Chapter 98: Chao Chao the Drama Queen
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
Song Yu was captured.
All because, three days ago, he had kidnapped a child and brought her to the mountain, toppling the foundation of Fufeng Mountain.
Even his father’s coffin lid couldn’t stay shut.
Inside the prison cart, Song Yu sat, his face ashen, staring gloomily at Lu Chao Chao.
“The old blind fortune teller was right after all,” his mother muttered from the corner of the cart, her hair reeking of burnt ashes.
Song Yu, visibly guilty, replied, “Mother, this is all because of my incompetence. Now, in your old age, you must endure imprisonment.”
She sighed faintly, her tone oddly wistful. “I just want to know if that old blind man is dead. He’s so accurate it’s frightening. If he’s gone, he should be venerated. Predicting even a grave being dug up…”
Song Yu: …
“Don’t worry about me, child. I’ve seen my fair share of hardship. Back when your father was exiled, I went through this too. Following you into a prison cart now is no different.”
Song Yu’s guilt deepened.
“I’ve spent my life chanting Buddhist scriptures, praying for my son’s safety, but alas, my son brings only calamity,” she lamented, though her lips twitched, betraying a smile she tried to suppress.
Turning her back to her son, Song Mother didn’t dare meet his eyes. In truth, she had been praying not for his safety, but for the imperial court to capture him so he might walk the right path again. Mingling with bandits had no future.
The court’s repeated attempts to recruit Song Yu showed they valued his talent. Even capturing him now would likely lead to conscription.
Her husband, once a general of the former dynasty, had his entire family sentenced to exile for opposing an incompetent emperor. Rescued by bandits along the way, he turned to a life of crime. The new dynasty repeatedly sought to enlist him, but Song Father refused.
Song Mother sighed. She did not want her son to follow the same path.
…
Inside her carriage, Lu Chao Chao felt as if someone was staring daggers at her. [Who could it be? Surely, it’s because I’m so lovable and adorable.]
She brushed it off without much thought.
As dawn broke, the convoy reached the capital and stopped at the gates of Marquis Zhongyong’s Manor. Chao Chao placed her hands on her hips and declared loudly, “Haha! I, Lu Chao Chao, have returned in triumph!”
Her small face was brimming with joy. The dogs along the road scattered at the sound of her voice.
At the gate, Lu Yan Shu sat in his wheelchair, holding a book silently. Second Brother and Third Brother stood behind him, their smiles insincere.
“Chao Chao, three days away from home. Did your body hold up? Did you manage to eat properly? Drink milk on the way?” Lu Yan Shu, dressed in thin robes, had clearly rushed out upon learning of her return.
Chao Chao was deeply moved. “Big Brother, Chao Chao ate well.”
“Chao Chao held up just fine.”
“Chao Chao is not tired.”
Before she could finish, Lu Yan Shu waved his hand. “Good. She can take it. Beat her.”
Chao Chao: ?!!!!
Her cheeks puffed like an angry pufferfish.
Second Brother stepped forward with a soft bamboo strip, lifting her off the carriage. While carrying her, he muttered, “How dare you! Sneaking out of the manor! Escaping your maids! Running up a bandit mountain alone!”
“And you even set the mountain on fire! What if your tiny arms and legs couldn’t run fast enough? What would happen to your Second Brother?”
Stripped to her underclothes, Chao Chao received her punishment. Though the bamboo didn’t hurt, she felt wronged, and her eyes turned red instantly.
“Waaaah…”
This little tyrant, capable of overturning Fufeng Mountain, bawled her eyes out like a fragile doll.
“Do you know what you did wrong?” Second Brother’s hands trembled as he accidentally whipped himself while scolding her.
“Yes… Chao Chao knows… knows she was wrong…” she sobbed pitifully.
Watching his sister cry, Lu Yan Shu’s grip on his book tightened, his knuckles whitening. His glare made Lu Zheng Yue’s heart skip a beat.
[Big Brother, you told me to do it!]
Meanwhile, Third Brother squatted nearby, tears streaming down his face. “You’re so cruel. Poor little sister…”
Madam Xu wiped away her tears as she watched, knowing this was necessary. Chao Chao was extraordinary. Without strict guidance, what would the future hold?
After a few bamboo stripes, Lu Zheng Yue ended up crying louder than his sister.
When the Crown Prince arrived, he found Chao Chao putting on an Oscar-worthy performance. Her eyes were red and she cried loudly, but not a single tear fell. She was mortified, thinking, [How embarrassing.]
The three brothers were weeping uncontrollably, while Madam Xu turned her head away, also silently crying.
The Crown Prince: [What bad timing…]
Chao Chao saw him at the door, her round cheeks flushing in shame. Using her chubby fingers, she dabbed her mouth, smeared some saliva on her face, and resumed her wailing. Despite her theatrics, she understood she had truly worried her family and resolved to never act so recklessly again.
Madam Xu collected herself first and invited the Crown Prince inside. “Are you here to see the Marquis?” she asked, bowing respectfully.
The Crown Prince smiled. “I’m here to see Chao Chao.”
Though he appeared unconcerned, their shared bond allowed him to sense her joy. Lu Yan Shu discreetly wiped his tears, relieved that the household was full of familiar faces.
As Madam Xu took Chao Chao to wash up, Lu Yan Shu chastised, “Why did you hit her so hard? She cried!”
Lu Zheng Yue, still sniffling, protested, “You told me to hit her! I didn’t even use much force!”
Lu Yuan Xiao chimed in, “You’re all heartless. Poor Sister…”
In Madam Xu’s arms, Chao Chao thought, [It didn’t hurt at all. Let them feel involved…]
[I can’t very well laugh, can I?]
[Still, this time, I really made them worry. I’ll never run off again.]
Hearing this, her brothers relaxed, their guilt easing. They escorted the Crown Prince to the hall while Madam Xu helped Chao Chao freshen up.
…
“Little Miss must have suffered outside! Look how thin she is!” Deng Zhi exclaimed, bustling with the other maids to prepare food.
As they dressed her, they noticed an issue.
“This dress is too small…” Deng Zhi muttered, perplexed by the bulging belly that refused to be cinched.
Chao Chao held her round belly, took a deep breath, and turned red as she struggled to fit. “The dress shrank,” Deng Zhi concluded after much thought. “Miss Chao Chao couldn’t possibly have gained weight.”
After all, how could someone kidnapped by bandits come back heavier? Preposterous.
Deng Zhi fetched loose robes, which barely fit. “Tell the seamstress to make new spring clothes. Her old ones no longer fit,” she ordered. The maids Yu Shu and Yu Qin, red-eyed, bowed and scolded gently, “Miss, don’t run off without us again.”
They still couldn’t understand how their one-year-old charge had managed to escape them. Though trained in basic martial arts, they’d been bested by this toddler.
Chao Chao grinned. [You’re mere mortals. I’m on a cultivation path.]
Raising her tiny hand, she swore, “Chao Chao won’t run anymore.”
Yu Shu sighed. “We must keep a closer watch. Losing Little Miss meant facing questions from the Eldest Princess, the Empress Dowager, the Crown Prince, even the Emperor. Only the Marquis, her own father, didn’t ask.”
With a weak smile, Yu Shu added, “We’re not just guarding Miss Chao Chao. We’re protecting nine generations.”
Why are they blaming a baby as if its not 100% the fault of the maids who didnt do their ONE job to look after her
she has a way of getting out of their perception
With the amount of trust given to these maids I doubt it’s a matter of irresponsiblity plus you know kids, 1 second you’re staring at them the second you look away they are up to mischief