Chapter 211: The Entire Family is Crazy
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
Lu Chao Chao’s little head buzzed with disbelief.
[Just how many has Consort Hui seduced? Did she charm her way through the entire harem?]
“Wan Er, Consort Hui is a simple-hearted woman. I’ll have to trouble you to look after her.”
“She was once cold and aloof, but for my sake…” The Emperor’s expression was filled with guilt.
“For me, she forced herself to remember every consort’s preferences, flattering each and every one of them. How could I not be moved?” He let out a deep sigh, hoping the Empress would treat Consort Hui well.
The Empress’s expression turned odd, yet she couldn’t openly state the truth—Consort Hui had tried to climb into her bed!
Every time Consort Hui visited her palace, she would steal the handkerchiefs the Empress had used.
She even invited her to bathe together.
“I… I will do my best.” The Empress was terrified at the thought of being alone with her.
Consort Hui was not cold at all.
She burned like fire, her eyes blazing with fervor.
The Empress didn’t linger, barely staying for a brief chat before rising to leave.
Feeling a little sorry for him, Lu Chao Chao kindly advised, “Emperor Daddy, you should pay more attention to your harem, ya.”
“If you don’t, someone else will help you care for it, ah.”
The Emperor raised an eyebrow and burst into laughter.
“You little thing, you sure know a lot. So young, yet worrying about my harem.”
“Don’t worry. With Consort Hui and the Empress, everything is just fine.”
Not even for a moment did he take her words seriously.
Never in his lifetime would he have imagined that Consort Hui was stealing his concubines right from under his nose.
…
As Lu Chao Chao was leaving, she happened to run into the Sixth Prince, who was returning to the palace in utter disgrace.
He was a mess. In just three days, he had lost so much weight that his face looked gaunt. His entire body, even his hair, was covered in dirt. Crying as he walked, he wailed pitifully.
“Father Emperor… Wuwuwu, I know I was wrong.”
“I’ll never run away from the palace again.”
“Wuwuwu, the outside world is too cruel. Even beggars are heartless! They kicked over my bowl, stole my coat, and even took my steamed bun!”
“I want to study! Wuwuwu, I just want to study! I’ll never leave again!”
With snot and tears streaming down his face, the Sixth Prince turned to Lu Chao Chao, his eyes filled with sorrow.
“Did you run into the Beggars’ Sect’s black-hearted boss?”
“He’s arrogant and wild, the leader of all beggars, known in the jianghu as Brother Bun!” The Sixth Prince wiped his face, only to leave black streaks behind.
“He’s too evil! Brother Bun is too evil! One day, Father Emperor will wipe him out!”
“Sister Zhao Yang, how did you survive out there?”
“Did Brother Bun bully you? Did he break your bowl?”
“How come you got a whole month of freedom?” The Sixth Prince’s voice was full of grievance as he continued ranting about Brother Bun’s wickedness.
The Emperor barely contained his laughter.
Lu Chao Chao glanced at the Sixth Prince, her tone leisurely as she said, “Because… I am Brother Bun.”
?!!!
The Sixth Prince’s cries stopped abruptly.
He stared at her, stunned, a bubble of snot still clinging to his nose.
Lu Chao Chao sighed with regret. “If Mother had arrived just one day later, I would have taken over the Beggars’ Sect! Sigh!” The little one looked genuinely remorseful.
The Sixth Prince choked, unable to even cry anymore.
He could only watch in despair as Lu Chao Chao climbed onto her grand palanquin and swaggered out of the palace.
[Why?! We both ran away from home, so why is the difference so vast?!]
“Wuwuwu, Father Emperor! Why is the gap between people so huge?!” The Sixth Prince stomped his foot in frustration.
The Emperor shot him a glance, pulling out a willow switch.
“Oh, there’s a much bigger gap.” With that, he swung the switch straight onto the Sixth Prince’s back.
The Sixth Prince howled in misery. “Wuwuwu! Why, why?! How can fate be so unfair?! Little cabbage, oh, so yellow in the field! You’ve forgotten your son now that you have a daughter, wuwuwu…”
The Sixth Prince’s grand adventure ended with a thorough beating.
“Dare to run away again? Do you dare?!” The Emperor lashed out as he scolded him.
“You’re young, yet you’re already reckless beyond reason!”
“If you have the guts, go and hit Zhao Yang instead! Wuwuwu…” The moment those words left his mouth—
The beating intensified.
Meanwhile, in her palanquin, Lu Chao Chao yawned drowsily, her mind wandering as she pondered just how many people Consort Hui had seduced.
For the sake of watching the drama, Lu Chao Chao even skipped her afternoon nap.
By the time she returned to the Xu family estate, the sun was already dipping below the horizon.
As usual, Lu Chao Chao sneaked two pieces of Windchaser jerky, stuffed them into her clothes, and ambled toward the main courtyard.
From inside the house came the sound of muffled sobs.
Her heart clenched, and she hurried in on her short legs.
“What happened, Mother?!” Lu Chao Chao anxiously asked.
Madam Xu, her eyes red with tears, cursed, “That fool, your second brother! He actually enlisted and went to the frontier battlefield with the army!” The news had shaken Madam Xu to her core.
She clutched the letter in her trembling hands.
“I never opposed his desire to serve in the military. But the frontier is in constant turmoil—if something happens to him, how will I go on?” More than worry, she felt guilt. She feared that her son’s desperate ambition stemmed from her own plight.
Ever since she nearly lost her life, Lu Yan Shu had thrown himself into his studies with even greater determination.
Lu Zheng Yue had chosen to leave for the frontier.
Even Lu Yuan Xiao was poring over books as if he could wring answers from them.
Seeing her distress, Rong Che consoled her, “Zheng Yue has a clear goal and an unyielding drive. You wouldn’t have been able to stop him. Don’t worry—I’ll have my people look after him.”
Having spent over a decade stationed at the frontier, Rong Che knew that Lu Zheng Yue would not be ostracized there.
“Shi Yun, the battlefield is the fastest way to rise in rank.”
Madam Xu’s lips trembled. How could she not understand? Her son was wagering his life for a future.
She let out a choked sob, and even Rong Che’s eyes turned red with sorrow.
“Leaving behind these children… It’s the biggest mistake Lu Yuan Ze has ever made,” the Old Madam sighed. Her daughter’s children were truly exceptional.
Shi Yun’s luck was not bad.
These children would, without a doubt, surpass the Xu family one day.
Lu Yuan Ze had gravely misjudged them.
The next morning, before dawn had even broken, a maid came running in to report, “Madam Pei from the Lu family estate and the clan elders from Clear Creek Village… got into a fight!”
“It was quite the battle!”
“I heard that the elders used to receive three thousand taels of silver every year, but the new mistress, Madam Pei, refused to pay.”
“The elders tried to negotiate it down to one thousand taels.”
“Madam Pei still refused.”
“The elders then stood outside the Lu estate’s gates, hurling the worst insults at her—calling her a harlot, a lowly wench who clawed her way into a nobleman’s bed. They even cursed her children, saying they were illegitimate and shameful.”
“Madam Pei was utterly humiliated. In the end, it was Jiang Yun Jin who couldn’t bear it any longer and paid the thousand taels to send the elders back to Clear Creek.”
The Xu family members marveled at the news.
Without Madam Xu, Lu Yuan Ze had lost all his former glory.
“A blessed woman does not enter an unblessed home. Your divorce was their misfortune,” the Old Madam scoffed. She was no saint—if Lu Yuan Ze was struggling, she was delighted.
The more miserable her enemy, the happier she felt.
The Stabilizing Duke’s Manor was the most ruthless of all.
They fanned the flames even higher!
They had a massive plaque specially made, then arranged for a grand spectacle—drums and trumpets blaring as they delivered it to Lu Yuan Ze’s doorstep. The plaque was draped in red silk, and the commotion drew a huge crowd.
Lu Yuan Ze was forced to come out.
When he saw the plaque carried by the Stabilizing Duke’s Manor, his face turned ashen.
Damn it! These lunatics—were they truly sending him a Good Person Plaque?!
Did they not care about decorum, even though they served in the same court?
“Unveil the red silk and see what’s written!” someone in the crowd shouted.
“Lord Lu, lift the silk!”
“Lord Lu, see what they are thanking you for!”
Urged on by the onlookers, Lu Yuan Ze had no choice but to uncover the plaque.
The bold inscription gleamed under the sunlight:
Good Person Plaque!
“Lord Lu, what great deed did you do to earn such an honor from the Stabilizing Duke’s Manor?”
The crowd murmured, their curiosity growing, while Lu Yuan Ze stood frozen, his expression one of utter humiliation.
How could he not understand?
This was their way of thanking him for divorcing Madam Xu!
His fists clenched tightly.
Shameless! The entire Stabilizing Duke’s Manor was filled with madmen!
Yet he could do nothing about it.