Chapter 78: I, Lu Chao Chao, Demand Money
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
Lu Yuan Ze stood outside the hall, his face numbed by the cold. What had he done wrong? Your Majesty, can you just say it already?
After the morning court session ended, the officials dispersed, avoiding him like the plague. Who dared to get involved after crossing the Emperor at the start of the year? Nobody would risk it.
Shivering from the cold, Lu Yuan Ze rubbed his stiff face and hurried to find Eunuch Wang.
“Eunuch Wang… Eunuch Wang…” Lu Yuan Ze called out as he approached him.
“Eunuch Wang, please enlighten me. What could I have done to anger His Majesty?” he pleaded while slipping a silver note discreetly into the eunuch’s sleeve.
Eunuch Wang squeezed the note between his fingers and, after confirming the Emperor had walked away, said, “Marquis, perhaps it was entering the hall with your right foot. That’s seen as disrespectful.”
Lu Yuan Ze’s face twisted in frustration. “But… but I entered with my left foot!”
Eunuch Wang’s expression froze momentarily. [If the Emperor wants to punish you, it doesn’t matter which foot you use. You could hop into the hall, and he’d still find fault with your breathing.]
But the eunuch only gave a polite smile. “How could we mere servants presume to interpret His Majesty’s divine will?”
Eunuch Wang gazed at him with a calm face. [Your daughter’s mischief, your burden. Yesterday, His Majesty made me scrub off all her nail polish, and even the rouge stains wouldn’t come off. I’m utterly exhausted and furious. You deserve this. Taking the punishment for her—not unfair at all!]
Lu Yuan Ze noticed the cryptic smile and felt increasingly uneasy.
When he returned to the Marquis Zhongyong’s Manor, he ran into the clan elders visiting from their hometown.
“Three thousand taels of silver, and it has to be paid in three installments? A grand marquis’ household can’t even spare this much?”
“What? You’ve prospered and now look down on your poor relatives? Are we an annoyance to you?” one elder bellowed.
“Even your wife is more generous than you!” the clan leader scolded. “When your father went to fight for the empire, he took the young men of the clan and our grain and silver with him. If not for the clan’s support, you wouldn’t be where you are today. Don’t be ungrateful!”
Lu Yuan Ze’s face darkened, suppressing his rising anger. “In three days, someone will deliver it to Clear Creek. Not a single tael less.”
The elders stormed off in a huff.
Already frustrated by his encounter at court, Lu Yuan Ze’s foul mood infected the entire household. Nobody dared make a sound.
Madam Xu, skilled at easing tensions, immediately escorted the marquis to Clear Peace Courtyard.
“Hmph, taking out his frustration on the family after being humiliated outside,” Deng Zhi muttered. “Good thing, Madam, you no longer let him treat you as a punching bag.”
Madam Xu shot her a warning glance but chuckled softly. “You and your sharp tongue.”
Her eyes twinkled with satisfaction. “I’m curious though—what did he do to make His Majesty humiliate him so?”
“I have no idea,” Deng Zhi replied, shaking her head. “It’s impossible to inquire about palace affairs.”
Lu Chao Chao, sitting on the floor with a small brush, was diligently painting her nails. She glanced up, her childish voice chiming in, “Chao Chao doesn’t know either.”
[I’m just a baby drinking milk; how would I know?] she thought, pouting internally.
Madam Xu stifled a laugh. [You’re one year old. Of course, you wouldn’t know.]
“What about your second brother?” she asked curiously.
“Second Brother…” Madam Xu’s brows furrowed. “Last night, I think I heard him crying. It’s as if he suddenly grew up overnight—so quiet and composed now.”
She sighed. “The Lu family doesn’t have much in terms of wealth. Most of the estates came from my dowry. Your second brother said since the eldest is a scholar, he won’t take that path. Instead, he’s heading south to try his hand at business and to check on Second Uncle’s flood relief efforts in Lin Luo.”
Hearing this, Lu Chao Chao raised her tiny hand. “Me too! Me too! I want to earn money!”
Madam Xu playfully tapped her nose. “What money could you earn? You’re just a year old.”
Lu Chao Chao pouted. “I can! I can do it!”
But no one took her seriously.
…
Hmph!
Frustrated, Lu Chao Chao crawled under her bed and began emptying her hidden stash of red envelopes. Everything tumbled out, but it was all useless. [How annoying! My space has everything but money. In the cultivation world, who even uses silver?]
After counting diligently, she found a total of sixteen taels. Her chubby cheeks puffed like a little frog’s. She kicked the box under the bed in frustration.
[How pitiful. The Emperor’s family is so stingy!]
The princess gave jade pendants. The Emperor gave jade pendants. The crown prince gave jade pendants. Even the Empress Dowager gave jade pendants. Were they trying to summon a dragon by collecting all these?
Stomping her tiny feet in anger, she grabbed her money pouch, crawled out from under the bed, and waddled over to Madam Xu. She extended her hand and declared solemnly, “I, Lu Chao Chao, a celestial maiden from the heavens, need a loan! Or you could invest—you’ll earn a share!”
[If you help me now, when I return to the celestial realm, I’ll repay you a hundredfold,] she vowed inwardly.
Madam Xu pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. She gestured to Deng Zhi to give five taels. “Here you go, little celestial maiden. Consider it a gift; you don’t need to pay it back.”
Though she thought the amount was pitiful, Lu Chao Chao accepted it with a serious expression.
“Yu Yu, record it,” she instructed. Yu Qin pulled out a ledger and wrote: Madam Xu of the Marquis Zhongyong’s Manor: Five taels.
Yu Shu added, “The young mistress says she’ll return it with interest.”
Madam Xu’s smile widened. “Alright, alright, I’ll wait for you to earn big.”
But seeing her lack of seriousness, Lu Chao Chao snorted and stomped off.
Next, she found her elder brother in his courtyard. She extended her hands, looking at him expectantly. “Big Brother, lend me money.”
Seated in his wheelchair, Lu Yan Shu’s radiance remained undiminished despite his condition. He chuckled, “What does Chao Chao need? Big Brother will buy it for you.”
Lu Chao Chao shook her head and replied in her baby voice, “Earning money!”
He laughed heartily, instructing a servant to fetch twenty taels. Yu Shu took the silver while Yu Qin recorded it in the ledger.
“Out! I’m going out!” she declared to her third brother, eyes gleaming with determination.
Lu Yuan Xiao, surprised, asked, “Where are you going in this snowy weather?”
[To borrow money and start a business! I need to figure out which of your wealthy friends can help,] she pondered.
Seeing her pitiful expression, Lu Yuan Xiao relented. “Fine, I was tired of reading anyway. I’ll take you to visit some friends.”
After notifying Madam Xu, he left with their entourage of maids and servants.
“She’s gone out to play?” Madam Xu chuckled, unable to contain her amusement.
Deng Zhi covered her mouth, stifling her laughter. “Our young mistress is so precocious. She speaks early and loves imitating people. Hearing about the second young master’s business plans, she decided to follow suit.”
Little did Madam Xu know, Lu Chao Chao would end up achieving a grand feat that saved the nation. But of course, she also caused every child in the capital to get their bottoms smacked.
Hehe
Hahhahaha