Chapter 48: What Nonsense
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
“Will you still shove your fist in your mouth next time?” Madam Xu asked while wiping the saliva from her little one’s cheek.
Nine-month-old Lu Chao Chao had a flushed face and guilt written all over her tiny features.
[Oh no, my dignity! It’s all gone…] Lu Chao Chao cried out internally.
She had shoved her small fist into her mouth—and couldn’t get it back out.
It took half an hour of struggle before her chubby little hand was finally freed.
“Still going to be naughty?” Madam Xu gently poked her forehead with a finger.
“Wu… wu… no… no more… won’t dare…” the little one whimpered, sniffling pitifully.
[But I will dare next time!]
[I refuse to believe it. If I can put it in, how could I not get it out? Impossible!]
Madam Xu looked at her with a mix of amusement and exasperation.
But little Lu Chao Chao, with an innocent expression, earnestly patted her own chest with a loud slap.
“Chao Chao…” She declared, pointing at herself. “Good girl… Chao Chao good…”
[See? I’m the best! I wouldn’t do such things again!]
“Our little miss truly is the sweetest. Such a thoughtful child,” Deng Zhi said, thoroughly charmed by her.
Madam Xu let out a long, weary sigh. [If I couldn’t hear her thoughts, I might have believed her!]
…
When they returned to the Marquis Zhongyong’s Manor that evening, the air was thick with a rich fragrance mingled with a faint foul odor.
Madam Xu’s heart sank when she noticed the lights glowing from the Listening Wind Courtyard. Her intuition was spot on.
“Madam, the marquis has returned,” Jue Xia informed her, shaking her head slightly. “He is not in a good mood.”
Madam Xu nodded.
“Take Chao Chao for her bath and bedtime. She’s been up all day and needs her rest.” The little one had already fallen asleep by then.
Entering the room, Madam Xu saw Lu Yuan Ze sitting under the lamplight, dressed in his inner robes, his hair loose and his expression cold.
Lu Yuan Ze’s appearance was striking, to say the least. It had once ensnared her heart completely. Even after seventeen years, he remained the image of a refined and noble gentleman. Time had not marred his features, only adding a mature charm.
No wonder Pei Jiao Jiao had waited seventeen years for him!
Madam Xu masked her cold disdain and made a subtle sound to announce her presence. Lu Yuan Ze turned to her. His deep, soulful eyes seemed to melt, looking at her as if she were the only one in the world.
There it was—his eternal bias toward her.
“Shi Yun, how is Second Brother? I heard today in court that the dam in Lin Luo is on the verge of bursting. It could bring great disaster.” He approached her, gently supporting her arm. Madam Xu’s lowered gaze betrayed no emotion.
“The people of Lin Luo are distrustful of outsiders. Since Second Brother is from the capital, he may face hostility. I have a close friend serving in Lin Luo named Dong Jia Ming. If Second Brother needs assistance, he can turn to him,” Lu Yuan Ze suggested.
Madam Xu’s hands grew cold, though her face remained calm.
[Dong Jia Ming? Isn’t he the one Chao Chao mentioned would harm Second Brother?]
Her heart trembled.
“I will send a message to Second Brother tomorrow,” she replied evenly, drawing a quiet breath to steady herself.
“Are you writing something, my lord?” she asked, glancing at the ink and paper on the desk.
Lu Yuan Ze smiled. “Yes. Shi Yun, your family’s scholarly background ensures your handwriting surpasses mine.” He set down the brush. After their marriage, they had enjoyed days of intimate companionship, filled with shared moments of quiet study.
Madam Xu lowered her gaze. “Didn’t you once learn my calligraphy?”
Even using that very calligraphy to frame the Xu family for treachery!
“It’s been years since I’ve practiced. I’m quite rusty. Shi Yun, I miss those days of us writing together, candles glowing.” Lu Yuan Ze gently wrapped his arms around her waist.
“Indeed. Back when we were wed, we knelt under the moon and made our vows,” she replied softly.
“If we betray one another, may we meet a miserable end,” she recited, her tone ghostly. “Lu Lang, would you lie to me?”
Lu Yuan Ze, his mind elsewhere, failed to catch the faint chill in her voice. He held her close, entirely unaware.
“I wouldn’t lie to you. If I do, may I die a horrible death,” said Madam Xu with a faint smile. Her words were soft but carried an edge as sharp as a blade.
Madam Xu looked at Lu Yuan Ze with a small, cryptic smile. “Lu Lang, you must bear this well.”
It had been nine months since Lu Yuan Ze had last approached Madam Xu with affection. Before, he dismissed her as lacking the charm and coquettish appeal of Pei Jiao Jiao. But now…
Now, he found himself yearning for Madam Xu’s quiet compliance.
Thinking about the frustrations he endured earlier in the day—humiliations brought upon him by Pei Jiao Jiao—Lu Yuan Ze felt a rising tide of resentment. In those moments of discontent, the thought of Madam Xu, his sensible first wife, grew increasingly alluring.
When he reached out to embrace Madam Xu, her body stiffened ever so slightly.
Goosebumps rose across her skin, her stomach churning with revulsion. [Borrowing the Xu family’s influence to climb the ranks, using my hands to ruin my own family…] She pressed her tongue hard against her teeth, a faint taste of blood filling her mouth. [It’s not yet time to burn the bridges.]
“Urgh…” When Lu Yuan Ze’s face leaned closer, Madam Xu covered her mouth, retching.
He froze.
Madam Xu quickly pushed him away, her expression apologetic. “My lord, I caught a whiff of something foul,” she said, pinching her nose and gagging faintly again.
Lu Yuan Ze felt as though an invisible slap had landed squarely on his face. He recoiled a step, instinctively lifting his hand to sniff his sleeve.
“My lord,” Madam Xu said, her tone laced with innocence yet cutting like a razor, “why does it seem like… there’s a stench?”
Her words pierced like thorns. Fury colored his face, but he swallowed his rage. His chest rose and fell as he tried to suppress his anger, humiliation radiating from him in waves.
Madam Xu added, almost casually, “It smells like… dung.” She held her nose, her expression one of pure disgust.
The color of Lu Yuan Ze’s face deepened, a furious red blooming across his cheeks as doubts about himself surfaced. He inhaled deeply and muttered, “Perhaps I got hit by bird droppings earlier.” Just mentioning it reignited his frustration.
Madam Xu laughed, her hand delicately covering her mouth. “Was my lord also deceived by that mistress?”
“Did my lord see the mistress caught by Madam Qin in the act of adultery? Truly scandalous, wasn’t it?” Her eyes sparkled with amusement as she studied Lu Yuan Ze’s strained composure. Her words were like needles, merciless and relentless.
“The world is foolish to believe in someone like her. She betrayed her husband, sneaking out to meet other men. How could anyone believe she has divine blessings? Getting splattered with bird droppings—well, perhaps even the gods are displeased.”
Her voice was light, yet each word seemed to tighten the net around him. Lu Yuan Ze’s expression grew rigid.
“Shi Yun, why are your words so sharp?” he said, his brows furrowing with faint displeasure.
Feigning surprise, Madam Xu widened her eyes. “How can my lord say such a thing? I am the proper wife. What proper wife would have anything kind to say about a mistress?”
“Besides, that Pei woman had her clothes stripped off and was exposed for what she is—a concubine in all but name. She has no shame left to lose, so why should she care what anyone says?” Madam Xu’s voice dripped with disdain as she spat to the side.
“And her lover—well, what nerve he must have had to fool his wife for so many years. Clearly, a man with a rotting heart.” She sneered before adding, “Though it’s unfortunate that Lu Jing Huai is but an illegitimate child. Tsk, tsk…” The click of her tongue was sharp, laden with implication.
Every word felt like a resounding slap to Lu Yuan Ze’s face, but there was nothing he could do. His pride lay shattered, yet he stood in silent suffering.
“That Lu Jing Huai,” Lu Yuan Ze said after a long pause, his voice low, “is truly capable. Any family fortunate enough to claim such a son would find its name glorified.”
He pressed his lips together, as if struggling with an inner turmoil. Then, almost as if cornered, he asked, “If such a child were placed under your name, Madam, would you be willing to accept him?”
Madam Xu looked at him in utter astonishment.