A Tale of Golden Heiress: Lady Wanjin - Chapter 10

However, Second Master Tu had always been a man of few words who kept his plans close to his chest. He glanced at the young lady standing on the steps—the once soft and adorable little girl had now grown to the height of his shoulders. Though her figure remained petite, there was a faint hint of resilience in her demeanor.

The young lady’s gaze swept over lightly. “Second Master Tu, is there a problem?”

Tu Er slowly voiced his doubt, “For what purpose?”

The young lady narrowed her eyes and smiled, speaking unhurriedly, “Naturally… to bring him back for marriage.”

Upon hearing this, Second Master Tu was slightly taken aback but soon understood the importance of this mission.

If the Qi family refused to yield, the Wen family could not just sit back and do nothing.

He brandished his gleaming broadsword and turned to leave, tossing back a bold declaration before departing,

“Rest assured, Miss. I will surely bring back a man who meets your expectations.”

Wen Wan stared at Second Master Tu’s resolute and broad retreating figure, and only after a long while did she look up and sigh to the heavens: For heaven’s sake, should she have been more specific?

For instance, someone in good health, with eight-pack abs, a radiant appearance, broad shoulders, and a narrow waist—preferably also orphaned, penniless, of upright character, uncontentious, and available at her beck and call—

Were these demands too much?
Not at all!
It was said that Second Master Tu came from a military household and had once been on the battlefield in his early years, with many lives taken by his hand. He had connections in both the legal and underworld circles of Bingzhou.

If not for Old Master Wen’s smooth talking, often referring to Second Master Tu as “my brother from another mother,” and thus persuading him, Second Master Tu would not have chosen the Wen family as his retirement home.

This was equivalent to Second Master Tu being a guest elder of the Wen family.

In a cultivation sect, Second Master Tu’s combat prowess would at least rank him as a senior elder.

But now, not to mention the Wen family’s senior elder, even the family’s big yellow dog had to go out and work for a living.

Wen Wan then handpicked seven or eight robust attendants.

A crowd gathered tumultuously at the main gate. Wen Weiming was helped into the carriage by an old servant, and upon seeing the commotion his daughter had stirred, he frowned slightly. “Why gather so many people?”

Worried that his elder sister might think the Wen family was throwing its weight around, leaving no room for negotiation regarding the marriage between the two families, he added, “Today is just a visit to relatives. Dismiss them all—”

But Wen Wan lifted the carriage curtain and stepped in, promptly drawing the blue curtain for Wen Weiming. “Father, some time ago, Bingzhou was struck by famine, and refugees have been scattering to various prefectures. The roads are no longer safe.”

Hah, going to reason with the Qi family today—if we don’t bring enough manpower, how can we properly ‘discuss’ matters?

Wen Weiming had heard some news about the famine in Bingzhou and did not press further.

I heard that the court allocated 700,000 taels of silver for disaster relief on the front lines, but when spring arrived, someone went to the capital to accuse officials of embezzlement—the 700,000 taels had shrunk to 200,000.

The Emperor was furious and appointed Marquis Huai’an, Wei Zheng, as the Governor of Tianshui Prefecture, sending him to Bingzhou to investigate the embezzlement of disaster relief funds.

However, the affairs of Bingzhou were too distant after all.

Having heard it, it was merely that.

“You’ve thought more carefully than I have,” Wen Weiming leaned against the carriage wall, his face pale and ashen. The old attendant forced him to drink another half bowl of ginseng tea, and only then did his complexion slightly improve.

Wen Weiming struggled to sit up straight. “The house seems quieter than usual today. Where is Aunt Liu?”

Wen Weiming was ill, but he wasn’t senile.

From the moment he was moved from his room to the carriage, he had noticed that the Wen household was different from before.

Normally, if he were going out, Aunt Liu would certainly see him off.

But today, the entrance was deserted and sparse.

The servants were busy decorating with lanterns and streamers. Beneath the joyous atmosphere, there was also a sense of chill desolation, as if the tea had gone cold after people left.

Wen Wan could hide it no longer and had to confess the matter of Aunt Cui in full. She then comforted her father, “Dad, Aunt Cui wanted to leave, and I couldn’t stop her. Besides, there’s no point in keeping someone whose heart isn’t here. There’s no need for you to be sad, Father. The most important thing now is to focus on recovering your health. I’m still young and afraid I can’t handle the family’s affairs alone. I’ll need your support in many matters.”

Yet, Wen Weiming didn’t seem particularly heartbroken. Instead, he uttered a timeless truth.

“Aunt Cui spent money like water. It’s just as well that she’s gone. Our family is struggling financially now, so every bit we can save counts.”

Alright.

All that worry for nothing.

As expected, capitalists see problems by looking past the surface to the essence.

Matters of love and affection are merely luxuries reserved for after one has achieved success and fame.

“You handled the matter of Aunt Liu well. You shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket. Aunt Liu is just one fallback option. The best way to break the current deadlock… is still to bring in a son-in-law. Don’t worry—although your aunt enjoys taking small advantages, she isn’t unreasonable. Whether we succeed today or not, I will demand a clear answer from them.”

After speaking for just this short while, Wen Weiming was already exhausted. He closed his eyes and said no more.

Wen Wan didn’t dare reveal her own plans.

Father Wen shared a deep bond with his sister. Unless he saw it with his own eyes, he would never believe that his own flesh and blood could betray him.

Why should she be the one to play the villain?

The human heart is as unpredictable as the moon.

Her only concern now was Father Wen’s health.

Father Wen couldn’t withstand jostling, so Wen Wan and her party travelled extremely slowly. A journey that usually took half a day by carriage dragged on from dawn until dusk.

By evening, the sun had set. The fields were swaying with wheat under the wind, and the moonlight was soft and abundant.

Amid the crisscrossing paths, scattered lights flickered, and the sound of dogs barking echoed intermittently.

They had finally arrived at the Qi family’s residence.

The eldest aunt’s family owned several dozen acres of fertile farmland. In the earlier years when harvests were bountiful, they had built a large three-courtyard compound by the field embankment.

The compound was typical of Huizhou-style architecture: white walls and gray tiles, topped with three-tiered horse-head gables that stood tall and imposing.

Such a courtyard was quite impressive in the rural countryside.

Hongmei carried a bamboo-framed gauze lantern and, in the faint twilight, stepped forward to gently knock on the door knocker.

A moment later.

“Who is it—?” came the impatient voice of the gatekeeper from behind the door.

The gatekeeper cracked the door open slightly and immediately recognized the people in the carriage. Before Wen Wan could speak, the gatekeeper’s face changed as if he had seen a ghost in the middle of the night. With a loud “bang,” he slammed the door shut.

Old Master Wen’s face instantly darkened.

Anyone who had traveled such a long distance only to be met with a closed door would feel deeply displeased.

Wen Wan, on one hand, watched Old Master Wen’s complexion closely, fearing that the Qi family might aggravate his condition, and on the other, said to Hongmei, “Knock again!”

Hongmei, filled with indignation, put more force into her actions, pounding heavily on the door knocker.

Bang, bang, bang!
Bang, bang, bang!

Inside, there was a flurry of hurried footsteps. Soon, the eldest aunt arrived with her sons and daughters-in-law to welcome them.

The main door swung open, letting light spill out.

The eldest aunt stepped forward first, approaching the carriage. Through the curtain, she and Old Master Wen locked eyes, and tears immediately began to stream down her face. Like she did when they were children, she gently touched Old Master Wen’s face, her voice trembling. “Little brother, how… how did you become like this?”

Her emotions were genuine, without a hint of pretense.

The eldest aunt held Old Master Wen’s hand, her tears falling onto his withered skin. “I heard you were ill, but I never imagined it was this severe. Last time, our whole family wanted to visit you, but Guili fell into the river on the way and has been bedridden ever since. I’ve been… so overwhelmed… and afraid that visiting might spread illness to you, so it kept getting delayed until now. How… how is your health? Have you improved at all?”

(End of Chapter)