Zhong Li showed Xie Xiaoyun's portrait to Qi Shuishui merely to try her luck, never expecting that Qi Shuishui would actually recognize her.
She pressed, "Have you seen her?"
Qi Shuishui shook her head, not intending to hide anything. "Actually, I heard this person's name from Old Master Xie."
"How so?"
"Whenever Old Master Xie came to visit me, he would get drunk. Once, I unintentionally heard him say, 'Xie Xiaoyun, your grand-uncle is sorry for you.'"
"I asked who this Xie Xiaoyun was then. Old Master Xie told me a bit about her. It seems she's the granddaughter of Old Master Xie's brother. That's when I learned that my appearance bears some resemblance to Xie Xiaoyun," Qi Shuishui said.
"And did he say anything else?" Zhong Li felt Xie Xu's words were pregnant with meaning and wanted to know more from Qi Shuishui.
To her disappointment, Qi Shuishui shook her head. "There was nothing after that."
Lu Wuxie gave Qi Shuishui a deep look. Seeing that her gaze was no longer evasive as before, he said, "In that case, Miss Qi, we will take our leave."
With that, he took Zhong Li's hand and headed outside.
Qi Shuishui, hearing their intention to leave, had just let out a sigh of relief when Zhong Li's voice suddenly echoed in the private room again.
Startled, she quickly looked up.
"Miss Qi, perhaps Xie Xu's death has nothing to do with you for now, but until this case is cleared, everyone is a suspect. Please do not leave Jinzhou."
After speaking, Zhong Li casually closed the door to the private room.
Qi Shuishui stared blankly at the empty room. It wasn't until the door opened again and her maid, Ah Cui, entered that she finally relaxed.
"Miss Shuishui." Ah Cui placed a pot of fresh tea on the table and was about to tend to the brazier.
Qi Shuishui walked to her dressing table, casually picked up a stack of Xuan paper, and handed it over. "Burn these, will you?"
Ah Cui took them, looking at the contents. "These... aren't these the IOUs Old Master Xie gave you? Why burn them?" To Ah Cui, these were all money.
Qi Shuishui shook her head. "They're useless now. He's dead, so what's the point of keeping these things? Moreover, everyone knows the Xie family is an empty shell now. The money can't be collected."
Ah Cui raised an eyebrow slightly and flipped through all the IOUs in her hand. She estimated there were over a thousand taels of silver.
"Miss Shuishui, I don't think this money is uncollectible," Ah Cui said.
"Oh? You can collect it?" Qi Shuishui scoffed. Ah Cui was just a lowly maid bought from the marketplace; what did she know?
Ah Cui didn't care what Qi Shuishui thought of her. She rolled her eyes and said, "If I can help Miss Shuishui collect this money, are you willing to give me thirty percent?"
Qi Shuishui narrowed her eyes, looking at Ah Cui.
Ah Cui smiled and said, "Miss Shuishui, you are also a woman. Who wants to serve men in this brothel their entire lives? My thoughts are simple: I just want to save enough money to be redeemed by the madam."
Hearing her explanation, Qi Shuishui pondered for a moment and beckoned Ah Cui closer.
Ah Cui leaned in, and Qi Shuishui took back the Xuan paper from her hand. "Tell me your plan. Preferably one that can impress me."
Ah Cui smiled knowingly and whispered in Qi Shuishui's ear for quite some time.
"Are you sure?" After hearing the plan, Qi Shuishui's eyes revealed suppressed emotion.
Ah Cui nodded. "The Xie family is on the verge of collapse. That woman will want to preserve the family's reputation. Besides, her family was the wealthiest in Jinzhou back then. As long as Miss Shuishui persists and isn't afraid of losing face, the money will definitely be collected."
"Alright, we'll do as you say!"
When Zhong Li and Lu Wuxie returned to the Xie manor, it was already dark. The empty back courtyard and the ruins within resembled an abandoned ruin.
"How did Your Highness know that Qi Shuishui had a lover?" Zhong Li honestly found Lu Wuxie to be incredibly well-informed; there was nothing he couldn't find out if he wanted to.
Lu Wuxie chuckled. "What do you think, Li'er? Did you really believe this Highness was frequenting the Hundred Beauties Tower for pleasure a few days ago?"
Zhong Li finally understood what Lu Wuxie had been busy with. On one hand, it was because of Xie Xu; on the other, he had thoroughly investigated Qi Shuishui.
"Your Highness." As the two were chatting happily while walking through the Xie manor courtyard, Lin Jin, who had been waiting in the back courtyard, spotted Lu Wuxie and quickly approached.
Lu Wuxie waved to signal him to rise and then asked, "How is it? After searching for so long, are there any clues or suspicious points?"
Lin Jin shook his head. "The Xie manor has been searched everywhere except for the ancestral hall of the maternal grandmother. Only this item was found."
As he spoke, he took something out from his embrace.
Zhong Li initially couldn't see clearly due to the darkness. It wasn't until the three of them walked into a well-lit area that she clearly saw the item in Lin Jin's hand.
It was leaves of khat, still with soil on them.
"Where did you find it?" Zhong Li took the item from Lin Jin, glanced around to ensure no one was present, and asked in a low voice.
Lin Jin replied, "Replying to Miss Zhong, it was found in the small courtyard by the kitchen door. This item was buried deep. I only happened to pass by and noticed that the soil in the courtyard had been recently disturbed, which led me to discover it."
Lu Wuxie, watching Zhong Li examine the khat leaves, thought for a moment and asked Lin Jin, "Were all the wives' rooms searched?"
"Your Highness, Lin Jin can confirm that they were all searched." Lin Jin knew what Lu Wuxie was thinking and nodded with absolute certainty.
"The ancestral hall..." Lu Wuxie narrowed his eyes, looking in the direction of the ancestral hall.
-------------------------------------
Late at night, somewhere in the Xie manor.
"Are you sure you hid it well?" a dark figure asked another, slightly shorter individual opposite him.
The latter nodded. "It's hidden well. Rest assured, let alone His Highness, even if the yamen turned the entire manor upside down, they wouldn't find it."
"You didn't open it to look, did you?" the dark figure inquired.
The other person shook his head.
"Very good!" The dark figure nodded, casually took a small bottle from his waist, and threw it on the ground.
Seeing the bottle, the other person, who had been somewhat listless, instantly became excited. She quickly crouched down and clutched the bottle like a treasure.
The dark figure let out a cold smile and casually produced another item, handing it over.
"This..." The person hesitated, not daring to reach out.
The dark figure sneered, looking her up and down. "What? You dared to frame your master for your own desires, but you don't dare to take this?"
"Don't talk nonsense," the person said indignantly.
"Hmph, who are you trying to fool?" the dark figure retorted with utter indifference. "Place this item with His Highness. I know you can do it."
"I..."
"Unless you don't want this," the dark figure interrupted, pointing at the bottle she cherished as a treasure, and turned to leave.