Chapter 94 The traitor

Meanwhile, Lu Xinghe hurriedly arrived at the side gate of the Marquis's residence.

The thought of Xiaoyu drinking so much last night made his heart pound with anxiety.

The old woman guarding the gate was sewing shoe soles. When she saw him coming, she smiled and said, "It's Young Master Lu! I haven't seen you for several days. Are you here to see Xiaoyu again?"

Lu Xinghe barely managed to suppress his turbulent emotions, nodded, and said in a slightly hoarse voice:

"Please, nanny, inform her that I have something urgent to discuss with Xiaoyu."

Upon hearing this, the old woman looked troubled: "Oh dear, that's really unfortunate. Little Fish left early this morning, and today Wang Mama from the kitchen took leave to cover the shopping errands. She went to the West Market and hasn't returned yet."

"Young Master Lu, how about... coming back later?"

Heading out? Going to the West Market?

Lu Xinghe's heart tightened.

He knew how potent the drug was last night. Was Xiaoyu, with such a weak constitution, ever bullied?

A series of questions swirled in Lu Xinghe's mind, like a tangled mess.

After thinking for a moment, he inquired of the gatekeeper, "I see. Then... have you heard anything unusual about Xiaoyu after she returned to the manor last night? Or, are there any rumors about her in the manor?"

The old woman looked at him suspiciously and shook her head: "I haven't heard anything about it. Xiaoyu did drink a little wine last night, and Zhao Mama nagged her for half the night, but it seems like nothing serious happened. She looked alright this morning, otherwise Zhao Mama wouldn't have sent her to do errands."

Lu Xinghe felt a slight weight lifted from his heart, but he was still a little uneasy.

He gave the old woman a few taels of silver and told her that if Xiaoyu came back, she should tell her that he had come and that he needed to see her.

The old woman accepted the silver with a smile and replied, "This old servant understands, Young Master Lu, please rest assured."

Turning around, Lu Xinghe left the Marquis's residence with heavy steps.

Although Xiaoyu is fine, Shen Yuejiao's matter cannot be ignored.

Just as Lu Xinghe returned to Huaihua Lane feeling dizzy and lightheaded, he saw that the gate of Shen Yuejiao's courtyard next door was tightly closed, as if no one was there.

He glanced at her as he passed by, but remembering Shen Yuejiao's scheming against him, he turned and went into his own house without looking back.

Little did they know, Mr. and Mrs. Lu were already frantic with worry in the living room.

Upon seeing his son return, Mr. Lu's face immediately darkened, and he roared at Lu Xinghe, "You unfilial son, where have you been all night? You still know to come back?"

Mother Lu also came up anxiously, "Son, what happened? The people at the military camp said you didn't go there, and Miss Shen from next door left the mansion early this morning."

"Didn't you go to celebrate your cousin and Miss Shen's birthdays last night? What happened?"

Looking at his anxious parents, Lu Xinghe felt a mix of emotions as he thought about the terrible mistake he had made.

He lifted his robe and knelt straight down in front of his parents with a thud.

"Father, Mother, your son has done wrong. Please punish me."

Mr. and Mrs. Lu were both taken aback, thinking that he was apologizing for not returning home at night and delaying military affairs.

Lu's mother's heart softened, and she quickly stepped forward to help him up: "It's good that you know you're wrong, get up quickly! You should go to the military camp now and explain to your superiors, don't delay your duties! As for last night... just be more careful next time, young people should also take better care of their health."

"No, Mother!"

Lu Xinghe did not rush to get up, but instead raised his head and glanced at the servants standing in the hall.

Madam Lu understood and waved to dismiss all the servants.

"My son, what exactly happened?" Lu's mother asked anxiously.

Lu Xinghe immediately buried his head and kowtowed heavily on the ground, his voice hoarse: "Father, Mother, your son is unfilial and has made a terrible mistake... Last night, your son got drunk and stayed at... the next room."

These words struck Lu's parents like a thunderbolt, leaving them stunned.

Immediately afterward, both of them widened their eyes. A surge of joy welled up in Lu's mother's heart.

She immediately turned to her son to confirm, "You...you mean...you and Miss Shen...you two...?"

If that's the case, then we'll be able to arrange a marriage with the Shen family very soon, right?

Lu Xinghe nodded with difficulty, admitting his crime.

After a brief moment of shock, Mr. Lu's face immediately turned from pale to red, and then from red to purple.

"Bang!"

Mr. Lu slammed his hand on the table, stood up abruptly, and pointed at Lu Xinghe, his hand trembling:

"You...you unfilial son! How dare you commit such a disgraceful act of illicit exchange, disregarding all propriety and law! My Lu family has always been a family of scholars and officials, how could we have given birth to such a shameless wicked son as you! I...I will beat you to death today!"

As Lu's father spoke, he turned around and looked around for something. He saw a feather duster standing in the corner, rushed over, grabbed it, and was about to hit Lu Xinghe with it!

"Master, you mustn't!"

Mrs. Lu was terrified and rushed over to hug her husband's arm tightly.

"What's the use of killing him now that it's already happened? Xinghe already knows he was wrong!"

"He knows he's wrong? Look at him!"

Mr. Lu was so angry that he trembled all over, feeling that all the family traditions and etiquette he had upheld his whole life had been ruined by this unfilial son.

Mr. Lu was now truly enraged.

Seeing Lu Xinghe's straight back and unrepentant expression only fueled her anger.

"If he knows he is wrong, he should immediately go to the Shen family to apologize and discuss how to make amends, and marry the girl in a grand and respectable manner."

Lu Xinghe suddenly looked up, his eyes stubborn and cold, meeting his father's rage, and said, word by word:

"Father, if you want to beat or punish me, I will have no complaints. If it's my fault, I admit it! But to marry Shen Yuejiao... there is absolutely no way!"

"You...you bastard!" Mr. Lu was completely enraged and lost all reason. He broke free from Mrs. Lu, raised the feather duster in his hand, and with a whooshing sound, lashed it hard across Lu Xinghe's back.

"Slap! Slap!"

Lu Xinghe gritted his teeth and remained silent. Even though his body swayed from the slap, he remained kneeling upright, neither dodging nor flinching.

Lu's mother snapped out of her daze, looking at her son with shock and disappointment, and pleaded tearfully:

"My son, what's going on? If you don't like that girl, why did you touch her body?"

"Master Shen is a genuine scholar who passed the imperial examination and serves as the county magistrate! How could our Lu family afford to offend him?"

She rushed to Lu Xinghe's side, trying to bring him to his senses:

"You have ruined that girl's innocence and reputation. If the Shen family pursues this matter and files a lawsuit with the authorities, you will be accused of adultery with an official's relative. Not only will your promising future be ruined, but your father's position as a scholar, and even the reputation of the entire Lu family for generations, as well as the family fortune accumulated by our ancestors, will all be destroyed!"

Lu's mother's voice was filled with despair and tears.

Lu Xinghe was shaken to his core, suddenly overwhelmed by a sense of powerlessness.

He acted impulsively and didn't think much about it.

Hearing my mother say this now, I suddenly became clear-headed, as if enlightened.

“Even if you don’t care about your parents or the Lu family, you have to think about yourself! With such a crime on your shoulders, your life is over. Listen to your mother’s advice, hurry up and find Yuejiao, apologize properly, and marry her in a grand and glorious way. That’s the only way to survive!”

“A way out? Does he even see a way out?” Mr. Lu abruptly interrupted Mrs. Lu, his chest heaving violently, his tone filled with anguish, as if he had aged more than ten years in an instant.

“In my life, Lu Qiwen may have rendered no service to the court or benefited the people, but I can say with certainty that I have lived up to my ancestors' expectations and my conscience, adhering to the four virtues of ‘propriety, righteousness, integrity, and a sense of shame’! But you—!”

"To commit such a shameful act is already disrespectful! To then shirk responsibility and refuse to take accountability is unrighteous. To tarnish a woman's purity and damage the family's reputation is shameless! My Lu family has a tradition of scholarship and has no descendants like you who are utterly irresponsible and shameless!"

Disappointment and resolve filled Lu's father's eyes. He took a deep breath and shouted with all his might:

"If you insist on refusing to take responsibility, fine! From this day forward, you are no longer a descendant of the Lu family. I, Lu Qiwen, will pretend I never had such an unfilial son as you! Get out of the Lu family right now! Whether you live or die, whether you are honored or disgraced, it has nothing to do with the Lu family anymore!"

"Master! You mustn't!"

Upon hearing this, Lu's mother was struck dumb!