Chapter 22

Madam Lu was stunned, deeply shocked by Wen Yan's actions. When she finally gathered her wits, her voice trembling, she cried out in disbelief:

"You... you dare to commit patricide?!"

Wen Yan let out a cold laugh, looked down at her slightly, and tightened her hand.

Her palm pressed against Father Wen's windpipe. The intense suffocation turned his face a deep, congested red; his eyes bulged, and his hands instinctively reached up to pry Wen Yan's fingers away.

"Isn't all of this for you, Mother?" Wen Yan said with a smile, her eyes filled with an indescribable indifference.

A chill ran through Madam Lu’s entire body. She pointed at Wen Yan, gasping for breath, unable to speak, as if she were on the verge of a convulsion. The rest of the Wen family also came to their senses, their expressions shifting in alarm. Madam Lu let out a sharp cry and, as if possessed, lunged forward to pull at Wen Yan’s hand.

"You wretch, you unfilial beast! Let go, let go of him..."

As Madam Lu continued her frantic tirade, Wen Yan remained unmoved. She brushed Madam Lu’s hands aside with a flick of her wrist, then gently wiped the tears from her mother's face and asked languidly:

"Why is Mother so angry?"

Caught between rage and terror, Madam Lu trembled uncontrollably. Before long, her eyes rolled back, and she fainted dead away.

"Mother!"

The four Wen siblings caught Madam Lu’s collapsing body together. Wen Ruxu frowned and looked at Wen Yan: "Third Sister, Mother is frail. Please, stop frightening her."

Wen Yan met Wen Ruxu’s clear, bright eyes and raised an eyebrow. He was habitually gentle, possessing a scholarly air, and rarely showed anger. If anyone in this family was deep and calculating, it was certainly Wen Ruxu. Yet, while he was shrewd, his intentions were upright, and his presence felt clean. Even now, with his father being throttled and his mother frightened into a faint, his reaction was mostly one of helplessness. He seemed to understand perfectly well what Wen Yan intended to do—his mind was as clear and penetrating as a mirror.

Wen Yan smiled: "Eldest Brother is truly filial."

With that, she loosened her grip. As air flooded into his nose and throat, Father Wen erupted into a thunderous coughing fit, his face still flushed. The two youngest hurried to support him, patting his back to help him breathe. Once he caught his breath, Father Wen waved his hand and spoke with a voice as raspy as Wen Ruxu’s:

"A-Yan, your mother is weak. Be gentler with her in the future."

Father Wen’s words carried more earnestness than Wen Ruxu’s helplessness. His attitude remained as close as ever, harboring no grudge. He was yet another person convinced that she would not truly kill him. In fact, apart from Madam Lu, no one among them believed she would actually take their father's life.

Wen Yan stood up, brushed the invisible dust from her clothes, and lowered her lashes: "I am not a person of gentle temperament. Father and Eldest Brother should get used to that."

She left the implication hanging, yet everyone present understood. She was warning them not to cause her trouble on purpose.

"I understand what you mean," Father Wen said, weighing his words. "Rest assured."

Satisfied, Wen Yan turned to ask: "What does Father intend to do next?"

Father Wen first instructed the two youngest to look after Madam Lu, then said, "We must head to the capital."

"And then?" Wen Yan asked.

Father Wen replied, "We cannot return to Xijiang City, and with Feng Wu dead, the imperial court will soon issue warrants. There is no place left for us in this world. To move forward is death, and to retreat is also death. Our only course of action is to go to the capital and uncover the truth; perhaps there we might find a glimmer of hope."

Wen Ruxu took over: "The journey is long and fraught with danger. From now on, we must act with caution and not be as we were before."

In short, they had to be careful and conceal their tracks.

After listening to her brother and father, Wen Ruqing suddenly asked: "Father, do you have any clues about that shipment of cargo?"

It was that sudden arrival of the ship that had brought them to such a state. They needed to find out as quickly as possible which ship it was and what it carried, so they would no longer be so vulnerable.

Father Wen shook his head: "I have investigated for over a month with no progress." Those people had covered their tracks too well; they hadn't left a single lead.

Wen Ruqing pursed her lips: "I obtained a piece of information some days ago. I am not sure if it is related to this matter."

Several pairs of eyes turned to her.

"Tell us," Father Wen said.

Wen Ruqing continued: "A few months ago, a ship sank in the Huan River after encountering river pirates."

The Huan River was a tributary of the Xijiang basin, located at the border between Xijiang City and Chaoyun City, and was a necessary route from Xijiang to the capital.

Father Wen’s spirit lifted: "A ship sunk by pirates?"

Wen Ruqing: "Someone told me that not a single survivor was left on that ship." That was the reason she had noted the incident.

Father Wen asked sharply: "And the pirates?"

Wen Ruqing shook her head: "It is said they died on the ship as well."

Father Wen: "The ship sank and everyone died—why was there no word from the officials? And besides, I have never heard of pirates on the Huan River. Where did they come from?"

Wen Ruqing frowned, voicing her own suspicion: "Could this ship be the one that brought this disaster upon us?"

Father Wen pondered for a moment, then looked around: "It seems we are currently within the territory of Chaoyun City."

Wen Ruxu immediately understood his father's meaning: "Father, you want to go to the Huan River to take a look?"

Father Wen sighed: "We must see for ourselves." If they could find some clues, it would be better than stumbling around like headless flies. His gaze fell upon Wen Yan, who stood idling to the side: "A-Yan, what do you think?"

A smile still graced Wen Yan’s face: "I will follow Father's lead."

And so, it was decided. But they could not simply set off for the Huan River; there was much to be done. The main ship was no longer usable, and with cliffs lining both banks, there was nowhere to dock. They needed a suitable small boat. Fortunately, large vessels like this were always equipped with emergency lifeboats, so this was not a major issue. They also needed enough food, luggage, and silver.

The journey to the capital was long. Traveling by water would be faster but also more dangerous. There was only one waterway to the capital, and it was heavily guarded; they would never be able to pass through. Even with Wen Yan present, she could not simply kill everyone she met—that would be no different from open rebellion. Since the waterway was impassable, they had to go by land.

Traveling by land was much more suitable and would make it easier to conceal their movements. However, it meant needing more supplies and traveling funds. Furthermore, a famine was raging in the south; from Wangcheng to Boyang City, eight prefectural cities had been affected, and these were precisely the places they would have to pass through. To avoid any mishaps, they needed a foolproof plan.

After Madam Lu woke up, the family gathered to eat their fill before beginning to search the ship. This work kept them busy until nightfall.

"Look at what Fourth Brother and I found!"

Wen Changning’s excited voice rang out from a distance. Wen Yan, who was about to open a door, stopped and looked over. She saw Wen Changning running toward her, holding dry rations and shouting as she ran. A step behind her, Wen Hening was carrying two cloth bags filled with rice and flour on his shoulders, holding a piece of cured meat in his left hand, and struggling to carry... a divine chicken?

When Wen Changning reached her, she looked at Wen Yan, beaming: "Third Sister, Fourth Brother and I found the divine chicken we won in the kitchen."

Wen Yan laughed: "What a coincidence, I found some things as well."

Only then did Wen Changning notice the headpiece and the string of beads in Wen Yan’s hands. She let go of what she was holding, letting it drop to the ground, but she didn't care: "My Southern pearls! And the headpiece from the Treasure Pavilion!"

Wen Changning’s eyes lit up, and she began to hold the string of beads against her body.

Wen Yan walked past her into the cabin and sat on a wooden stool. Before long, the others returned one after another, their arms full of items: quilts, old clothes, water skins, writing materials, rain capes, paper umbrellas... and some silver and banknotes. It was truly everything they could need.

Wen Yan fiddled with the headpiece, watching them move things in, all of them dripping with sweat from the exertion.

"Throw away what you're holding."

Wen Ruxu had just sat down to drink the water his sister had poured when he heard Wen Yan point at him. He was holding a set of ink stones and brushes he had scavenged. He set the cup down and said with a good-natured smile: "Third Sister, we might need these on the road."

Wen Yan said bluntly: "If you carry those, who will carry the food?"

Wen Ruxu paused. He looked at the pile of food that was beginning to resemble a small mountain and changed his tune: "Third Sister is right. We can buy these later if we need them."

With Wen Ruxu leading the way, the others realized that the items they had scavenged were not suitable for a journey of survival. Wen Ruqing also stared at the headpiece in Wen Yan’s hand: "Third Sister, why don't we dismantle this? It’s too eye-catching." She then turned to Wen Changning: "And that string of Southern pearls—dismantle them as well."

Wen Yan, of course, had no objections: "Second Sister, tell me how."

The headpiece was made of gold wire and various gemstones, so it wasn't difficult to take apart. With a few movements, Wen Yan dismantled it according to Wen Ruqing’s instructions. The string of pearls was even simpler. Once everything was disassembled, these valuable trinkets were packed away to be carried on their persons.

After a final check, they only kept light luggage, food, and items that could be traded for money. By the time they finished, the night was deep, and it was no longer suitable for travel. The Wen family had to endure their discomfort and lay out the quilts they had salvaged to sleep on the floor of the vast cabin.

That night, everyone slept soundly. They had endured so much for so long, and although today had been terrifying, at least their lives were temporarily secure.

They slept without dreams and did not wake until the following day was fully bright. After a simple meal of dry rations, they lowered the small boat and boarded one by one. Wen Yan remained until the end; she smashed a large hole in the official ship full of corpses before leaping onto the small boat.

Those on the boat watched as the ship sank completely into the river. For some reason, their hearts felt inexplicably heavy.

The ship had sunk, and it was time for them to leave. The seven of them sat in the boat, looking at one another, neither moving nor speaking for a long time. They had fallen into a heavy silence, for they had only just realized, belatedly, that not a single person in this family knew how to row a boat.

After a long while, Wen Ruxu spoke: "I will try."

Wen Hening followed: "I’ll try too."

The two brothers scrambled clumsily, finally managing to get the boat moving, only to have it spin in circles for a long time. They were drenched in sweat, but after much delay, they finally grasped the technique. Despite some setbacks, the boat eventually made its way onto the return channel.

Over the next two days, the small boat’s path went from erratic to straight, and things finally went smoothly. On the night of the fifth day, they neared the Huan River.

Just as they were about to round a bend, Wen Yan’s voice rang out abruptly:

"Stop!"

Her voice was low, but her tone was sharp. Wen Ruxu and Wen Hening instinctively stopped their oars.

"There are people!"

Father Wen’s words startled everyone on the boat, who had been nodding off. They looked up and, sure enough, saw several small boats floating on the water ahead. The boats were lit with flickering torches, and figures moved along with the swaying vessels.

Wen Ruxu and Wen Hening quickly extinguished the oil lamp on their boat. In the darkness, they watched the scene ahead in silence.

Wen Yan could see more clearly than the others. She spotted people lining the riverbank, and on the boats drifting on the water, several men were using long bamboo poles to constantly test the depth of the river. They had arrived a step too late; someone had already occupied the area.

Wen Yan whispered: "We cannot go forward. Bring the boat to the bank."

...

At the same time, on a path not far from the riverbank, a green-tented carriage was parked. A man emerged from the woods and bowed to the person inside the carriage:

"Reporting to My Lord, the depth of the river has been measured. We need only wait for daybreak to send men into the water."

After he finished speaking, he waited a long time before hearing a response from within the carriage:

"Very well. Make the arrangements as soon as possible."

"Yes, My Lord."