Wei Wensong knew the Wei family could not be protected, so he wanted to preserve a bloodline, and the best way was to fake his death! However, his other sons were not suitable for this method, only this infant, born three months ago, was the most appropriate.
For the plan of faking death to proceed smoothly, a baby of a similar age was needed to die in his son's place, otherwise, without a body, the plan would still be exposed. As for that concubine, she was likely killed out of fear that she would reveal the matter.
As for why this infant was the most suitable? Perhaps Wei Wensong also felt that even if Ling Luoyi discovered it, she would let the child go out of consideration for such a young child.
But Wei Wensong did not know that Ling Luoyi used to kill without regard for the age of the other party; she had killed even younger infants, let alone this child who was already three months old.
It was just that this time, it was not Ling Luoyi who did it. Ling Luoyi merely asked Xing Yu to return the child, and did nothing else.
Was she cruel? Knowing Wei Wensong's plan, she still let him complete it, watching a baby burn to death, dying at the hands of its own father.
That's right, the child Wei Wensong had burned to death was his youngest son, and the child who was originally supposed to die in his son's place had been sent by Xing Yu to a kind farmer family who had no children and were in their forties.
But this plan was not hers, the fire was not set by her, and the child was not left to die by her! Could Wei Wensong's child live, while others' children had to die for his son?!
Thinking of this, Ling Luoyi remembered that innocent child. In order not to let the matter leak, Wei Wensong had people find another child from outside, and those people, fearing trouble, had killed the child's entire family, leaving no survivors.
Ling Luoyi did not feel it was her responsibility, but she still asked Xing Yu to find a good home for that child.
On this day, shortly after the hour of the monkey, another major piece of news came from the Wei family: the Wei family head, Wei Wensong, was abdicating. The new family head was neither the nominal heir Wei Chutian nor the actual heir Wei Chuhong, but Wei Chuzhan, the eldest legitimate son of Wei Wensong's incompetent second brother, Wei Wenrong!
When this news spread, the common people had much to discuss, and even in teahouses, people were talking about these two men.
Speaking of the second master Wei Wenrong, he was a completely different person from Wei Wensong. He was idle and self-important all day, associating with a group of scoundrels, indulging in drinking, gambling, and womanizing.
However, Wei Wenrong's eldest legitimate son, Wei Chuzhan, was different from his father. It was said that this person was disciplined, courteous, knowledgeable in qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and skilled in the six gentlemanly arts. Although he could not compare to the young master Ling Luochen of the Ling family, he was considered a prominent figure among the younger generation in the Tianwu Kingdom.
Moreover, Wei Chuzhan had been guided and raised by the Wei family's old ancestor since he was five years old, and he lived with the Wei family's old ancestor until he was eighteen. It was likely that he had been trained to be the future head of the Wei family, otherwise, why would the Wei family head's son not have received such treatment?
While the outside world was abuzz with discussions, the Wei family was filled with joy.
In the Wei family's council hall, the newly appointed Wei family head, Wei Chuzhan, sat firmly in the seat Wei Wensong had occupied yesterday, his posture upright, looking down at those below, exuding the aura of a family head. However, this aura was somewhat forced when facing peers, but it appeared rather comical when facing these elders.
Sitting next to the family head's seat was the Wei clan elder. The old Wei clan elder had fallen ill after returning to his residence yesterday and was now bedridden.
The Wei clan elder looked at the others. Wei Wensong was not present, so the seat left for the old Wei family head was empty. Opposite was the father of the new family head, the second master Wei, who looked at the empty seat with annoyance.
The Wei clan elder cleared his throat, and the hall fell silent. The Wei clan elder asked the second master Wei, "Wenrong, Wensong has abdicated as you requested, and Chuzhan has become the new head of the Wei family. We have fulfilled your demands. What about your friend? When will he arrive?"
Wei Chuzhan also looked at his father. His father knew the gravity of the situation; if the Wei family could not overcome this crisis, then his position as family head would become a joke.
Upon hearing the Wei clan elder's words, the second master Wei laughed heartily twice and then said, "Clan elder, please rest assured. My friend has already arrived, but he is unwilling to appear before outsiders, so he will not come out to meet you all. Please do not mind."
Although these were the words spoken, everyone present could see that the second master Wei showed no remorse and remained arrogant. Including the Wei clan elder, everyone was displeased, but there was nothing they could do at the moment; they could not afford to offend him!
Everyone was simmering with anger but dared not vent it.
Wei Chuzhan, sitting in the main seat, clearly saw the expressions of everyone. He was also somewhat displeased with his father's attitude, but he could not say anything. His position as family head was obtained through his father's influence, and if his father wanted to remove him, it would be very easy for his father at the moment.
Seeing that the second master Wei did not even pay him any mind, the Wei clan elder was also very angry, but now the Wei family had to rely on him, so he could not say anything. He simply closed his eyes and refused to look at him.
Seeing the Wei clan elder's expression, Wei Chuzhan knew that he was displeased with his father. Even though Wei Chuzhan himself was also displeased with his father, he was still his father, and he still needed his father's support to secure his position as family head.
Thinking of this, Wei Chuzhan asked, "Father, the Wei family is currently in crisis. Do you have a plan?"
Seeing that it was his son asking him, the second master Wei also revealed his plan. Although he was not intelligent, he was not stupid; he knew what was important.
"For the Wei family to replace Ling Luoyi, we must first produce something to win over others to our side. However, Ling Luoyi may attack the Wei family at any time, so we cannot wait. We must catch her off guard! This time, we must not repeat the mistake of letting the tiger return to the mountains as we did ten years ago. Is it not because of big brother letting them go that the Wei family has reached its current predicament?"
At this point, the second master Wei looked at the reactions of the others. Seeing that they all nodded, he continued, "While other powerful figures on the continent are on their way to Yunyuan City, we will destroy the Ling family before they arrive. This will also allow us to publicly announce that the Wei family also has top-tier alchemists. When they arrive, they can directly trade with the Wei family."
The others listened, stunned. Wei Chuzhan did not find any problems with the second master Wei's plan, so he said, "Father, when do you plan to make a move?"
"In the next few days, while there are many people around, we can also make a name for the Wei family," the second master Wei said sinisterly.
Wei Chuzhan thought for a moment and said, "Then, as Father says, we will deal with the Ling family before the people from above arrive."
The reason Wei Chuzhan was so eager was that he thought of the relationship between Ling Luoyi and the dean of the Ancient Spirit Academy. Judging by Elder Qu's attitude towards Ling Luoyi, he could guess that Ling Luoyi was indeed the little disciple of the dean of the Ancient Spirit Academy!
Given this relationship, the aristocratic families and sects and academies in the central, inner, and Tianxuan regions would not choose the Wei family while Ling Luoyi was still around! They had to completely destroy the Ling family before they arrived! That way, considering that the Wei family could also produce top-tier pills, they would not dare to act against the Wei family at the risk of offending the entire continent.
Therefore, Ling Luoyi, Ling family, you can wait to die!