Chapter 87 – Death

Liu Sanyi had long admired Wen Jin, but he understood neither his family background nor his talents and appearance matched hers.

In the past, when Wen Jin was not yet engaged, he still had some hope. But upon hearing that she had been betrothed to the eldest son of Prime Minister Xu, he was unwilling to accept it and began to harbor ulterior motives.

He also heard that during the New Year period, Wen Jin would come to Lingwu Temple with her family to pay respects. Thinking this was a rare opportunity, he gathered a few unsavory friends, planning to abduct Miss Wen.

However, to his surprise, Hu Mengyao and Lin Sayu were present. Initially, they had six people, and even if the three of them joined forces, they thought it would be manageable.

What they didn’t expect was that, on the way, Wen Jin and her companions ran into Xia Tian and Shen Ning.

At first, Liu Sanyi planned to wait for them to be separated before acting, but the group ended up walking together. Realizing they couldn’t separate them, Liu decided to abduct them all at once and, if that failed, kill them and finish it.

Since Xia Tian rarely went out, Liu Sanyi and his group didn’t recognize her. They assumed she was just another young lady from a noble family, thinking that adding one more or one less wouldn’t be a threat.

He had even dared to act against the legitimate young lady of the Wen family, so why fear anyone else?

He had planned to seize Wen Jin first, and while the others dealt with Lin Sayu, the rest would be easy to handle.

But things didn’t go as planned. They hadn’t anticipated Xia Tian, who swiftly knocked them all out with one blow.

After hearing this, Shen Ning and Wen Lan exchanged a look, both understanding from each other’s eyes that “these people must not be left alive.”

Shen Ning glanced at Mu Feng standing behind them, who swiftly knocked Liu Sanyi unconscious with a precise strike.

Shen Ning and Wen Lan moved aside to discuss. It was impossible to take these people to the Imperial Court for punishment. If they made false accusations, it would certainly harm the reputation of the young ladies. Therefore, the matter would have to be dealt with privately.

After discussing, they walked over.

They gathered the young ladies and their maids.

Wen Lan began, “You should consider today as though it never happened. We’ll handle things with your fathers, but if they ask, you must speak the truth. Don’t breathe a word to anyone else.”

“Understood.” The girls nodded seriously. They were no longer children and understood the severity of the situation.

As young women preparing for marriage, they knew how important their reputations were. If word of this got out, even if nothing happened to them, it would still damage their reputation, so they all nodded obediently.

Shen Ning looked at them nodding before speaking again. “We’ll take care of these people. For now, tidy yourselves up, and we’ll send you back later.”

Frowning as she looked at their clothes, she added, “These clothes are not suitable. We’ll go somewhere else for now, and have your maids fetch new cloaks for you.”

Afterward, she signaled Mu Feng. “Take Ning Xiang and the others, and get the cloaks for Madam and the second young lady.”

Wen Lan also sent a guard to fetch clothes for Wen Jin and the others’ maids.

The remaining guards, including Mu Chen, re-tied Liu Sanyi and his group securely. Shen Ning and Wen Lan took the girls to a different location.

Once they had left, Mu Chen signaled the others to move Liu Sanyi and the others to a hidden spot and clean up the scene.

Xia Tian and the others walked to the other side of the Plum Forest. After confirming there was no one around, they stopped.

After a while, Ning Xiang and the others returned, and they all put on the cloaks before following Shen Ning and Wen Lan outside the Plum Forest.

After leaving Lingwu Temple’s back mountain, they scattered and went back to their respective courtyards.

It was still before noon, and when Xia Tian returned to her courtyard, the old lady and the second lady had not yet returned, likely still talking with the abbot.

Shen Lan and the other young ladies were also not back, probably off enjoying themselves elsewhere. After all, it was winter, and it wasn’t easy to go out, so they probably wanted to play a bit longer.

Xia Tian and Shen Ning breathed a sigh of relief, and Xia Tian had her maid comb her hair again.

She also reminded Ning Xiang and the others to tidy up quickly.

Since they had brought replacement clothes, there were no concerns.

With no one else around, Xia Tian took the opportunity to remind them once more.

She particularly emphasized to Shen Ning and her maid that this matter must be kept strictly confidential. No one, not even a concubine or their future husbands, should know anything about it.

Shen Ning only brought one maid, Yun’er, that day, and the young maid was quite scared.

Both of them nodded earnestly, resolving not to tell anyone.

Xia Tian’s reason for insisting on secrecy was to avoid any complications with Shen Ning’s upcoming marriage. She didn’t want this incident to affect her wedding.

After Shen Ning and Wen Lan sent the girls to their respective places, they went to find Mu Chen and the others. By then, what happened to Liu Sanyi remained unknown.

Meanwhile, after Wen Jin and the others had returned to their families, they all kept calm, not revealing a single clue.

Xia Tian and the others stayed in the room for a while before the old lady and others returned. After some time, the rest of the group also came back, and everyone had a vegetarian meal together. They rested for half an hour before preparing to go down the mountain.

The younger children chattered excitedly about where they had been and what they had seen. They were so excited that they insisted on walking down the mountain instead of using the sedan chairs.

Shen Ning, like the others, took a sedan chair, with Yun’er following beside her, and no one noticed anything unusual.

Xia Tian didn’t sit in the sedan chair and walked slowly down the mountain with Shen Ning. They didn’t speak, quietly descending.

The descent was faster than the climb, and the mountain was busier now, with many vendors selling things, creating a lively atmosphere.

When they all got into the carriages and headed back to the city, it was another peak hour in the capital. They reached the Wu’an Marquis’s residence by evening.

The old lady was tired, and everyone went straight to their respective courtyards without any further fuss.

Xia Tian had been planning to ask Shen Ning about how Liu Sanyi was dealt with, but after the meal, she was too tired to inquire and went straight to bed.

It wasn’t until the twelfth day of the first lunar month that Xia Tian found the opportunity to ask Shen Ning about the matter.

It turned out that she and Wen Lan had informed General Lin, the Minister of War, and Mr. Hu, the Minister of the Ministry of War, as well as Wen Yi and the Marquis of Wu’an. They didn’t bother with anyone else.

These four old foxes had made their decision and directly sent someone to severely injure Liu Sanyi. The others were quietly dealt with.

When the Deputy Minister of War, Liu’s family, found Liu Sanyi, he had already slipped into a coma. He was carried away and died within three days.

It was said that the Deputy Minister of War had ordered the Dali Temple to search for the culprits, but they had yet to find anyone.

Since Liu Sanyi was the only son of Madam Liu, it was rumored that she fell ill after his death.

The Deputy Minister of War’s only legitimate son had been killed, and Liu Daren seemed to have aged ten years overnight.

It was also heard that when the Emperor convened the court, Mr. Hu and General Lin had made a report about Liu Daren, accusing him of illegally withholding grain, which led to a reprimand from the Emperor, and Liu Daren had to reflect on his actions.

What surprised Xia Tian most was Wu’an Marquis. She hadn’t expected him to take action for Shen Ning’s sake.

Maybe he had his own reasons, but in any case, the matter was resolved without anyone suffering any consequences.

On the afternoon of the fourteenth day of the first lunar month, Xia Tian received an invitation from Wen Jin, asking her to join in the lantern festival on the fifteenth.