Chapter 89: Lu Chao Chao’s Great Weapon
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
“What… what kind of illness is this? She’s tormenting me on purpose!”
“She made me wake before dawn to drink medicine! I only had her care for me for a single day, and she sent me straight to the Imperial Medical Office!” The Old Madam’s voice trembled with indignation, but no one paid her much heed.
“She stayed up all night brewing medicine for you, and now you’re complaining about waking early to drink it?” the crowd mocked mercilessly.
The Old Madam’s face contorted as she prepared to unleash a tirade, but just then, the Gu family’s carriage passed by.
Inside, Lu Wan Yi stared blankly out the window, her heart heavy with frustration. Gu Ling had her under house arrest. Even when she went out, two large, burly nannies followed closely behind.
At that moment, Lu Wan Yi lost all composure. She jumped off the carriage in a frenzy, catching the nannies completely off guard.
“Shi Yun! How dare you care for my mother like this?” she shouted.
“Did you intentionally torment her? After just one day, you sent her into the Imperial Medical Office. You have malicious intent!” Lu Wan Yi’s face was twisted with anger as she pointed at Madam Xu and berated her.
Madam Xu lowered her head silently, enduring the accusations.
“Young Lady, how can you be so unreasonable?” Deng Zhi, a servant, couldn’t help but interject. “When Madam married into the family, you were only one or two years old. It was Madam who raised you with her own hands.”
“She even nursed you while pregnant with her eldest son.”
“How can you speak of her this way?” Deng Zhi’s voice quivered with indignation.
The onlookers’ gazes grew colder. “Ungrateful wretch! Isn’t this the wife of the renowned scholar Gu?” they whispered, their voices filled with disdain.
Flustered, Lu Wan Yi quickly tugged her mother away. “Mother, let me care for you from now on, alright?”
[Gu Ling is insane… utterly insane!] Just hearing his name sent shivers down her spine.
Ignoring the nannies’ warning glares, Lu Wan Yi took the Old Madam back to their residence in front of Madam Xu. The Old Madam, thoroughly moved, showed a rare moment of satisfaction.
…
Before dawn the next day, a shrill cry echoed through the Marquis Zhongyong’s Manor.
“The Old Madam is vomiting blood! Hurry! Fetch an imperial physician!”
The manor descended into chaos. The household doctor arrived quickly but could do little as the vomiting persisted. Left with no choice, they carried the Old Madam directly to the Imperial Medical Office.
The scene mirrored the previous day—only this time, it was far graver. The Old Madam’s blood gushed in torrents, leaving Lu Yuan Ze, the ever-dutiful son, ashen-faced.
“What in the world is going on?” Lu Yuan Ze bellowed. Though known for his filial devotion, he often entrusted the actual duties to others.
Turning his fury onto Madam Xu, he roared, “How were you caring for her? Are you trying to kill her? How can you be so heartless, Madam Xu?”
Madam Xu remained composed. “It was younger sister who cared for her,” she replied.
Lu Yuan Ze’s tirade abruptly ceased.
The imperial physician hurriedly applied multiple acupuncture treatments, finally stabilizing the Old Madam. However, her complexion remained pallid, and her vitality was severely diminished. What should have been a simple cold had spiraled into vomiting, diarrhea, and near-death in just two days.
Lu Wan Yi, on the verge of tears, stammered, “Elder Brother, I-I brewed the medicine according to the recipe!” But she admitted that, after spilling the medicine packet in the courtyard, she had carelessly gathered the herbs along with some fallen leaves.
The servant brought the medicine pot forward, and the imperial physician examined it closely. Among the ingredients, he discovered an additional herb.
This plant, harmless when attached to the tree, transformed into a potent toxin once its leaves fell to the ground. Coincidentally, the Marquis Zhongyong’s Manor housed such a tree.
A maid timidly knelt and reported, “I saw Young Lady Wan Yi accidentally spill the medicine packet… right under that tree.”
Lu Yuan Ze immediately declared, “Wan Yi, return to the Gu family at once!”
…
The Old Madam, who had narrowly escaped death, felt utterly spent. She ignored Lu Wan Yi’s tearful protests and let the maids drag her away. Gasping for breath, the Old Madam thought only of surviving long enough to witness Lu Jing Huai’s achievement of Triple Crown Excellence and his appointment as Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince.
After a pause, Madam Xu softly offered, “Mother, Wan Yi grew up spoiled and has no experience in nursing the sick. Perhaps I should take over her duties?”
The Old Madam’s eyes widened in terror. “No! No, absolutely not!” Her refusal was swift and emphatic.
Dragging her weakened body, she even scooted away, unwilling to let Madam Xu come near.
Madam Xu sighed, her expression tinged with disappointment, as Lu Yuan Ze awkwardly tried to console her.
Thus, what began as a minor cold turned into a calamity, leaving the Old Madam deeply scarred.
…
Taking advantage of the morning’s commotion, Lu Chao Chao snuck out of the manor unnoticed, a solitary child trailing behind. In her tiny fist, she clutched a handful of leaves identical to those that had poisoned the Old Madam.
She gleefully shredded the leaves into tiny fragments. Just as she prepared to return home, a kind-looking woman approached. “Little girl, there’s a circus show over there. Want to see?”
Lu Chao Chao blinked up at her, wide-eyed and curious.
The woman held the hand of a boy around three or four years old, whose attire clashed sharply with hers. “Where’s the circus?” the boy asked, tilting his head.
“This is my young master. Why don’t you come with us?” The woman’s gaze flicked to someone behind Lu Chao Chao, signaling silently.
A burly man appeared and scooped Lu Chao Chao up without a word. “This is my little lady, who nearly got lost,” he explained, smiling at passersby before hurrying away.
Lu Chao Chao’s eyes sparkled. [Is this… a kidnapping?]
“Circus… circus…” she babbled, pointing eagerly in its direction.
Both she and the boy were shoved into a carriage.
Inside, several young women lay unconscious. The burly man grunted, “Why bring back two kids?”
The woman chuckled. “These two are good-looking. They’ll fetch a high price once they grow a bit.” Her eyes glinted with greed.
The scar-faced man frowned. “They look like they’re from noble families. Won’t this cause trouble?”
The woman waved dismissively. “What trouble? The boy’s barely four, and the girl’s only one. Even if they were royalty, they wouldn’t matter on Fufeng Mountain. No one comes back from there alive.”
They all burst into laughter. Fufeng Mountain, a notorious bandit stronghold, was a fortress the imperial court had repeatedly failed to conquer.
“Besides,” the woman sneered, “it’s not like they’re the crown prince or princess.”
The kidnappers painted the children’s faces, disguising their features. Lu Chao Chao touched her altered face with fascination, her grin stretching from ear to ear. [This is so much fun!] she thought. [The gods are boring. They don’t even deserve roast chicken. The evil spirits are no fun either; they avoid me. The Old Madam was entertaining, but she’s too frail. She almost died in two days! And if she dies, I’ll have to eat vegetarian… that won’t do!]
[Fufeng Mountain sounds like a blast!]
“That girl… is she stupid?” the woman muttered, unnerved by Lu Chao Chao’s wide, toothy grin.
Sensing the woman’s gaze, Lu Chao Chao grinned even wider, baring her gums in a toothy display.
The woman looked away uneasily. Little did she know that inviting a god was easy—sending one away was the real challenge.
And Lu Chao Chao? She was an impossible challenge.
So its straight up confirmed that the person who is supposed to take car of mc is just the lost incompetent person on the planet and should be fired