"Oh no, this is catastrophic!"
Du Yongbang, always a timid one, upon hearing the actual death of Lady Mei, immediately connected it with the horrifying rumors of Huo Yuan and Ci Yue Gang.
In his anxiety, he voiced his concerns without thinking, concluding them with a dispirited remark, "Given that Huo Yuan brought the entire Mu Family into the Bishui Villa, he evidently treasures them. With Lady Mei’s death happening in our mansion, he will surely seek justice on their behalf, what can we do now?"
Upon hearing her father’s worrying, Du Wanyue dismissed it with a smirk, she laughed and said, "Dad, as you said, the matter of Huo Yuan being the leader of Ci Yue Gang is just a rumor, why should we be afraid of a rumor?"
Du Yongzhi said, "What would you children know? Of all the people in the world, why is there only a rumor about him being the leader of Ci Yue? This indicates, he must have some connections with Ci Yue. Therefore, we must proceed with caution!"
Having heard this, Du Wanru laughed out loud, she chuckled and said, "Dad and uncle are being too cautious, panicking like cats on a hot tin roof. If Huo Yuan really was the leader of Ci Yue Gang, he must have unparalleled martial arts skills. However, we saw with our own eyes at the Empress Dowager’s Shangsi Festival Banquet, he tried to help that slut Mu Caiwei to escape, and even wanted to give up the Huo family’s Iron Scroll and Dan Book. If he is as resourceful as you said, why would he need to use his family’s life-saving scripture? Moreover, at a critical moment between life and death, it was Mu Caiwei who protected and saved him!"
After hearing that, Du Yongbang looked up at his daughter, "Wanqiu, is what your sister said true?"
At that time, Du Wanqiu was standing dutifully behind her mother, constantly pondering about the man her father and uncles referred to. Hearing her father’s inquiry, she replied formally and respectfully, "Father, it’s indeed true. Young Master Huo does not know martial arts. Otherwise, at the brink of death, he wouldn’t have just accepted his fate!"
Du Wanqiu was much more composed than Du Wanyue and Du Wanru thus, her words carried more persuasion. After hearing her concurring account, both Du Yongbang and Du Yongzhi’s apprehension subsided significantly, while the bold Du Yongchun let go of his worries completely.
"Just like I said, If Huo Yuan genuinely had such great abilities, he would have already possessed this Mu family girl, why would he cause her death in such a tragic way?"
Du Yulang also added, "That’s right. If he really were the leader of Ci Yue Gang, the Emperor would be the first to not spare him. Moreover, didn’t the Emperor investigate thoroughly into the rumor and in the end cleared Huo Yuan’s name? Why are we alarming ourselves over this?"
Du Yuheng sighed in relief when he heard Huo Yuan was probably not the leader of Ci Yue Gang. He felt like he finally had a chance to experience the flavor of the little girl from the Mu family. Even though the non-gang-leader Huo Yuan was still not easy to deal with—the allure and desire clouded his judgment and he couldn’t easily give up on his desire for Fei’er.
Hearing the discussions of the family, the doubts of Du Yongbang and Du Yongzhi gradually dissipated. Even the concern on the Old Madame’s face gradually dissipated, returning to her usual expression.
"Hmm, well, it’s her bad fate to die, Hua Mei, go instruct Steward Cao to arrange for some men to take Lady Mei out for burial at once. It’s ill-omened to keep the body of a person who died a violent death in the house!"
Du Yongbang said, "Mother, shouldn’t we notify the Mu Family? After all, Lady Mei is Miss Du Mei’s biological mother."