A Tale of Golden Heiress: Lady Wanjin - Chapter 1

July is the height of scorching summer.

Yet inside the four-courtyard Wen estate in Ping County, an eerie silence clung to the air.

Servants stood with bowed heads and anxious faces, lining the corridors like silent sentinels. Their master, Wen Weiming, the once-powerful patriarch, had been bedridden for half a year. Last night, his face had taken on a deathly pallor—his breath shallow, his body failing.

He wouldn’t last the week.

And so, the entire household’s affairs now fell on his eldest daughter, Wen Wan, who barely passed her coming-of-age ceremony, yet already bore the weight of a crumbling empire.

Wen Wan, as gentle as her name suggested, lovely in face, fair in form, with skin like polished jade and a demeanour as soft as spring silk.

The whole of Ping County whispered, “Marry the Wen girl, and you marry her family’s fortune.” Gold, land, power—all wrapped in a pretty package.

Who wouldn’t be tempted?

For weeks, the estate had been besieged—visitors feigning concern, matchmakers peddling proposals, relatives circling like hungry wolves. The front gate’s threshold had nearly been worn to splinters from the traffic.

Yet the object of their schemes remained strangely absent, locking herself in her chambers for days on end.

That morning, she had ordered stacks of legal texts hauled into her room—The Book of Law, The Kaihuang Code, The Chen Commentary—burying herself in their pages without a sound. Even her meals were left untouched at the door.

“If this goes on, the master won’t be the only one collapsing!” fretted Nanny Chen, wringing her hands as she inspected the barely touched lunch tray. “Ever since her illness last week, the young mistress eats less than a chick in the backyard!”

Her maid, Lü Ping, glanced at the tray—two steamed buns, a bowl of congee, two side dishes, and a plate of spicy stir-fried pork—and suppressed a sigh.

Since when did chicks eat so well?

But she was used to Nanny Chen’s exaggerations.

Suddenly, Hongmei, another maid, came sprinting down the corridor, her face flushed with panic.

“Nanny Chen—trouble! He’s—he’s back!”

“Who?!” Nanny Chen’s heart lurched, “Debt collectors? Matchmakers? Or those Wen elders coming to seize the house?”

“Eldest—Uncle Wen!”

Nanny Chen’s vision darkened. That old leech!

“Again?! Five visits in half a month—does that man have sh!t in his a$$ that keeps him from sitting still at home?!”

“Nanny, forget the cursing—he’s already at the outer corridor! He’ll barge into the inner courtyard any moment!”

Without another word, Nanny Chen hiked up her skirts and bolted toward the inner chambers.

Sunlight spilled through an open window, where a slender figure leaned against the railing.

Wen Wan.

Her raven-black hair, pinned up with a single jade hairpin, gleamed under the sun. Her skin was as smooth as porcelain, her features delicate yet sharp—a nose like a flower petal, lips full and cherry red.

Nanny Chen nearly forgot her panic for a moment.

Ah… the young mistress truly was… unbearably lovely.

Yet before she could speak, the young mistress’s voice floated out, light as a summer breeze—

“Nanny Chen, have the debt collectors come knocking again?”

“Worse!” Nanny Chen wrung her hands, “It’s Elder Uncle Wen—back for another round!”

A pause. The rustle of turning pages from within.

“Ah. The same old vulture who tried to force Father to adopt his half-witted grandson the other day?”

Another page turned.

“The one with the patchy bald spot—that rat king with a naked ring of scalp shining like a halo of greed?”

“Young Mistress!” Nanny Chen chided, though her lips twitched. “Even rats deserve dignity.”

Wen Wan sighed, rubbing her temples. “What does the rodent sovereign want this time?”

“What else? Ever since the master fell ill, that man’s bean-sized eyes haven’t left this estate. He’s here for the adoption papers—and the deed to our home.”

The book snapped shut.

Wen Wan rose, sliding the window prop aside with a sharp clack.

“Tell the servants to stall him. Father finally managed to sleep—I won’t have that creature disturbing him.”

Nanny Chen hurried after her, “No need to rush, Young Mistress. Auntie Liu has already gone to greet him.”

Auntie Liu. The Wen family’s one-woman army. A woman so fierce, even stray dogs crossing the street knew to duck when she passed.

Sending her to deal with the rat king first… was a stroke of genius.

Yet Wen Wan’s steps faltered. “How many did he bring this time?”

“Two or three women. And… a child.”

Her brow furrowed. Elder Uncle Wen always came alone. Now, with reinforcements?

Auntie Liu might be outmatched.

“Quick,” Wen Wan ordered, picking up her pace, “Fetch Butcher Li and have him bring his cleaver to the front hall.”

From the courtyard, Elder Uncle Wen’s screeching pierced the air,

“I am Wen Weiming’s elder—his own flesh and blood! How dare you call me a guest?!”

Servants blocked his path, “Master Wen just took his medicine and retired! He cannot be disturbed—”

“Cannot?!” The old man shoved forward, sleeves flapping like angry chicken wings. “Out of my way! This is urgent! Once Wen the Second kicks the bucket and greets King Yama, it’ll be too late—”

A voice like a silver dagger cut through his tirade.

“Which lowborn cur dares speak death over my husband?”

There, beneath the corridor’s eaves, stood Auntie Liu—dressed in mourning white, a jade hairpin glinting like a weapon. Her gaze swept over Elder Uncle Wen with the disdain of a queen inspecting gutter sludge.

“Ohhhh. Elder Uncle. What ill wind blew your rotten carcass into our home today?”

The old man’s face purpled. Nothing ignited his rage faster than Auntie Liu.

Though Auntie Liu was merely a concubine, she had ruled the Wen household for years—ever since the main wife’s untimely death.

The Wen fortune was vast enough to drown a dynasty, and Elder Uncle Wen had long believed his brother owed him a share. Yet Auntie Liu, sharp-tongued and sharp-witted, had blocked him at every turn—especially in the matter of adopting his grandson as heir.

Now, with Wen Weiming on death’s doorstep, the old man saw his chance.

If that viper Auntie Liu wasn’t removed…

His drooling, incontinent grandson would never inherit the Wen’s Estate.

And the Wen fortune would slip through his fingers like sand.

Not while he still drew breath.

Elder Uncle Wen’s voice quivered with rage.

With a flick of his sleeve, he sneered, “Aunt Liu, you’ve come just in time. Let me ask you—since when does the Wen family allow a lowly servant like you to take charge? For years, you’ve monopolized the household affairs, deceiving my second brother above and bullying Wen Wan below. And now, just a few days after my brother fell ill, you dare to shout and make a scene in front of the Wen elders? My second brother is a fool who’s indulged you, a cheap whore, for years. But now that he’s sick and can’t manage this mess, I’ll take over!”

Aunt Liu remained unfazed, letting out a scornful laugh, “Eldest Uncle, the Wen family has long been divided. The affairs of our branch are none of your concern! If you know what’s good for you today, I’ll still respect you as an elder. But if you insist on making trouble at this critical moment, don’t blame me, Liu Yiyi, for being ruthless!”

“Good, good! How dare you rebel like this!” The eldest uncle was so furious he nearly choked on his rage. Remembering the resentment the clan held toward Liu Yiyi and the hints dropped by the elders, his audacity grew.

The elders might fear repercussions, but he did not!

Gazing at the sprawling Wen estate, his heart burned with greed. Today, he was determined to drive Aunt Liu out for good.

With a wave of his hand, he barked at two burly servants behind him, “Seize this whore! Strip her naked and parade her through the streets! Let’s see if I can’t deal with her today!”

“Who dares touch me?!” Aunt Liu was no pushover. Eyes blazing, she planted her hands on her hips like a wrathful demon. “Eldest Uncle, why beat around the bush? All this fuss is just about the adoption, isn’t it? Well, let me make this clear—as long as I, Liu Yiyi, remain in the Wen household, don’t even think of having your drooling, incontinent grandson inherit our family’s name!”

“You—!”

This time, the eldest uncle’s face flushed crimson with rage.

The greatest shame of his life was anyone mentioning his grandson’s defects.

Trembling with fury, he ordered the servants, “Grab her! Tear her mouth apart!”

Then, he revealed two ancestral tablets his wife had been holding behind him. “Wh0re, take a good look! These are the spirit tablets of my late father and his mother. Last night, they appeared to me in a dream, saying you’ve poisoned Second Brother, blocked the adoption, and cut off his lineage. They can’t rest in peace and begged me to deal with you today!”

Aunt Liu’s face paled instantly.

Even the servants in the hall, who had been ready to defend her, froze in their steps.

No one had expected the eldest uncle to quietly retrieve the master and mistress’s tablets from the ancestral hall—

The eldest uncle grinned maliciously. “Liu Yiyi, haven’t you always dreamed of becoming Second Brother’s rightful wife? Well, with my late mother and father’s tablets here today, if you dare resist, I’ll report you to the authorities for filial impiety! I’ll make sure you never get legitimized!”

In that moment of distraction, the two servants seized Aunt Liu, gripping her shoulders tightly so she couldn’t break free.

The leading maidservant kicked the back of her knee—

“Thud!”

Aunt Liu crashed to the ground, her face twisting in pain.

Another servant yanked her hair from behind—

A piercing scream tore through the hall!

Then—

BANG!

A deafening crash.

The flower stand on the steps toppled over, smashing onto the brick floor, pots and blossoms shattering into pieces.

Behind it stood a towering, dark-skinned man with a fearsome beard and a face full of menace.

The eldest uncle shuddered, his voice faltering. “Butcher Er, y-you—what are you doing? D-don’t tell me you’d dare harm your master?!”

A flash of pink robes darted past him.

Before anyone could react, a gust of wind swept through—Wen Wan was already in front of the two servants.

SLAP!

A crisp sound rang out.

The maidservant staggered back from the sudden blow.

“You dare hit me?!”

“You dare hit me?!”

Two voices shouted in unison.

Wen Wan flexed her stinging palm, her voice as sweet as poisoned honey,

“And I’ll do worse if you touch her again.”

The two serving women staggered back, cheeks flaming, their grips on Auntie Liu broken.

Wen Wan glanced sideways—then smiled.

Great.

Her perfectionist soul had been itching at the imbalance of only hitting one. Nanny Chen had fixed the flaw.

Now, with symmetrical vengeance, the maids clutched their faces while Nanny Chen hauled Auntie Liu upright.

The pink-clad heiress surveyed the room, her voice soft as snowfall—

“My father just took his medicine, and he finally fell asleep. And yet…” Her gaze pinned Elder Uncle Wen like a butterfly to a cork.”…here you are, screaming like a slaughterhouse pig. Tell me, Uncle—are you trying to hasten his journey to the underworld?”

The hall froze.

Even the servants stopped breathing.

Elder Uncle Wen blinked, then scrambled for leverage.

“N-Niece! You… you misunderstand!” He oozed forward, face twisting into a grotesque mask of concern, “I know this vixen has mistreated you! Your elders failed you, leaving you at her mercy—but no more! Today, your dear uncle is here to—”

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