Chapter 5
Lu Hanzhi let out a sigh of relief. At least the first hurdle was over.
Even if it was all just an act, he truly felt the warmth of having a mother who cared.
In his past life, his parents had died early, leaving him to struggle and fend for himself. He had grown used to relying on no one. Having someone to protect him now felt strangely unfamiliar.
But he couldn’t afford to let his guard down. He still didn’t know what kind of tricks Su Wan’ning had up her sleeve. If she were allowed to stay in the Lu household any longer, and he wasn’t around to watch over Madam Lu, who knew if she would continue using psychological attacks against her?
He had to find a way to ensure that Madam Lu would never be influenced by Su Wan’ning again.
It wasn’t just about Madam Lu. When he had died in his past life, every single person in the Lu family had stood by Su Wan’ning’s side. Not even one of them had bothered to claim his body. They had hated him to that extent? Unless Su Wan’ning had done something behind the scenes, he wouldn’t believe it even if he were beaten to death.
Three days later, the imperial edict for selecting attendants for the Crown Prince arrived at the Lu household.
Luan Feng stormed back in a huff. “Fourth Young Master from Aunt Du’s household has been chosen to enter the Eastern Palace’s Boya Residence as the Crown Prince’s attendant! I just can’t stand it, Young Master! That position should have been yours! Everyone in the capital knows that the Third Young Master of the Lu family is so stunning he could bring down a kingdom. If it weren’t for… how could it have fallen to that Fourth Young Master? You should’ve seen it—Aunt Du’s face was practically beaming all the way to the heavens!”
Lu Hanzhi chuckled and said, “If it weren’t for what? Do you think I should have listened to their advice, strangled Ah Chan to death, and traded his life for a spotless reputation so I could enjoy wealth and glory in the Eastern Palace?”
Luan Feng’s face darkened with guilt. “I… I didn’t mean that. Young Master, you are kind and affectionate—you would never have the heart to kill your own child. And besides, Little Young Master Ah Chan is so adorable. Anyone who sees him can’t help but love him. It’s just… it’s just a shame. You had the best chance of entering the Eastern Palace.”
Lu Hanzhi waved his hand dismissively. “There’s nothing to regret. Fortune and misfortune are two sides of the same coin. Entering the Eastern Palace might not necessarily be a good thing.”
Luan Feng couldn’t quite understand what he meant. But one thing was clear: since the Young Master had chosen to keep Ah Chan, his own good days were over.
No matter how strong Madam Lu was, the Lu family would never tolerate a Langjun who had given birth to a child remaining in the household. Rumor had it that the Old Madam was planning to send him to an estate in the countryside. Officially, they claimed it was to oversee the land, but in reality, it was exile.
The Third Young Master had lived a life of luxury since birth—how could he possibly endure such hardships?
For the past two days, the Lu family had been busy preparing for the marriage of the Fourth Young Master, Lu Haozhi. They had no time to concern themselves with Lu Hanzhi. Meanwhile, news of the Lu family producing an attendant for the Crown Prince had spread like wildfire across the capital.
As the gossip circulated, some people began to question:
“Wasn’t Lu Hanzhi supposed to be the most stunning young master of the Lu family? How did it end up being Lu Haozhi who entered the Eastern Palace?”
“Who knows? High-ranking families are full of strange and inexplicable things.”
“Do you even need to ask? If there were nothing wrong with Lu Hanzhi, there’s no way they would’ve let Lu Haozhi—a mere concubine’s son—take his place. There’s a huge difference between a legitimate son and a concubine’s son.”
“What do you mean? Are you saying Lu Hanzhi is…”
Rumors and speculations filled the streets of the capital, but Lu Hanzhi, who rarely left his residence, paid them no mind.
These past few days, he had been eating, sleeping, and playing with little Ah Chan whenever he woke up. Though Ah Chan was the child of the original, Lu Hanzhi adored him deeply. The child radiated intelligence—it was clear he was born with a noble fate.
And indeed, he was destined for greatness. After all, his father was none other than the infamous tyrant of history.
That man’s way of thinking was beyond ordinary comprehension. His moods were unpredictable, his temper volatile. Killing people was a small matter to him, and he wiped out entire families as if it were nothing. It was said that his harem never housed beautiful women—only the bones of his enemies.
Lu Hanzhi didn’t know much about Yuwen Min. In his past life, Yuwen Min had stayed at the Lu residence because his older brother, Lu Xuzhi, was close to the eldest prince, Yuwen Jue. Yuwen Jue’s mother had adopted Yuwen Min, and the two brothers were inseparable.
Wherever Yuwen Jue went, Yuwen Min followed. At the time, Lu Xuzhi had invited Yuwen Jue to stay at the Lu residence, and naturally, Yuwen Min had come along.
And as fate would have it, on a drunken night, Yuwen Min had stumbled upon Lu Hanzhi—who just so happened to be in heat.
All in all, it had been nothing more than a ridiculous, melodramatic farce.
He had no interest in this dramatic mess, as long as Yuwen Min never found out that there was a child of his here.
Lu Hanzhi, who was timid and unambitious, only wanted to live a simple and carefree life. All those power struggles and bloody battles were best left to those who didn’t value their lives!
These past few days, the Lu family had been busy preparing for Lu Haozhi’s wedding, and no one had the time to care about Lu Hanzhi. This suited him perfectly—he spent his days in the courtyard, catching golden cicadas while holding little A-Chan, who had gained a good three or four jin in less than a month.
After the rain, golden cicadas crawled all over the courtyard. In just one evening, Lu Hanzhi caught over a dozen of them. That night, he had the kitchen maids fry them in oil, and they were so delicious he nearly swallowed his tongue. This was fresh, pollution-free, all-natural delicacy! Back when he was a child, he had gone to the countryside and caught cicadas with his friends. He never expected to find so many in his own courtyard. Tomorrow, he could catch more and have them with his meals.
Luan Feng thought their young master had a big heart—while the front courtyard was bustling with honored guests and endless congratulations, and Lu Haozhi was practically floating with joy, their young master still had the mind to catch cicadas, eat heartily, and sleep soundly. He even enjoyed the pleasures of family life with little A-Chan.
But in truth, Lu Hanzhi was quite anxious—because Lu Lingxi, this little chubby one, could eat too much!
In just over half a month, two cans of 900-gram formula were almost gone. If he didn’t find a way to get more, the little fatty would go hungry! Now, all he wanted was for Lu Haozhi’s wedding to be over soon so he could finally be sent away. Only after leaving the Lu family estate could he take on missions to earn points.
Thankfully, he still had some exchange points left. Gritting his teeth, Lu Hanzhi exchanged them for two more cans of formula. That would probably last a month. But judging by Lu Lingxi’s monstrous appetite, he’d be lucky if it lasted twenty days!
Finally, on the third day after A-Chan started his second can of formula, Lu Hanzhi received his judgment.
Lu Siwei personally brought a few maids and discreetly took care of his situation. As expected, he was sent to manage the family’s farmland estate in the countryside.
So, under the stunned gaze of Patriarch Lu, Lu Hanzhi packed his bags, cheerfully hugged his son, and fled the household.
Those who knew the truth understood that he was being exiled to the outskirts because he had given birth to an illegitimate child. But to those who didn’t, it looked as if he was happily marrying into a higher-status family!
Even Aunt Du and Aunt Zhou, who came to watch the spectacle, found the situation rather strange. Could it be that Third Young Master Lu had been possessed?
Aunt Zhou and Aunt Zhou were timid—they had only given birth to daughters, so they didn’t dare act as boldly as Aunt Du. At the very least, they needed to keep up appearances, so each of them handed Lu Hanzhi a package, saying it was a full-month gift for the little young master.
Seeing how tactful they were, Madam Lu’s expression softened slightly. But when she noticed how haggard Lu Hanzhi looked, she couldn’t stop her tears from falling. She held his hand tightly and gave him endless reminders.
“I’ve sent a few trustworthy servants with you. In the trunk, there’s gold, silver, and the account books for the estate. These were meant for your dowry, but since that’s not happening, take them for yourself. The nights get cold—take care of yourself. And Ah Chan—why haven’t you used the wet nurse I found for him? You’re still a child yourself; how can you take care of one? Luan Feng and He Ming are careless! I’m sending Qin Se and Zai Yu with you instead. Hanzhi… once you’re there, be careful in everything you do! The people on the estate aren’t easy to deal with. Whatever you do, never tell anyone Ah Chan is your biological son—just say you found him on the road. It’s for the best.”
Seeing how Madam Lu couldn’t stop fussing over him, Lu Hanzhi patted the back of her hand and reassured her, “Mother, don’t worry. The countryside is only ten li from the city. If you miss me, I can come back to visit, or you can stay at the estate for a few days. Don’t worry, once I get there, I’ll turn that place upside down! Then, you’ll be able to visit as often as you like. It’s just a small estate—do you think I’d be afraid of it?”
Madam Lu finally smiled through her tears, tapping his nose as she said, “Listen to you, acting all capable. I don’t expect much from you. I’ve prepared enough gold, silver, and land deeds for you to live comfortably for the rest of your life. Enough—set off now! If you delay any longer, the weather will turn too hot.”
Amidst the various emotions of those seeing him off, Lu Hanzhi got into the carriage.
Lifting the curtain, he glanced outside and happened to see Su Wan’ning standing in a distant corner, watching him.
For some reason, Lu Hanzhi felt that something about Su Wan’ning wasn’t right. In fact, from the moment he had started reading the book, something had felt off.
He had downloaded the novel from a pirate website. The story began with Su Wan’ning saving the crown prince, discovering her family home burned down, and seeking refuge with the Lu family.
But something felt missing.
What kind of throne-struggle novel started with the female lead? Wasn’t that putting the cart before the horse?
At that moment, Lu Hanzhi finally realized—this novel had major issues!
It was already strange that the female lead had such a large role in a throne-struggle novel. But even stranger—why did a novel like this, one supposedly about a power struggle, have a character like Xiao Langjun?
Usually, stories featuring characters like ger or Xiao Langjun focused on them as the main protagonists. Yet this book had gone in the opposite direction, centering on a female lead. That completely defied common sense!
If this is meant to be a romance novel, then setting up Xiao Langjun as a character is completely unnecessary—why not just replace him with a scheming female antagonist? Making a man engage in inner-court struggles with the female lead… that’s just ridiculous!
Realizing this issue, Lu Hanzhi began to ponder.
Soon, a cold sweat broke out on his back. Why did the female lead hate Lu Hanzhi so much? Why did she go so far as to completely use him up and have the Crown Prince personally execute him? There had to be a hidden truth behind this.
Although he couldn’t fully figure it out yet, he could make a rough guess.
Could it be that Lu Hanzhi was actually the true male lead of <The Struggle for the Throne> while Su Wan’ning was the one who had seized the spotlight with her overpowered abilities?
If that were the case, then Su Wan’ning’s trump card must be extraordinary. Not only did she know the original novel’s plot, but she probably had an extremely powerful golden finger as well. Otherwise, how could she single-handedly bring all four major powerhouses under her control?
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Obrigada pela tradução, ansiosa por mais 🥰😘