Chapter 73: Unwilling to be Buried Together
Upon hearing this, Wen was about to retort when she heard her second brother, Wen He, speak in a sarcastic tone.
“Your son is successful and has become a favorite of the emperor, living a life of luxury. It’s normal for you to be afraid of death. But my elder brother and I can only afford to eat our fill. Whether we live or die is not important. It would be better to have Father come and take us away sooner, so we can avoid suffering.”
Hearing this, Madam Wen felt a pang of pain in her heart: "Second brother, what you're saying is truly heartless! Over the years, haven't I helped you? If you hadn't forced Mother to do things behind Father's back, would I have fallen out with you?"
“Back then, the whole family was struggling to survive, Father did the right thing.” Wen Jiang immediately stood up and said loudly, “Mother only suffered for a while, didn’t you take her to the capital to enjoy a comfortable life after she got old?”
Wen couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat and a tightness in her heart. She said in a trembling voice, "If I take Mother to enjoy a life of luxury, will that make up for Father for forcing Mother to have children for other people?"
“Back then, we were so poor that our whole family couldn’t even afford to eat. My father’s actions were truly out of desperation. Besides, my mother gave money to every family she went to. After giving birth to their children, she returned to our family. She was still our mother, and there was no difference.”
Wen gripped the wooden chair tightly, almost unable to catch her breath.
She knew from a young age that her family was very poor and often went hungry. Her father would send her mother away every now and then, and then the family would have a good meal for a while.
My mother always had a long face when she went out. When I was little, I didn't know what she was doing. It wasn't until after I got married that I learned from a relative that my mother was going to have a baby for someone else.
Back then, there were many men in the village who couldn't find wives. It was rumored that men with wives would rent them out to other men until they had a child, and then bring their wives back.
Her mother was the same; she was rented out five times in her life and gave birth to five children there.
Later, because she nearly died in childbirth while giving birth to her last child, no one dared to rent her out anymore, fearing that she would die in their home. Only then did her father give up.
After learning about this, Wen asked her mother about it. Her mother just wiped away her tears and didn't say anything, her face full of resentment and unwillingness.
From then on, she hated her father, blaming him for doing such disgusting things when he could earn a living with his own hands.
The Wen family wasn't particularly wealthy, but fortunately, their son was a promising young man. When he went to the battlefield at the age of twenty, he saved the emperor, who was then a prince, and earned his favor.
As soon as her family's circumstances improved, she immediately brought her mother to live with her.
After the emperor ascended the throne, he bestowed the title of general upon his son and the whole family moved to the capital.
Wen naturally took her mother to the capital. When her father found out, he made a huge scene and died not long after.
Years later, her mother passed away. She followed her mother's last wish and buried her in the capital, not with her father.
It was only because of the matter of not being buried together that she learned from her two brothers that they had known all along.
Wen couldn't understand why her two older brothers, who were also her mother's children, hadn't noticed her pain and were even speaking up for their father in front of the mourning hall.
She had a fight with her two brothers over this matter and never spoke to them again.
The conversation between Wen and her two brothers ended inconclusively. After seeing them off, she finally couldn't hold on any longer, her eyes rolled back, and she fainted in her chair.
In the flower hall on the other side, Jingwu was enjoying his tea while listening to Yue Huai introduce the flowers outside, which was quite pleasant.
She heard the commotion outside and was about to speak when she heard a woman's shrill voice shouting.
"Quickly, fetch a doctor! The old lady has fainted."
Upon hearing the voice, Jingwu immediately put down his teacup and walked towards the main hall.
As soon as they turned the corner, they saw the old lady with a deathly pale face and a deathly aura on her forehead. She immediately reached for the pills on her body, but found nothing.
Jingwu then realized that the cloth bag containing the pills was hanging on another piece of clothing, and slapped his forehead in frustration.
"Don't rush." Yue Huai frowned deeply when he saw how ruthless she was to him. He immediately took out a Rejuvenation Pill and handed it to her: "Here you go, Rejuvenation Pill."
Without any hesitation, Jingwu immediately took it and stuffed it into the old lady's mouth, lifting her chin and forcing her to swallow.
Before long, the old lady's complexion improved somewhat.
Jingwu was relieved and withdrew his hand. Before he could turn around and say a word to the boy beside him, the person in front of him slowly woke up.
Wen clutched her chest, writhing in agony. After a long while, she managed to put on a smile that was no different from her usual demeanor.
"Thank you, young lady, thank you, young master Yue. I have a question: if I don't resolve this with my father, what would be the worst possible outcome?"
Jingwu paused for a moment, then said, "All the members of your families will be taken down by him to pay for your lives."
Upon hearing this, Wen's eyes instantly hardened. She nodded, looking at the two people before her: "Let's open the coffin tomorrow."
She was also her father's daughter, and besides, she paid for the tomb repairs herself, so of course she had the right to open the coffin.
Jingwu nodded: "Okay."
After the matter was settled, Madam Wen had her maid help her back to rest, and then instructed the steward to treat the two of them well.
Jingwu and Yuehuai sat in the flower hall for a while longer. After having dinner, they each returned to the rooms arranged by the steward to rest.
Early the next morning, a large group of people headed to Wangyue Mountain.
First, Wen ordered people to set out the sacrificial offerings, then he bowed three times and lit incense.
Afterwards, the group dug up the grave and opened the coffin.
Jingwu watched as they dug deeper and deeper until a coffin was revealed.
Upon closer inspection, one can see that black water is flowing out of the coffin.
Just as the servants were about to open the coffin, the two Wen brothers rushed over.
Wen Jiang immediately walked up to Wen Shi, pointed at her nose and scolded, "What are you doing? That's your own father! How could you open the coffin? This is extremely unfilial!"
“If we don’t open the coffin, all three of our families will die. Can you bear to watch your newborn grandson die with us?” Madam Wen’s originally kind face turned bright red as she spoke sharply.
Wen Jiang paused for a moment, then said, "Then you should find a few masters with profound knowledge. These two are so young, their knowledge is definitely not profound, what could they possibly know?"
"Shut up!" Madam Wen said sharply, "The Yue family is a family of Taoist masters. If even their young master doesn't understand, then who does? The master you found?"
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