Chapter 211: The Entire Family is Insane
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation
Lu Chao Chao felt a whirlwind of confusion in her head. [Just how many people has Consort Hui won over? Could she really have charmed the whole harem?]
“Wan’er, Consort Hui is truly sincere. Please, take special care of her,” the king requested, his voice tinged with guilt.
“She was naturally shy, but for my sake…” His voice trailed off, laden with remorse. “She made an effort to learn about and befriend every consort for my happiness. How could I not be touched by her efforts?” He sighed heavily, hoping the queen would show kindness to Consort Hui.
The queen’s expression contorted awkwardly. How could she admit to anyone that Consort Hui had tried to seduce her as well? Every time Consort Hui visited, she had a habit of taking used handkerchiefs and had even invited the queen to join her in a bath.
“Your Majesty, I’ll do my utmost,” the queen replied, her voice laced with fear at the thought of being alone with Consort Hui.
Consort Hui was anything but reserved. Her intense, passionate gaze was unsettling. The queen didn’t linger; she just sat briefly before excusing herself to leave.
Lu Chao Chao couldn’t hold back and warned gently, “Daddy King, you really need to keep a closer watch on the harem. If you don’t, someone else will.”
The king raised an eyebrow and chuckled. “You cheeky child, you know so much for your age. Don’t worry, between Consort Hui and the queen, everything is under control.”
He dismissed her concerns lightly, unable to fathom that Consort Hui might actually be outmaneuvering him right under his nose.
As Lu Chao Chao was leaving, she encountered the sixth prince, who was a mess of tears and dirt as he returned to the palace. His face and hair were smeared with mud, and he looked noticeably thinner than just three days ago.
“Father! I was wrong. I’ll never run away from the palace again,” he cried out. “It’s so tough outside. Even the beggars are cruel. They knocked over my bowl, stole my coat, and snatched my bread! I want to study. I promise, I won’t run away again.”
His face was streaked with tears and runny snot as he turned to Lu Chao Chao. “Did you meet the leader of the beggars? They call him Brother Bun. He’s really ruthless and scary.”
“He’s awful, Brother Bun is awful. Father should raid his place someday!” The sixth prince ranted about the terrible deeds of Brother Bun.
The king couldn’t suppress a laugh.
Lu Chao Chao glanced at the sixth prince and said in a low voice, “Because I am Brother Bun.”
The sixth prince’s tears halted abruptly as he stared at her with wide, incredulous eyes, a bubble of snot forming at his nose.
“If Mother had come a day later, I would have taken over the beggars’ clan,” Lu Chao Chao mused regretfully.
The sixth prince was too stunned to cry any longer. He watched, dumbfounded, as Lu Chao Chao confidently climbed into a palanquin and left the palace.
[Why was their experience of running away so vastly different?]
“Father, why is there such a big gap between people?” The sixth prince cried out in frustration.
The king looked at him and pulled out a cane. “There are even bigger gaps!” He declared, starting to whip the sixth prince, who howled in pain.
“Why, why! Why am I so unlucky?” The sixth prince wailed. “You favor her over me, Father!”
His protests only earned him a more severe punishment.
Lu Chao Chao, riding away in the palanquin, felt weary but was preoccupied thinking about how many people Consort Hui had really seduced. She was so caught up in the day’s drama that she couldn’t even sneak in a nap.
When she arrived at the Xu family residence late in the afternoon, she headed straight for the kitchen and swiped two strips of wind-dried meat, stuffing them into her pocket before walking to the main hall.
There, she heard soft crying. Her heart clenched, and she rushed inside on her short legs.
“What’s wrong, Mama?” she asked urgently.
Madam Xu, her eyes red from tears, cursed bitterly, “Your second brother, that fool, he’s joined the army and gone to the border!”
Clutching a letter, she trembled with fear. “I don’t mind him joining the army, but the border is always in conflict. What if something happens to him? How will I cope?” Her guilt was palpable; she believed her son was trying to advance in rank because of her own brush with death.
Since her near assassination, Yan Shu had buckled down on his studies, and Lu Zheng Yue had left for the border. Even Lu Yuan Xiao had nearly worn out his books from studying so intensely.
Rong Che, seeing her distress, reassured her, “Zheng Yue is ambitious and driven. We can’t hold him back. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he’s looked after.” He had years of experience at the border and knew how to keep Lu Zheng Yue safe.
“The battlefield is the quickest path to promotion,” he explained, though Madam Xu understood this also meant her son was risking his life for his future.
Madam Xu sobbed softly, and Rong Che’s eyes filled with sympathy.
The following morning, before dawn, a maid hurriedly reported, “Madam Pei from the Lu residence had a huge quarrel with the elders from Clear Creek Village!”
“It was over money. The elders demanded 3,000 taels annually, but Madam Pei refused.”
“They dropped their demand to 1,000 taels, and she still wouldn’t pay.”
“The elders insulted her, calling her names and accusing her children of being illegitimate.”
“Eventually, Jiang Yun Jin paid them off with 1,000 taels to send them back to Clear Creek Village.”
The Xu family was stunned by the news.
Without Madam Xu, Lu Yuan Ze’s reputation had dwindled.
“A blessed woman wouldn’t stay in an unfortunate household. Your departure was their loss,” the old lady remarked, pleased to see Lu Yuan Ze’s downfall.
Meanwhile, the Protectorate Duke’s Residence decided to stir up more trouble. They ordered a large plaque and had it delivered to Lu Yuan Ze’s door with great ceremony. The plaque was draped in red silk, attracting a crowd.
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation
Lu Yuan Ze was summoned outside. When he saw the plaque from the Protectorate Duke’s Residence, his face paled.
“Unveil the plaque, Marquis Yuan Ze! Let’s see what they’ve gifted you,” the crowd pressed eagerly.
Reluctantly, Lu Yuan Ze removed the red silk, revealing a plaque that read “Good Man.”
“What good deed have you done to earn this?” the crowd murmured among themselves.
Lu Yuan Ze knew the answer all too well. It was a mockery of his recent divorce.
He clenched his fists in rage. [Curse that meddling Protectorate Duke’s family! But what can I do against them?]