Chapter 55: The Plague
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
“A guest has arrived at the manor?”
Lu Yuan Ze’s voice was smooth and warm, carrying a maturity that Lu Zheng Yue lacked. That very maturity held a deadly charm.
As his words fell, a tall and poised figure entered through the door. The man’s broad shoulders and narrow waist created a striking silhouette, and a faint trace of snowflakes rested on his shoulders. He raised his head, revealing sharp brows and eyes that sparkled like scattered starlight. His refined and composed demeanor was something Su Zhi Qing had never encountered before.
Her gaze wavered for a moment before she instinctively turned away, as though she had been scalded. She felt the intensity of his casual glance land on her, setting her whole body aflame.
Marquis Zhongyong stepped forward, paid his respects to the Old Madam, and then said, “Let us dine.”
“Sit beside me,” the Old Madam said. “You saved Zheng Yue; this seat is yours.” The seat had originally belonged to Madam Xu.
Su Zhi Qing glanced at Madam Xu, who offered a graceful smile. “Miss Su, be at ease and take your seat. The heirs of the Marquis household are precious; this is only fitting.”
The outfit Su Zhi Qing wore today had been arranged by Madam Xu. It was exactly to Lu Yuan Ze’s preference—a likeness to the young Pei Jiao Jiao but surpassing her in beauty. Indeed, Su Zhi Qing’s natural charm was extraordinary, and Pei Jiao Jiao had gone to great lengths to find someone as outstanding as her.
Lu Yuan Ze cast a brief glance at Su Zhi Qing but said nothing. With her face flushed, she sat next to the Old Madam, attentive and considerate.
Meanwhile, Lu Chao Chao clutched her small bowl, looking thoroughly displeased. “Small…,” she muttered accusingly. “So small!”
Madam Xu coaxed her gently, “Children use small bowls, and adults use big ones.”
Unconvinced, Lu Chao Chao stood on her chair. “Big!” She gestured earnestly, showing that when standing on her chair, she was as tall as Madam Xu sitting down. “The same! Big!”
This little child, with her serious tone, stretched her hand to measure, insisting on a larger bowl.
Lu Zheng Yue silently took her small bowl, transferred the food into a larger one, and handed it back. Lu Chao Chao frowned, her brows scrunched like a wriggling worm, sensing something was amiss. She tapped her head in frustration, trying to figure it out.
[Ever since I transmigrated here, my brain feels insufficient.]
Thoughts clashed in her mind. While her brain had its ideas, her hands, mouth, and nature seemed entirely out of control.
Giving up, she hugged her bowl, which was now larger than her head, and grinned with her small teeth. “Yum yum!” She slurped her food so eagerly that even her face disappeared behind the bowl. Lu Yuan Ze glanced at her with displeasure but refrained from saying anything.
After lunch, Lu Yuan Ze left the manor. Lu Zheng Yue accompanied Su Zhi Qing for a stroll in the courtyard.
“Don’t worry, Qing Qing,” he said. “With your wit and charm, my parents will adore you.”
“Once we marry, I’ll have sixty taels of pocket money every month. I’ll take care of you.”
“If only my scholarly skills matched Jing Huai’s. I could’ve even become the top scholar and brought you more prestige. After all, this Marquis manor belongs to my elder brother.”
“Although he’s the heir, my elder brother is disabled. The one who truly holds authority in this household is my father.”
“But rest assured, my heart is priceless!”
“We are true love. Wealth doesn’t matter. I know you’re not someone who values vanity. We will surely become a loving couple.”
These were words his elder brother had taught him, claiming they would touch a woman’s heart. However, Su Zhi Qing’s smile grew increasingly stiff.
Her initial plan to coax Lu Zheng Yue into marrying her faltered. She couldn’t utter a single word of persuasion. Instead, she found an excuse to return to her quarters.
Lu Zheng Yue pouted but soon pocketed the essay his brother had given him and headed to the Imperial Academy. The academy admitted only children of royal or official households, and only those who had at least passed the provincial exams.
Meanwhile, Lu Chao Chao played with two jade pendants, swinging them around.
“This one is from Madam Qin, and this one is from Official Chen,” she announced.
“Should I put them in a little box for you?” Madam Xu asked.
Lu Chao Chao dismissively pushed the pendants aside. Madam Xu sighed. “You don’t know their worth.”
One was from the Eldest Princess, another from Madam Qin of a military family, and the third from the Vice Minister of Rites. These were all priceless commitments to Chao Chao.
Yet, holding a roasted sweet potato, Chao Chao declared, “Not… as good… as red-red.”
Madam Xu laughed out loud. Commitments as heavy as gold held no value compared to a roasted sweet potato in her eyes.
As the year-end approached, invitations to banquets flooded in. For the first time, the invitations were addressed to Lu Chao Chao, with Madam Xu merely as an accompanying guardian.
While the household discussed these matters, a commotion erupted at the gate.
“Madam, something has happened!” Jue Xia, pale-faced and breathless, hurried in. “The Empress Dowager is critically ill, and all family members of officials have been summoned to the palace. It doesn’t look good.”
Madam Xu’s face turned pale. “How could this be? She was fine just a few days ago…”
“I don’t know,” Jue Xia replied.
Madam Xu quickly changed her attire to enter the palace.
“Madam, the Eldest Princess has asked… could the little miss accompany you?” The maid hesitated.
Madam Xu paused. At only ten months old, Lu Chao Chao might inadvertently offend someone in the palace. However, Lu Chao Chao’s inner voice cried out:
[It’s a plague! It’s contagious!]
The words nearly made Madam Xu collapse. A plague? How could such a thing happen in the palace?
[Take me, take me! I’m immune to all poisons, hehe. I’m not afraid of plagues.]
Lu Chao Chao’s excitement was palpable. [I want to see the cursed male lead!]
[If you don’t take me, the Crown Prince is doomed!]
In the original story, the young Crown Prince fell victim to this very plague. Madam Xu’s hands trembled, her mind racing. “The Crown Prince is doomed?” The fear in her heart grew.
[Take me, or many people will die… including Mother.]
“Please, Mother…,” Lu Chao Chao begged, clutching her mother’s fingers tightly.
Panicked and uncertain, Madam Xu finally relented. “Fine, we’ll enter the palace.”
She prepared veils to conceal their faces and instructed her maids, “Bring along the two young maids sent by Yi Ting.” Though the twin maids were only ten years old, their training in martial arts made them as capable as adults.
“You are not to leave the young miss’s side for even a moment,” she commanded sternly.
“Understood, Madam. May we receive names?” the twins asked.
“You, the elder, will be Yu Qin. And you, the younger, Yu Hua,” she decided.
With urgency, Madam Xu led the group to the palace.
Huh another plot occuring