As soon as the rag was pulled from his mouth, Xu Xinqiao immediately opened his mouth to scream for help—
—but Qi Yuan was faster.
Before he could make a sound, she shoved the rag back into his mouth, this time far deeper than before, nearly down his throat. Xu Xinqiao gagged violently, unable to stop himself from retching.
A person’s moment of clarity is equal to the pain they endure.
At this moment, Xu Xinqiao finally understood that this woman—when she spoke, every word was nailed in place. If you didn’t listen to her… she was truly terrifying.
Qi Yuan smiled and calmly returned the hairpin to her hair. She chuckled lightly as she flexed her wrist. “Lord Xu, look at you—why are you so disobedient? Disobedient people must be punished.”
With that, she covered Xu Xinqiao’s mouth with one hand, then pulled the dagger from his chest with the other—only to stab it again, this time deep into his shoulder blade.
Xu Xinqiao, gagged and retching, now also had searing pain lancing through his shoulder. Sweat drenched his body in seconds.
In this moment, all dreams of sweet courtesans and fragrant silks had turned to ash.
He looked at Qi Yuan pleadingly, mumbling desperately behind the rag, nodding over and over, signaling that he would cooperate.
Qi Yuan raised an eyebrow, face expressionless. She pulled out her gold hairpin again and pressed it to his throat. “Lord Xu, this is a rare opportunity. If you don’t want to die slowly and full of holes, I suggest you start cooperating.”
…
Her voice was soft and melodic, like a gentle stream—an undeniably beautiful voice.
But in Xu Xinqiao’s ears, it was the voice of a grim reaper.
He nodded frantically.
Qi Yuan pulled out the cloth again, and with the slightest movement of the hairpin, sliced a shallow line across his neck. “Lord Xu, answer what I ask. Just what I ask. Deal?”
Deal? Xu Xinqiao wanted to curse her out—how could a murderer be so polite?
Like he could say no?!
His throat still felt like it was being scraped raw, but he didn’t dare move. Outside, the music and laughter of the pleasure house carried on noisily. Trembling, he asked, “W-What… do you want to ask?”
Qi Yuan went straight to the point. “Simple. The military households from Jizhou—you sent them to smuggle iron, and you incited them to cause a scene at the Qi estate, and report us in the capital, didn’t you?”
Xu Xinqiao’s face changed instantly.
He hadn’t expected her to dive right into the most d*mning part.
He shook his head at once. “I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“Oh?” Qi Yuan smiled faintly.
There was only a single palace lantern glowing in the room. People always said beauties looked best in soft lamplight. And indeed, Xu Xinqiao couldn’t help admiring Qi Yuan’s fine features—so much so that he struggled to reconcile this stunning girl with the cold-blooded killer who used knives like she was arranging flowers.
He wavered. “Y-You… what are you going to do?”
“What I’m going to do doesn’t matter,” Qi Yuan said as she shoved the cloth back into his mouth.
Her expression shifted coldly. She removed the gauze from the lantern, picked up a candle, and began heating the dagger.
Xu Xinqiao nearly passed out.
God help me—is this because Pu Wuyong sent the Embroidered Guards to silence me?!
When a person is overcome by panic, they tend to drown in wild guesses just to avoid facing fear head-on.
Qi Yuan finished heating the blade, then, without flinching, drove it into Xu Xinqiao’s left shoulder—clean through.
This time, Xu Xinqiao couldn’t even scream. He collapsed in a trembling heap, twitching, eyes wide with terror.
Qi Yuan stood and looked down at him, offering a calm, cool smile. “Lord Xu, it’s fine if you don’t talk. I understand—this concerns your life and your family’s. It’s normal not to speak. So let’s part ways here.”
She lifted the candle in her hand. “I’ll send you off properly—burn you clean. No need for a coffin. Consider it my last good deed for the people of Jizhou.”
The Oirat raiders came every year. How many citizens had suffered?
They were vicious and brutal. The men were slaughtered, the women and children taken to the grasslands as spoils.
How many soldiers had died defending their homes?
How many never returned from the battlefield?
And people like this—traitors from within—sold iron to the Oirats so they could forge sharper weapons to turn back on their own people.
If Xu Xinqiao died ten thousand times, it still wouldn’t be enough.
Xu Xinqiao, now soaked in urine, no longer doubted a single word this woman said. He frantically shook his head, pleading with his eyes for Qi Yuan to remove the rag from his mouth.
But she no longer needed his confession.
She sneered, “I told you—you only get one chance. You wasted it. I’m a woman of my word.”
A liar might trick her once, but she’d never trust them a second time.
So, she grabbed the lamp oil beside her, poured it over Xu Xinqiao’s body, and tossed the candle onto him.
The flames roared up instantly.
Smoke billowed through the courtesan’s chamber, quickly alarming the patrons and guards of the Hongfen Jinlou. But the fire spread too fast—they only had time to evacuate those who could move. By the time the flames were put out, the entire room was ash.
After killing Xu Xinqiao, Qi Yuan returned directly to the Qi estate.
Old Madam Qi had been waiting at home.
The attempt on Qi Yuan’s life by the military households—storming the estate to accuse the Qi family of smuggling iron to the Oirats—had caused a huge uproar. Everyone in the Qi family knew the situation.
Madam Qi’s second and third daughters-in-law had cried all day, fearing the Embroidered Guards would show up any moment to confiscate the estate.
But Old Madam Qi had held firm.
When she heard Qi Yuan was back, she got up in person to meet her.
As Qi Yuan entered, she saw her grandmother standing by the door, waiting. She quickly approached her.
Old Madam Qi no longer kept up appearances. Choked with emotion, she asked, “Yuanyuan, how did it go? Your grandfather and father knelt at the palace gates… then the Embroidered Guards took them away. There’s been no word since…”
Being taken was only expected.
There was a formal accusation, and the matter was serious—it shook the whole court. Even if Qi Zhen had past merits, that wouldn’t erase the crime of treason. Being taken away was inevitable.
Qi Yuan gently squeezed her grandmother’s hand. “Don’t worry. As long as I’m here, nothing will happen.”
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