boyutpedia #475 - Cut the Gordian knot
#475 - Cut the Gordian knot
"On behalf of the entire Wen family, I thank both of you sons-in-law for your assistance." Seeing Madam Wen about to bend over, Li Bufan quickly supported her.
"Absolutely not, we are all family. There's no need for such ceremony, Madam. Since we couldn't help much with the investigation of the case, it's only right that we do more in other matters."
Madam Wen simply shook her head upon hearing this. However, she genuinely seemed exhausted at this point and didn't say anything more, only telling Li Bufan and the others, "Can you allow me to stay here for a while?"
Hearing her words, everyone tactfully began to walk out of the wine cellar, and so did Lu Jing. But unexpectedly, he had only taken a few steps when Madam Wen called out to him.
"Esteemed Hero Lu, please stay a moment."
After saying that, Madam Wen turned to Wen Xiaochuan on the side and said, "You stay behind as well."
When Lu Jing heard Madam Wen speak, he thought he was finally entering the mission completion phase, and his spirits lifted. He was just about to receive the mission reward when he was stunned by the second half of her sentence.
Especially after everyone else had left, leaving only the three of them in the wine cellar, and Wen Xiaochuan kept staring at the tips of her shoes as if there was a comic book hidden on them that she was engrossed in. Lu Jing felt the atmosphere becoming increasingly strange.
Fortunately, Madam Wen spoke again before too long, "Esteemed Hero Lu."
"Hmm?"
"I must first apologize to you."
"Uh, apologize for what?"
"This morning, when Esteemed Hero Lu asked me about the secret chamber in the manor, I lied to you. At that time, I already knew that Hall Master Jiang's body might be here."
Lu Jing was somewhat surprised, not expecting Madam Wen to admit it so readily, although he had indeed had some suspicions in his mind.
But such a thing is difficult to prove. Even if he found Jiang Lei's body in the secret chamber right now, Madam Wen could still claim that Jiang Lei's body was indeed not there when she came to check.
It was used to imprison some criminals who couldn't be seen in the light, but after Madam Wen took over, this dungeon was basically abandoned. Within the entire Wen Family Manor, almost no one knew about it except for the Old Madam and Madam Wen.
Wen Xiaochuan had discovered this place by accident when she ran to the wine cellar to play alone as a child, and for that, she had received a good beating on her bottom with a bamboo board.
Madam Wen seemed to know what Lu Jing was thinking and sighed, "I have seven daughters, and I always try to treat them equally, providing them with the same food, clothing, and expenses. I ask myself if I have ever treated any of them unfairly. I thought my love for each of them was the same."
"It wasn't until this incident happened that I realized that although these seven daughters are all my precious darlings, in my heart, I do have a particular soft spot for a few or even one of them."
"Is Mother talking about Second Sister?" Wen Xiaochuan suddenly asked.
Madam Wen nodded.
"We sisters can actually all see that," Wen Xiaochuan said, "Although Second Sister argues with you the most, Mother, and she almost left the Wen family to marry Hall Master Jiang, it is precisely because of this that she is the most like you. You are both the kind of people who are very opinionated, and once you make up your mind, you will never change it."
"Looking back now, perhaps that's not a good thing," the wrinkles on Madam Wen's face seemed to deepen.
"Last night, because I was worried that she would do something rash, I slept in the same bed with her. She confessed to me about her and Hall Master Jiang's plan and told me that Hall Master Jiang had already been killed. Since his body hadn't been discovered yet, it was likely still in that secret chamber in the wine cellar."
"I was very shocked at the time, never expecting that she and her husband would do such a thing for money. Then came a wave of anger because although she didn't say anything, I knew she was throwing this problem to me."
"Just like she used the threat of breaking with the family to force me to agree to her marrying Jiang Lei, this time she used the same method to force me to choose between her and Qingqing."
"And I know she didn't share her deeply buried secret with me because she trusted me as her mother, but because she had run out of options. After Jiang Lei died, his body couldn't be moved from that secret chamber, which is why Wen Lun had no choice but to confess the whole thing to me."
"I was annoyed by her recklessness, but even more annoyed by the fact that I had softened again. I saw that she had just lost her husband, and Thunderfire Hall owed so much foreign debt, so I couldn't bring myself to expose all the things she had done."
"I could only comfort myself by saying that Jin Duoduo had a lot of silver, and since everyone was family, it wouldn't matter if some of it was given to her. Besides, even if Jin Duoduo was treated as the murderer, there would be no danger to his life."
"But I know that this is just a clumsy excuse I made for my own partiality. Qingqing is also my daughter, and Jin Duoduo is also a son-in-law of my Wen family. I have no reason to sacrifice their interests for Wen Lun's sake."
Madam Wen said so much in one breath, and a trace of fatigue appeared in her eyes.
Wen Xiaochuan wanted to help her, but she waved her hand to refuse.
After that, Madam Wen looked up at Lu Jing again, "When people get old, they become talkative. I shouldn't have bothered Esteemed Hero Lu with these family matters, but I still want to thank you."
"Although I was hindering you from finding this secret chamber, I did feel a sense of relief when I saw Hall Master Jiang's body. At least I don't have to rack my brains over which daughter to favor now, and thanks to you, the murderer who killed Hall Master Jiang has also been found."
"Although there will be no compensation from Jin Duoduo, I think Wen Lun will at least get some comfort."
Before Lu Jing could answer, Madam Wen said again, "Speaking of family matters, I wonder what Esteemed Hero Lu thinks of Xiaochuan?"
"Ah?" Lu Jing didn't expect Madam Wen to make such a sharp turn. They were talking about the case just now, how did she suddenly switch to Wen Xiaochuan?
Looking at Wen Xiaochuan again, she had already returned to her previous mode of looking down at her shoes.
Lu Jing smiled wryly, "This... Miss Xiaochuan is naturally good, but I already have a family."
Although that deadly romantic luck was gone, Lu Jing knew that his innate potential spirit constitution was enough to give him a headache. So this time, he decided to cut the Gordian knot with a swift stroke and completely eliminate any future troubles from the source.