Old Madam Ren, née Liu, was shouting with all her might, and even the stern rebuke from the half-grown youth Lei Zhen did not cause her voice to falter for a moment. She continued to wail and lament as if the sky had fallen.
At this moment, a middle-aged man who had entered with Madam Liu stepped forward. He sized up the two Lei brothers and, putting on airs, declared, "We are from the Liu family. This is my mother, also the biological younger sister of the Lei Family's Madam Lei."
He had expected the two Lei brothers to step forward and address him as uncle. Instead, Lei Zhen looked at them with suspicion, while the eldest Lei brother, Lei Ting, frowned thoughtfully before calmly saying, "A few years ago, I sent someone back to inquire. The branch of the Liu family from my great-grandmother's generation has no descendants left."
Before the middle-aged man could respond, the old woman who had been crying turned her head and glared, exclaiming, "Who says the Liu family has no one left! I am a daughter of the Liu family who married out. Now, my second son has taken the Liu surname, kowtowed before the ancestral tablets of the Liu family, and will carry on the Liu family line from now on."
Lei Ting looked at them, his furrowed brow still tense, clearly unconvinced by their words.
At this point, the middle-aged woman who had been supporting Old Madam Liu all along, and who appeared quite formidable, raised her voice loudly, "Mother, don't waste your breath on such nonsense with them. We are not here today to acknowledge relatives but to stand up for our aunt. Her death was shrouded in mystery, and isn't the Lei Family taking advantage of the fact that our Liu family has no one left? Today, we are here to show them whether the Liu family truly has no one left! A life must be paid for with a life—our aunt cannot have died in vain!"
As soon as this woman spoke, the onlookers erupted in an uproar.
Although there were many rumors circulating about the cause of Old Madam Lei's death, hearing it from someone claiming to be from Madam Lei's maternal family was entirely different.
Someone in the crowd spoke up, "Madam, you cannot make such accusations lightly. Do you have any evidence?"
The woman, far from being intimidated, grew even more assertive, "Evidence? That's simple enough. Our Liu family has already decided to report this to the authorities. Once the magistrate sends someone to examine my aunt's body, everything will become clear."
Another wave of commotion swept through the crowd at her words.
Lei Zhen angrily retorted, "No! My grandmother has already passed away and should be laid to rest in peace. How can you treat her with such disrespect?"
The middle-aged woman sneered in response, "We are disrespecting her? Or is it the Lei Family who has a guilty conscience?"
By now, the scene had descended into chaos. The onlookers, who had previously been whispering among themselves, began openly discussing the matter. Some said that this Liu family, appearing out of nowhere, was making baseless accusations with unknown motives. Others speculated that the Lei Family indeed had something to hide and that Madam Lei's sudden death might truly be connected to them. Still, a portion of the crowd remained silent, simply watching the spectacle unfold.
Thus, the entire mourning hall grew lively.
Just as the situation threatened to spiral out of control, Lei Ting raised his hand and gestured for everyone to quiet down. Though young, he carried an air of authority befitting the head of the Lei Family when he wore a stern expression. Coupled with everyone's curiosity about what he would say next, the crowd gradually fell silent.
"You intend to report this to the authorities?"
The hall grew quiet once more, and all eyes turned to the members of the Liu family who had arrived.The Liu family had brought over a dozen people this time—men and women, old and young. However, everyone could see that the main figures were likely the elderly Madam Liu, who was said to be Madam Lei’s younger sister, along with the middle-aged man and woman who had been speaking.
As soon as Madam Liu entered, she could only weep, likely due to poor health. After uttering a few words earlier, she leaned weakly against another woman supporting her, breathing heavily. The middle-aged man and woman who spoke were probably her son and daughter-in-law.
When Lei Ting posed his question, it was once again the middle-aged man who stepped forward to answer: "That’s right, we intend to report this to the authorities! We accuse your Lei family of driving my aunt to her death. You tried to bury her before we, her maternal relatives, could arrive, hoping to destroy the evidence. Fortunately, Heaven has eyes—we heard the mountain road collapsed and was blocked."
Just as Lei Zhen was about to speak, Lei Ting raised a hand to stop him. He said coldly, "On what grounds do you plan to report this?"
The middle-aged man sneered, "Of course, as Madam Lei’s maternal relatives. As I said, my mother is Madam Lei’s own younger sister."
Lei Ting remained unmoved. "My apologies, but since the Lei family moved to Yanbei, many have come claiming kinship. I have never met you."
The middle-aged man seemed unperturbed, as if he had anticipated their identity would be questioned. He snorted lightly, retrieved a piece of paper from his sleeve, and leisurely handed it to Lei Ting. "Take a good look. This is a letter from the Liu family clan leader, clearly stating our identity, stamped with the clan seal and the private seals of several senior elders of the Liu family. We are indeed members of the Liu family. Madam Liu is my sixth aunt. If you have any doubts, feel free to return to the clan and verify. Just don’t blame others for laughing at you later."
Liu Gui, the steward behind Lei Ting, hurried forward to take the paper from the middle-aged man. He unfolded it and handed it to Lei Ting, who examined it carefully. Finally, Lei Ting’s expression softened slightly. "So you truly are from the Liu family."
The Liu family members immediately straightened their backs with pride.
Although the Liu family had been one of the foremost aristocratic families in Jiangnan decades ago, they had long since declined. Most of the remaining Liu family members were distant branches who had avoided involvement back then, and their aristocratic demeanor had long since worn away.
Lei Ting glanced toward a certain spot in the crowd and subtly signaled to his own people.
Then, someone was heard saying, "Oh? More Liu family members here to claim kinship? Weren’t there rumors before about Madam Lei’s origins? Some said she wasn’t from the main branch of the Liu family, just a concubine’s daughter. Others claimed she was an orphan of unknown origin who sought refuge with the Liu family. There were even those who said this Madam Lei was an imposter, and the two Lei masters were bastards of unclear lineage."
Although the speaker appeared to be discussing with others, his voice was quite loud, and many present heard it.
Lei Zhen trembled with rage and was about to order the expulsion of those spouting nonsense. Lei Ting, however, remained impassive, as if he had merely heard someone pass gas in public. Yet, he kept a close watch on the Liu family’s reactions.
Thus, he did not miss the meaningful glance exchanged between the middle-aged man and woman at that moment.
In truth, the husband and wife were both recalling what they had heard before entering the Lei family.They had already set out from their hometown before Madam Lei passed away, at that time the person had ordered them to expose Madam Lei's identity.
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