Chapter 8: Seeing is Believing

As soon as Qi Shuo entered, he saw the Princess Jing looking sullen.

"What is wrong, Mother?"

Princess Jing glanced at her son.

With his upright posture and measured manners, he was an impeccable candidate for a son-in-law by any measure. To think that Vice Minister Wen would actually turn him down!

Princess Jing had long since analyzed who might be dissatisfied with this match.

According to the reports from the people she sent to sound out the Wen family, Madam Lin had been overjoyed the moment she heard the Prince Jing’s Mansion intended to seek her beloved daughter’s hand. Her upturned lips could hardly be contained, and she had only cited a young lady’s modesty as the reason she needed to discuss it properly with her husband.

And yet, the result was a refusal.

Wasn't it obvious?

"It’s none other than the Wen family. A mere Vice Minister’s mansion, yet they are so picky and choosy—"

"The Wen family has no intention of marrying into our house?" Qi Shuo’s expression remained calm, though his eyes deepened slightly.

Princess Jing had been somewhat venting her anger at her son for causing her to lose face, but hearing him ask this, she couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.

"Shuo'er, there are thousands of beautiful girls in the world. When the time comes, Mother will surely pick one for you who is even more beautiful than the Second Miss Wen."

Qi Shuo smiled. "Thank you, Mother, for planning for me, but I am in no rush to take a wife."

Not in a rush again?

Princess Jing looked at her son with a more thoughtful gaze.

Qi Shuo smiled as if it were nothing. "It was merely a remedial measure because I was worried that Second Miss Wen would be implicated by me; it was not that I was anxious to marry."

"I see." Princess Jing took a light sip of tea. "Mother understands. Shuo'er, don't take this matter to heart anymore."

"As long as Mother is not unhappy because of this."

"How could I be? Am I the type of person to fret over such a trivial matter?"

When Prince Jing arrived after noon, Princess Jing told him about the Wen family’s polite refusal. "Setting aside family status, our Shuo'er is top-tier. A mere Vice Minister is truly arrogant."

"The Princess isn't angry, are you?"

"I'm not particularly angry; I just didn't eat breakfast or lunch."

"That is simply outrageous!" Seeing Princess Jing raise her eyelids, Prince Jing hurriedly explained, "I meant that Wen Rugui is outrageous."

"There is no point in mentioning someone with no eye for quality."

The next day, after the morning court session, Prince Jing squeezed through the crowd as he walked out and quietly kicked the back of Wen Rugui’s leg.

Wen Rugui stumbled and fell to the ground, landing right at the feet of Vice Minister Zhang of the Ministry of Rites. In his panic, he grabbed the man’s trouser leg.

Vice Minister Zhang’s expression stiffened. "Vice Minister Wen, what are you doing?"

Having fallen flat on his face in full view of everyone, the usually image-conscious Wen Rugui turned bright red. He scrambled up in a disheveled state and apologized, "My apologies, my foot slipped."

As he spoke, he looked back to see several pairs of eyes watching the spectacle.

Wen Rugui’s complexion darkened further.

Someone had clearly kicked him, but in such a setting, he couldn't shout about it and had to swallow this bitter pill.

"Vice Minister Wen, do take care of your health." Vice Minister Zhang had never cared much for Wen Rugui, and since he had the rare chance to see him make a fool of himself, he naturally wouldn't miss the opportunity to mock him.

"Thank you for the reminder, Vice Minister Zhang." Leaving behind a perfunctory remark, Wen Rugui walked quickly toward the palace gates.

At this moment, Emperor Tai'an had not yet left and asked the eunuch beside him, "What is the commotion about down there?"

The eunuch hurriedly replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, it seems Vice Minister Wen took a tumble."

Emperor Tai'an shook his head and headed toward the inner palace.

Wen Rugui was still in a foul mood when he left the office.

Because he came from a humble background, he had been extra careful about his demeanor since entering officialdom, fearing he would be mocked as boorish. He never expected to make such a fool of himself today.

The spring chill still lingered, but the carriage felt stuffy, and the monotonous sound of the wheels turning only made him more irritable.

Wen Rugui lifted the carriage curtain and instructed the driver, "Go to the Yuelai Teahouse."

The driver acknowledged the order and flicked his whip.

Before long, the carriage stopped. Wen Rugui stepped out and walked toward the teahouse not far away.

In a private room of a restaurant across from the Yuelai Teahouse, a person dressed as a servant gasped, "Young Miss, that looks like Master!"

Wen Chan leaned against the window, her expression changing instantly.

The third house in Mahua Alley of Ruyi Square was occupied by a lady with a son and a daughter; the son was named Chang Hui, and the daughter was named Chang Qing.

The information she had gathered over the past few days matched her younger sister’s words perfectly, but because she hadn't seen her father entering and leaving the place with her own eyes, she had been unwilling to believe it.

"Xiao He, follow him immediately and see which house Master enters."

Xiao He acknowledged the order and hurried out of the restaurant.

Wen Chan picked up her teacup and gulped down a mouthful.

The tea had long since gone cold, and it made her heart feel even colder.

She stood up, paced back and forth a few times, and sat down again, her hand trembling as she gripped the cup.

That mother and her two children—were they truly her father’s...

After an unknown amount of time, Xiao He finally returned.

"Which house did Master enter?" Wen Chan stood up to ask.

"Master went into the third house."

Wen Chan collapsed back into her chair, her face pale.

"Young Miss—" Xiao He looked worried.

Wen Chan braced herself against the table to stand up and managed to spit out two words with difficulty: "Return home."

The two, dressed in men's clothing, left the restaurant, changed back into women's attire, and went straight to Luoying Residence upon returning to the Wen manor.

Seeing the look on Wen Chan’s face, Wen Hao understood. She signaled for Baozhu to guard the door and whispered, "Big Sister saw it, didn't you?"

Wen Chan’s hands, which were holding Wen Hao’s, were ice cold. "It is Big Sister’s fault; I should have discovered this sooner..."

She couldn't imagine how painful it must have been for her younger sister, who hadn't even been able to speak until recently, to face all of this.

"Father—" Saying these two words again, Wen Chan felt they were somewhat foreign. "Father will not let those three stay outside forever."

Having seen Chang Hui, who was even older than her, with her own eyes, she would not be naive enough to believe that her father respected her mother as much as he appeared to.

If he truly respected her, those three would not exist.

And since that respect was tainted, how could her father bear for his only son not to be recognized by the ancestors?

"Second Sister, we cannot tell Mother about this yet."

Wen Hao nodded. "I know. Does Big Sister have any ideas?"

"Chang Hui and Chang Qing are already so old; it is unlikely we can stop them from entering the Wen manor. As for the Chang woman, we daughters have no reason to stop her. Mother has a quick temper; if she clashes head-on with Father, I fear it won't end well. We will find a suitable time to tell Grandmother. Grandmother can use her status as an elder to pressure Father into sending the Chang woman far away. At the very least, it will be one less person to cause Mother grief."

Wen Hao listened silently, sighing inwardly.

What the world values most is the continuation of the family line. If they didn't let Chang Hui be recognized, their father would likely win much sympathy. Even her sister thought that simply getting rid of the Chang woman would be enough.

It was a pity her sister couldn't fathom their father’s ruthlessness.

What he wanted was not just for Chang Hui to be recognized; he wanted to give his beloved woman the position of legal wife, give his only son the status of a legitimate heir, and claim the vast wealth of the Lin family!

"I will listen to Big Sister. Once my foot has healed, let us go together to tell Grandmother."

There was still some time before the incident. Her father might not have coached those two witnesses yet. If they suddenly brought it up and caught him off guard, how else could they force him to reveal his true, ugly face?