Boom!

Wen Rugui felt a heavenly thunderbolt strike directly on his crown, leaving his mind completely blank for quite a while without any response.

As someone who had mixed in official circles for over twenty years, Wen Rugui was normally someone who could keep his composure. But everything happening before his eyes was too bizarre for him to comprehend at all.

His cousin from the same clan, his trusted study companion—not to mention he had already instructed them in advance, even if the incident had happened suddenly, they should have known what to say.

Yet they had turned against him toward the Lin family.

Conspiracy!

These two words appeared suddenly yet naturally in Wen Rugui’s mind.

His bewildered and gloomy gaze swept across Wen Ping’s and Wen Rusheng’s faces, then swept across Lin Shi, the Old Madam, and others. What swirled in his mind was the question that was about to drive him mad: exactly who was scheming against him!

Wen Ping was frightened by Wen Rugui’s gaze and secretly glanced at Wen Hao.

The young lady in white silk shirt and green gauze skirt raised one hand.

Her hand was like jade, her five fingers slender.

Wen Ping’s whole body shook, and he buried his head even lower.

The Second Miss was reminding him—he still owed those thugs five hundred taels of silver!

He actually had long ago reached the point of no return.

Wen Ping smiled bitterly in his heart, and the slight guilt toward his master that had grown in the depths of his heart vanished into thin air.

Since there was no turning back, then for self-preservation, he could only walk this path more ruthlessly.

Master, I’m truly sorry.

Wen Ping stared at the meticulously swept stone pavement, his voice revealing fear and confusion: “Back then, didn’t Master tell Madam Qing that he would return to propose marriage after achieving success in the examinations?”

After a moment of silence in the crowd due to this unexpected development, the discussion suddenly grew loud.

“So after achieving success in the examinations and having a noble lady marry down to him, he abandoned his cousin back in the village.”

“What being forced and helpless—this is clearly abandoning someone after toying with them!”

“Ptui, men are truly disgusting.”

“Don’t drag us men into this. Not many men could do something like this. Breaking a verbal engagement with his childhood sweetheart cousin to marry a noble lady, then when the son he had with his cousin grew up, he threw dirty water on his lawful wife, saying he was forced.” A young man in the crowd shouted loudly.

The spectators had no time to notice who said this. After all, during the most exciting moments, there was too much chatter going on. As long as the words made sense, that was enough.

Immediately, countless people chimed in agreement.

“Wen Ping, you dog slave, whose benefits did you receive to slander your master!” Wen Rugui finally found his voice, his fury reaching the sky.

Wen Ping backed up a step in fright, saying frantically: “Master, you’re wronging this old servant to death! How could this old servant receive benefits from others to slander you!”

Someone knowledgeable in the crowd pointed out loudly: “This Wen Ping has been Vice Minister Wen’s study companion for over twenty years and is now the head steward of the Vice Minister’s mansion.”

“If that’s the case, he couldn’t possibly betray his master for a small benefit.”

“It seems this is also an honest man who can’t lie.”

Someone sighed: “Who would have thought—Vice Minister Wen is so dishonorable, yet everyone around him is honest.”

Laughter erupted all around.

The honest man Wen Rusheng had a sudden inspiration and shouted: “Tenth Brother, it’s not that this brother doesn’t want to help you, it’s just that people must be sincere! Feng’er is about to take the spring examinations. I don’t want people to say in the future that he has a father who lies with eyes wide open.”

“You—” Wen Rugui pointed at Wen Rusheng, about to say something, when suddenly his heart twisted with pain.

He clutched his chest, his expression pained.

Wen Hao observed coldly, her heart stirring.

Could it be karmic retribution—this time it was Father’s turn to choke on his breath—

Wen Rugui was in his prime years after all and didn’t experience the kind of situation the Old Madam had.

But for him at this moment, not dying wasn’t much better than dying.

Wen Rugui desperately discovered that he simply couldn’t find a point of counterattack in such a short time.

Swoosh—the sound of a sword being drawn.

When they heard the sound, the spectators hadn’t yet reacted, but when they clearly saw the gleaming sword in Lin Shi’s hand, those nearby immediately dodged to the side.

Lin Shi walked toward Wen Rugui holding the sword.

Behind her, the servant Changshun was dumbfounded: “Young Lord, your sword!”

They were just watching the spectacle—how did Madam Lin take away his young lord’s sword!

Currently, there was a trend among young masters of prestigious families to wear swords. The vast majority actually didn’t know martial arts, and wearing swords was purely decorative, like wearing fine jade.

The Prince Jing’s Heir’s sword sheath was particularly ornate.

But no matter how ornate a sword was, it could still hurt people.

In her rage, Lin Shi didn’t notice whose sword she had borrowed. She only urgently needed to vent the overwhelming fury accumulated in her chest that was about to drive her mad. She needed such a sword to pierce through Wen Rugui’s heart and see whether his blood was cold and whether his heart was black.

“Mother!” A slender figure rushed out and grabbed Lin Shi’s arm holding the sword.

Looking at her daughter blocking her way, Lin Shi’s expression was grief-stricken and furious: “Ah Hao, move aside!”

Today, if she didn’t dismember Wen Rugui into ten thousand pieces, it would be difficult to resolve the hatred in her heart.

“Mother, look over there.” Wen Hao pointed in a direction.

Lin Shi looked over numbly and saw the Old Madam’s pale hair and her elder daughter’s anxious face.

Her younger daughter’s gentle voice like water entered her ears, smoothing over the violent energy filling her chest: “Mother, don’t do anything foolish. We all need to be together properly.”

In her previous life and this one, she didn’t care about fine clothes and jade food, didn’t fantasize about an ideal husband. What she hoped for was nothing more than the family being together properly.

Lin Shi froze.

Time was very short, yet seemed very long. That hand holding the sword finally lowered.

Wen Hao took the sword from Lin Shi’s hand. Lin Shi didn’t resist.

The Old Madam’s vigorous shout came: “Wanqing, Mother told you long ago that even when chopping people, you must see who they are. Does this dog thing deserve it?”

Lin Shi stared fixedly at Wen Rugui and slowly uttered three words: “He—doesn’t—deserve it.”

As the words fell, Lin Shi’s body swayed. Those three short words seemed to have exhausted all her strength.

Wen Chan quickly walked over to support Lin Shi.

“Chan’er, accompany your mother back to the General’s Mansion to rest. Ah Hao, accompany Grandmother to the palace.” The Old Madam gripped her walking stick tightly and glanced at Wen Rugui with disdain. “This old one is going to find the Empress Dowager to have a chat about my good son-in-law!”

The Old Madam turned and left, her feet swift as the wind.

Wen Hao quickly followed. After a few steps, she suddenly remembered she was still holding a sword. Her feet paused and she turned around.

In the crowd, the servant Changshun hurriedly waved his hand: “That’s our Young Lord’s sword!”

As he spoke, he was about to run over to receive the sword, but the back of his clothing was grabbed by a hand.

In this moment’s pause, Wen Hao walked over.

“My apologies. My mother was somewhat out of sorts today.”

Qi Shuo took the sword and smiled slightly: “Human nature. Second Miss Wen, please go quickly.”

The young man’s smile was clear as wind and moon, harmless, so much so that Changshun felt doubtful: That hand just now wasn’t the Young Lord’s, right?

It definitely wasn’t the Young Lord holding him in place.

Wen Hao gave Qi Shuo a slight nod, lifted her skirt hem, and quickly went to catch up with the Old Madam.

With no more spectacle to watch, most of the crowd dispersed.

Qi Shuo walked on the road back to Prince Jing’s mansion with the servant Changshun, the corners of his lips slightly raised.

Seeing the Young Lord in a good mood, Changshun asked the question in his heart: “Young Lord, we were watching the spectacle—why did you have me shout those things?”