Chapter 16
The Wen family was in trouble.
The moment Wen Yan and the other two stepped through the front gate, they sensed it.
A thick, dark cloud seemed to hang over the entire estate.
The atmosphere was heavy and oppressive; the expressions on everyone’s faces were visibly grim.
Wen He and Ning, who had been excitedly carrying a divine chicken to show the family, noticed the change in mood and their expressions shifted slightly.
Just then, the steward, who had been rushing about with urgency, spotted them and seemed to breathe a sigh of relief as he hurried over.
“Third Miss, Fifth Miss, Fourth Young Master.”
After catching his breath, he said, “Master and Madam want to see you.”
It seemed he had been about to go out looking for them.
Usually, Wen Yan didn’t get involved in family matters, but this time they had specifically asked to see her.
She responded indifferently.
The three of them made their way to the main hall, where everyone else was already gathered.
Originally, Wen Ruxu was supposed to have left by now, but Wen’s father and Madam Lu were uneasy. Since the origin of the assassins from last time hadn’t been uncovered, they had decided to keep him at home for the time being.
Once everyone was present, Madam Lu told Aunt Wen to stand guard at the door before slowly beginning to speak.
“We have received letters from the Wu Grand Tutor’s family in the capital and from the Lu family.”
At these words, everyone instinctively looked towards the siblings Wen Ruxu and Wen Ruqing.
Wen Yan also glanced at them.
If memory served, the granddaughter of the Wu Grand Tutor’s family had been betrothed to Wen Ruxu just a few years ago; the Lu family referred to here was Madam Lu’s natal family, which would also become Wen Ruqing’s future in-laws.
In the past, whenever Madam Lu mentioned these two families, her face would light up with smiles, but now her expression was sullen.
She propped her elbow on the armrest of her chair, supporting her forehead with her palm, her whole body seeming weak and listless.
Madam Lu had fainted that afternoon and had just regained consciousness, her strength still thin and her voice lacking its usual vigor.
Seeing her pallor, Wen Youzhi frowned involuntarily.
“What happened?”
Madam Lu’s gaze flickered weakly towards the siblings Wen Ruxu and Wen Ruqing, her voice hoarse.
“They sent a letter to break off the engagement.”
This simple statement stunned everyone.
Madam Lu didn’t elaborate, instead placing the two letters received that afternoon, along with the letter of disengagement, on the table.
Wen Youzhi unfolded the letters and, after reading them, handed them to Wen Ruxu.
The letters contained only a few vague lines, stating the desire to break off the engagement, but the reasons were ambiguous and unclear.
Putting aside the Wu Grand Tutor’s family, the Lu family was Madam Lu’s own family. This marriage would have united the two families even more closely. No matter what, they should not have handled it so carelessly.
The entire matter felt strangely unsettling.
Wen Youzhi asked Madam Lu, “What do you think?”
Madam Lu, having calmed from the initial shock of receiving the letters, replied clearly.
“Ruqing’s marriage was arranged by my father years ago. My father is still alive, and my elder brother and his wife would not have the nerve to do something like this behind his back.
“Besides, when the Lu family sent gifts during the festival earlier this year, my sister-in-law even urged them to proceed with the marriage in her letter.”
The Lu family was both Wen Ruqing’s maternal family and future in-laws.
Not to mention how highly they regarded her elder brother, Wen Ruqing herself was well-liked by the Lu family.
At such a young age, she had amassed a fortune on her own, and Madam Lu’s brother and sister-in-law were very fond of her.
It was precisely because of this fondness that Wen Ruqing, now eighteen, had not yet married — a sign of their respect.
Everyone was well aware of how things had been with the Lu family over the years; there was no need for Madam Lu to explain further.
It was precisely because of this that such a sudden letter of disengagement seemed all the more suspicious.
Even more suspicious was that both the Wu family and the Lu family were vague and unclear about the reasons for breaking the engagement.
Both families were known for their open and straightforward ways; this was not their usual style. It felt deliberate, as if they were trying to warn them of something.
“There’s trouble in the capital!”
Wen Ruqing and Wen Ruxu spoke simultaneously.
The siblings exchanged a glance, and Wen Ruqing pressed her lips together.
“The recent events have indeed been rather abnormal.”
She recalled what had happened over a month ago and looked at her father.
“What has your investigation uncovered about the assassins that night, Father?”
Wen Youzhi replied, “The coroner found that all the bodies had a substance hidden between their teeth.”
Wen Ruqing immediately understood: “Dead warriors.”
Only dead warriors would do this—it was a defense against being caught and forced to reveal their master.
Wen Youzhi looked at Wen Yan and hesitated before asking, “A Yan, you fought them. What do you think?”
Wen Yan could only say, “I don’t know.”
Her words fell into a brief silence within the room.
Under the gaze of many eyes, Wen Yan smiled faintly and slowly said, “In any case, they are not good people. Good people wouldn’t end up dead by my hand.”
Her cryptic remark baffled the Wen family.
Seeing that they could not extract any useful information from her, they ceased questioning.
They had to admit that even after a month, the Wen family still felt somewhat intimidated by her.
Wen Youzhi lowered his eyes, linking all the events in his mind several times over.
“I have already ordered people to investigate all the vessels that passed through Xijiang City, to see if there are any clues.”
“As for the capital, I will send someone personally to look into it.”
Everything had gone wrong starting from that night.
Those assassins had repeatedly demanded the cargo on the ship, meaning the problem lay with a merchant ship docked at the pier.
Xijiang was a key canal hub. After the pier was built to prevent trouble, he had decreed that every merchant ship docking there must be inspected.
If the ship was particularly large, he would personally oversee the inspection.
Over the years, countless large ships had passed through Xijiang City; Wen Youzhi himself no longer remembered how many he had inspected in a month.
Fortunately, records were kept after each inspection.
Now all they could do was wait for the results to come in.