Chapter 271: Chao Chao the Little Loudspeaker
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
Lu Yuan Ze paced back and forth, breathing heavily, his face red with anger. “Shi Yun, Pei Jiao Jiao is a liar! Can you believe it?” he shouted, his voice trembling. “She’s been tricking me for years! Neither of those kids are mine! She’s the reason we drifted apart! Shi Yun, should I drown her in the pond to calm you down?” He looked at Madam Xu—Shi Yun—hoping for some kind of approval.
Madam Xu stayed calm, her eyes steady as she shook her head slightly.
“This isn’t about her,” she replied softly. “You’re the one who caused the distance between us.”
Lu Yuan Ze blinked, confused. “What do you mean?”
“If it wasn’t Pei Jiao Jiao, it would have been someone else—like Wang Shi, Li Shi, or Chen Shi,” Madam Xu continued. “You’re only here now because Pei Jiao Jiao betrayed you, and now you want sympathy after getting what you deserve?” Her tone was cold, almost indifferent. Free from her past feelings, she saw everything clearly now. “If those children aren’t yours, it’s just karma.”
“And don’t even think about crying or begging,” she added sharply. “As for the children, I’m not giving them back to you. You took them off the family registry and wrote a letter cutting ties—there’s no going back now.”
Lu Yuan Ze’s face went pale. “Shi Yun! I’ve already lost my title as marquis; I can’t let the Lu family end without an heir!”
“Shi Yun, at least let Yan Shu come back? If not him, then maybe Zheng Yue?” His voice shook with desperation. “I know I can’t have Chao Chao back, but could you give me Yuan Xiao? Let him inherit everything from the family? The Lu family bloodline must continue; our family tree can’t end with me!” His voice broke as he almost fell to his knees.
Yuan Xiao, who was about to leave, suddenly jumped up. “Why me?!” he shouted, glaring at Lu Yuan Ze. “I’m not going back!”
Madam Xu chuckled softly. “Did you hear that?”
“Mom, I’d rather beg on the streets than go back to that place,” Yuan Xiao said firmly. “Let the bloodline end. Who cares about inheriting some old, crumbling house anyway?”
Lu Yuan Ze’s face flushed with rage, and he looked like he might faint at any moment.
Deng Zhi, who had been quietly watching, stepped forward to stand between them. “The child is just saying what he feels. No need to get all worked up,” she said calmly. She then gently led Yuan Xiao to the carriage.
Lu Yuan Ze, exhausted from a sleepless night, felt his vision dimming. He stumbled, trying to stay upright.
“Don’t go dying on our doorstep now; it’d be bad luck,” Deng Zhi muttered as she guided Madam Xu back inside.
Lu Yuan Ze gritted his teeth, fighting to keep his temper in check. He had been taking medicine for his health for two years now; worst case, he’d just have another child. “Madam Xu, don’t think you’re the only one who can have children! I’m still young. If I have to, I’ll just have another!”
Madam Xu paused, a knowing smile forming on her lips. “You might want to see a good poison specialist,” she said coolly. “You might be in for a surprise.” Her words carried a hidden sting.
Lu Yuan Ze’s face turned pale. “What do you mean by that?”
“Ask Pei Jiao Jiao about it. She’ll explain.” With that, Madam Xu turned and walked inside, leaving Lu Yuan Ze standing in the courtyard, his heart pounding with anxiety.
He couldn’t go to the royal doctors about his “problem.” No man would willingly expose such a weakness. Despite secretly consulting several doctors, none could help him.
Panicked, he rushed back to his own home, where he found Pei Jiao Jiao and Lu Yuan Xi tied up and bound.
“Waaa… Kill… kill them…” His elderly mother, covered in ointment, sat in her wheelchair, drooling and crying loudly.
“Mother, I won’t let them go!” Lu Yuan Ze’s heart burned with rage. “Someone, gag them and take them outside the city moat! Make sure no one finds out!” He commanded, and the servants shoved the two into a carriage.
Back then, for “true love,” he had kicked Madam Xu and their children out. Now, he was left with nothing but a pair of bastards—what a disgrace!
Meanwhile, little Chao Chao was riding through town on her dog, shouting at the top of her lungs.
“Fasta, fasta, doggy! Someone’s gonna get dunked in da moat!” she squealed, her baby voice echoing through the streets.
“Come quick and see! Someone’s gonna be dunked in da moat!” she continued, urging everyone to follow.
Soon, the news spread like wildfire.
“Who’s dunking who?” a curious person asked, stopping her.
Chao Chao puffed up her little chest and replied loudly, “It’s the old Marquis Zhongyong, Lu Yuan Ze! His two kids aren’t his own!”
The crowd gasped in shock.
“You mean the Marquis who divorced Madam Xu and kicked out his three sons and a daughter? Wasn’t he all about ‘true love’?” someone in the crowd asked, bewildered.
Chao Chao nodded with enthusiasm. “His true love gave him a green hat!” she shouted, her voice ringing out like a bell.
“Quick, let’s go see!” people shouted.
“Hey, what about your stall?” someone called out to a vendor hurriedly packing up.
“Forget it!” the vendor replied without even looking up. “I’m heading to the city gate by the moat. With all these people, I’ll make a fortune selling stuff there.”
Hearing this, the crowd rushed toward the city gate, eager to witness the spectacle.
Chao Chao, perched on top of her dog, urged the crowd on, “Quick, quick! Get a good spot or you’ll miss everything!”
The carriage carrying Pei Jiao Jiao and Lu Yuan Xi arrived at the moat, and soon the place was packed with people. Lu Yuan Ze looked around, bewildered by the sheer number of onlookers.
“W-What’s happening?” he stammered. “Why are there so many people all of a sudden?”
“Master, we don’t know either! They just appeared out of nowhere!” a servant answered nervously.
Suddenly, a voice called from the crowd, “Marquis Yuan Ze, how can you bear to drown your ‘true love’?”
Lu Yuan Ze’s face twisted with rage. “No! I won’t spare these traitors!” he shouted. “Drown them!”
Pei Jiao Jiao, bound tightly, struggled and mumbled desperately, her face drenched in tears. “Mmph, mmph, mmmph!” Her gag muffled her screams as the servants began dragging her and Lu Yuan Xi toward the water.
The cold river water touched Pei Jiao Jiao’s skin, and she shivered violently. Her eyes widened with terror as the water level rose, reaching her chin, then her lips, her nose, and finally, her eyes.
“Stop!”
“Stop, you fool!”
Suddenly, a powerful voice boomed from behind. Lu Yuan Ze turned to see the clan chief, Qing Xi, pushing through the crowd, shouting furiously.
“You can’t drown them! Pull them out, now!” he ordered.
The servants froze, unsure of what to do.
“I said pull them out!” The elder’s voice was like thunder.
The clansmen immediately dragged Pei Jiao Jiao and Lu Yuan Xi out of the water. Pei Jiao Jiao coughed violently, trembling all over as she gasped for air.
“Clan Chief, what is the meaning of this?!” Lu Yuan Ze demanded, his eyes bloodshot with rage. “Lu Jing Huai and Lu Jing Yao are illegitimate! They taint our family bloodline!” His voice dripped with fury.
Elder Qing Xi didn’t flinch. “Though they aren’t of your blood, they are still of the Lu family’s blood. Today, we recognize them as part of our clan,” he declared firmly.
Lu Yuan Ze stumbled back, his face pale. His mind was spinning, fear and shock coursing through him.
At this moment, he realized that the betrayal he had inflicted upon Madam Xu had come back to haunt him—ten times over.
“Lu family… bloodline?” he muttered, his face as white as a sheet, his eyes empty as he stared into the distance.