Chapter 42: The Yan Family Assembly

In the evening, Yan Ruobing, the eldest miss of the Yan family, finished her work at the family office and was preparing to head into the city for a dinner invitation from a close friend when her father, Yan Wenbei, called her.

"Come home for dinner tonight," Yan Wenbei said in a steady, unquestionable tone.

Yan Ruobing frowned slightly, then figured it might be for the best. Since returning the day before, she hadn't seen her father because he was constantly busy, nor had she been able to give him a detailed, in-person account of this trip to Ice Prison Island.

She agreed. By dinnertime, she arrived at the family dining room. Several people were already seated around the table.

Her father, Yan Wenbei, was nearing fifty, with an imposing appearance, thick eyebrows, and large eyes that radiated natural authority.

Her second uncle, Yan Wenxi, was slightly younger, with a face similar to her father's, though leaner, and a somewhat brooding gaze.

Her third uncle, Yan Wendong, was the unruly youngest son whom her grandfather had fathered in his old age. Nearly thirty and approaching middle age, he remained restless and frivolous.

Aside from the elders, there was her younger brother, the twenty-six-year-old Yan Ruosong.

There was also Yan Ruofeng, the son of Yan Wenxi.

These were members of the direct lineage. In addition, there was cousin-uncle Yan Wenxing, slightly younger than her father, with thick eyebrows and a slightly chubby face. He was dressed in Donghua traditional martial arts attire and was rolling a string of prayer beads in his hand. Yan Wenxing's son, Yan Ruohui, sat beside him.

There was also an unmarried cousin-uncle, Yan Wenbin.

Yan Wenxing and Yan Wenbin were both descendants of Yan Yingwei, the younger brother of their grandfather Yan Yingjie. Yan Yingwei had passed away many years ago.

Family council meetings usually permitted only men at the table. Yan Ruobing was the sole exception as a woman. Of course, this was because her ability to manage family enterprises was so formidable that without her, many major family affairs would grind to a halt.

Why were so many relatives here today? Arriving so early and in such full attendance suggested something important was afoot. Yan Ruobing's heart skipped a beat.

There was an empty chair next to Yan Ruosong, which was her designated seat. As she walked over and sat down, she felt as though the gazes of her family members had never left her.

Everyone had been waiting for her, and once she arrived, everyone was present. Yan Wenbei clapped his hands, and the service staff and chefs, who had long been prepared, began bringing out exquisite dishes one by one. The primary branch of the Yan family usually kept their meals relatively light and simple, with calligraphy hanging on the wall that read: "Remember that every grain of rice and bowl of porridge does not come easily." Yet today, unexpectedly, the table was laden with exotic delicacies.

Perhaps it was simply because more people had come.

"Let's eat first, and I'll discuss business in ten minutes," Yan Wenbei said, helping himself to a large piece of fish.

Seeing this, the others picked up their chopsticks. Despite Yan Wenbei's words, many present clearly had matters on their minds and were entirely unconcerned with eating.

Yan Ruobing paid no attention to the others; she went ahead and ate a full bowl of rice along with a generous amount of dishes. By comparison, she was far more straightforward and decisive than many of the squeamish men.

Ten minutes later, Yan Wenbei put down his chopsticks. Everyone immediately followed suit, setting aside their food to await his words.

"I have a few matters to address, starting with the most recent one," Yan Wenbei said. "Some of you may have heard that a minor boundary point has appeared on Fengmen Island in Ting'ao Town. Bing'er went there with a portion of the Third Guard Unit. Bing'er, fill everyone in on the situation."

Well-prepared for this, Yan Ruobing briefly recounted the events of Ice Prison Island.

"On this trip, the family lost four guards, including Ni Ximei, an inspector from the Third Guard Unit, though she was already suffering from a terminal illness. Our gains include Old You's acquisition of three Ice Prison Hawks and an Ice Prison Bear, while our family secured one Ice Prison Bear, two executioner halberds, and a one-sixth share of the full equipment set of the Ice Prison Lord. After the upcoming auction, the relevant funds will be deposited into the primary branch's treasury." She placed the signed auction certificate issued by Lu Xingzhou in front of everyone. "Please examine it."

This was not a major incident and failed to draw any exceptional attention.

"The second matter concerns the young man named Shuisheng," Yan Wenbei said, turning his gaze to Yan Ruobing. "As you all know, before our father passed away, he inexplicably left a will solely for him. To this day, people are still whispering, and morale is unsettled. He has already been brought back by Bing'er and is staying in Courtyard No. 3 of the Yan Garden. According to his own account, he did not know the late family head and never met him even once. We are sheltering him and observing him; I believe that with time, the truth will surely come to light."

A few people at the table who had not yet heard about this immediately began to murmur in discussion.

"My reason for bringing this up is that although he is currently staying in Courtyard No. 3 of the Yan Garden, you are to avoid disturbing him as much as possible. If you wish to know the truth, let nature take its course. Only by letting nature take its course will success be achieved naturally." Yan Wenbei's expression grew stern. "The primary branch has already established tight surveillance around him. None of you are permitted to extract anything from his lips or disrupt the rhythm of my deployment. Do you understand?"

"Understood, Family Head," the gathering replied in unison.

"The third matter, which I presume you have also heard, is likewise related to Bing'er and this young man. An unknown scoundrel brazenly broke into the Yan family estate and actually stole Bing'er's underwear while she was bathing! For the Yan family, this is a matter of profound shame. If he can steal Bing'er's underwear today, might he be able to make off with our heads another day?" Yan Wenbei's voice was severe.

This incident caused Yan Ruobing to lower her head, her expression gloomy. Everyone else present grew visibly alert.

"Our guards were in a state of utter dereliction of duty! We will take two measures: First, each branch must heighten its security vigilance to strictly prevent such incidents from recurring! Second, we will cooperate closely with the Heavenly Court organization in Fuling City, law enforcement departments, and major factions to track down the identity and whereabouts of this scoundrel! Third, since the scoundrel has some unclear ties to this boy named Shuisheng—reportedly having been rescued by him from the water—monitoring Shuisheng is our top priority, to be handled with tight internal security and a relaxed exterior! From the outside, it must appear as though he has no protection, lulling the scoundrel into lowering his guard so he dares to approach! From the inside, we will mobilize elite forces ready to apprehend him the moment he appears!"

Having concluded these three major matters, Yan Wenbei exchanged views with those present, and the atmosphere at the table gradually grew less solemn. People began to eat and chat casually in fragments.

"My dear niece, how do you manage to get dragged into every single affair?" Yan Wenbing's uncle, Yan Wendong, who always looked unreliable, teased with a mocking tone. "No wonder you run a family enterprise—you're a true news magnet. Tell us, do you have any thoughts on this?"

"I don't have any particular thoughts. I will simply handle everything according to my father's and uncles' wishes," Yan Ruobing replied with a calm expression.

"You can't keep a secret forever," her brother, Yan Ruosong, said. "These matters are already spreading within the family, and it won't be long before they sweep across all of Fuling City. If Shuisheng remains an outsider with no apparent ties to the Yan family, it will likely provoke too many guesses and doubts. Our own family is already buzzing with discussion; how much more so outsiders? If this continues, all sorts of rumors will fly, inevitably damaging the family's reputation."

"Ruosong nephew makes a valid point," Yan Wenxi asked. "But in this era of smartphones, where anyone can say whatever they like as long as it doesn't break the law, who can stop them? What can we possibly do?"

"There is a way," Yan Ruosong said. "Externally, we can claim that this Shuisheng is the son of an old friend of our grandfather, a friend who showed our grandfather great kindness in his youth. Today, that friend's family has fallen upon hard times, and his grandson has been forced to make a living as a fisherman. Grandfather only recently learned of this and, feeling uneasy on his deathbed, left a will bestowing some items upon him in the hope that they might be of use."

"Then, not only will we hand over the legacy items to him, but, considering his financial hardships, we will also invite him to live in the Yan estate. That way, most people will have nothing more to say. As for the actual truth, it is enough that the core members of our family know it. After all, having one extra person in the family is harmless. Through him, we might even flush out Mei Yulang—killing two birds with one stone."

Yan Ruosong's words prompted frequent nods of agreement from the majority of those present.

This young man had the bearing of a family head. If things continued this way, the future position of family head would undoubtedly be his. Many thought secretly to themselves.

"That is an idea," Yan Wenbei said, looking around. "Does anyone else have a better suggestion?"

No one offered any other viable alternatives.

"Very well, then we shall do it this way," the family head said, delivering the final verdict.