Chapter 278: Dying of Rage
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
The Old Madam’s entire body convulsed uncontrollably.
Her hands and feet trembled, her face twisted, and drool dripped endlessly from her slack mouth. Ever since her paralysis, she had spent her days wailing and cursing, unintentionally sharpening her speech.
She could now utter broken words.
“Wretched… wretched woman!”
“Hah… hah… wretched woman! Despicable!” She collapsed onto the ground, and soon, a murky yellow puddle spread beneath her.
The maid furrowed her brows sharply, her expression flickering with disgust.
“Mar…quis… the title!”
“Top Scholar… top scholar…”
“No heirs, cut off… no descendants… wuu wuu… wuu wuu wuu…” The Old Madam’s tears fell in large droplets, cascading down her deeply wrinkled face, her entire body reeking with an unbearable stench.
How did things come to this?
Born in the countryside, raised in the mud, she had become a Marchioness through marriage. Later, she became the esteemed Old Madam through her son’s success. Her daughter-in-law was the most distinguished noblewoman in the capital, and her eldest grandson was a prodigy.
She should have lived a perfect life.
But now, it was all ruined.
Back when she had the slightest headache or fever, Shi Yun would stay up all night tending to her, endlessly patient and gentle.
But under Madam Pei’s care…
To silence her cries, they poured boiling water down her throat, scalding her into silence.
To prevent her from relieving herself, they only fed her one meal a day.
When Madam Pei was in a foul mood, she would dismiss the servants and stab her madly with silver needles. She was in agony and terror, yet her paralyzed body prevented any escape.
“Shi… Shi…”
“I… Shi Yun…” The Old Madam suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Splurt.
Blood splattered everywhere.
“Mother!” Lu Yuan Xiao and Lu Yuan Ze’s hearts clenched as they rushed forward, cradling the Old Madam.
Yet, the moment they held her, they grimaced. The Old Madam had soiled herself completely.
She had literally been enraged to the point of vomiting blood.
“Oh no, the Old Madam is in grave danger! I will fetch a physician!” The maid, seeing the Old Madam’s pallor and unfocused gaze, jumped up in alarm.
Moments later, she returned with a doctor in tow.
Despite the scented incense burning in the room, it could not completely mask the stench.
“Shi… Shi Yun…” The Old Madam clutched an old garment desperately—that same piece Shi Yun had personally sewn for her upon entering the household.
The physician checked her pulse, then carefully examined her condition. After a long pause, he looked at Lu Yuan Ze.
Lu Yuan Ze followed him outside.
“Doctor, how is my mother?”
The physician shook his head. “Lord Lu, prepare yourself. The Old Madam has suffered a grave shock. She is holding on by sheer willpower. She must have an unresolved obsession…”
His voice grew heavier. Never had he seen a stroke patient treated so cruelly.
“It has only been a year since the Old Madam’s stroke, yet the bedsores on her body are so severe. Her flesh is already rotting and infested with white maggots. She is a living person! And you made her endure the pain of being devoured alive every single day! How have you been caring for her?” The physician’s eyes held nothing but condemnation for Lu Yuan Ze.
Lu Yuan Ze opened his mouth, but no words came.
In the past, he never needed to manage household affairs.
Everything had been handled by Madam Xu.
He had assumed Madam Pei would do the same.
“Lord Lu, you should reflect on your actions.” With those words, the physician picked up his medicine chest and left.
Lu Yuan Ze staggered, feeling utterly drained.
Looking at the Old Madam, who lay on the bed barely clinging to life, still murmuring Shi Yun’s name, his regret surged to its peak.
He lifted her quilt.
Beneath her aged skin were countless puncture wounds.
“It… hurts…” she whispered.
“Shi… Yun…”
“Shi… Yun…”
“Grand… grandson… my… grandson… wuu wuu… my family line… wuu wuu… my family line is finished…” Her dimming eyes looked at Lu Yuan Ze, stammering as she called for Shi Yun and her grandson.
Lu Yuan Ze’s tears fell instantly.
“Mother, I’ll go get them. Please wait a little longer…” He wiped his tears hastily.
“Bring the old ginseng to sustain her!” Lu Yuan Ze’s eyes were bloodshot.
The young maid hesitated. “Master, the house has long been out of old ginseng. However, the Young Madam’s dowry contains plenty…”
But with Jiang Yun Jin and Lu Jing Huai at odds, she would never give it up.
Lu Yuan Ze’s face turned numb. “If she hands over the ginseng, I will grant her a divorce.”
He had orchestrated his son’s marriage to secure a powerful ally. But in the end, everything had been for naught.
If Jiang Yun Jin wished to leave, he would not stop her.
He would never give Lu Jing Huai any leverage.
He would never leave any advantage for Lu Yuan Xi.
The maid hesitated, then bowed and left to relay the message.
Lu Yuan Ze had exposed a scandal yesterday, drowned a concubine today, and now the Old Madam was on her deathbed. His robes were wrinkled, his appearance utterly wretched.
There was no time to change.
He personally set out to summon Xu Shi Yun and the children.
Lu Manor
“Madam, I heard the Pei family’s Old Madam is dying.”
“The servants are already preparing her burial clothes and coffin. She might not last the night.” Deng Zhi rushed in with the news.
Though her mistress had long ceased to care, Deng Zhi still had people monitoring that side.
She feared they might try something underhanded.
Xu Shi Yun frowned slightly.
“Is this true?”
“It seems so. Word is that after the Old Madam’s stroke, she was neglected and tormented by Madam Pei. Today, upon learning that Lu Yuan Ze’s bloodline was at an end, she was literally enraged to death.” Deng Zhi smirked gleefully.
Xu Shi Yun shot her a look, and Deng Zhi stuck out her tongue playfully. “I couldn’t help it, Madam.”
“If you must laugh, do it in private. We have the moral high ground—let’s not give anyone reason to fault us.”
“Understood, Madam. I’ve been pinching my thighs to keep from laughing aloud.”
Deng Zhi sneaked a glance at her mistress.
“You’re scolding me, but you were laughing in your sleep last night.”
Xu Shi Yun’s cheeks reddened slightly.
She had always maintained a virtuous and graceful image, but deep down, she had a rebellious streak. Otherwise, she would never have sneaked out years ago and met Rong Che.
Back then, she had been sheltered by her family.
She had never known the dangers of the world.
And so, at sixteen, she had fallen for a scoundrel’s lies.
On her wedding day, she had dressed in her finest.
Only to be thrown into a living nightmare.
Xu Shi Yun sighed, changing into a plain outfit. Deng Zhi removed her ornate hairpins, leaving her looking simple and subdued.
“Summon the young masters and Chao Chao.”
“Though she was cast out and erased from the family registry, we should still pay our last respects. Consider it the final act of filial duty.”
The world believed in honoring the dead.
They held the moral advantage. Refusing would only provide others with grounds for criticism.
Lu Chao Chao, exhausted from watching performances all day, was drowsily lifted by Yu Shu.
Her tiny curls bounced as she rubbed her sleepy eyes.
“What’s wrong, Mama? Did Grandmother die? Are we going for the funeral feast?” Lu Chao Chao asked, still groggy.
She had only caught the words “Old Madam is dying” upon entering.
Xu Shi Yun’s eyelid twitched. “Not dead yet! Don’t speak nonsense.”
Child, you’re sending her off too soon!
Lu Chao Chao blinked.
She looked rather disappointed.
Xu Shi Yun sighed deeply.
Perhaps… it was best not to bring Chao Chao along.
She had a feeling that her daughter might cause trouble.