Before Jiang Wuyang delivered his verdict, Qi Hui said to him, "This Prime Minister would like to consult with Suisui once more, if I may?"
Jiang Wuyang looked at Xie Suisui. "Miss Xie, what do you think?"
Xie Suisui replied, "We can talk! But I want my foster mother to join the discussion."
Jiang Wuyang agreed, and Qi Hui agreed as well.
Qi Hui, Xie Suisui, and Luo Sheng walked to the adjacent room. Qi Hui looked at this Coffin-child, abandoned at birth, now as stubborn and hard as a stone in a latrine pit.
He was filled with regret.
He should never have abandoned her back then—he should have chopped her to pieces and ended the threat for good.
Xie Suisui saw the malice in his eyes and said, "Prime Minister, are you pondering which method to use to kill me? How foolish! After today, if anything happens to me, you'll be the prime suspect."
"You're not worth my effort. Even if I did kill you—a disobedient, unfilial daughter—I'd bear no responsibility for your death."
Qi Hui sneered. "When one rises, all rise; when one falls, all fall. You wouldn't want the Prime Minister's residence to crumble, would you?"
"What do you have in mind?"
"Name it. How much silver will it take for you to let your elder sister go?"
When a bowl of water cannot be held level, only by sacrificing the kindest one can peace be restored. But once that kindest one refuses to sacrifice any longer, they are branded as a disruptor of harmony, and must be erased to bring an end to it all.
Xie Suisui did not want to be the kindest one, nor did she want to be erased!
"Let me go to the storeroom and pick out some treasures. I'll take one thing I fancy, and we'll call it settled. How about that?"
"Agreed."
Luo Sheng said, "Suisui, Qi Yurou tried to kill you. How can you let her off?"
"Mother, the Prime Minister is very capable. The moment Qi Yurou steps into prison, he'll likely be begging His Majesty for a pardon right behind her! Better to take something valuable to supplement the household—practical!"
Seeing her blink, Luo Sheng was half-convinced, half-baffled.
Qi Hui only sneered from ahead. You see things clearly enough, but you're not loyal to me!
He led Xie Suisui to the storeroom, opened the door, and said, "If you know what's good for you, from now on, the household's possessions will be divided equally among you siblings. I'll prepare a generous dowry for you."
"Really?" Xie Suisui seized the opening. "Then give me my share right now. I don't like empty promises."
"When you marry, your mother will give it to you."
Oh, so the dowry was held in her stepmother's hands!
Qi Hui had deliberately brought Xie Suisui to the main treasury to show her the depth of the Prime Minister's residence—to tame her with the promise of wealth and glory.
With her small frame, how much could she possibly carry? Qi Hui couldn't be bothered to enter the storeroom with her, so he sat on a chair by the door and waited.
Xie Suisui, in both her past and present life, entered the Prime Minister's main treasury for the first time.
The central storeroom had three levels, above and below ground.
Rack after rack of gold and silver ingots—she had no idea how much there was. A million taels, perhaps?
Chest after chest of jewels and jade, cloud-pattern brocade, Shu brocade, rainbow silk, shadowless gauze—piled up like mountains.
And all kinds of precious medicinal herbs…
This was what they meant by wealth rivaling a nation, wasn't it?
Thinking of the General's residence storeroom—well, better not to compare.
It didn't take long. She came out with a stack of ten thousand taels in banknotes, and carried out a box full of precious herbs.
Herbs were good things—good herbs could save a life!
"Picked what you want?"
"The Prime Minister's residence is nothing special. I thought there'd be more treasures!"
"Hmph! Little knowledge, but a big appetite!"
"Take a good look. I've taken ten thousand taels, plus these herbs." She counted the banknotes one by one for Qi Hui, and showed him the box as well.
Inside the box were ginseng and lingzhi mushrooms.
"Since you've taken the banknotes, let me make myself clear: today you must let your sister go. If you cling to this stubbornly, I have plenty of ways to finish you off."
"Ha!"
Xie Suisui curled one corner of her mouth. I only want to make you wish you were dead, and regret this for the rest of your life.
As for the Prime Minister's central treasury—except for the items on the racks by the door, everything else had already gone into her Spatial Dimension.
Since she had this space, how could she obediently take just one thing!
But she had also figured out how to make Qi Hui swallow his broken teeth along with his blood.
Clutching the box, she walked slowly behind Qi Hui toward the front courtyard. Spotting the outhouse in the garden, a thought suddenly struck her—objects could be moved at will, so what about feces?
What if she transferred a lump of shit onto Qi Hui's head?
But she dismissed the idea. She couldn't expose that she'd seized the space. Besides, it was too disgusting~
When they reached the front courtyard, Qi Hui said to Jiang Wuyang, "This Prime Minister has already settled things with Suisui. A quarrel between sisters is, after all, a family matter. She has withdrawn her complaint. Thank you for your trouble, Magistrate Jiang."
Jiang Wuyang looked at Xie Suisui and asked, "You truly give up pursuing the eldest Miss Qi?"
"I don't want to give up either, but the Prime Minister offered too much!" She waved a stack of banknotes, then added, "Magistrate Jiang, I wish to raise another request—I want to completely sever ties with the Prime Minister!"
In truth, she'd rather sever the heads of everyone in the Prime Minister's residence, but for now, Qi Hui was still a towering figure.
Everyone in the residence was stunned.
Completely sever ties?
"Xie Suisui, do you know what you're saying?" Qi Ziheng barked in a low voice.
Are you trying to embarrass the Prime Minister's residence in front of all these people? Mother is dead, so why leave such a jinx behind?
Xie Suisui looked at him impatiently: "Quite the meddlesome one, aren't you! Even if I stayed, this silver—I'd be lucky to live long enough to spend it, wouldn't I?"
"You—outrageous!" Qi Hui cursed. "The silver is yours now, and you still want to stir up trouble?"
"Stop putting on a show. Look at everyone's eyes—you all want me dead, don't you?" Xie Suisui said. "You fawn over Qi Yurou as the Lucky Star and fear me as the Coffin-child. If that's the case, sever the ties. Rather than loathe each other at every glance, better to part ways and never meet again!"
Qi Yurou said solemnly, "Suisui, you are Father's biological daughter. How can you defy him? This bond cannot be severed!"
"Oh my, Qi Yurou, if anyone else tried to keep me, there might still be room for negotiation. But if it's you keeping me, I will definitely flee!"
Xiao Shanshan's face turned ugly. "Third Miss, you're young, and we won't hold your careless words against you. The Prime Minister went through great trouble to find you. If you leave like this, it makes it seem like the residence can't accommodate you!"
"As if you could accommodate me!"
"Don't be ungrateful! You think just anyone can be a young lady of the Prime Minister's residence?" Qi Ziyu said with disgust.
"Qi Ziyu, I have zero interest in being a young lady of the Prime Minister's residence—especially your sister!"
"Then if you don't want to be part of this household, why take its silver?"
"You wouldn't have mentioned the silver, and I wouldn't have remembered—hush money, compensation for dropping the case, all voluntarily given by you. I've been adrift outside for twelve years. How much should you compensate me, the legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister?"
She began counting on her fingers, calculating the silver.
"…"
Qi Ziyu was speechless with fury. So you're just a money-grubber, is that it?
Jiang Wuyang watched silently. The girl was not yet thirteen, sharp and clever, seemingly innocent, yet every move struck precisely at her opponents' weaknesses.
Xie Suisui said, "Lord Jiang, I will not press charges against Qi Yurou for attempted murder, but the Prime Minister's residence is a den of tigers and dragons. I dare not remain here. I beg Lord Jiang to rule that I sever ties with the Qi family."
Jiang Wuyang: "Granted!"
His martial arts were extraordinary—what Qi Yurou whispered to Xiao Shanshan, others couldn't hear, but he not only heard it, he also read her lips.
They actually planned to offer Xie Suisui as a plaything to some powerful man!
Qi Hui frowned. "Lord Jiang, how can you rule like this?"
"Then you should ask your eldest daughter and your wife what they were planning!" Jiang Wuyang said without courtesy.
Qi Hui was stifled.
He looked at the impartial Jiang Wuyang, then at the unyielding Xie Suisui, who had turned the household upside down…
Fine, fine, fine. Sever it cleanly.
"Once the severance document is signed, you'll never set foot in this residence again. Whatever happens in the future, don't come crying with regret!"
"I will never regret it! And I hope you, Prime Minister, and your whole family—never, re-gret it!" Xie Suisui said with a grin. "Two paths, take your pick: one, Qi Yurou goes to prison; two, we sever ties."
Qi Hui was so furious the veins on his forehead bulged.
Qi Ziheng said, "Suisui, the family has Sister Lucky Star. Whether you're here or not doesn't matter. Father and Mother only tolerated you out of familial affection. You think the residence can't do without you?"
"Father and Mother? When Mother died, you were eight, weren't you? Do you know how your own mother died? Qi Ziheng, your head is stuffed with shit!" Xie Suisui said impatiently. "How do you have the nerve to call your enemy 'Mother'?"
Qi Ziheng's face flushed red. "You…"
"You what? Calling a deer a horse is a laughingstock; calling a thief your mother is to be unworthy of being human! If I were you, I'd find a block of tofu and bash my head in!"
"You're ill-mannered!"
"You're spineless!"
"Enough!" Qi Hui roared. "Sever it! Sever it now!"
"Yes, we must sever it! Whoever doesn't sever it is a bastard!" Xie Suisui hopped on her little feet, shouting even louder than him.
Qi Yurou said urgently, "Father, don't be impulsive. You can't sever ties with Sister—otherwise, how heartbroken would Mother be in the ground?"
Jiang Wuyang said coolly, "Is the eldest Miss the one who makes all decisions, big and small, in the Prime Minister's residence?"
Muffled snickers rippled through the crowd.
Qi Hui said, "No more talking. Write the document immediately. I, the Prime Minister, will not stoop to begging someone to be my daughter."
Xie Suisui seized the moment to give a thumbs-up. Qi Hui only wished she'd trip and die on her way out.
The severance document was written, each party holding a copy, with the authorities keeping a record.
After receiving the severance paper, Luo Sheng patted her own arm, crouched down, and said to Xie Suisui, "My girl, Mama will carry you home on her back!"
The hall full of guests watched as Madam Xie, with steady steps, carried Xie Suisui away into the golden light, step by step—and some found their eyes growing moist.
The spring sunlight of the capital spilled onto the carved beams and glazed tiles of the Prime Minister's residence, gleaming brilliantly, as if every tile whispered of the estate's wealth and authority.
Pavilions and towers were arranged in elegant disarray, corridors connecting one courtyard to another, vermilion pillars standing solemn in the morning light.
But who knew the sins and evils lurking beneath all that splendor?
Luo Sheng said, "My girl, bear with it a little. Mama will go fetch the imperial physician right away."
"Mother…" Xie Suisui lay on Luo Sheng's back, eyes reddening. "I—I am a Coffin-child. I am ill-omened…"
“What a load of nonsense! A coffin-child, meeting officials and wealth, with great fortune and a long life—how is that not auspicious? I truly regret ever trusting Qi Hui and thinking that going to his house would be good for you.” Luo Sheng said remorsefully, “Let’s return to the General’s mansion!”
“Mother, thank you…”
“We’re family, why be so polite? Oh, right—when Magistrate Jiang wanted to recreate the crime scene earlier, why did you agree? Aren’t you afraid Qi Yurou might take the chance to kill you?”
“Magistrate Jiang is present; she wouldn’t dare, and she can’t kill me anyway.”
Recreating the crime scene was Jiang Wuyang’s usual method of investigation. Xie Suisui agreed to the recreation not to strangle Qi Yurou.
She wanted Jiang Wuyang to see that Qi Yurou could retrieve and store items out of thin air.
That detail would definitely catch Jiang Wuyang’s attention and make him suspect Qi Yurou.
Qi Yurou had strong counter-surveillance skills; she only let her guard down when her life was in danger.
That was precisely the opportunity Xie Suisui needed.
From today onward, in the capital—past, present, and especially future—whenever anything went missing, the first suspect of Six Doors would be Qi Yurou.
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