The Wang Family was notorious in the capital for being spineless bootlickers, always trying to ingratiate themselves with anyone they came into contact. The behavior extended to everyone in their household, and their aptitude for flattery only served to amplify their sycophantic reputation. As a result, Duan Lan didn’t hold the slightest bit of goodwill towards them.
Even so, the entrappings of old ties between families were not matters that could be easily done away with based on personal dislike. It was the same with the arranged marriage he was consigned to, a situation he had no power to choose. Being born among the aristocrats, he was destined to relinquish certain liberties and accommodate to circumstances out of his control.
Duan Lan’s countenance darkened slightly, stating, "Let’s go".
——
The Wang Family estate was brightly lit. For those unaware of the situation, they would assume the household was celebrating the Lantern Festival. Only the apprehensive Master Wang and Lady Wang understood the true intent that hid behind their actions.
"So much time has passed, yet there’s still no news? What exactly are those people doing?" Master Wang’s irritation was obvious as he paced restlessly across the room.
"They should be back soon. Don’t worry, my dear. The assassins we hired, nearly twenty of them, are more than capable of dealing with a delicate flower like Ji Xinhe. She doesn’t stand a chance. Today will be the day we are rid of her and the looming threat she poses." Lady Wang consoled, though whether her words were for her husband or herself, no one could tell.
As the couple anxiously awaited news, they heard the frantic footsteps of the steward rushing towards them. "Master Wang, there’s trouble!", he shouted before even entering the room.
The sudden announcement made Master Wang’s heart pound and drain the color from his face. He sharply questioned, "What’s the problem? Was tonight’s task accomplished?"
The steward, consumed with urgency, replied, "No, it turns out that the village girl knows some martial arts, our hired assassins couldn’t even handle her."
Master Wang’s body shuddered, "So, they didn’t succeed?"
The steward quickly said, "Not just that. Ji Xinhe had unexpected help. I was watching the whole time and found out that Ji Xinhe’s helper was none other than the recently arrived Third Master of the Duan Family, Young Master Duan!
Master Wang’s eyes widened in shock, "He just arrived in Lian’an Town and doesn’t know that girl. Why would he help her?"
"Probably, the young master saw injustice happening on the way, and we were just unlucky. How did Young Master Duan end up in Lian’an Town today, and bump into this matter, sigh!"
Master Wang choked in anger, "Summon these incompetent assassins immediately!"
"Master Wang – we mustn’t! Young Master Duan is already in Lian’an Town! He will definitely visit our residence; it’s already bad luck that he got wind of our attempted assassination, but if he finds out that we were behind it, things will only get worse."
Master Wang finally calmed down a bit and asked in a deep voice, "When is Young Master Duan expected to arrive?"
"He should arrive soon, which is exactly why I didn’t dare to bring the assassins back to the residence. The last thing we need is for Young Master Duan to bump into them."
To the Wang Family, Duan Lan’s untimely visit to Lian’an Town felt like complete bad luck. On top of the fact that Ji Xinhe was a ticking time bomb, the sudden arrival of Duan Lan was like adding insult to injury!
While the Wang Family found it necessary to latch onto this powerful aristocratic family in the capital, this timing was truly terrible.
Master Wang’s hair seemed to grey even further amidst the stress. These recent consecutive streaks of misfortune were near unbearable, making him question whether he had somehow offended the supernatural.
A servant rushed in, "Master Wang, Young Master Duan has arrived and has already been led to the front hall."
Being such an important guest, the Wang Family had to welcome him in despite receiving no prior notice of his visit.
Master Wang forced himself to stay calm, took a deep breath, and said, "I’ll be there shortly."
Lady Wang anxiously gripped her husband’s hand, "My dear, I have a bad feeling about this..."
"Now more than ever, we must keep our composure. Do not let Duan Lan see through us." Master Wang advised before exiting the room with a stern look on his face.
——
News of the fight in the streets had spread quickly. The normally vibrant Lantern Festival was brought to a premature end, and fear caused the common people to retreat into their homes, worried about being caught in a disaster.
Ji Xinhe managed to find Xiao Bei and Ji Dong, who were anxiously waiting at the entrance of the teahouse.
Xiao Bei instantly rushed forward upon seeing her, "Sis, where have you been? I heard about the trouble here and was worried you’d run into it. Are you ok?"
Ji Xinhe gently patted his head, "I’m fine, don’t I look alright?"
Ji Dong finally breathed a sigh of relief, "There’s a lot of chaos in the town, with rumors of assassins about. I feared you might get caught in it unintentionally, but I’m glad nothing happened. Let’s go home now."
In truth, she wasn’t simply caught in the chaos, but was explicitly targeted by the assassins.
However, Ji Dong would never imagine this. How could a village girl like her have any enemies, let alone those who would hire assassins to harm her?
Ji Xinhe let out a bitter laugh inside her heart. Who else but the Wang Family, who had been behaving oddly of late, could it be... or perhaps someone related to Mu Houchu?
She couldn’t think of anyone else.
"Alright." Ji Xinhe nodded in agreement, with a different train of thought running in the back of her mind.
She had no information about what was going on with Mu Houchu — his power, his measures, his scheming nature, and the people around him. Thinking about it, she couldn’t help but ridicule herself. She had been so carried away by a man she barely knew anything about, trusting him blindly and even agreeing to marry him.
Ji Xinhe shook her head; she didn’t want to think about him anymore.
Because she was ignorant about Mu Houchu’s situation, she felt it was more likely that the Wang Family was behind the assassination attempt. Their recent behavior had been off.
But what could be their motive for attempting to harm her?
Did they want to seek revenge because she purposely leaked a faulty grape wine brewing technique, causing their family great harm?
No, it couldn’t be right. This incident had happened long ago. Shouldn’t they have acted earlier if they were to retaliate?
Especially during their last visit to her home, they seemed uninterested in her grape wine. They were strangely fixated on her mother, had appeared increasingly disturbed, especially Lady Wang. Her overt agitation, bordering on panic and fear, was too conspicuous.
Fear?
Ji Xinhe furrowed her brows as she unfolded the handkerchief in her hand. Did they fear her, or fear this handkerchief?
Ji Xinhe was struck by a hunch. She had a feeling there was more than what met the eye. After encountering the attempted assassination today, there was no longer room for passivity on her part. It was crucial to regain control of the situation and not let others take advantage of her.
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