Chapter 168: Chao Chao Without a Heart
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
The ancestral tombs of the Xue Clan were obliterated.
After the explosion, the Xue family stormed back to the capital, pounding on the gates of the Marquis Zhongyong’s Manor with fury.
The onlooking commoners began pointing and gossiping.
“The royal tombs of the previous dynasty exploded?”
“They did! Struck by lightning! Must be divine retribution for their wickedness.”
“Only the current emperor is truly virtuous, benefiting the people.”
The chatter and accusations of the crowd pierced the pride of the Xue family like daggers.
The gates of the Marquis Zhongyong’s Manor cracked open, only to be forced wide by the Xue clan’s unyielding shove.
“What do you think you’re doing? How dare you break into the Marquis’s manor!” The gatekeeper turned pale, his voice trembling with anger.
The woman leading the charge delivered a swift kick, sending the gatekeeper sprawling.
“Filthy scoundrel! You dare deceive the Xue family?”
“You decrepit hag, come out here!”
“How dare you swindle money from us! Get out here now!” The Xue family stormed through the manor, their rage unbridled.
Madam Pei hurriedly appeared, only to be met with the full force of their wrath.
“You wretch, deliberately leaking Lu Chao Chao’s eight characters of birth! Deceiving us!”
“The old crone even took fifty thousand taels from the Xue family. Heartless fiend! You’ve caused the imperial tombs to be struck by lightning!” one of the women shouted as she wiped away tears, pointing at Madam Pei and hurling accusations.
Madam Pei was momentarily stunned. “There was no deceit. That is truly Lu Chao Chao’s birth information.”
“Bah! Still lying? Her eight characters, her belongings, were burned in the brazier—and the tombs exploded! This is clearly your plot to destroy the Xue family!”
“You despicable lot!”
At this, the Old Madam appeared in response to the commotion.
The Xue family’s Madam shrieked, jabbing her finger at the Old Madam. “You heartless monster! Selling your granddaughter’s lifespan for money? You are the worst kind of wretch!”
The commoners eavesdropping outside the gates erupted in shock.
“What kind of grandmother does that? Bargaining her granddaughter’s fate for wealth?”
“Evil. Their whole family is rotten.”
The Old Madam grew pale with rage, nearly losing her balance. “You…!” Hadn’t they agreed to keep this matter confidential?
“Confidentiality? Confidential about what? The Xue family’s imperial tombs are gone, Huang-er is dying! All because of your wretched life-exchange scheme!” Madam Xue screamed, her anger unrelenting.
“Pay up!”
“Smash it!”
“Smash everything!” Madam Xue commanded in desperation, fully intent on venting her fury.
With her signal, the Xue family’s servants began ransacking the Marquis Zhongyong’s Manor. Madam Pei tried to stop them but received two hard slaps for her efforts.
“The most venomous heart belongs to a woman! Selling a child’s birth characters to trade for life—only your family could do such a thing!” Madam Xue screamed in a near frenzy.
She had once been destined to become the empress dowager. Now, all hope was lost.
“Stop it! Stop this madness! Does the law no longer exist?” The Old Madam, leaning on her cane, could not hold them back.
“We’ve already given Lu Chao Chao’s birth information. What more do you want?”
“We didn’t deceive the Xue family!” the Old Madam desperately explained, but no one was willing to listen.
The Xue family continued to vent their anger. They left only after tearing the manor apart and retrieving the fifty thousand taels.
The already impoverished Marquis Zhongyong’s Manor fell into even greater despair.
That night.
The last scion of the previous dynasty perished.
Xue Huang died suddenly and violently, severing the bloodline. The emperor’s lingering concerns vanished entirely.
Hearing the news in his study, the emperor could not suppress his glee.
“The Princess Sunshine’s second birthday is soon. Let’s celebrate early tonight with fireworks, so the entire nation can join the festivities.” He waved his hand decisively.
The Xue family bloodline was extinguished, and the imperial tombs of the previous dynasty had been destroyed. Of course, he wasn’t celebrating that.
Lu Chao Chao blinked, baffled. “But my birthday is still two months away.”
The emperor cheerfully hummed a tune, clearly in high spirits.
Later, the crown prince took Lu Chao Chao out of the palace, and somehow, they ended up in front of the Nine-Level Pagoda.
“Your Highness, please stop. Without an imperial edict, you cannot approach,” the guards warned, blocking the way.
The crown prince nodded lightly, gazing up at the top of the pagoda with a pensive expression.
“What’s up there?” Lu Chao Chao asked, following his gaze.
The crown prince stroked Chao Chao’s head, his face somber as he looked at the top of the pagoda. Yet when he turned his eyes back to her, a trace of warmth returned.
“Something very important.”
The crown prince escorted her home to the Lu family. Madam Xu invited him to stay for a meal, to which he readily agreed, much to Lu Chao Chao’s delight.
During the meal, Lu Chao Chao happily hugged her rice bowl.
As she drank water, she noticed the crown prince’s meticulous eating habit: one bite of food, one bite of rice. It startled her.
A disciple she once knew had the same habit. Bite of food, bite of rice, and always a sip of soup afterward—never breaking the pattern.
As she pondered, she saw the crown prince finish his meal and lift his soup bowl, taking a small sip before setting it down.
Lu Chao Chao tilted her head. That disciple had been Chong Yue, the God of Time and Space. How could he possibly be the young crown prince?
The crown prince was merely a pitiful boy whose body had been overtaken by another.
Lu Chao Chao shook her head. That disciple was a deity, after all.
“Has Chao Chao ever had a peace pulse check?” the crown prince asked casually after the meal.
Madam Xu hesitated before replying. “We used to have monthly checks while at the marquis’s manor, but after our relationship with Lu Yuan Ze soured, we stopped.”
“After leaving the manor, it simply slipped my mind. It’s my oversight,” Madam Xu admitted, suddenly realizing they lacked a resident physician.
Worried, she asked, “Why? Is something wrong with Chao Chao’s health?”
Chao Chao had never been sick—not even a headache or fever. The only time her stomach hurt was from overeating, and it resolved with a little massage at night.
The crown prince pursed his lips. “Do not let anyone perform a peace pulse check on Chao Chao. Her body… is a bit unusual.”
Noticing Madam Xu’s sudden pallor, he quickly added, “It won’t affect her life. Please, don’t worry.”
“Chao Chao’s constitution is different from ordinary people. If outsiders discovered it, it might cause trouble.”
“If Chao Chao feels unwell, send someone to the Eastern Palace to find me. Do not let any physician examine her pulse.” He spoke earnestly.
Madam Xu’s heart raced, her panic barely contained. “Chao Chao is truly fine?”
The crown prince nodded solemnly. “For now, there is no major concern.”
Only then did he leave.
Madam Xu was left in turmoil, too frightened to call for a physician.
Seeing her mother staring blankly into space, Chao Chao quietly took a chicken drumstick, hiding it in her sleeve.
That night, Madam Xu dismissed all servants and personally bathed Chao Chao. She meticulously examined her, but found no abnormalities.
When Chao Chao fell asleep, Madam Xu sat dazed at her bedside.
[Unusual? What is unusual about her?]
Unable to resist, she placed a hand beneath Chao Chao’s nose. There was breath.
Relieved, Madam Xu exhaled deeply, laughing at her paranoia. [Why would I think to check her breathing?]
Her hand fell absentmindedly to Chao Chao’s chest.
Her smile froze.
Her expression shifted as she carefully unfastened Chao Chao’s clothes, pressing her ear to the child’s chest.
Silence.
Deathly silence.
The heartbeat that should have resonated within her chest was utterly absent.
Madam Xu clamped a hand over her mouth, stifling the scream rising in her throat. Her entire body trembled, tears streaming down her face as she stared at Chao Chao.
Goosebumps covered her skin as terror crept through her.
“How… how can there be nothing?” Madam Xu’s voice shook as she placed her trembling hands on Chao Chao’s chest again.
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
How could Chao Chao have no heartbeat?