Chapter 142

Chapter 142: The Twin Selection At the Duke of Dingguo's residence. Cui Zeyu stood in a row with several children from the Lu family's collateral branches—he was the most conspicuous among them. This was his first time facing Madam Qin face to face. The others were all children under ten, too afraid to look at Madam Qin or the Duke of Dingguo. Only Cui Zeyu kept his eyes fixed on her. For all these years, the two of them had wished each other dead. Now, face to face, they glared at each other with gnashing teeth. The Duke of Dingguo spoke first. "You are all good children. Today, I shall choose one from among you..." "Who said anything about choosing one?" Madam Qin suddenly interjected. "The Duke has someone he favors, and I have someone I value as well. Each of us will pick one. Whoever proves more accomplished in the future will inherit the Duke of Dingguo's estate. The clan elders have no objections, do they?" The clan elders had already been tipped off by Madam Qin beforehand. They had assumed that Madam Qin and the Duke had agreed to select two people. It was only after they nodded that they noticed the Duke's expression was off. The Duke of Dingguo wanted to speak, but Madam Qin smiled at him. She leaned over and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "I advise you to quit while you're ahead. Otherwise, you can call me a madwoman all you like—if you make me unhappy, no one will be happy today!" The Duke of Dingguo frowned deeply. He knew Madam Qin wouldn't agree so easily. Fine, then. It was only one more adopted son. Once they were under his name, who was to say he wouldn't have the final say in how the properties were divided? The Duke of Dingguo needed Madam Qin to play along in this charade, so he stopped arguing with her. Cui Zeyu didn't take a mere child seriously either. He just wanted this formality over with as quickly as possible. Madam Qin had already taken a liking to the one she'd chosen. She pointed casually, and a child of seven or eight stepped forward. "A full forehead, rosy complexion—you're a fortunate one. What's your name?" "Reporting to Madam, I am Lu Weijie. I already know how to read and write." The child had been brought to the Duke of Dingguo's residence several times before and was not unfamiliar with Madam Qin. He answered with clear articulation, and Madam Qin nodded with satisfaction. "Good. I feel a connection with you. I choose you." As Madam Qin finished speaking, the matron beside her brought over a jade pendant and handed it to Lu Weijie. Though young, Lu Weijie understood what today was about. He was delighted to be chosen, but also a little sad, because his parents had told him that from now on, they would no longer be his parents—he could only call them uncle and aunt, and he could never go back. A child's thoughts were written all over his face, and Madam Qin was somewhat displeased. Nanny Liu, seeing this, pulled Lu Weijie aside to Madam Qin and whispered a few words to him. The child forced a smile. When it came time for the Duke of Dingguo to choose, everyone present knew who he would pick—after all, among the group of children, Cui Zeyu stood out the most. Moreover, Cui Zeyu bore a five-part resemblance to the Duke of Dingguo. The clan elders didn't know Cui Zeyu's identity, but men being men, they could more or less guess. Just as the Duke of Dingguo rose to his feet, Qin Shuyang burst in. "You can't choose him!" Qin Shuyang charged in reeking of alcohol, nearly stumbling to the ground. "Aunt, you absolutely cannot choose that Cui Zeyu. He's nothing but a merchant, reeking of copper. I've heard people say he stops at nothing to do business. How can you let someone like that be adopted into the Duke of Dingguo's household?" The Duke of Dingguo's face instantly darkened. He turned to glare at Madam Qin. "Did you arrange for him to come?" Madam Qin said no. But how could the Duke believe her? In his view, Madam Qin must have sent that wastrel Qin Shuyang to cause trouble precisely to sabotage his reclaiming of his son. "This is a matter for the Lu family. What business is it of yours?" the Duke of Dingguo barked. Qin Shuyang was still somewhat afraid of him—especially when he shouted—so he cowered behind Madam Qin and said in a low voice, "Aunt, Cui Zeyu really won't do. He's already that old. If you adopt him into the Duke of Dingguo's household, he'll never be loyal. Honestly, adopting him is worse than adopting me. At least you and I share blood!" He had genuinely entertained that thought, but his father had punched him twice and said the Duke of Dingguo wasn't senile yet. Now, hearing these words, the Duke flew into a rage on the spot. "Madam Qin, you blocked me from taking concubines and cut off my heirs, and now you want your Qin family to come seize the Lu family's estate?" The Lu clan elders grew angry as well upon hearing this. Whether it was Lu Weijie or Cui Zeyu, both carried Lu blood. The Lu family wasn't extinct—when did it become the Qin family's turn to inherit the Duke of Dingguo's estate? "Oh, I was just saying it offhand. Why are you all getting so worked up?" Qin Shuyang pouted. "I came here out of the goodness of my heart to warn you that Cui Zeyu isn't a good person. If you don't listen, you'll regret it later..." Before Qin Shuyang could finish, Madam Qin slapped him across the face. "Aunt, why did you hit me?" Qin Shuyang looked at his aunt in disbelief. Madam Qin knew that from the moment Qin Shuyang said "adopting him is worse than adopting me," she had to take a stand—otherwise, the Lu clan elders would truly think she was helping the Qin family seize the Lu family's estate. "If you're drunk, then go home. This is the Duke of Dingguo's residence, not the backyard of the Qin family. When did it become your place to stick your nose in?" Madam Qin looked at Qin Shuyang. He was a wastrel, yes, but Qin Shuyang had always been brainless. "Let me ask you—who put you up to this?" This fool had no grudge against Cui Zeyu in ordinary times, so there was no reason for him to come and cause trouble. Qin Shuyang, now much clearer-headed after the slap, covered his face and sobbed, "It was Marquis Jiangyuan who told me. He said Cui Zeyu reeks of money and specializes in shady dealings. I was afraid you'd be deceived, so I came to warn you out of the goodness of my heart!" With that, he turned angrily and walked out, still holding his face, "Fine, fine, I won't meddle in the Lu family's affairs. I'm leaving!" Hearing that it was Song Shulan's idea, Cui Zeyu narrowed his eyes. This Song Shulan truly didn't know how to spell the word "death." The Duke of Dingguo glanced at his son, filing away the matter of Song Shulan for later. But for now, the most important thing was to establish his son's status. The Duke of Dingguo pointed at Cui Zeyu, beckoning him forward, and handed him the meeting gift he had prepared. The adoption was thus settled. They opened the family genealogy, burned incense, and then Cui Zeyu was to offer tea to the Duke of Dingguo and Madam Qin and formally change how he addressed them. Lu Weijie was young, so he simply did as the adults instructed. When it came to Cui Zeyu's turn, Nanny Liu brought over hot tea and asked him to offer it to Madam Qin. Suddenly, his hand trembled, and the tea spilled all over Madam Qin's thigh. The scalding tea soaked through the fabric, and Madam Qin jumped up with a startled cry, "What are you doing?"