Chapter 11: The Curse of the Wen Family

“Second Brother, Third Brother and I have arrived. How is Jing Er doing now? As soon as we heard the news, we rushed over,” Wen Meng, the elder brother of Wen Shou Fu, and Wen Ji, the third brother, anxiously entered the room together.

“Elder Brother, Third Brother, you’ve come at just the right time. Jing Er is fine now and just needs some rest. I have something to discuss with you both, let’s head to the study first.”

Although Wen Meng and Wen Jing were puzzled, they followed Wen Shou Fu to the study. Their wives, who had come along, stayed with the elderly Lady Wang.

Wen Zhi, seeing his father heading to the study, brought along several of his cousins and younger brothers as well. Wen Ye initially wanted to stay behind, but noticing the serious expressions of the others, he hurried after them.

Before they even stepped into the study, they could hear the excited voices of their eldest uncle and third uncle.
“Second Brother! Did you say that Jing Er’s bell rang? Who else witnessed this besides Jing Er?”

“It was Ye Er who saw it with his own eyes. He said Jing Er saw it too, which is why he got so agitated that he fainted,” Wen Shou Fu, now calm, replied.

“Where is Ye Er? Bring him here immediately! I need to ask him myself, he mustn’t have seen it wrong,” Wen Meng said as he paced back and forth in the study, visibly agitated.

“Eldest Uncle, I’m here. I really saw and heard it! I always thought Third Brother’s bell would never ring,” Wen Ye quickly stepped forward to answer.

“If what you say is true, then this is wonderful news! Heaven truly favors the Wen family, Heaven favors us! I never thought I’d live to see the day the bell would ring. At last, I can face our ancestors with pride!” Wen Meng cried and laughed at the same time, alarming the younger generation. Wen Shou Fu (Wen Zhong) and Wen Ji also looked visibly emotional.

“Father, Eldest Uncle, Third Uncle, what’s going on?” Wen Ye asked, clearly confused.

Wen Meng, Wen Zhong, and Wen Jing exchanged glances, deciding it was time to reveal the truth to the younger family members.

“Elder Brother, you’re the family head. You should be the one to explain,” Wen Shou Fu and Wen Jing said, turning to Wen Meng.

“Everyone, take a seat. It’s time we told you something. You all should remember that every generation of our Wen family has produced an exceptionally talented young individual, right? But that person always has one peculiar trait, they don’t live long.”

As Wen Meng spoke, tears filled his eyes, and an overwhelming sadness consumed him. The younger members of the family nodded solemnly.

“The truth is, they inherited the Wen family’s curse. It’s not due to illness or frailty, they’re tormented by the curse, which is why their lives are so short.”

Wen Meng’s words shocked the younger generation. Apart from the eldest sons of each branch, who were privy to the truth, everyone else stared at their father in disbelief. It wasn’t until their fathers nodded in confirmation that they began to accept Wen Meng wasn’t joking.

“So, was Fourth Uncle and Third Brother’s poor health also caused by the curse?” Wen Ye asked sorrowfully.

“Yes, both your Fourth Uncle and Jing Er were chosen by the curse, which is why they’ve suffered so much.”

“So, Fourth Uncle didn’t pass away because of his health but because he couldn’t find the person who could make the bell ring? Is that why he gave the bell to Third Brother before he passed, Father?” Wen Ye could barely speak through his tears.

As a child, Wen Ye had naively thought his Fourth Uncle simply favored his younger brother, Wen Jing, by giving him the bell. The cruel truth was far beyond what he could have imagined.

Seeing his second brother cry so bitterly, Wen Zhi patted Wen Ye’s shoulder in comfort. Wen Ye looked up at his eldest brother with tear-filled eyes and choked out, “Big Brother, you’ve known all along, haven’t you? Why didn’t you tell me sooner? I could have shared this burden with you.”

“Second Brother, I didn’t want you to live your life burdened by guilt as I have,” Wen Zhi replied.

“Big Brother!” Wen Ye’s cries grew even louder.

“Second Brother, stop crying,” Wen Shou Fu consoled his son. “The good news is that the Wen family has finally found someone who can break the curse. Jing Er can be saved, and our descendants will no longer have to endure this torment.”

“Second Uncle, does this mean the Wen family won’t be cursed anymore?” Wen Ji’s youngest son asked anxiously.

“No more,” Wen Shou Fu replied. “The Wise Master said that once the bell rings, the curse will be broken, and the Wen family can finally usher in a century of prosperity.”

“Who is the person who made the bell ring? Why haven’t we brought them to the residence so Third Brother can recover?” Wen Meng’s youngest son couldn’t wait any longer and asked eagerly, noting that he hadn’t seen any strangers earlier.

“We don’t know for sure yet. We’ve sent people to investigate. All we know is that it was a carriage from the Mu family,” Wen Zhi explained on behalf of his father.

“As long as we can find the person, that’s all that matters. Members of the Mu family were present at the palace banquet before, so it’s likely someone we’ve already met,” Wen Meng’s eldest son analyzed.

“Could it be Mu Si’s niece who just returned to the capital?” Wen Ye suddenly recalled how Mu Si had been boasting about his niece’s return recently.

“You mean the Fifth Miss, the one taken away by the Daoist from the valley as a child?” Wen Ji asked in surprise.

“Yes, that’s her! Just yesterday, Mu Si was bragging to me about how adorable his niece is and mentioned she was going to visit her aunt’s family today…” Wen Ye’s thoughts clicked into place. A Mu family carriage, followed by the Rong family carriage, it must have been Mu Si’s wife and niece inside.

“Big Brother, send someone to both the Mu and Rong residences immediately to confirm if it was Mu’s Second Lady and Fifth Miss!” Wen Ye exclaimed in excitement.

“The person sent to the Mu residence should be back soon. I’ll arrange for someone to inquire at the Rong residence. Fifth Brother, could you check outside for updates?” Wen Zhi instructed one of his younger cousins.

“Got it, Second Brother! I’ll head out now!” The younger cousin dashed off without hesitation. On any other day, such haste might have earned him a scolding from his father, but today, no one cared about propriety.

In less than half an hour, the younger cousin returned with the investigator. Wen Shou Fu eagerly asked, “Did you find out who left the Mu residence today?”

“Sir, it was the Second Lady and the recently returned Fifth Miss. They left after lunch and returned from the Rong family after dinner. Their carriage met with the Second Young Master and Third Young Master’s carriage on Zhu Que Street, then turned back,” the investigator reported respectfully.

“Understood. You’ve worked hard. Go to the steward and collect fifty taels of silver from the accounts office as a reward,” Wen Shou Fu said, rewarding the investigator on the spot.

“Thank you, sir! Thank you!” The investigator was thrilled, clearly not expecting such a generous reward.

Once the investigator left, Wen Ji asked his elder brothers, “What do we do now?”

“Obviously, we need to find a way for Third Brother to meet Fifth Miss again to see if the bell will ring!” Wen Ye exclaimed excitedly.

“Nonsense! Unmarried men and women cannot meet privately,” Wen Meng scolded his nephew.

“Eldest Uncle, of course not in private! We can have Mother, Eldest Sister-in-law, or Second Sister-in-law host a flower-viewing banquet. That would be entirely proper!” Wen Ye proposed confidently.