Wen Rusheng heard the news that Prince Jing’s Heir had become Crown Prince while wandering the early market. His eyes immediately went blank and he fainted on the spot.
Wen Ping, who had accompanied him out, fiercely pinched his philtrum to revive him.
“Go, go home…”
Wen Ping carried Wen Rusheng home on his back and hurried to report to Wen Feng.
Wen Feng received the message, requested leave, and returned home to find his old father lying on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling in a daze.
“Father, where do you feel unwell? Why didn’t you go to a medical clinic or have Steward Wen fetch a physician?”
Hearing his son’s voice, Wen Rusheng suddenly sat up and grabbed Wen Feng’s wrist: “A’Hao has become Crown Princess, why didn’t you tell me!”
Wen Feng thought to himself that every time you bring up A’Hao you speak nonsense, what should I say? Of course he wouldn’t show this on his face: “Your son thought it didn’t concern us much, so I didn’t mention it.”
“Who says it doesn’t concern us? It concerns us greatly!” Wen Rusheng’s face flushed red with excitement.
Wen Feng’s brows furrowed slightly.
Did Father think that now that A’Hao had become Crown Princess, they could benefit from it?
Then he would need to advise him properly.
Tenth Uncle and Tenth Aunt had severed ties, and the Wen and Lin families had already broken off their marital relationship. To think they could benefit from this would be far too tactless.
“Feng’er, tell me, now that A’Hao has become Crown Princess, hasn’t her magical power become even more profound?”
“What?” Wen Feng thought he had misheard.
“Someone like her, they say the more fortune she has, the deeper her magical power.” Wen Rusheng lowered his voice.
Wen Feng: “…”
He was wrong—it would be better if Father wanted to benefit from it!
“Father, A’Hao is already Crown Princess. If you continue speaking such nonsense and someone overhears, it will bring great disaster.” Wen Feng warned sternly.
Wen Rusheng sighed: “I know, it’s just us father and son in the room, isn’t it? I’m just worried that now that A’Hao has become Crown Princess, it will have some effect on me—oh, on us.”
Which aspect this effect referred to, Wen Feng now understood clearly.
The corner of his mouth twitched violently as he wanted to advise again, but Wen Rusheng pushed him: “Go check on your Tenth Uncle.”
After Wen Rugui severed ties with Lin Shi, Wen Rusheng had been terrified that Wen Rugui would come settle accounts with him, so he kept his distance. It wasn’t until last year when the matter of Wen Qing’s disappearance caused a huge uproar and Wen Feng took the initiative to contact them and send some silver that he learned of the new residence of Wen Rugui’s family.
“Check on Tenth Uncle?” Wen Feng was somewhat surprised.
When Father heard he had sent money to Tenth Uncle’s family, he had complained for quite a while, preventing him from having contact with Tenth Uncle’s family. Why was he now actively telling him to go see Tenth Uncle?
Because of what Wen Rugui had done, Wen Feng kept this uncle at a respectful distance, but he was an honest person who remembered the care Wen Rugui had shown when they first came to the capital and their clan relationship. Knowing the other party’s circumstances were so difficult, he was willing to occasionally provide some assistance.
Seeing his father’s change in attitude, though puzzled, he still pocketed some loose silver and went to Wen Rugui’s residence.
Wen Ping didn’t dare go see his former master, so a young servant accompanied him instead.
Master and servant had just reached the alley entrance when they heard the neighbors gossiping.
“Tsk tsk, I heard he used to be a high official, but who would have thought that when he died, he didn’t even have a thin coffin—just wrapped in a straw mat and that was it.”
“Well, there’s no helping it. That whole family looks quite pitiful, they couldn’t afford it.”
“I think their son has hands and feet, and he’s even a literate scholar. Supporting the family should actually be easier for him than for us.”
“You don’t know? This is karmic retribution…”
Wen Feng quickened his pace and walked past. Seeing the courtyard gate left ajar, he pushed it open and went straight in.
The courtyard was utterly quiet, with no mourning decorations hung.
Wen Feng saw the dazed mother and two sons, felt so oppressed he couldn’t stay even a moment longer, put down the silver and hurried home.
“How is your Tenth Uncle?”
Without thinking much, Wen Feng replied: “Tenth Uncle passed away from illness—”
Before he finished speaking, he saw Wen Rusheng’s eyes roll back, looking like he was about to expire.
“Father, what’s wrong!”
Wen Rusheng forcefully slapped Wen Feng’s arm: “I knew it! As soon as A’Hao’s magical power increased, she cast a spell to kill your Tenth Uncle!”
Wen Feng could bear it no longer: “Father, why are you so convinced that A’Hao is a demon, a monster?”
These two absurd words, he could hardly bring himself to say out loud.
Wen Rusheng countered: “What evidence do you have that she isn’t?”
Wen Feng paused, thinking that his father had feared ghosts and spirits for decades, and gave up on reasoning: “Even if that were true, A’Hao has always been very good to us. Look, your son passed the imperial examination, and now my official career is going smoothly, and your life is getting better and better. Even spells… can be good, can’t they?”
Wen Rusheng’s eyes lit up. Immediately his vision stopped going dark, his heart stopped trembling, and he sprang up like a carp: “Wen Ping, go fetch a pot of wine and buy two roasted chickens.”
Feng’er was right—he had been confused as the person involved!
“If A’Hao becomes Empress, wouldn’t you, Feng’er, become Prime Minister?”
Wen Feng could bear it no longer and stood up: “The government office still has matters to attend to. Your son will head back first.”
The streets were full of hurrying people. Wen Feng breathed a slight sigh of relief but couldn’t help smiling.