Just This!

As a child, Rushi had already developed a tacit understanding with Xie Wan. She immediately walked towards the cloth bag pointed out by Xie Wan’s gaze.

Aunt Qian panicked immediately, clutching the cloth bag tightly to her chest and nervously asking, “What are you going to do? How dare you search my things?”

Rushi completely ignored her and simply tapped a point on her body, causing her to collapse, then pulled the cloth bag from her embrace and opened it. With a light shake, a pile of silver bills fell out.

Aunt Qian’s eyes were filled with fear, and she became even more anxious, but she couldn’t speak, so she could only watch as Rushi picked up all the silver bills.

Rushi handed the silver bills to Xie Wan and then spat at Aunt Qian, “Pah! Shameless scoundrel seeking glory!”

After Xie Wan’s beauty had snapped the family’s attention back, Aunt Qian’s two sons and daughters heard their mother’s accusation of trespassing.

They immediately stepped forward, but Ruhua stood in the doorway, coldly watching them and said, “My lady has some business with your mother. No one is allowed inside!”

Aunt Qian’s eldest son immediately retorted, “This is our home. Why can’t I go inside?!”

Ruhua glanced at him indifferently, coldly smiling as she swiftly drew a soft sword from her waist. “Just this!” she said.

The soft sword trembled, reflecting the flowing silver light in the morning sun. Aunt Qian’s eldest son stopped in his tracks, looking at the soft sword in her hand with both astonishment and fear.

Ruhua’s gaze swept over the silent faces in the courtyard, and she coldly declared, “I’ll say it again. My lady has matters to attend to, and no one is allowed inside!”

The sky was getting brighter.

Xie Wan took the silver bills and glanced at them. They were all fifty taels each, totaling five hundred taels.

You see, for a family like Aunt Qian’s, their annual income at most amounted to twenty taels. Five hundred taels were simply an enormous sum for them, something they could never obtain.

“Five hundred taels.”

Xie Wan smiled bitterly. “The lives of the honorable Marquis Yongyu and his wife are worth only five hundred taels.”

Upon hearing these words, Aunt Qian’s face immediately turned pale.

Xie Wan gave a meaningful glance to Rushi, who immediately understood. She stepped forward and released the acupoint on Aunt Qian, then kicked her to the ground.

Aunt Qian knelt on the ground, bowing her head, trembling all over. She was clearly terrified.

Xie Wan looked at her and spoke coldly, “Your husband was just a coachman of the Marquis Residence. He didn’t have the courage or ability to plot against the Marquis and his wife. I came to see you just to find out some information.”

“I am a kind-hearted person. If you answer me honestly, I can pretend that I never came here and let your whole family leave. But if you play dumb, don’t blame me.”

Upon hearing this, Aunt Qian immediately knocked her head on the ground three times. “Miss, I am just a humble woman. I truly know nothing!”

Hearing this, Xie Wan raised an eyebrow and took a silver bill, lighting it on the nearby candle flame, and then casually tossed it in front of her.

Aunt Qian watched as the silver bill burned in front of her, becoming ashes bit by bit. She anxiously reached out to grab it, but Rushi stepped on her hand, forcing her to watch as the silver bill turned to ashes before her eyes.

Xie Wan picked up another silver bill and lit it with the candle flame.

Watching the flickering flame in her hand, she calmly asked, “Tell me, was there anything unusual before your husband had an accident?”

The flickering flame cast a dim and mysterious light on Xie Wan’s face.

Clearly, it was a beautiful appearance, one that made people feel as if they were seeing a fairy before. But now, it resembled a fierce demon in hell.

Watching the silver bill fall in front of her and turn to ashes, Aunt Qian was on the verge of madness!

Silver!

That’s her silver!

It’s the silver her husband exchanged his life for!

Seeing Xie Wan take out another silver bill, Aunt Qian couldn’t help but urgently speak, “Don’t burn it! Don’t burn it! A humble woman like me knows and will tell everything!”

“It would have been better if you said it earlier.”

Xie Wan took back the silver bill and looked at her coldly. “Did your husband experience anything unusual before the incident?”

Aunt Qian lowered her head and dared not look at her, answering in a hoarse voice, “He was sick, often had nosebleeds, and couldn’t sleep for nights due to frequent headaches. We consulted doctors, and they said he wouldn’t live past that winter.”

“I advised him to quit his job and focus on his health, but he refused. He said that while he was still alive, he wanted to earn more silver for me and the children.”

“Well, he certainly earned quite a lot!”

Xie Wan’s hand trembled with anger. “He didn’t live long, so he became an accomplice, conspiring against his own master, plotting against the protection of the family and the country, a first-class Marquis who had served in the military for his entire life?!”

Aunt Qian lowered her head and remained silent.

It was five hundred taels, who wouldn’t be tempted by it?

Xie Wan took a deep breath, suppressing her anger, and spoke in a cold voice, “What else? Did he mention seeing anyone or tell you anything before the incident?”

“I know what Miss wants to ask, and I dare not hide anything.”

Aunt Qian replied in a low voice, “A few days before the incident, he couldn’t sleep at night. I thought he was having a relapse of his illness, but when I asked him, he didn’t say anything. During the day, he behaved as usual, and went to work as before, without any difference. The only unusual thing was that a servant from the Wu’an Marquis Residence came to find him.”

Wu’an Marquis Residence?

Xie Wan furrowed her brows. “Are you sure it was a servant from the Wu’an Marquis Residence?”

Aunt Qian nodded quickly, “Yes, that servant is the son of the steward of the Wu’an Marquis Residence. He doesn’t have any serious duties there and is always idle. Most people in the capital know him!”

The Wu’an Marquis Residence was different from the Yongyu Marquis Residence. It was a true noble family, passed down for several generations, with enduring favor from the emperor.

Xie Wan narrowed her eyes and spoke coldly, “Anything else?”

Aunt Qian hurriedly said, “There’s nothing else. On the morning of the incident, he didn’t leave any messages. He only said that his clothes were dirty and left them on the inner bed, asking me to wash them when I had time. When I went to collect the clothes, I found these silver bills. Shortly after, I heard the news...”

“I knew something was wrong but didn’t dare to speak up. I was afraid others would notice. I didn’t touch these silver bills. After the mourning period ended and a few more months passed, I thought it was about time to leave, so I had the idea of moving.”

Xie Wan sneered, “You are clever, knowing that suddenly having silver would surely arouse suspicion. You moved the entire family to another place, enjoying prosperity and wealth.”

Hearing her mockery, Aunt Qian didn’t dare to say much. She knocked her head again and said, “I have told you everything I know. I hope Miss can spare me and my family!”

“I always keep my word.”

Xie Wan stood up, lit all the silver bills in her hand on the candlestick, and then threw them all at Aunt Qian’s feet before turning and leaving.

Watching the burning silver bills, Aunt Qian suddenly went mad. She disregarded the burning sensation in her hands and frantically tried to put out the flames on the bills.

Her silver!

The silver her husband exchanged his life for!

With a cold glance, Rushi confirmed that most of the silver bills were burned and no longer usable. She turned around and followed Xie Wan out of the door.

Outside the door, Ruhua saw Xie Wan coming out and immediately made way, taking back the soft sword.

The members of the Qian family and a few coachmen watched Xie Wan without daring to breathe.