Chapter 222: The Theft Exposed
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
Madam Pei stood as if struck by lightning.
She stared blankly at Lu Yuan Ze, his furious accusations ringing in her ears.
Once, she had prided herself on true love, driving away Madam Xu, who had been deemed unworthy.
Yet now, only a year into marriage, they had descended into bitter quarrels, their pretense of harmony utterly shattered.
“Madam Xu was dignified and virtuous, raising children with integrity and honor. And you?” Lu Yuan Ze pointed at Lu Jing Huai.
“He doesn’t even have the courage to enter the imperial examination hall. He spends his days idling about, just like you!”
Madam Pei laughed, a mix of hysteria and despair, her gaze locked onto him.
“Like me? Like me? How ridiculous.”
“Lu Yuan Ze, now you try to shift the blame? You were the one who kept a mistress for eighteen years! You were the one who wanted to bask in the joy of having multiple women!”
“You found Madam Xu too rigid, too dull, like a lifeless puppet. But what now? Do you regret it?”
“Too bad, Madam Xu doesn’t want you anymore. She has General Rong, the sole heir of the Stabilizing Duke’s Manor. Why would she ever look back at you?” Madam Pei spat her words without hesitation.
Lu Yuan Ze trembled with rage, his teeth clenched tight. In his fury, he struck Madam Pei with his whip.
She convulsed with pain, letting out a wretched cry.
“Now, you only have Jing Huai as a son. Go ahead, beat him to death! Kill him! Hahaha! Kill him and let your bloodline end!”
“Lu Yuan Ze, you are a broken man! Don’t think I don’t know—you suffered from ‘horse-riding wind’ and lost your ability as a man. You only have Jing Huai left!”
“Lu Yan Shu, Lu Zheng Yue, Lu Yuan Xiao, even Lu Chao Chao—were all driven out, erased from the family records. Jing Huai is all you have left! Go on, kill him!”
“Kill him and let the Zhongyong Marquis Manor die out!”
Madam Pei sobbed and laughed simultaneously, her tears falling ceaselessly.
A searing pain tore through Lu Yuan Ze’s heart, bending him over in agony.
Once, the Marquis Manor had been a place of grandeur and brilliance.
He had always been impeccably dressed, and no matter how late he returned, Madam Xu had always kept a lantern lit for him. He had once had a son and a daughter, who had brought him endless joy. Those days now seemed like nothing more than an illusion.
Now, he was ensnared in worldly troubles, shackled with no escape.
Since his divorce from Madam Xu, scandals had erupted one after another within the household, making them the laughingstock of the entire capital.
His grip slackened, and the whip fell to the ground.
How had life turned out like this?
“Why won’t you take the imperial exam?” Lu Yuan Ze’s voice was hoarse.
“You cannot lose to Yan Shu! You can lose to anyone but not to Yan Shu!” His tone carried an almost obsessive desperation.
He had cast out his crippled eldest son, all for the sake of Lu Jing Huai’s potential.
Yet now, Lu Jing Huai was being thoroughly trampled underfoot by that very son.
Did this not make him look utterly foolish?
Lu Jing Huai lay sprawled on the ground, his eyelids too heavy to lift.
The young maids trembled in fear, not daring to approach. One of them was shaking so violently she looked as if she would collapse.
Suddenly, one of the maids blurted out, “I know why he won’t take the exam!”
This maid had once served in Madam Xu’s household, but her indenture papers were owned by the Marquis Manor, so she had been forced to stay.
She pointed at the trembling maid beside her.
“She was the ink-grinding maid for Young Master Yan Shu. Her name is Mo Er.”
“When Young Master Yan Shu became crippled, he flew into a rage at the sight of books. Master, you took away all his books, and Madam Xu ordered the burning of his manuscripts.”
“She distracted me, and Miss Wan Yi smuggled Young Master Yan Shu’s manuscripts out of the manor and gave them to Young Master Jing Huai.”
“A few days ago, I saw the manuscripts in Young Master Jing Huai’s study.”
“They were never burned!”
The maid swallowed hard, terrified by the icy look on Lu Yuan Ze’s face.
Lu Jing Huai’s hoarse voice broke through the tense air before the words were fully formed in her mouth. “I did not plagiarize!”
“I did not plagiarize!” His voice, akin to that of a trapped beast, carried a terrifying weight.
“I would never steal from Lu Yan Shu! Lu Yan Shu is a cripple! He is beneath me, far beneath me!”
Lu Yuan Ze took a deep breath, his heart pounding violently within his chest as if trying to break free.
“Back then, you claimed to admire Yan Shu’s literary prowess, so I provided you with many books. Could it be that you…” Lu Yuan Ze dared not continue the thought, utterly unwilling to entertain the possibility.
With his expression dark and severe, he strode toward Lu Jing Huai’s study.
“No! You cannot go in! No!” Lu Jing Huai struggled to rise, attempting to bar Lu Yuan Ze’s path.
But an enraged Lu Yuan Ze had no fear of him.
With a powerful kick, he sent Lu Jing Huai sprawling to the ground, clutching his chest in pain as he curled up in agony.
Lu Yuan Ze had used the full force of his strength.
He shoved open the door and began to rummage through the study.
Nothing on the desk. Nothing on the bookshelves. Nothing by the bed…
Taking a deep breath, he suddenly recalled the existence of a hidden compartment behind the wall.
As soon as he opened it…
A chill ran down Lu Yuan Ze’s spine as he laid eyes on the thick stack of yellowed manuscripts before him. He found himself paralyzed, unable to summon the courage to open them.
The paper had aged, evidence of years long past.
The handwriting was elegant and precise, exuding an undeniable grace and strength.
It was a script he knew all too well.
Lu Yan Shu was a prodigy, a child who had pushed himself to terrifying extremes. From the age of three, he had begun practicing calligraphy, burning the midnight oil in relentless pursuit of perfection. So small was he that he required a specially crafted desk just to accommodate his stature as he studied.
Lu Yuan Ze knew his handwriting intimately.
Now, he flipped through page after page of manuscripts.
Each one bore Lu Yan Shu’s distinct handwriting, each one his original work. Many of these essays had later been credited to Lu Jing Huai.
Clutching his chest, Lu Yuan Ze felt as though his very breath was being stolen away.
Large droplets of cold sweat rolled down his forehead.
His hands trembled violently—one gripping the edge of the desk for support, the other clutching the manuscript.
A vague memory surfaced—when Yan Shu had first gained recognition, Lu Jing Huai had shown no scholarly talent whatsoever. He had always been timid, shrinking behind Madam Pei, even too nervous to hold a conversation with him.
Whenever he had randomly quizzed him on essays, the boy had stammered, barely able to articulate a coherent response.
When had everything changed?
When Yan Shu fell into the water.
After that incident, he had expressed admiration for his elder brother’s intellect and requested to read the books he had once studied. At the time, Lu Yuan Ze had still harbored high hopes for Yan Shu, so he had provided him with some of his old books.
Later, Yan Shu had wanted to burn his manuscripts.
Yes, shortly after Yan Shu had pleaded to burn his manuscripts, Lu Jing Huai had suddenly begun to display his so-called brilliance.
Staring at the pile of manuscripts before him, how could Lu Yuan Ze fail to understand?
“You stole Yan Shu’s works!”
Lu Yuan Ze meticulously combed through the manuscripts, realizing that Yan Shu’s genius far surpassed what had been publicly acknowledged.
Every examination question he had predicted had allowed Lu Jing Huai to achieve the rank of Aspiring Scholar.
As he continued flipping through the pages, horror mounted within him.
“Yan Shu is a genius, a true genius!” His talent was far beyond what Lu Yuan Ze had ever imagined.
He could have easily been the top provincial scholar years ago.
“You stole Yan Shu’s manuscripts! You used his intellect to pass the exams! And you deceived me into forsaking Yan Shu!” Lu Yuan Ze spat out a mouthful of blood.
His chest ached so severely that he could no longer stand upright, the metallic taste of blood filling his mouth.
Overcome with rage, he had coughed up blood from sheer fury!
His body staggered, and a nearby servant hurriedly stepped forward to steady him.
When Yan Shu had been crippled, Lu Yuan Ze had been devastated.
Coinciding with that tragedy, Lu Jing Huai had conveniently revealed his “scholarly prowess,” prompting Lu Yuan Ze to place all his hopes upon him!
Only now did he realize that Lu Jing Huai was a fraud!
A sham who had stolen Yan Shu’s essays, a worthless impostor!
Man this snack really gotten spicy.