Chapter 4: Wolf's Heart

Wen Rugui’s expression was heavy, his gaze passing over Lady Lin to land on Wen Hao.

The young girl, in the bloom of her sixteenth year, was like a willow branch unfolding—slender and beautiful.

But seeing her, Wen Rugui felt only annoyance.

This daughter had been born mute, bringing him nothing but loss of face. And now that she was growing older, she had actually begun to act like a frivolous woman.

“A-Hao, do you know your mistake?”

Lady Lin snapped back to reality, not taking Wen Rugui’s anger to heart. “Master, do you know? Our A-Hao can speak now!”

Surely, upon hearing this incredible good news, her husband would have no more anger left.

Wen Rugui frowned at these words, his tone growing even colder and sharper. “Since she can speak, why does she not answer? Or is it that you do not believe you have done anything wrong?”

The strange news of the Wen family’s second daughter finding her voice had spread as soon as the banquet ended. Along with it spread the rumors of the second miss climbing a wall to peek at the Prince Jing’s heir.

Upon hearing this, Wen Rugui was furious to the point of illness and had returned to the manor to demand an explanation.

Lady Lin was deeply confused by Wen Rugui’s harshness. “Master, did you not hear clearly? Our A-Hao can speak now.”

“I am not deaf.” Wen Rugui’s tone was cold, a demeanor Lady Lin rarely saw. “Since she is no different from anyone else, she should understand the rules even more. When a daughter commits a fault, you, as her mother, do not discipline her. Are you trying to spoil her until she is lawless, eventually harming others and herself?”

Wen Chan, who had been silent until now, couldn't help but urge, “Father, please calm your anger—”

“When parents are speaking, do not interrupt.”

Wen Chan pursed her lips, her expression embarrassed.

Wen Hao felt a raging storm in her heart, but she forced herself to remain calm. “Daughter was wrong. Daughter should not have climbed the wall to investigate upon hearing the Prince Jing’s heir calling for help.”

“Hearing the Prince Jing’s heir calling for help?” Wen Rugui sneered. “That is not what the rumors say.”

“Then what do the rumors say?” Wen Hao asked calmly.

Wen Rugui looked at the three of them and let out a cold snort. “They say you were peeking at the Prince Jing’s heir with impure intentions!”

This accusation was enough to ruin a woman’s reputation.

Lady Lin’s face flushed with anger. “Master, do not listen to the gossip of those loose-lipped people. A-Hao is kind-hearted and was worried that something had happened to the Prince Jing’s heir.”

Wen Rugui laughed in his fury. “Foolish! Even if that were the truth, who in the world would believe it?”

What the world was willing to believe and spread were always those malicious, salacious scandals.

Lady Lin looked at her enraged husband, feeling a sense of unfamiliarity. “What if the world does not believe it? We should be heartbroken that A-Hao is being misunderstood by the world; why is the Master still venting anger at A-Hao?”

“You!” Wen Rugui pointed at Lady Lin, so angry he flicked his sleeves. “Truly, a doting mother ruins her children!”

Lady Lin, who had been devoted to Wen Rugui, could not bear his accusations and immediately began to argue. “I think the Master is the one who is stubborn and pedantic, having read too many books…”

The two began to bicker, their voices growing louder and louder.

Wen Chan quietly took hold of Wen Hao’s hand, her expression uneasy.

Wen Hao, however, grew increasingly calm.

Many things do not happen suddenly; there are always signs.

Her parents, who had once been the picture of marital harmony, had been arguing frequently over the past year. It was simply because her maternal grandfather had passed away, and the person her father feared was no longer there.

Without that restraint, he no longer needed to hide his true feelings toward a wife he did not love.

Before long, her father would bring his cousin, whom he had been keeping outside, back to the manor. Along with her would come a pair of children; the eldest son, Wen Hui, was even a year older than her own sister.

When her grandmother came to the manor to stand up for her mother, her father claimed that after he had placed on the imperial examination list, he had been forced by her grandfather to marry her mother. He claimed he had already been married to his cousin at the time, and her grandfather had threatened to ruin his future and harm his cousin if he did not agree to the marriage.

He had been left with no choice but to accept.

In his youth, her grandfather had been a mountain bandit, a hero of the greenwood. Some believed this story, and some did not.

Twenty years ago, the old General Lin was still the Duke of Ding. Given his bandit-like temperament, he was indeed capable of doing such a thing to ensure his beloved daughter married the man she loved.

Her grandmother cursed her father for spouting lies, but her father produced witnesses: one was the servant who had accompanied him to the capital for the exams, and the other was a clansman who had just arrived in the capital from their hometown.

With that, her father’s story was solidified.

Her grandmother, overcome with rage, died of grief. Her mother drew a sword to perish with her father, wounding him in the process.

Her father then had a reason to divorce her mother, and he was even praised by the world as righteous for not casting her aside. Later, he petitioned the Emperor to confess his "sin" of taking a second wife while the first was still alive; considering he had been coerced, the Emperor did not pursue the matter.

Following that, his cousin, Lady Chang, became her stepmother in the eyes of the law.

Her mother could not bear the blow and became mentally unstable. Her father brought her mother back to the manor to "care for her for the rest of her life," a move that won him even more praise.

Even her elder sister, though pained by her mother’s situation at the time, could understand her father’s difficulties.

Only she, after seeing her stepmother Lady Chang a few times, had learned the truth.

Before her father went to the capital for the exams, he had never been married to Lady Chang at all!

His lies and slander against her grandfather were merely born of insatiable greed—he wanted to make room for his beloved woman and ensure his only son held the status of the legitimate eldest son.

She only hated that she had been mute and kept under close watch, unable to expose the truth.

Thinking of this, Wen Hao felt a bone-deep hatred.

The sound of a door slamming shut pulled Wen Hao back to reality.

Lady Lin stared blankly at the swaying door curtain, her lips pale.

Wen Chan held Lady Lin’s hand, softly comforting her, “Mother, do not be angry. Father just didn't think it through for a moment—”

Wen Hao interrupted her. “Mother, don’t you think Father has changed?”

Her elder sister’s comfort might make her mother feel better for a moment, but it would only keep the festering wound covered. What she needed to do was ensure her mother was prepared, so that when the time came, she wouldn't be caught off guard like a bolt from the blue.

This time, her father would not be allowed to live comfortably with his beloved wife and children in the grand manor her grandfather had provided. She would make him roll as far away as possible.

“A-Hao, why do you say that?” Because Wen Hao had been unable to speak before, Lady Lin did not find her words strange; instead, she had more patience to listen.

Wen Hao clenched her hands inside her sleeves, trying to appear as calm as possible.

To change those events, she had to be sufficiently composed so that her words would be heard, rather than dismissed as a young girl throwing a tantrum.

“In my memory, Father and you have never had a cross word all these years. But in this past year, Father has lost his temper with you several times.”

Lady Lin was startled, subconsciously saying, “It is because your grandfather passed away, and Mother is in a bad mood, so I often argue with your father.”

Wen Hao shook her head. “Mother is grieving the loss of her father; Father should be the one to be more understanding. Why is he bickering with you instead?”

Lady Lin was left speechless.

On the way back, Wen Chan took advantage of the fact that no one else was around and whispered to Wen Hao, who was being carried on a maid’s back, “Second Sister, do not say such things to Mother in the future, lest you cause a rift between Mother and Father.”

Wen Hao looked at Wen Chan for a moment in silence, then asked softly, “Elder Sister, do you believe what I say?”

Wen Chan smiled, her lips curving. “Naturally, I believe you.”

“Then, Elder Sister, come back to Luoying Residence with me. I have something to tell you.”

(End of chapter)