Volume One, Chapter Five: Wishing to Use the Crown Princess's Hand to Kill Her

Similar incidents had happened several times before...

For instance, last time, Yue Yue deliberately spilled ink on my eldest brother’s memorial.

Yet, he accused her of being rude and willful, and without hearing her side, harshly struck her palm with a ruler...

And the time before that, Yue Yue intentionally broke the jade hairpin my eldest brother had given her.

He said she despised the hairpin for being cheap, and with a face full of disgust, scolded her for only enjoying a few good days before becoming vain!

Then there was the incident at the Crimson Snow Pavilion...

Xie Qiqi fell silent. Suddenly, she no longer wished to engage in futile defense.

No matter what she said, her eldest brother would take it as denial.

Xie Wenyuan looked at Xie Qiqi with loathing, sneering coldly, “Do you have anything else to say?”

He never expected the sister he cherished to feign unconsciousness and deceive him!

If he hadn’t seen Qiujü secretly buying pastries on the street, who knows how much longer Xie Qiqi would have fooled him!

Supporting her weak body, Xie Qiqi stood up, her face still smeared with porridge, and met Xie Wenyuan’s eyes, asking,

“Big Brother, if I had died in the lake at Crimson Snow Pavilion, would you have been sad for me?”

“Would you have regretted not saving me when I was drowning?”

Xie Wenyuan scoffed, “So this is why you pretended to be unconscious?”

“You want to make us feel guilty, to make us revolve around you by this method?”

Xie Qiqi stubbornly said, “Big Brother, just answer me—would you regret it?”

Xie Wenyuan snapped, “Xie Qiqi, you’re hopeless. Even after being exposed, you refuse to repent and only make trouble!”

“Fine, I’ll answer you... No. I won’t regret it. I’m ashamed to have a sister like you. Even if you died, I wouldn’t shed a tear for you!”

Xie Wenyuan was both heartbroken and disappointed. He thought of the little Xie Qiqi from their childhood—so obedient, sensible, and clever.

But now, she had become selfish and deceitful...

Was she worth worrying about or grieving over?

Earlier, Xie Qiqi had hoped that if her big brother said he would be sad or regret it, it would mean he still cared for her!

Then she could overlook the injustice he brought upon her.

But Xie Wenyuan’s answer completely extinguished her hope.

“If you’re ashamed to have a sister like me, then just consider me dead in the lake!”

“No need to acknowledge me as your sister anymore, and I won’t recognize you as my brother!”

Xie Qiqi recalled the despair she felt when thrown into the icy lake, on the brink of death, and she completely gave up on any longing for brotherly affection.

What brother in any family could be so heartless to his own sister?

Such a brother was better off without!

Xie Qiqi’s words stunned Xie Wenyuan, disbelief flashing across his face.

“Xie Qiqi, you want to sever ties with me?”

“You make a mistake, and when your brother disciplines you, you want to cut off relations? Is that even human?”

Yue Yue seemed shocked, quickly urging, “Sister, apologize to Big Brother. How can you say such words that hurt his heart?”

“Have you forgotten the kindness Big Brother showed you? When he saved you back then, his arm still can’t straighten, and he gave up his favorite swordsmanship because of it...”

Mentioning that matter only made Xie Wenyuan angrier. He pointed at Xie Qiqi and blurted,

“She’s an ungrateful wretch. Knowing what I know now, I wish she had just died from the fall...”

Xie Wenyuan thought of how he could have become a great general like their father, but because of his broken arm, he could only serve in a civil post...

Was all his sacrifice just to save this ungrateful creature?

He stared at Xie Qiqi, still holding a glimmer of hope.

If only she would kneel and apologize, retract her words, he wouldn’t hold a grudge.

Xie Qiqi curled her fingers; two of them had been broken by the Crown Princess’s stomp, causing sharp pain.

She had been unconscious for five days—did no one notice her fingers were broken?

If she died in her sleep, would her cold corpse be the only way the Xie family would discover the truth?

Her heart grew colder as she thought this.

“I will remember the life-saving kindness of Big Brother. Consider me indebted to you—I will repay it someday!”

Hearing that Xie Qiqi still addressed him as “Big Brother” with no intention of apologizing, Xie Wenyuan was utterly disappointed and darkened his expression.

“Yue Yue, let’s go... She chose to reject me as her brother; I’m not the one who’s reluctant here.”

“From now on, I will only acknowledge you as my sister!”

Yue Yue nudged Xie Wenyuan, saying, “Big Brother, you should go back first. I’ll try to persuade Sister. She’s just angry with you; I’ll definitely get her to apologize!”

Xie Wenyuan snorted coldly, “Doctor Gao, let’s go. She’s eating and drinking well; she doesn’t need your treatment anymore!”

This ungrateful wretch didn’t deserve his concern, nor the court doctor he specially hired.

Seeing Xie Wenyuan about to leave, Qiujü hurriedly kowtowed, “Master, please take me away. If I stay at Jiyue Courtyard, Fourth Miss will surely kill me...”

Xie Wenyuan didn’t even turn his head, “From now on, you stay with Fifth Miss. If Xie Qiqi dares to trouble you again, I won’t let her off easily!”

Yue Yue stood still, and only after hearing the footsteps fade away did she let out a soft laugh...

She sneered, “Xie Qiqi, aren’t you usually so fond of arguing? Big Brother wronged you so badly—why don’t you argue back now?”

Xie Qiqi looked at Yue Yue coldly and said, “When I was first brought back, Mother assigned me a nanny and four maids. Not long after, you said you liked the nanny’s cooking, so you got rid of her.”

“A few months ago, you said your dresses needed magpie embroidery, and the magpie left... then it was Camellia, and now Qiujü... You really went to great lengths to set this trap just to get a maid!”

Yue Yue chuckled, “Xie Qiqi, I thought you were a simpleton, but you’re actually a bit clever...”

“That’s right, I set the trap. I deliberately had Qiujü buy pastries to be seen by Big Brother... I also coached Qiujü on what to say!”

“I wanted to make our parents and brothers despise you... I wanted to leave you isolated and alone!”

The hatred in Yue Yue’s eyes was unmasked; she had been holding it in for a long time.

Before, she hesitated to completely sever ties with Xie Qiqi, fearing the family would turn against her.

But now, after multiple confrontations, she had gained the upper hand. The whole family was led to loathe Xie Qiqi.

Even if Xie Qiqi complained, they would only think she was slandering them.

So now, she could openly express her hatred without restraint.

“Xie Qiqi, I really hate you to death!”

Yue Yue shoved Xie Qiqi hard, venomously saying,

“I thought tearing up Master Sikong’s prized painting would make the Crown Princess kill you in a rage, but all she did was throw you into the lake!”

“Why didn’t you just die from illness? Don’t you know the whole family despises you for being a disgrace? Why are you still alive, an eyesore?”

Xie Qiqi staggered, unable to keep standing, and fell to the ground, alarmed and chilled to the bone.

She had thought Yue Yue ruined the painting just to make the Crown Princess resent her, but she hadn’t expected Yue Yue to want to use the Crown Princess’s hand to kill her!

Did Yue Yue hate her that much?