All Chapters of Daily Dossier: Secrets of a Lazy Husband: Chapter 51
- Chapter 60
96 chapters
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Vincent let out a short, meaningful breath before speaking with a cryptic smile. "I remember when our father was ordered to travel west. The officials of the Capital competed with each other just to hold a farewell banquet in his honor."He continued, his eyes narrowing as if recollecting a distant memory. "The atmosphere was bustling and loud, but to our father, it was nothing more than a mundane and tedious formality. He would offer a few polite words and leave it at that. Yet, I don’t know what possessed Caelum that day. In front of all those prominent elders and dignitaries, he had the audacity to write that poem, 'Farewell to the Capital', for our father."Vincent laughed as if the scene were unfolding before him once more. "While the poem itself was undeniably brilliant, I knew our father didn't appreciate it. Most of the guests praised his talent with their lips, but in their hearts, they were likely mocking his ignorance of proper etiquette and social standing."A genuine laug
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Who else could that figure leaning against the porch be but Beatrice? As soon as she heard his voice, the bored expression on her face vanished, replaced by a wide grin. She came skipping toward him, the small bells around her neck jingling rhythmically. "Brother-in-law! Noon has long since passed; why are you so late getting back?" She spoke in her native mountain dialect, her voice full of impatience from the long wait.Caelum understood her perfectly. He signaled to Butterfly and Eric to take Leo into the Pavilion of Spring Lotuses first. Leo looked at Beatrice’s exotic attire with wide-eyed curiosity, only to be met with a playful, funny face she made at him. Leo laughed and turned to Caelum. "Brother-in-law, she calls you that too?"Caelum patted the boy’s shoulder. "She is the sworn younger sister of your second sister, Celeste.""Oh, no wonder I’ve never seen her in the estate before," Leo chirped before following Butterfly inside. Meanwhile, Eric and the other guards headed
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The setting sun bled across the horizon, casting long, dramatic shadows that stretched like dark fingers across the estate. Golden clouds drifted lazily, fading into a hazy violet as twilight took hold. Outside the heavy gates of the Xiao residence, the air was thick with the sound of clattering hooves and the rhythmic grinding of carriage wheels. An endless stream of guests, dignitaries, and distant relatives continued to pour in, all drawn by the gravity of the upcoming celebration.Deep within the House of Serenity, where the air was scented with aged sandalwood, the Old Marquis received his visitors. Though his body was frail and his breath often came in shallow draws, he forced himself to maintain a posture of regal dignity. He spoke to each guest, his eyes sharp despite his age, inquiring about their families and offering words of calculated encouragement. This was more than a birthday; it was a strategic gathering. He was presenting the future of the house—Evangeline, Celeste,
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Away from the bustling preparations within the Xiao estate, the northern streets of the city remained vibrant under the glow of a thousand lanterns. Before the curfew hour struck, scholars and young ladies moved in small groups, their laughter mingling with the rhythmic recitation of poetry beneath the silver moonlight.Outside the framing shop, Ro, a driver for the House of Xiao, leaned against his carriage. His arms were folded, and his eyes darted around, taking in the lively night scene with a sense of detachment. Suddenly, a heavy hand dropped onto his shoulder."Ro, watching the ladies so intently? Be careful, or one of them might notice your staring," a voice joked.Ro jumped, nearly slipping off the carriage seat. When he saw it was Silas—the man he knew as a common servant but who lived a double life—he let out a string of curses. "Silas! You nearly gave me a heart attack. You move like a ghost."Silas chuckled, sliding onto the driver's bench next to him. "I had some private
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Chapter 55: Poetry and ScriptButterfly couldn’t win the argument against the stubborn girl, so she ended up recounting the details of the meeting between Caelum and his brother, Julian, that had taken place at noon. After listening intently, Beatrice’s eyes spun with a mischievous light. "Don’t you want to go take a look at the poetry gathering?" she asked.Butterfly glanced at the dimming night outside the carriage window, hesitation clear on her face. "Miss Beatrice, it is already the first watch of the night...""We’ll just take one look at the Academy and head straight back," Beatrice insisted."But if we return late, I fear Master Caelum and Lady Celeste will be displeased.""Don’t worry! I’ll handle Caelum and Sister Celeste myself," Beatrice promised, patting her chest so hard that the bells around her neck jingled and chimed in a frantic rhythm.Butterfly looked at her uncertainty, still wavering. "Really? Just one look?""Exactly! Just a peek.""Then... would it be alright
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Until the very moment the poetry gathering reached its conclusion, Victor could not wrap his mind around one baffling question: How on earth had Caelum’s calligraphy reached such a staggering level of achievement? It defied logic. He had been confined within the family estate by their mother for three whole years. During that time, he had been deprived of paper and brushes. How could he possibly...Oh, perhaps he had used his fingers as pens, water as his ink, and the very ground beneath him as his paper, practicing his strokes in the solitude of his room day after day. And his poetry—he likely spent his days mentally reciting everything he had ever learned, leading to the prowess he displayed now.Victor speculated in this manner, and a sudden, heavy sigh escaped his lips. "Mother, oh Mother... why exactly did you insist on keeping Caelum locked away?" He realized that had Caelum not been confined and forced into such isolation, he might never have attained his current level of brill
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"An Earth-grade opportunity, the birthday banquet of Duke Xiao will be shaken by a coming storm."For the first time in months, Caelum saw a piece of daily intelligence with such a high rating. According to his past experience, he only needed to stand by and observe as a spectator to obtain basic rewards like cultivation techniques or scholarly knowledge. However, he realized that if he took an active role, as he did when greeting Victor, he might earn additional rewards.Caelum smiled to himself. "The distance is short, and there is virtually no risk. Perhaps I can try to show a bit of my hand. But I must be careful with the measure of it; after all, it is the Old Master’s birthday. Standing out too much would be unsightly."With his decision made, Caelum left his study and walked out into the courtyard, gazing at the moon and the stars. Summer had arrived in Shuzhou, and the weather was somewhat stifling. Even in the middle of the night, the breeze carried a humid heat, along with t
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The birthday banquet was scheduled for high noon, exactly four and a half hours from now. It might have seemed like a long stretch of time, but in reality, the schedule was already packed with various matters and ceremonies.Halfway through the Hour of the Ox.Evangeline and Celeste, accompanied by young Arthur, stood waiting outside the Justin Courtyard. As the lineal descendants of the main branch of the Xiao family, the three of them were required to accompany the Old Duke to the ancestral hall to pay their respects and offer sacrifices. Aside from them, neither the members of the Second Branch nor Solomon—the son of the main branch’s concubine—had the right to enter.Caelum, of course, did not have the right either.However, he stood among the crowd of the Xiao family with an air of complete ease and composure, looking as though he hadn't a care in the world. For a moment, he would gaze at Celeste, comparing her beauty to that of Evangeline, wondering which of them possessed the m
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The farcical scene that had just unfolded in the grand courtyard left the gathered nobility hovering between suppressed laughter and stark disbelief. Once the initial shock of the confrontation settled and the heavy air began to clear, the guests found themselves viewing Caelum in a fundamentally different light. In their collective memory, he had always been relegated to the very bottom of the social hierarchy—a man whose reputation was so meager it was considered a rarity even within the boundaries of the Southern Province, let alone within the formidable walls of the Xiao household.Yet, to witness him confronting a powerful, high-ranking general with such sharp, unyielding words was a revelation. It was the kind of reckless bravery one might only expect from someone who felt he truly had nothing left to lose. Even the stern Sebastian, known for his rigid adherence to family discipline and tradition, found himself momentarily paralyzed. He could not bring himself to act against the
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The early summer sun in the Southern Province was relentless, casting a harsh, unforgiving glare over the city of Shuzhou. Following several days of grey, overcast rain, the atmosphere had transformed into a stifling, humid heat that seemed to cling to the skin like a damp shroud. Despite the oppressive weather, the area outside the grand gates of the Xiao Estate was a spectacle of military precision. A hundred elite guards stood as straight as javelins, their polished black armor gleaming brilliantly under the sun, reflecting the slow, rhythmic movements of the long lines forming on either side of the entrance.These lines were a vibrant tapestry of the province’s elite: local officials in their heavy, flowing robes of office, noble families arriving in high-crested carriages that announced their status from streets away, wealthy merchants smelling of exotic spices and fine silk, and stern-faced soldiers from the Iron Flag and Gray Wolf garrisons. Most guests arrived in small, hushed