Chapter 84: Full Disclosure

“Those two letters are fake!”

“They must have been forged by Sun Xuan, right?”

Li Xunshan’s mind was entirely focused on those two letters. He had initially planned to discuss the matter with Ren Yue in private after the banquet ended.

But unexpectedly, he learned in advance about Sun Xuan’s attempt to have him killed.

Instinctively, he sought to blame those forged letters on Sun Xuan as well.

Patriarch Ren nodded. “The letters are indeed fake, but they weren’t forged by Sun Xuan… I forged them.”

“Uncle?” Li Xunshan frowned deeply, his tone rising slightly. “Does that mean you don’t want me and Yue’er to be together? Or do you think Sun Xuan is more worthy of Yue’er than I am?”

“Don’t talk nonsense! I’ve never thought that spoiled brat Sun Xuan was good enough for my Yue’er.”

“To be precise, no one is good enough for my Yue’er…”

“But you, well… you’re somewhat acceptable. I can see how well you treat Yue’er.”

Patriarch Ren, clearly a doting father, couldn’t help but smile whenever he mentioned his daughter.

Li Xunshan’s frown deepened. “Then why did you forge those letters?”

Patriarch Ren sighed. “Wasn’t it to make you give up and stop pursuing Yue’er?”

“I was trying to save you!”

“Who knew you’d be so stubborn and insist on attending the poetry gathering?”

“If you’d just gone back to Gucheng County quietly, nothing would’ve happened to you!”

Li Xunshan’s face darkened, and he spoke in a heavy tone. “Are you saying that since Sun Xuan failed to kill me once, he’ll try again?”

“If I hadn’t gone to the Sun residence today, you probably wouldn’t have made it alive from Flowing Pavilion to this mansion!” Patriarch Ren said seriously, showing no hint of joking.

“Ridiculous!” The old beggar slammed the table and said sternly, “Let them try! In broad daylight, in the bustling streets of Jiangling Prefecture, they dare to commit murder?”

“Do they really think the officers of Jiangling Prefecture are mere decorations?”

Patriarch Ren, momentarily startled by the old beggar’s outburst, narrowed his eyes. “Old Wen… does your family have connections in the government?”

The old beggar chuckled and shook his head. “I’m just a filthy beggar—how could I have any relatives in officialdom?”

“Oh…” Patriarch Ren muttered before proceeding to recount the highlights of his visit to the Sun residence earlier that day.

As it turned out, after confirming that Li Xunshan had entered Flowing Pavilion, Patriarch Ren brought the “sincere gift” he had prepared in advance and knocked on the Sun family’s door.

The Sun patriarch, upon learning Patriarch Ren’s intentions, didn’t bother to hide anything. He openly admitted that he had ordered an ambush on Li Xunshan.

According to the Sun patriarch, he hadn’t even realized the ambush had failed until Patriarch Ren came by to “apologize on Li Xunshan’s behalf.” Only then did he learn of the failure.

Patriarch Ren was understandably furious upon hearing this. After all, he had previously reached an agreement with the Sun family to help foster a relationship between his daughter and Sun Xuan.

As for Li Xunshan, he had promised to handle the matter properly himself.

He had explicitly requested that the Sun family refrain from taking action against Li Xunshan. At the time, the Sun patriarch had agreed without issue. Who would’ve thought they’d suddenly stage a “surprise attack”?

However, while the Ren family had wealth, the Sun family held power.

The relationship between the two families was unequal from the start, which explained why the Sun family, despite their promise, had gone behind Patriarch Ren’s back and taken matters into their own hands, surveilling and ambushing Li Xunshan.

Later, news of the events at the poetry gathering was almost immediately relayed back to the Sun residence.

When the Sun patriarch learned that his son had been publicly humiliated, he flew into a rage, even threatening to have Li Xunshan’s body ground into dust. Finally, after much persuasion from Patriarch Ren—and at the cost of 3,000 taels of silver and two bustling commercial properties—the Sun family agreed to grant Li Xunshan “seven days of peace.”

During these seven days, Patriarch Ren was tasked with ensuring that Li Xunshan severed ties with Ren Yue, left Jiangling Prefecture, and never returned. If the deadline passed, the Sun family would no longer show any leniency. If Li Xunshan refused to leave, they would send him straight to the afterlife.

“No wonder the son is so shameless; turns out the father is cut from the same cloth,” Gu Ning’an said with a laugh, taking a sip of wine.

Patriarch Ren glanced at Gu Ning’an and chuckled. “Mr. Gu, you’re about the same age as Xunshan… Why don’t you talk some sense into him? Don’t let him walk to his death. I haven’t even heard him call me ‘Father-in-law’ yet, and now this boy’s about to get himself killed over my daughter.”

“This kind of decision should follow the person’s own wishes… whether to live or die, it’s his choice to make, isn’t it?” Gu Ning’an said, turning to look at Li Xunshan, whose face had darkened.

Li Xunshan remained silent at these words.

Patriarch Ren sighed heavily and continued, “Wei Hai, Old Wen, you two should try to persuade him as well.

“This young man is a good kid… You don’t want to see him dead and floating down the Xiangjiang River in seven days, do you?

“If that happens, his poetic name will have to change—something like ‘I Died at the End of the Xiangjiang River.’”

Wei Hai frowned and said, “I agree with Mr. Gu. This is something Xunshan has to decide for himself. No matter what we say, he’ll still have regrets.”

The old beggar paused and added, “There are still seven days. Who knows? Maybe something will change.”

Seeing that none of the three were willing to push further, Patriarch Ren said no more. Instead, he turned to Li Xunshan with a smile. “No matter what you decide, you’ve got seven days. Stay here, spend time with Yue’er, and make the most of it.

“After that, it’s up to you.”

After a long silence, Li Xunshan finally looked up and said seriously, “Uncle Ren… if Yue’er were unwilling, would you still marry her off to Sun Xuan?”

Swish!

Patriarch Ren’s expression turned icy, and his tone carried a harsh edge. “Do you take me for someone who would sell out his own daughter for survival?”

“No, no, no!” Li Xunshan waved his hands frantically. “I’m just worried that since the Sun family is so powerful, if Yue’er doesn’t marry him, they might take revenge on your family.”

“Heh!” Patriarch Ren sneered, his eyes sharp and cold. “I’ve spent years in Jiangling Prefecture clawing my way to where I am today.

“If the Sun family dares lay a finger on the Ren family, I’ll make sure their entire line is wiped out!”

From Patriarch Ren’s tone and demeanor, everyone could tell he wasn’t bluffing—he was genuinely prepared to go down fighting.

Perhaps realizing he had been too aggressive, Patriarch Ren paused before resuming his earlier smile. “But don’t worry about the Ren family… If the Sun family wanted to make a move against us, they would have done so already. Why wait until now?

“The Sun family is ruthless, but they’re not stupid. They wouldn’t kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.”

Li Xunshan was about to say something, but the sound of light footsteps came from outside. Patriarch Ren made a gesture and said softly, “That’s enough. Think it over carefully on your own…”