Chapter 225: A House in Ruins
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
“Jing Yao, you are a girl. One day, you will have to marry.”
“In the future, the only one you can rely on is your own brother. You must find a way to help Jing Huai…”
“No matter how strong a woman is, she must ultimately depend on a man.” Madam Pei knew her daughter’s temperament all too well. Even though she was only two years old, Madam Pei could sense the disdain she sometimes held for her brother.
She hid it well, but Madam Pei could feel it.
Her daughter was different from others—Madam Pei knew this!
The knowledge in her daughter’s mind did not belong to this world. Often, the gaze in her eyes was far from that of a mere child.
With great care, Madam Pei adjusted Lu Jing Yao’s robes.
A fleeting glint of disgust flashed in Lu Jing Yao’s eyes.
But it vanished in an instant.
She grasped Madam Pei’s hand and sweetly said, “Mother, if I don’t help Brother, who else would I help? If Brother prospers, our family prospers.”
“Hmph, Father has changed. He used to love you the most.”
Lu Jing Yao pouted.
Madam Pei pressed her temples. “Whether he loves me or not does not affect your status. Rest assured, Jing Yao, you are recorded in the Lu family’s genealogy as a legitimate daughter of an official’s household. Go rest early. I will stay with your brother.”
Only then did Lu Jing Yao obediently leave.
The moment she turned away, the innocent and docile expression on her face turned dark and cold.
Once she had left, Madam Pei dismissed the servants and personally closed the door.
Her strong facade crumbled as her eyes turned red. With trembling hands, she applied medicine to Lu Jing Huai’s wounds.
“Huai, what happened? You promised me you would never be involved with men again! How could you… how could you let Shi Yun catch you red-handed!” Madam Pei’s hands shook uncontrollably. She had poured all her hopes into Lu Jing Huai—how could he do this!
Lu Jing Huai’s expression was grim.
He could not explain how he had tried to manipulate the Saintess Jing Li, only to be countered instead.
Nor could he explain how his scheme to frame Lu Yan Shu had backfired so spectacularly.
Clenching the blanket in humiliation, he remained silent.
“I have already sent someone to fetch Shi Yun. Do not worry.” Madam Pei sighed deeply, unwilling to chastise him too harshly.
“But… why did you not destroy Lu Yan Shu’s manuscripts?” she demanded, frustrated beyond words.
Madam Pei knew exactly how capable her son was.
Lu Yuan Ze had once kept her as an outside mistress, hoping to seize Madam Xu’s dowry, desiring the Xu family’s support while refusing to be subjugated under them.
But once Lu Yan Shu had displayed his talent, Lu Yuan Ze abandoned those ambitions.
From that moment on, Madam Pei relentlessly pressured her son to study.
She had pushed him to his limits.
Lu Jing Huai had studied into the dead of night, reciting texts until he wept, yet he could never surpass Lu Yan Shu.
Instead, he became increasingly timid, afraid to speak, shrinking under his brother’s growing brilliance.
“If you were going to plagiarize his essays, you should have done it cleanly! Do you not know how high your father’s expectations are for you?” Madam Pei’s voice was sharp.
She had always known he was stealing Lu Yan Shu’s work.
She had known all along.
Ever since Lu Yan Shu’s downfall, she had noticed an influx of manuscripts in her son’s study—papers that did not belong to him.
Yet, when he passed the imperial examination and earned the title of an aspiring scholar, she saw Lu Yuan Ze’s eyes light up once more.
She even helped him cover it up.
“Why should I burn the manuscripts?” Lu Jing Huai’s voice was devoid of emotion.
“Mother, when I was young, you forced me to study every day, made me surpass Lu Yan Shu. When I failed, you made me kneel in the snow to memorize texts.”
“Whenever Father praised Lu Yan Shu, you pinched me in secret—pinched me so hard my body was covered in bruises.”
“You blame me for being useless, for failing to keep Father at home.”
“I became Lu Yan Shu’s shadow, his contrast. Whenever Father saw me, he would shake his head. You would scold me, beat me, call me a fool!”
“I killed Lu Yan Shu, stole his manuscripts, and step by step, I took everything from him. By using his words, I became a genius.”
“Mother, I tread on thin ice, terrified that others will see through my facade. Every day, I wear a mask of arrogance, refusing to discuss knowledge with my peers, avoiding all interactions—afraid that I might slip up!
Mother… what about you? You indulge in the fantasy that your son is a prodigy.”
“I dare not disappoint Father, nor do I dare to disappoint you. How could I destroy the manuscript?” Lu Jing Huai gazed at her, his face devoid of emotion.
“Father never placed his hopes on me. From beginning to end, the only thing he valued was Lu Yan Shu’s talent!”
“I was born inferior to Lu Yan Shu—my family background, my abilities, all pale in comparison to his. He is the legitimate son of a noble house, while I am nothing but a maggot from the gutter, surviving off his lifeblood.”
“Why didn’t Lu Yan Shu just die? How did he manage to stand back up again?”
“Mother, I can’t shake this feeling… it’s as if the heavens themselves favor him. Every time he faces despair, a benefactor appears to rescue him. Why?!” Lu Jing Huai seethed with hatred.
Everything had gone smoothly for eighteen years.
Why, in a single night, did all his carefully laid plans collapse into ruin?
Madam Pei’s face turned deathly pale. Her hands clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
“Mother, I keep feeling that… we weren’t meant to end up like this.” Lu Jing Huai’s gaze wavered. A profound sense of disharmony gnawed at him. [It wasn’t supposed to be like this… It wasn’t supposed to be like this…]
Where did it all go wrong?
“Ever since Lu Chao Chao was born, everything changed,” Madam Pei muttered, pressing her lips together as she voiced her suspicion.
“Before Lu Chao Chao’s birth, your father cared for us. You were still a genius. Lu Yan Shu was a cripple. Lu Yuan Xiao had succumbed to gambling… Lu Zheng Yue adored Su Zhi Qing. Everything was under our control.” Madam Pei murmured.
“Yes, it’s Lu Chao Chao.”
“Lu Chao Chao is the variable.”
Their eyes met, and within them, flames of rage burned fiercely.
Knock, knock, knock…
A knocking sounded from outside the door.
A bald monk, clad in a loosely draped robe, pushed open the door and entered. His robe was askew, and he hadn’t even bothered to tie his sash properly.
“What are you doing here?” Madam Pei’s eyes widened, hastily shutting the door behind him.
The monk rubbed his shiny head. “My son was beaten. How could I not come to see him? A father cares for his own. Lu Yuan Ze was truly ruthless!”
Lu Jing Huai’s face immediately darkened.
“Get out!” His fury was unrestrained, and the loathing in his eyes was unmistakable.
“Is that how you speak to your father? I am your real father!” The bald man spat in anger.
“If it weren’t for me, would you be living comfortably in the Lu household? You ungrateful wretch! Do you really think you’re Lu Yuan Ze’s son?”
The man flopped onto a chair, his posture utterly shameless.
Madam Pei’s eyelid twitched at the sight.
“I wish I were Lu Yuan Ze’s son. At least his children are truly talented,” Lu Jing Huai sneered coldly.
“You little bastard, is that how you talk to your old man?!” The bald man suddenly shot to his feet.
Madam Pei swiftly blocked him, her expression furious. “What madness is this? If you continue with your nonsense, I will throw you out!”
Seeing her anger flare, the man begrudgingly sat back down with a smug expression.
Lu Jing Huai’s face was twisted with displeasure. He turned to Madam Pei and spat, “You must be out of your mind. How dare you bring him back here?!”
“And you even let Grandmother catch you? Have you lost your senses?!”
Being reprimanded by her son, Madam Pei’s face darkened with embarrassment. Without another word, she grabbed the bald man and dragged him outside.
“Why are you pushing me?”
“He is my son! Can’t I even see him?!”
Lu Jing Huai’s expression grew more and more sinister.
Why?
Ever since Lu Chao Chao appeared, everything had fallen apart. Everything had unraveled completely.
Lu Chao Chao deserved to die!
She truly deserved to die!
You can probably barely target Yan Shu but you definitely can’t touch Chao Chao you’ll probably suffer a life worse than death lol