Chapter 257: Casting Away Fortune
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
Lu Yuan Ze felt as if he had plunged into a freezing abyss. His face turned ghostly pale, and his entire body trembled violently, as though he had been doused with ice-cold water, soaking his very soul.
“Y-you weren’t talking about the pregnant woman beside my mother back then?” Lu Yuan Ze stammered, his voice quivering with terror.
“How could it be her?!” The monk’s face hardened with seriousness.
“The old lady radiated red light and was surrounded by an aura of immense fortune, all because of her unborn granddaughter. It was clear to me. Her mother had to be from a noble lineage. How could she merely be a concubine?”
“The granddaughter I spoke of is born of the main wife! Your legitimate daughter!”
At those words, Lu Yuan Ze’s heart plummeted, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. It felt as if an invisible force was constricting his chest, making it difficult to breathe. His face turned a deep shade of purple as he gasped for air.
“The main wife? Madam Xu’s daughter?” he wheezed. “You mean Lu Chao Chao?” Desperation filled his voice, and his eyes reddened with bloodshot veins. His body was overcome with chills.
In his distress, he shoved Lu Jing Yao, sending her tumbling to the ground with blood streaming from her forehead.
“Father! Father, what are you doing? It’s me, Yao Yao… your beloved Yao Yao,” Lu Jing Yao cried out in shock. The proud young woman couldn’t believe what was unfolding. Could it be… Lu Chao Chao?!
“Daddy must have made a boo-boo…” Lu Jing Yao’s heart pounded with fear. How could this be? She was the one blessed by the heavens, wasn’t she?
“Get out! Get out!” Lu Yuan Ze, overwhelmed by agony, could barely stand. “No, no! Everything is wrong! The precious one is Chao Chao? The daughter I cast aside?”
“I’ve already driven her out of the family!” He choked out more blood, the crimson spreading across his lips.
“Impossible, impossible,” he begged the monk. “Back then, Madam Pei was right beside you. How could you mean Madam Xu?”
“Madam Pei was pregnant and next to the old lady. We all assumed it was Madam Pei’s child!”
Suddenly, his gaze fell upon Lu Chao Chao, who was sitting cross-legged on a cushion, munching on snacks.
“Wait, wait…” Lu Yuan Ze hastily wiped the blood from his mouth and scrambled off the platform, heading straight for Madam Xu. “Chao Chao, come with me to see the abbot!”
“What madness is this?” Madam Xu swatted his hand away, protecting Chao Chao.
Lu Yuan Ze, more desperate than ever, looked on the verge of tears. “Shi Yun, please, let the monk check Chao Chao’s fate. Can you?”
Years before, Pei Jiao Jiao and the old lady had visited the temple to seek blessings, and the abbot had predicted that someone exceptional would arise from their lineage. They had assumed it referred to Pei Jiao Jiao’s unborn child. They hadn’t considered Madam Xu.
“Why not let the monk see?” Princess Jing Xi suggested with a knowing look toward Madam Xu. “It’s a rare opportunity. The abbot seldom reads fortunes due to the karmic repercussions involved. This could be a significant moment.”
Madam Xu glanced at Chao Chao. “Do you want to go?” She respected her daughter’s wishes.
Chao Chao nodded eagerly. “Me wanna see what old funny man say!”
Lu Yuan Ze tried to grab Chao Chao’s hand, but Madam Xu led her away herself, ensuring her daughter stayed by her side.
As they walked, Lu Yuan Ze couldn’t help but watch Lu Chao Chao. His daughter, whom he had neglected and never truly seen—the plump cheeks, the bright, curious eyes, and her little hands gripping a piece of candy.
Her gaze was usually cheerful, except when it fell on him. Then, she would puff her cheeks and turn away in disdain.
With each step, memories flooded back to Lu Yuan Ze, many of which he had chosen to ignore.
When Chao Chao was just days old, he had been caught in a thunderstorm while sneaking off to see Madam Pei.
Madam Xu, having swiftly recovered from her initial shock, had tallied her dowry, which he and Madam Pei squandered to cover their losses.
Madam Xu’s once blind trust in him had turned to cold resistance.
After she divorced him, taking their three sons and one daughter, their fortunes had soared.
Yan Shu topped his exams; the king adored Chao Chao, bestowing upon her a royal title—the only princess in North Zhao to receive such an honor.
Zheng Yue embarked on a successful military career.
Their once indolent third son turned over a new leaf and pursued his studies with vigor.
And his own household? Since Chao Chao’s departure, their fortunes had plummeted sharply.
Lu Yuan Ze was pale as a ghost. The more he remembered, the more dreadful the reality became. He had gambled on the wrong child.
As they reached the platform, the abbot, upon seeing Chao Chao, fell to his knees, blood seeping from his closed eyes.
“It appears my blindness wasn’t without reason.”
The rightful child had been cast out by Lu Yuan Ze.
“You haven’t even examined her properly. Why are you kneeling?” Lu Jing Yao protested, her voice thick with resentment.
“Even without sight, her golden aura is unmistakable,” the abbot explained. “She glows like a tiny sun, impossible to overlook.”
He bowed deeply to Lu Chao Chao. “I apologize for my previous blindness and the injustices you’ve endured.”
“The fortunes of North Zhao have soared since they took you in. The king is indeed fortunate,” he added, a note of awe in his voice.
A young monk remarked, “Lu Yuan Ze discarded a treasure, allowing the king to reap the benefits!”
Lu Yuan Ze felt his heart might burst, his vision growing dark.
[Oh, he sees my golden glow? He’s no fraud after all?]
“Why wasn’t it made clear before? I always thought…” Lu Yuan Ze struggled with acceptance.
Madam Xu, however, was triumphant. “So, the cherished one was Chao Chao all along?”
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
He had doted on Lu Jing Yao, but he had been utterly mistaken.
“This is karma,” Madam Xu stated coldly. “The monk spoke of the legitimate wife. Who knew you had a concubine? This is the consequence of your actions.”
“There is cause and effect!” Madam Xu added scornfully.
“Your retribution is me…” Chao Chao peered out and addressed her despicable father.
Cause and effect. Your retribution is me…
In this way, Chao Chao became both the rise and the fall of Lu Yuan Ze.