A Tale of Golden Heiress: Lady Wanjin - Chapter 13

Wen Yue was not worried that Wen Weiming would refuse.

Wen Weiming had only two daughters: Wen Wan, who was of marriageable age, and Wen Jing, who was still too young to be of any consequence. If he refused, then decades of his hard work would ultimately benefit his clansmen instead.

After seeing Wen Weiming off to his carriage, Wen Yue turned back and ran into her husband, Qi Lanting.

The moment their eyes met, Qi Lanting felt as though he had swallowed a stabilizing pill, steady and assured. “Did he agree?”

Wen Yue felt both joy and worry; her expression was complicated. “What other choice does he have?”

She was delighted that there was hope for Wen Wan to marry into the Qi family.

Yet she was also deeply concerned about Wen Weiming’s health.

As siblings from the same mother, it would be false to say there was no bond between Wen Weiming and Wen Yue. Seeing Wen Weiming emaciated, with sunken eyes, had felt like a knife twisting in her heart.

As the elder sister, scheming for her brother’s inheritance was not exactly honourable.

But with her brother clearly at the end of his life, she could not simply let the clansmen take advantage.

Since her brother’s hard-earned wealth would inevitably be divided among others, why not let the Qi family have it directly?

At least Wen Wan was her own niece—she would never treat her poorly.

Her brother was just too stubborn.

Qi Lanting looked utterly pleased with himself. “He only has two daughters, and he dotes on Wen Wan the most. He would never let her marry some unknown fellow. Besides, with the clansmen pressuring him so fiercely now, how would he have time to arrange another match for Wen Wan? At this point, he’s… out of options.”

Wen Yue rubbed her temples, feeling weary. “Sigh, but this… we’ve offended him after all. I noticed he didn’t look well when he left just now. He’s probably figured out our intentions.”

“You’re too soft-hearted. So, what if he has? The situation is beyond his control—Wen Weiming has no choice! In fact, I think… we should add fuel to the fire. Let the clansmen cause a few more scenes at the Wen residence, and he’ll be begging us to take his daughter.”

Qi Lanting was smug, convinced of his flawless strategy.

The thought of Wen Weiming working hard all his life only to hand everything over to him filled Qi Lanting with glee.

He had long coveted the townhouse Wen Weiming owned in the city.

Wen Yue sighed. “Do as you see fit.”

Once inside his carriage, Wen Weiming could no longer contain his fury. He slammed his fist against the carriage wall, and blood immediately seeped from the bones of his right hand. “How dare they! How dare they treat me like this!”

“The Qi family… they’re forcing me to leave no heir! What a clever scheme—to have Wan’er marry into their family with all our assets, reaping the benefits without lifting a finger! I, Wen Weiming, have worked hard for most of my life, only to end up with all my wealth bearing the Qi name!”

Wen Weiming did not know whether this scheme originated from Wen Yue or her husband, so he directed his anger at both. “And I considered her my own flesh and blood! Who would have thought she’d turn against me so completely, foolishly helping her in-laws to scheme against me!”

“Taking advantage of my illness to threaten me, saying they’d never mistreat Wan—bah! What a pair of heartless, treacherous villains!”

Already ill, the rage and frustration churned in Wen Weiming’s stomach until he coughed violently and vomited a mouthful of dark blood.

The old servant was terrified, fearing Wen Weiming would harm himself in his fury, and hurriedly called for Wen Wan.

Wen Wan had been delayed for a while by Qi Guili, so she emerged later.

Just as she stepped out of the Qi residence, she heard her father’s furious shouts from the carriage. Her heart sank, and when she lifted the curtain, she saw the traces of blood at the corner of Wen Weiming’s mouth.

“Father!” She immediately helped Doctor Yan into the carriage. “Doctor, please examine my father—”

Doctor Yan climbed into the carriage and carefully took Wen Weiming’s pulse. Wen Weiming leaned weakly against the carriage wall, a bitter smile on his face. “Don’t be afraid, Wan’er. Your father is fine.”

Wen Wan ignored his reassurance, her heart in her throat as she watched Doctor Yan intently.

“It’s alright. Vomiting this blood actually cleared the stagnant energy from his organs. A blessing in disguise.”

Only then did Wen Wan let out a sigh of relief.

She had long suspected the Qi family’s intentions, but seeing Wen Weiming so wounded still pained her.

Wen Weiming, unwilling to give up, asked Doctor Yan, “Did you take Qi Sanlang’s pulse earlier? Is he truly ill or just pretending?”

Doctor Yan scoffed. “What illness? That boy is as healthy as a young ox—he’ll probably live a hundred years.”

Wen Weiming’s face instantly turned ashen.

The Qi family… from the very beginning… never intended to honour the marriage agreement.

The serious illness, the studies—it was all just a ploy to manipulate him.

Wen Wan couldn’t bear to see her father like this. After Doctor Yan left the carriage, she took Wen Weiming’s hand and comforted him, “Father, there’s no need to anger yourself over them. It’s better to see their true colours now than after marriage. Besides, if the Qi family refuses to let their third son marry into our family, does that mean there are no other men in the world?”

Wen Weiming shook his head. “Child, you don’t understand. The Qi family has timed this perfectly—they’re counting on us not being able to find another suitable match in such a short time! That’s why they’re so bold!”

His anger flared again. “How despicable! Not once did your aunt ever leave empty-handed when she visited. I’ve always treated her and her children well, and this is how she repays me! If I weren’t worried that after I’m gone, she’d join forces with the clan elders to bully you, I would have flipped that table and walked out right then!”

“And that wretched Qi Guili is no better—unprincipled, blind to right and wrong, actually colluding with his parents to scheme against our family! And he once called me uncle! He calls himself a scholar—bah! So I’m not even dead yet, and they’re already plotting to take everything from the Wen family!”

Father Wen’s curses were fierce and unrelenting.

But Wen Wan found it difficult to share his intensity of feeling.

In her previous life, after being diagnosed with stomach cancer, her boyfriend of six years had abandoned her.

He had wept bitterly when he left: Wen Wan, I love you, but I love myself more.

It had almost felt as though he were the one being dumped, not her.

The perpetrator, with a few hypocritical tears, could so easily cast himself as the victim.

Wen Weiming glanced down and noticed the small object in Wen Wan’s hand. Recognizing it immediately as something made by Qi Sanlang, his heart sank, fearing she still held feelings for him. “What is that in your hand?”

Wen Wan looked down and saw the grass-woven dragonfly Qi Guili had given her. In her panic when her father had coughed up blood, she had unconsciously crushed its limbs without even realizing it.

Without a moment’s hesitation, she tossed the dragonfly out of the carriage window, as if it were utterly insignificant—a mere trinket from the Qi family’s third son.

Wen Weiming was taken aback.

In the past, his daughter had treasured every little thing given to her by Qi Sanlang. Now, she discarded it without a second thought. Did this mean she had finally seen the light and was no longer attached to that young man from the Qi family?

“Father, I’ve actually been making some preparations,” Wen Wan said softly. “Aunt Liu mentioned a hunter from the Western Hills. He’s said to be handsome, reliable, and of good character, but his family is poor, which is why his marriage has been delayed. Officially, Aunt Liu took her release papers and returned to her natal family, but in truth, she’s been helping me scout for eligible men in the nearby counties.”

In the Great Chen Dynasty, it was uncommon for women to arrange their own marriages, and respectable families would never let a concubine handle marital negotiations. But given the Wen family’s current situation, what was the point of worrying about respectability?