Chapter 74: Snatching Dog Food
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
When Lu Chao Chao was brought into the room, her twin ponytails were drooping, reflecting her dejected mood. Her eyes, swollen and red, were filled with tears that she fought valiantly to suppress.
“Ptui, ptui, ptui…” she repeatedly spat, trying to rid her mouth of dog hairs.
Consort Xian, in a state of alarm, hurried into the hall. Upon seeing the king’s pallid and stern face, she promptly knelt down. She remembered how during the heavenly worship ceremony, the king had allowed Lu Chao Chao to ride on his shoulders, a privilege not even granted to the crown prince. Aware of this favoritism, she knew she wouldn’t dare harm Lu Chao Chao, the king’s cherished child, still just an infant.
“Your Majesty, I swear I am innocent. I did not let the dog bite her. It wasn’t my fault!” Consort Xian pleaded, overwhelmed by her sense of injustice.
The king, however, remained silent and severe.
The crown prince, also troubled, approached to take Lu Chao Chao from Lu Zheng Yue’s arms. “Is she hurt?” he asked gently, showing his concern.
Triggered by his question, Lu Chao Chao could no longer hold back her tears and began to cry loudly, nodding vigorously to indicate she was in pain.
The king, alarmed, demanded, “Where is she hurt? Call the royal physician immediately! Damn it!”
Consort Xian shivered with fear, realizing the vulnerability of her position as the mother of the fragile fourth prince, who lived as a novice monk at the National Temple for health reasons. If anything happened to her, what would become of her son?
Lu Chao Chao continued to cry, clutching her chest.
“Did the dog bite you there? Where does it hurt? Tell Uncle King,” the king urged, his tone filled with concern.
In the midst of the tension, Consort Xian grew increasingly anxious, witnessing the king’s distress.
Lu Chao Chao shook her head, crying inwardly, [Wuu wuu, my heart aches, my heart aches! Am I not heartbroken? Does my dignity not matter?]
The crown prince couldn’t help but cough loudly, moved by her silent, heart-wrenching lament.
Lu Zheng Yue felt a profound regret for not having protected his sister sufficiently, fearing she had suffered serious injuries. Now, understanding the true nature of the ‘injury,’ he felt somewhat relieved.
And sure enough, when the royal physician arrived and examined her, he found no physical wounds, despite her loud cries.
Consort Xian, with tears streaming down her face, timidly asked, “Royal Physician, could you please also check my dog?”
At her request, they brought in the dog, which now had patches in its otherwise glossy coat. The sight of Lu Chao Chao frightened it, causing it to bark and retreat into Consort Xian’s arms.
“Don’t worry, she won’t pull your fur anymore,” Consort Xian reassured the dog awkwardly.
The king massaged his temples, frustrated, and demanded, “What exactly happened here? Can one of the Lu brothers explain what occurred?”
This was the first time Lu Zheng Yue and Lu Yuan Xiao had been this close to the king in such a private setting. Initially too frightened to speak, their awe quickly dissipated when they saw their sister wiping her nose on the king’s robe.
Embarrassed, Lu Zheng Yue began, “As we entered the palace, we passed by Consort Xian’s quarters where her servant was feeding the dog.” He paused, ashamed to continue.
Consort Xian quickly interjected: “The dog food is specially prepared by my servant with chicken sausage and fish paste, and it smells quite appealing. Unfortunately, it attracted this little one, who couldn’t resist grabbing a handful to taste. After finding it delicious, she tried to snatch more from the dog. While any other dog might have bitten her, mine just barked to scare her. During the scuffle, she ended up pulling out some of my dog’s fur. Your Majesty, please ensure justice for my dog.”
In Consort Xian’s eyes, this was a bizarre accident.
The king’s mouth twitched as he probed further, “So, she cried so vehemently because she lost the scuffle?”
Consort Xian, looking distressed, corrected him, “No, it’s not that. The dog is actually terrified of her. It guarded its food but didn’t dare to scratch her. She won the scuffle but spilled the food, which is why she was crying.”
Listening, Lu Chao Chao became even more upset, silently wiping away tears.
“Doggy… insult, burp… insult me… offensive.”
The king chuckled, “You even think the dog insulted you?”
Lu Chao Chao’s face flushed with anger, “Yes! Insulted me! Very offensive!”
Just then, the dog barked again in Consort Xian’s arms, which infuriated Lu Chao Chao even more.
Standing up, tears still streaming down her face, she shouted, “It insulted me again!” She then charged at the dog, raising her arms and mimicking its barking furiously.
The dog responded similarly, barking back from Consort Xian’s arms.
Neither Consort Xian nor the crown prince could restrain their charges as Lu Chao Chao and the dog commenced a loud barking match in front of the king.
The king, perplexed by the commotion, observed, “Though I do not understand their language, I can tell the insults are filthy.”
The hall echoed with barks, darkening the king’s expression. Managing disputes among court officials was one thing, but mediating between a child and a dog was quite another. He had a foreboding feeling about such occurrences becoming frequent. “Ahaha, impossible! She’s barely a year old!”
“Quick, take the dog away. What are you still waiting for?” Eunuch Wang called out, noting the king’s displeasure and quickly signaling to Consort Xian.
Two wet nurses promptly escorted the dog away.
Cheeks flushed with anger, Lu Chao Chao continued, “Insult me! Hmph! Insult me, the toothless little thing! Insult me for snatching dog food, insult me for being shameless!”
To the onlookers, it seemed merely a babble, yet the two protagonists clearly understood each other’s grievances.
“My love, bring that recipe for dog food to the royal study. Let’s see if it can be adapted into a complementary food for infants,” the king suggested.
“Today, being the first day of the Lunar New Year, send a message to the National Temple to bring the fourth prince back for some time with us,” he then decreed, hoping to soothe Consort Xian, who immediately fell to her knees in overwhelming gratitude.
“Thank you, Your Majesty. Thank you,” she rejoiced, watching Lu Chao Chao as if she were a precious treasure.
This unexpected event turned out surprisingly well for everyone involved. The last time Consort Xian was gravely ill, the fourth prince was only permitted a brief seven-day visit. For years, she had longed for her son, seeing him even in her dreams. Astonishingly, this year he would return for an extended stay of half a month. Despite the common belief that the fourth prince brought misfortune, being born frail and sickly, Consort Xian understood the true complexity of his fate, which was believed to adversely affect the fortunes of North Zhao.
At his birth, the country’s spiritual leader, the abbot of the National Temple, had ominously stated, “This child has a unique destiny, which I fear cannot be stabilized and may harm North Zhao.”
Indeed, his birth coincided with the death of the previous king and was followed by a year of drought, compelling King Xuan Ping to send him to the temple as a novice monk to mitigate his troubling fate. Fortunately, King Xuan Ping was wise enough to avoid sacrificing the boy for the sake of the kingdom’s prosperity.