If you don’t, how can I ever face anyone again?”
Lu Jing Yao, trying to console her, shivered as if he’d been targeted by a beast. The weight of expectation loomed heavy in the air.