Chapter 5: Born on the Same Day, Month, and Year
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
Deng Zhi stood frozen, her expression blank as she tried to process the revelation. The weight of the realization was unbearable.
The Old Master had taught Madam Xu, and Madam Xu had taught… Lu Yuan Ze!
“Madam, there are many who can imitate handwriting. Perhaps this is just a misunderstanding,” Deng Zhi’s voice was dry, strained, a weak attempt at reassurance.
Madam Xu had no concrete evidence. Her suspicions were born entirely from listening to Lu Chao Chao’s inner thoughts, which planted a seed of doubt in her heart.
With swollen, reddened eyes and a voice raw from grief, Madam Xu commanded, “Bring me a brazier. Don’t let anyone know.” Her heart pounded, each beat like a thunderclap in her ears.
Could it really be him?
Was it possible that the man she had abandoned everything for—her husband—had betrayed her so utterly?
Why? Why?! It was Lu Yuan Ze who had once pursued her so earnestly, insisting on their union!
Madam Xu’s eyes burned with a crimson intensity, a reflection of the fiery rage within.
Since the moment she had entered the manor, Lu Yuan Ze had urged her to teach calligraphy in the study. Had he ever truly cared for her? The warmth she once thought she felt now seemed like ice, chilling her to the core.
He claimed to feel suffocated in the Xu family, severing ties for eighteen long years. He hadn’t even touched the gifts her family had sent during holidays. Not even the sour plums her mother had prepared when she suffered severe morning sickness.
The memory suffocated her. She felt ensnared in a delicate but unyielding web of deceit, its threads pressing heavily against her chest, making it hard to breathe.
[Lovely mother, don’t be afraid. Chao Chao will help you. Chao Chao loves you. Mua! Wah…]
Madam Xu looked down to see her daughter staring up at her with wide, innocent eyes, her tiny lips pursed as if offering a kiss.
[I’ll wave a big flag for my mother. Let’s see who dares to oppose her! Charge, mother!]
The suffocating weight on Madam Xu’s chest eased slightly. What had she done to deserve such a precious treasure?
Unable to resist, she picked up Lu Chao Chao and kissed her soft, chubby cheek.
Setting her daughter down, Madam Xu wiped her tears, steadied herself, and poured lamp oil over the wood carving. She lit it aflame and placed it into the brazier. As the carving turned to ash, she let out a long, trembling breath.
“Madam, you should wash up. You’re still in confinement. Crying so often and sweating isn’t good for you,” Deng Zhi said, her voice filled with concern. The events of the past two days had upended Madam Xu’s world.
Madam Xu’s body felt fragile, on the verge of breaking apart. But she knew she couldn’t afford to falter.
“Have someone check on Lu Yan Shu. Don’t let anyone bully him,” she instructed. Madam Xu had visited her eldest son every day before, but her confinement had kept her bedridden for the past two days.
“Don’t worry, Madam. I’ve been keeping the servants in line,” Deng Zhi reassured her.
Madam Xu sighed, worry still etched on her face.
[Mother, you must not collapse now. If you do, we’re doomed… Boohoo!]
Madam Xu understood. For the sake of her children, she had to remain steadfast. She had to endure.
Lu Yuan Ze’s absence only deepened the chill in her heart. Day by day, her feelings for him eroded, replaced by bitterness.
“Has the date for the full-moon banquet been set?” she asked after some time, feeling slightly more composed.
“Yes, the invitations have been sent to the Virtue and Kindness Hall and the Marquis,” Ying Xue replied. “However, the Old Madam seems to have concerns and may want to change the date.”
“After the full moon, the Little Miss has grown so much prettier. I’ve never seen a child as lovely as her,” Ying Xue added, unable to hold back her praise.
Madam Xu gently caressed Lu Chao Chao’s cheek, a glimmer of pride in her eyes.
Neither the Old Madam nor the Old Master had visited her during her confinement. Were they aware of the illegitimate child? Had they gone to see that child instead?
They lavished care and attention on the illegitimate child, yet sent only meager, perfunctory gifts to her Chao Chao, delivered by a mere nanny.
But Madam Xu vowed to pour all her love into her daughter. She would protect her fiercely.
When Nanny Lin arrived, Deng Zhi welcomed her warmly. The old woman’s kindly demeanor did little to mask her intent.
“Madam,” Nanny Lin began with a warm smile, “the Old Madam has been feeling unwell, and the Marquis is occupied with court matters. Perhaps the young miss’s full-month banquet could be rescheduled? Would the hundred-day mark not be more suitable?”
Her tone was confident, her expectations of Madam Xu’s compliance clear.
[Hmph, liar, liar! Father wants to attend Lu Jing Yao’s full-month banquet. Mother, don’t let her trick you!]
Madam Xu’s breath caught as her daughter’s faint thought echoed in her mind.
“Could you kindly relay this to the Old Madam?” Madam Xu said calmly, her voice firm. “I only have one daughter, my Chao Chao, and I will not allow her to be slighted. A few days ago, we invited the Eldest Princess to bestow her blessings. It would be inappropriate to rescind that now.”
Nanny Lin froze, caught off guard by the refusal. Mentioning the Eldest Princess, however, piqued her interest. The Princess, cherished by the Emperor, was an invaluable connection.
“This humble servant will inform the Old Madam. I believe she will manage,” Nanny Lin said with a forced smile before leaving.
Less than an hour later, she returned with the Old Madam’s approval.
That evening, Lu Yuan Ze returned after a month away. His tone carried a hint of grievance as he questioned his wife.
“Why set the celebration on the sixth of March? That day…”
[That day is Lu Jing Yao’s full-month banquet, isn’t it?]
Madam Xu’s face grew sorrowful as she dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief.
“You’ve been gone for a month, yet you return to criticize me? As your wife, I only wanted to support you. I even invited the Eldest Princess to the manor. How could this be wrong?” She sniffled delicately, her voice trembling. “Have I not been considerate all these years? Even when unwell, I’ve shown respect to Mother, cared for your younger sister, and maintained harmony in the household. When have I ever been unreasonable?”
Lu Yuan Ze looked conflicted. Though his cousin’s gentleness was appealing, her family’s standing paled in comparison to Madam Xu’s.
“My dear Yun, I didn’t mean to blame you. You and I have been together since youth; no one understands me like you do,” he murmured, softening his tone.
Madam Xu leaned into him, her delicate frame trembling. The unfamiliar scent lingering on his robe stung her heart, but she pressed on.
“Then promise me you’ll be here on the sixth of March. Even my elder brother might return to the capital for this occasion.”
Lu Yuan Ze agreed without hesitation.
[This is bad, bad! The Xu family’s downfall begins on the sixth of March when the cursed objects are discovered. Oh no, I must stop these villains!]
Little Lu Chao Chao trembled with determination, her toothless mouth set in resolve.
“Your elder brother’s return… It must come with a promotion, no?” Lu Yuan Ze asked, his tone tinged with disdain.
Madam Xu smiled faintly. “I’m just a woman; how would I know? My brother serves at the border where wars are frequent. Promotions come with great risk.”
“Our Chao Chao is blessed. While the northern region suffered droughts for years, she was born amidst rain. They say her arrival brought fortune,” Madam Xu said, a joyful memory of that day resurfacing. She had distributed candies at the manor’s entrance to celebrate the miraculous rain.
Lu Yuan Ze raised an eyebrow, responding with a noncommittal hum as his gaze drifted towards the doorway, lost in thought.