With a heavy face, the Minister of Household Affairs raised his hand slightly, “Sit down.”
Li An sat down in a disciplined manner.
The first day Huo died, Wen Zhong had someone go outside the city to find him back, the family of three had been living over here for the past few days, last night Wen Zhong was taken away, he witnessed it with his own eyes and was shocked that Wen Zhong and Huo dared to kill someone.
“These next few days will be hard for you.”
The Minister of Household also had a low voice, as if he had been hit hard by what had happened to Wen Zhong.
“It’s all under my command, please don’t worry, my lord.”
The Minister of Household nodded his head.
The maid brought tea and placed it in front of the two men before retreating.
“What are you going to do about the back?”
“I would like to ……”
Li An told his arrangement, and the Minister of Household Affairs nodded straight as he listened, lifting the tea in front of him and taking a sip, gesturing for Li An to drink as well.
Li An did not doubt it and also picked up the one in front of himself and took a few sips, and was about to say that if it was all right, he would go and make the arrangements himself when a burst of darkness hit him and the tealight in his hand fell to the floor and he slid off his chair, limply slumping over the edge of it.
“Someone!”
The butler came in with two boys.
“Settle in well, send someone to keep a close watch, and don’t let him out without my orders.”
The steward answered, and the two boys went forward and helped Li An out carefully.
Over there, Mrs. Wen Zhong got the news and led her personal sisters with the box to the courtyard where Wen’s family lived.
Last night, when Wen Zhong was arrested, she was so frightened that she did not sleep all night. In the morning, she went to keep watch over the casket for a while, but she became dizzy and was helped to come back.
A maid was waiting at the door.
When she heard footsteps, she looked up and saw that it was Mrs. Wen Zhong, and hurriedly bowed.
“Madam has something to say to your wife, you go and keep watch in the outer courtyard.”
The maid was stubbed away by the sisters and Madam Wen walked into the house, holding the box.
Wen had long since heard the movement at the door and was sitting up shakily.
“Little Aunt.”
Mrs. Wen knelt down directly in front of the bed, holding the box.
Wen was startled and hurried to help her, “Sister-in-law, what are you doing?”
Tears flowed quickly from Mrs. Wen Zhong’s red and swollen eyes, “Little Aunt, please save your big brother, only you can save him.”
“Is sister-in-law confused, how can I save big brother?”
“You can!”
With those words, Mrs. Wen put the box on the bed, took a step back on her knees and kowtowed to Wen with a thud, “Little aunt, sister-in-law, I beg you, just save him for the sake of your big brother who has brought you up well for so many years, save him.”
Wen was already faint, but now she was even more faint.
She slid off the bed and stopped Madam Wen from kowtowing again, “Sister-in-law, you are really confused, how can I possibly save big brother?”
“You can, you can ……”
Madam Wen grabbed her hand eagerly, “As long as you go to the Capital Mansion and admit that you and your mother-in-law killed those four people and that your big brother didn’t even know about it, you can save your big brother.”
Wen’s eyes rounded and looked at her incredulously, “Big, sister-in-law, what, what are you talking about?”
“I know I’m sorry for letting you die instead of your big brother, I ……”, Madam Wen brought the box on the bed over and opened it, “In here are a few shops in the best part of the capital, I can transfer them all to Ling’er’s name. I can transfer all of them to Ling’er’s name, and all of these silver certificates will also be given to Ling’er. As for Ling’er’s marriage, I can also guarantee that nothing will go wrong. I will ask my father to find an official position for Li An, so that he can rise through the ranks. And your big brother, as long as he can come back safely, we will treat Ling’er as our own daughter, and we will not let her suffer a bit for the rest of her life.”
“No, I don’t agree.”
Wen snapped back, shaking her head and backing away.
Mrs. Wen followed on her knees and grabbed her hand again, her voice tearful, “I know I’m sorry for doing this to my little aunt, but this is the only way we can think of. If your elder brother dies, your two nephews will always be ridiculed and have no career; Ling’er’s marriage will also be withdrawn and she will be told that she will be given to an unattractive peddler and no one will stand up for her when she is bullied by her in-laws. And you and I, too, will be pointed at and afraid to go out. Little Aunt, if not for anything else, for the sake of your two nephews and Ling’er, save your big brother!”
“No, no ……”
Wen kept backing up, her back against the bed, she didn’t want to die, she wanted to live, she ……
Tears spurted out, she knew that what Mrs. Wen Zhong said was true, if Wen Zhong died, all of them would no longer have a good life, Li An would be suppressed, maybe she wouldn’t even be able to stay in the Ministry of Industry, her Ling’er would also be looked down upon, no one would want to marry her, and just become an old girl day by day.
But she really didn’t want to die!
Seeing her tears, Mrs. Wen Zhong knew that her heart had loosened and she wept more and more bitterly, “I know it’s wrong for sister-in-law to beg you like this, but I really have no other choice. But back then I had not yet married him, so even if I wanted to die in his place, it would be impossible, Little Aunt, only you can save him!”
Wen violently pushed her away and stumbled to get up, knocking over a box to one side, which tipped over and scattered the silver notes inside.
Wen’s legs went limp again, and the tears in her eyes flowed even faster.
“Miss ……”
A maid’s shout came from outside the courtyard door, and the Sister’s heart tightened as she hurriedly picked open the curtain to enter, saw the situation inside, and hurriedly retreated again, saying urgently, “Madam, Miss Ling’er has returned.”
Wen instantly stopped her tears and hurried to pick up the silver tickets. Mrs. Wen Zhong also helped, and the two of them put the silver tickets and the house deed away in a box, when Sister’s voice rang out, “Miss Ling’er.”
Xu Ling’er glanced strangely at the Sister, she knew that this was her aunt’s personal Sister, why was she here?
A low sob came from inside the house.
Xu Ling’er didn’t think much of it and walked quickly into the house, where Wen and Madam Wen were crying, one sitting on the bed and the other on a stool in front of it.
Xu Ling’er’s eyes flickered, always feeling that the scene before her was a little strange.
“Mother, aunt.”
Hearing her voice, the two of them wiped their tears at the same time.
Wen’s hoarse voice asked, “What brings you here?”
“There was something over at the hearth that needed to be taken care of by Father, and he wasn’t here, so I thought he had come back to see Mother.”
After saying that, he blessed himself towards Madam Wen.
Mrs. Wen’s eyes flickered, “Brother-in-law went out of the house to look at the graveyard, your uncle was …… before he had a chance to watch it”
The tears flowed out again, and she didn’t bother to wipe them, she got up, “Ling’er, take good care of your mother, and go tell your aunt if you need anything.”