Chapter 297 The Man Called Master Wang

Chapter 297: The Man, Master Wang

"Look!"

Sha Linghai and the others were still in the gazebo, sifting through a jumble of inconclusive clues, when they saw Butler Zhao—whom they had already marked as a suspect—sprinting towards the main house, his gait strangely hurried and stumbling.

Though they didn't know what had transpired, the four players sensed a fresh lead and followed without a moment's hesitation.

They trailed the old butler all the way back to the main house, then through the open front door and into the front courtyard. There, they found Butler Zhao pressed against the estate's main gate, struggling desperately to push it open. Yet, neither the wooden gate nor the latch yielded an inch, just as when they had tried earlier.

"Butler Zhao, what happened?" Sha Linghai asked cautiously.

Butler Zhao didn't turn around, instead muttering to himself as if in a trance—

"This is retribution, this is retribution. One truly mustn't do evil deeds; there really is such a thing as cosmic justice..."

"Butler Grandpa, what's wrong?"

Only after hearing another question did Butler Zhao turn around. Perhaps surprised to see the four new servants—who should have been resting by now—following him, a flash of anger crossed his face. However, as Butler Zhao caught sight of Wen Wen's innocent, childlike face up close, the child's pure influence seemed to work its charm once again, and his originally fierce expression gradually softened into a semblance of calm.

"You... you're all still young," Butler Zhao sighed for some reason. "You should join me in finding a way to escape this place. Something strange is happening in this mansion."

"Strange?" Wen Wen could tell that the old butler seemed more willing to share information when looking at her, so she pressed on with an innocent expression. "Butler Grandpa, is there anything stranger than the three brides?"

"Ah," Butler Zhao sighed again. "You don't know this, but before I came to this mansion as a butler, I worked for wealthy families in the city. Thinking that I should return to my hometown in my old age, I took this job. Only after arriving did I learn that the master of this mansion was none other than Master Wang."

"That Master Wang? Butler Grandpa, have you heard of Master Wang before?" Wen Wen's eyes lit up. She had always suspected that with so few "people" in the mansion, each one must hold important, even vital, clues.

"When we worked in the city, we often encountered day laborers. Like most servants with time on their hands, they loved to gossip about all sorts of things." At this point, Butler Zhao glanced at Sha Linghai and the others. "And because these laborers had worked in various households, their conversations covered rumors from north to south, involving almost every family."

"Including matters related to Master Wang."

"Master Wang's matters?" Although Wen Wen was the only one speaking with Butler Zhao, the three behind her—Lin Wenhua and the others—held their breaths, eagerly awaiting the answer.

"He wasn't exactly a distinguished gentleman back then—just a matrilocal husband of a wealthy family. He held little status in the household, sometimes even less authority than the family's butler."

"This useless son-in-law, who had no talent for business, bided his time and patiently endured until his scornful parents-in-law passed away one after another, leaving the family fortune in his wife's hands. Master Wang endured a while longer until his domineering wife fell seriously ill and was confined to her bed. Master Wang and his wife had no children, and his wife wanted her maiden family to help with the family business."

"Later, before her family could arrive, the wife suddenly passed away, leaving behind a will that favored Master Wang."

"Although it was publicly announced that she died of illness, those who had worked in their household claimed that Master Wang had murdered his wife and forged the will—a clear case of murder for money!"

"Master Wang claimed he had no head for business, losing money in every venture. Coupled with the rampant rumors in the city at the time, he decided to sell off the family assets, convert them into cash, and retreat to a remote area to live in seclusion."

"But the way he sold off the assets was absurd. It caused quite a stir in the city back then. After all, it was less of a sale and more of a distress sale. The prices were so low that no one even questioned whether this son-in-law had the right to sell the family assets based on a dubious will. What businessperson wouldn't jump at such a bargain?"

"People in the city said Master Wang's frantic haste to sell off the assets made it seem like he was preparing to flee for his life."

"Master Wang apparently sought guidance from an esteemed monk to escape his misfortune. Was it that monk who told him to move here and marry a sixteen-year-old bride?" Wen Wen's question was based on information provided by the administrator, but since the three brides were already in the mansion, it likely wasn't a secret anymore.

"That was just a monk from a temple outside the city—hardly what you'd call 'esteemed'!" Butler Zhao shook his head. "He called himself a master, but when some curious types offered him a bit of money, that so-called 'esteemed monk' spilled the beans about everything Master Wang had asked him."

At this point, Butler Zhao scanned their surroundings warily for a while, then mysteriously lowered his voice—

"Master Wang, it seems, was haunted by a ghost."

"If Master Wang didn't believe that monk, he wouldn't have built this mansion in such a remote location. But if he truly believed the monk, why didn't he specify what kind of ghost was haunting him? He only asked for the most expensive protection charm. So, after the story spread, everyone gossiped that the ghost haunting him was the vengeful spirit of his murdered wife. His silence was seen as a guilty conscience."

"And Master Wang didn't stop at murder for wealth. While his wife was bedridden, he was already a frequent visitor to the pleasure quarters. If his wife really was murdered by him, it's no surprise she'd return as a vengeful ghost to haunt him."

"What about marrying a beautiful sixteen-year-old bride...?"

"Master Wang is a lecherous fiend. No one would be surprised if he died in the pleasure quarters one day. Now, stuck in this remote mansion all alone, it's no wonder such thoughts crossed his mind. The 'esteemed monk's guidance' was probably just an excuse."

"But what does this have to do with you wanting to leave the mansion, Butler Grandpa?" Wen Wen had listened to Butler Zhao's story but hadn't forgotten his panicked, terrified attempt to flee the estate earlier.

Hearing Wen Wen's innocent question, Butler Zhao's expression immediately changed. He lowered his voice once more, almost forcing the words out from his throat, as he spoke to the four players before him—

"The stories are true! Master Wang really is haunted by a ghost! And that ghost is now in this mansion!"