Chapter 25 Eldest Brother So silly, so foolish.

Chapter 25: Big Brother

To Xie Chi's way of thinking, most compliments held an ulterior motive, kindness made you an easy target, mercy meant you couldn't tell right from wrong, and being "most trustworthy" was just another way of saying: "I'm useless, so you need to handle everything for me."

Ever since he'd learned about the troubles in Zhong Yao's household, Xie Chi had braced himself for this, but he disliked hearing it spoken out loud.

Therefore, after Zhong Yao used his arm for support to jump ashore, he suddenly thrust his arm forward. Zhong Yao, who was still holding onto it, was pulled off-balance and swayed toward the river behind her, startling her into taking several quick steps forward.

"Still think I'm trustworthy?" Xie Chi asked.

Zhong Yao's expression turned resentful again.

Every time she showed this look, it gave Xie Chi the impression she was being bullied, making him want to tease her even more.

However, Xie Chi restrained himself. He didn't want to focus too much attention on Zhong Yao. He strode toward the carriage without offering her a hand this time.

The carriage was spacious, padded with comfortable cushions, but no lantern was lit. At first, the light from outside allowed them to make out the interior, but after the carriage had traveled for a while, moving away from the bustling Changming Street, it was pitch black inside.

It really did look like they were in the business of kidnapping young women and children.

Xie Chi had been sitting with his eyes closed. After listening to the rumbling of the wheels for a long time without hearing any movement from Zhong Yao, he opened his eyes in the dimness and saw that she had lifted her veil and was peering out the carriage window.

As the carriage passed by shops along the street, occasional slivers of clear moonlight shone in. By this faint light, Xie Chi saw her expression, which was exceptionally alert and focused.

Was she secretly memorizing the route to avoid being sold?

So much for him being "most trustworthy"—it was all lies.

Xie Chi snorted coldly and closed his eyes again.

The carriage swayed along for an unknown length of time. As it gradually slowed down, Zhong Yao realized the place looked familiar. It was a street not far from the Zhong residence, with several silk shops. She had come here before with Madam Zhong.

It was too late; all the shops were closed. Looking around, only a few scattered lanterns were still swaying.

"What are we doing here?"

"Buying fabric."

"Which shop?" Zhong Yao asked again, feeling both puzzled and uneasy.

She was puzzled because it was so late; there were no shops open on this street. Her unease stemmed from a premonition that something was about to happen. Otherwise, Xie Chi, who was so concerned about his reputation, wouldn't be roaming about at night with a young lady like her.

It must be something very important.

"This one." As Xie Chi replied, the carriage stopped.

Before them was a nondescript silk shop, no different from the others around it. On a normal day, one might not even remember passing by it.

For some reason, Zhong Yao felt nervous. After getting out of the carriage, she followed closely behind Xie Chi.

A guard had already stepped forward to knock on the door. After only three knocks, there was movement from inside. Someone behind the door asked in alarm, "Who is it?"

"Customers," the guard replied.

"We're closed! Come back tomorrow!"

The guard looked back at Xie Chi for instructions. Xie Chi nodded. The guard then took a step back and kicked the door open with a loud "bang!"

Behind the door was a man dressed as a shopkeeper, holding a lantern. Seeing the tall, fierce-looking men outside, he visibly panicked, exclaiming, "What are you doing? Do you know whose business this is?"

While threatening them, the shopkeeper raised his arms to block their way, simultaneously signaling with his eyes to a servant hiding behind him.

The servant nimbly turned and ran.

The guard didn't bother being polite. Pushing him aside, he quickly strode inside, while several others blocked the front and back doors.

Watching them charge in recklessly while Xie Chi strolled in calmly, Zhong Yao felt like part of a gang of villainous bullies.

Feeling somewhat ashamed, she followed Xie Chi into the rear courtyard, her conscience pricking her.

Shops along the street typically had larger rear courtyards than frontages, shaped like a gourd. The courtyard was bathed in bright moonlight, offering an open view. Several rooms were clearly visible, but only one was lit—undoubtedly Xie Chi's target.

The servants and maids guarding the door were loyal. Seeing the group, they began shouting at the top of their lungs.

But this time, before the guards could act, someone called a halt to the commotion.

"Step aside, all of you." A soft female voice came from inside the room. At the same time, the door opened, and a young woman walked out—it was Chen Luoling.

Her expression carried a touch of sorrow. After bowing to Xie Chi, she said helplessly, "I thought this might be a trap, but I still fell into it. Heir Xie, you've outmaneuvered me."

Xie Chi said, "You just weren't ruthless enough."

Chen Luoling shook her head, then her gaze fell on Zhong Yao, who was wearing a veil behind him. "Is that Miss Zhong? Knowing you were so closely connected to Heir Xie, I should have avoided you."

Zhong Yao was still confused why Chen Luoling, in the middle of confronting Xie Chi, had suddenly shifted her attention to her.

But since Xie Chi wasn't at a disadvantage, she couldn't lose face either. So, she put on an inscrutable expression and stared silently at Chen Luoling through the veil.

Chen Luoling looked at her under the moonlight and suddenly asked, "If I suddenly brought out a dog, would it scare you away?"

Zhong Yao trembled in fright, subtly moving a step closer to Xie Chi. She took a deep breath and said, "I'm not afraid of any number of dogs. Heir Xie is—"

"Go see your man!"

Xie Chi didn't expect to hear anything complimentary about himself from her. Before she could utter the words "hero who beats dogs," he reached back, placed his hand on the nape of Zhong Yao's neck, and pushed her forward.

"Ah!" Zhong Yao, caught off guard, was shoved right into Chen Luoling.

Chen Luoling staggered from the impact. The two steadied each other. After letting go, Chen Luoling stepped aside and said, "Go in, Miss Zhong."

Zhong Yao had been wondering all along what Xie Chi intended to do. Now, seeing Chen Luoling also acting as if she wanted to return something to her, her confusion reached its peak.

Recalling the events of the past few days, a bold and absurd guess surfaced in her mind...

Under the moonlight, Zhong Yao looked back. Her gaze swept over the panicked shopkeeper and maid in the distance, then over the calmly composed Xie Chi and the despairing yet resigned Chen Luoling. She turned and entered the room.

It was a simple room, sparsely furnished: only a trunk, a small table, two chairs, and a narrow bed. It was so bare that Zhong Yao saw the person lying on the bed the moment she stepped inside.

The silhouette looked familiar.

Zhong Yao's heart gave a sudden lurch. She took a quick step forward and then exclaimed, "Big Brother!"

Lying on the bed was her eldest brother, Zhong Lan, who was supposedly recuperating in Jiangzhou due to a leg injury.

In her shock, Zhong Yao's voice was loud, but the person on the bed showed no reaction. She rushed over in alarm and saw Zhong Lan with his eyes tightly shut, his face flushed bright red, clearly unaware of anything around him.

Zhong Yao called out several times, but there was no response. Turning to Chen Luoling, who had followed her in, she demanded accusingly, "What have you done to my brother!"

Chen Luoling's face was filled with embarrassment and guilt. She said softly, "I just arrived too. Earlier, I only had someone administer a knockout drug to him..."

Zhong Yao didn't buy it and gave her brother another few shakes, her tear-filled eyes turning toward Xie Chi.

She'd really honed her skill; now, whenever she looked at Xie Chi with that expression, his head would start to throb.

Knowing better than to refuse, he stepped forward to check and said, "High fever, slightly rapid pulse—seems he's caught a chill... How long has this been?"

"I was afraid of being discovered, so I haven't come to see him in the past few days... You'll have to ask the shopkeeper," Chen Luoling replied.

The shopkeeper and the others were being detained in the courtyard by the guards. When summoned, he explained that Zhong Lan had suddenly broken out with a high fever that morning and that he had already called a physician, who confirmed it was a chill.

To show he meant no harm, the shopkeeper even produced the medicine the physician had prescribed for Zhong Lan.

Once it was confirmed that it was only the effects of the chill and the sedative, Xie Chi took a small blue porcelain bottle from one of the guards, uncorked it, and waved it beneath Zhong Lan's nostrils. Before long, the unconscious man's brow twitched a few times.

"Big brother!" Zhong Yao crouched by his side, calling out anxiously.

Zhong Lan slowly opened his eyes.

He seemed utterly exhausted; his eyelids fluttered open and shut several times before he could clearly see the person before him.

"...Little sister?"

"Big brother!" Hearing his familiar voice, Zhong Yao's tears streamed down her cheeks. She carefully leaned against the edge of the bed, clutching the bedding, and choking back tears, she said loudly, "Big brother, don't be afraid. I'll take you home right away!"

Zhong Lan weakly reached out and patted the back of her hand gently, whispering, "It's all right. It's nothing serious."

He was so drained that even this small gesture left him with no strength. After comforting Zhong Yao a couple more times, he finally noticed the others in the room.

"Heir Xie?"

Zhong Lan saw Xie Chi first. Having served in the court for over two years, he recognized Xie Chi, but he was too weak to do more than nod in surprise.

Xie Chi said nothing further, merely nodding slightly in response.

Then Zhong Lan saw Chen Luoling. His gaze paused, shifted away, and settled back on Zhong Yao as he asked, "Was it... Second Miss Chen who brought you here?"

"Absolutely not!" Zhong Yao hated Chen Luoling intensely. Her brother had been hidden right here in the capital, yet Chen Luoling had repeatedly lied, claiming he was in Jiangzhou. "It was Heir Xie who helped. Chen Luoling... she's awful. Big brother, don't pay her any mind!"

Zhong Lan looked haggard and hesitated for a moment, offering no response.

Zhong Yao thought he was simply too weak. She wiped her tearful eyes with her sleeve and continued, "Was it her who kidnapped you? Big brother, don't be afraid. Once you've recovered at home, we'll report her. Even if her sister is going to become the Crown Princess, kidnapping an imperial official is a serious crime. We're not afraid of her..."

As she spoke, she tried to help Zhong Lan sit up, but he stopped her.

"I..." Zhong Lan's brow furrowed tightly, his tone hesitant. After a long pause, as if making a momentous decision, he said, "It wasn't her."

Zhong Yao was stunned, murmuring blankly, "What do you mean, it wasn't her?"

Zhong Lan said softly, "It wasn't Second Miss Chen who kidnapped me."

"Wasn't her?"

Shocked and confused, Zhong Yao turned back blankly and saw that Chen Luoling's face, originally filled with despair and shame, also showed surprise.

Turning back, Zhong Yao found her brother with his eyes closed, not looking at Chen Luoling at all.

"If it wasn't her, then who was it?" Zhong Yao asked. "Was it First Miss Chen?"

"Not her either," Zhong Lan said. "This matter has nothing to do with First Miss Chen from start to finish. The letter I sent home earlier was mistaken... Did you read that letter?"

Zhong Yao's head was spinning. "Yes, I read it. What was mistaken about it?"

Zhong Lan clearly didn't want to explain. He closed his eyes, took a few breaths, and said, "Forget about that matter. Don't bring it up again. Later... later I'll explain it to Father and Mother myself."

"Okay," Zhong Yao obediently agreed, then added, "You can explain the letter's contents to them yourself once you've recovered, but I've had such a hard time finding you. You can't keep me in the dark. Tell me clearly first: who exactly kidnapped you?"

Zhong Lan's expression faltered slightly. Then, his tone suddenly turned authoritative as he said, "Little sister, it's nighttime. Why are you here with Heir Xie? Where is Mother?"

A candle was still burning on the nearby table, clearly indicating that it was very late.

At this hour, a proper young lady shouldn't be alone with a man in an unfamiliar place.

Zhong Yao turned around again and realized that Xie Chi and Chen Luoling had disappeared at some point. Only the two siblings remained in the room.

She wiped the remaining tears from her face and said seriously, "You wrote such a letter home and then vanished without a trace, worrying Father, Mother, and me. You caused this trouble, and I'm the one who found you. My contribution is greater. Now it's your turn to answer my questions properly. You have no right to play the elder brother card with me."

Zhong Lan: "..."

He tried to move his hand but couldn't lift it. He smiled kindly and said, "Fine, just wait. In a few days, once I've recovered..."

The siblings couldn't reach an agreement. To preserve their hard-won sibling affection, they switched topics.

Zhong Yao wanted to take Zhong Lan back to the estate. After some thought, Zhong Lan refused. Zhong Yao then suggested returning to the estate to fetch Madam Zhong, but he refused that too.

Zhong Lan said, "Chen... Second Miss said I injured my leg and am recuperating in Jiangzhou with her younger brother, right?"

Zhong Yao nodded. "Mm-hmm."

"If I suddenly appear alone and perfectly fine, it'll be hard to explain to the palace... Little sister, don't tell Mother about seeing me today. Tomorrow, once I'm feeling better, I'll write a letter of reassurance myself. You can take it to Mother and tell her not to worry."

"You still want to hide this from Mother?" Zhong Yao couldn't understand and frowned, scolding him, "Isn't this disloyal and unfilial? Where did all your book learning go?"

"..." She really knew how to assign blame.

Zhong Lan said patiently, "As people grow up, they develop their own secrets and opinions. Everyone is like that."

Zhong Yao accepted this reasoning; she had her own secrets too.

Feeling somewhat guilty, Zhong Yao compromised.

"So you're going to stay here?" she asked worriedly. "This is Chen Luoling's property. If you hide here and someone discovers you one day, your reputation will be ruined."

Zhong Lan choked, unable to understand why, after just a short time apart, his sister had developed such strange ideas in her head.

Since he lacked the energy to investigate the reason, he simply said, "There are some matters I need to resolve, and your second brother... I can take this opportunity to go to Xujiang and see what's going on with him."

"You?" Zhong Yao was first surprised, then shook her head after thinking it over. "You'd better forget it. You can't even handle a girl like Chen Luoling. Just stay home quietly and save everyone the worry."

"..." Zhong Lan felt dizzy, perhaps due to the chill. He closed his eyes to rest for a moment and said weakly, "...It's too late, little sister. You should go back to the estate."

Zhong Yao had come out in response to Xue Fang's invitation to watch the river lanterns. Once she boarded the painted boat, she had shaken off the estate's servants. It had been a long time, and if she didn't reappear soon, it might cause chaos at home.

It was very late. Her brother was confirmed to have no serious issues aside from the effects of the chill and the sedative, and he had earnestly insisted that Chen Luoling wasn't a bad person. Zhong Yao promised to visit him again during the day tomorrow before reluctantly saying goodbye.

"I still don't believe it," Zhong Yao muttered once she was in the carriage. "If Chen Luoling isn't a bad person, why did she drug my brother? She admitted it herself before he woke up. That can't be wrong, can it?"

She spoke very softly because Chen Luoling had also secretly slipped out of her estate and was about to return. The hidden carriage had just been brought out and was not far behind.

Zhong Yao opened the window a crack to glance back, then turned around and asked worriedly, "Heir Xie, do you think she might sneak over in the middle of the night and steal my brother away?"

Xie Chi didn't answer immediately. He lifted his arm, his sleeve falling back to reveal an extra hand clutching beneath it.

He shook off that hand, tapped on the carriage window, and instructed, "Leave a few men to guard Eldest Master Zhong."

Zhong Yao's eyes instantly sparkled with delight. "You're truly amazing, Heir Xie! I was being so indirect, yet you still understood!"

"Perhaps because I have a brain," Xie Chi replied casually.

He had helped Zhong Yao find her elder brother, lifting a huge weight from her heart. In her good mood, she generously forgave the veiled sarcasm in his words.

Not only was she unoffended, she even giggled foolishly.

Xie Chi noticed, glanced at her, and asked, "Did your elder brother mention Miss Chen?"

"No," Zhong Yao shook her head, then added, "Well, not exactly. He said the matter mentioned in his previous letter was a mistake on his part, that it was damaging to Miss Chen's reputation, and he forbade me from ever bringing it up again."

This was strange, because her brother had said "there was an error," not that it hadn't happened at all.

"Was intimate with Miss Chen while drunk"—these were the words he had personally written in his letter. Where could the error lie?

Zhong Yao connected the timing and location of the incident, her brother's attitude, and what she had seen and heard these past days. Another bold conjecture flashed through her mind.

She wanted to confirm it with Xie Chi, but if she guessed wrong, it might harm someone's reputation.

So she hesitated for a moment, didn't voice it, and instead asked Xie Chi, "What do you think happened?"

"Not interested," Xie Chi said indifferently. "I only care about Miss Chen's whereabouts."

Zhong Yao found this odd. "Why are you so concerned about her?"

In the past, mentioning this famously beautiful woman of the capital had never prompted Xie Chi to ask much.

Xie Chi said, "I'm going to use her as bait to lure the Crown Prince into dealing with the Fourth Prince, so I can extricate myself from the imperial power struggle."

By the time she realized what he was saying, Zhong Yao's hands were too late to cover her ears, and she was once again forced to hear a terrifying secret.

Her mouth opened, then closed, looking so pitiful that it improved Xie Chi's mood considerably, granting him a moment of peace.

Zhong Yao was quite afraid of learning more secrets. After brooding for a while, it occurred to her that the reason Xie Chi was entangled in this was ultimately to help her. While helping her, he was also planning his exit from the conflict—there was nothing wrong with that.

She thought it through and quickly accepted this matter. She tugged on Xie Chi's sleeve and asked, "Earlier, when you were outside with Chen Luoling, didn't you say anything?"

"We did," Xie Chi replied. "I had no intention of prying into others' private affairs, and she didn't want to reveal her secrets. We only discussed two things. First, her elder sister is dead, her younger brother has gone to claim the body, and the news will soon reach the capital. Second, her elder sister indeed did not wish to marry the Crown Prince."

"She's dead?" Zhong Yao was shocked, then asked, "Did Chen Luoling kill her?"

After asking this, Zhong Yao vaguely saw Xie Chi roll his eyes at her. She quickly shook her head, giggling as she did so because of his reaction, and said, "No, no, she didn't even go for a killing blow against me, why would she kill her own elder sister? There must be another reason."

What reason could it be?

Zhong Yao had learned too many things abruptly tonight. Her mind was in a jumble, and she couldn't figure it out for the moment.

She decided to collect these clues in her mind first, to ponder carefully when alone, or to ask her elder brother directly once he was a bit better.

The immediate priority was to figure out how Xie Chi knew her elder brother was hidden in the capital by Chen Luoling.

She asked, but Xie Chi didn't answer. Instead, he asked, "Do you have a private residence and private savings?"

Zhong Yao was startled by the question, looking at him several times in succession before honestly replying, "Yes."

"Where do you hide your money?"

"...Originally in a small box by the bed, but I moved it to my vanity case this morning."

Xie Chi was momentarily speechless by her guarded expression. He raised his hand and pressed down firmly on the veil hat on her head, asking, "Why not hide it in your own private residence?"

Zhong Yao's private residence was bought by her parents a couple of years ago. Because she was still young, her parents weren't comfortable with her going out alone. She had never stayed there, only a few servants kept watch.

Of course, that place couldn't be used to hide money.

"Important things are safest hidden right under your nose," Zhong Yao replied.

As she spoke, she lifted the veil hat, her arm disturbing the hanging gauze. The swaying gauze made her notice that Xie Chi had lowered his head and was quietly gazing at her through the gap.

Once discovered, Xie Chi didn't avert his gaze. Instead, he lightly raised an eyebrow.

In that movement, the candlelight in the carriage reflected in his eyes, illuminating his high-bridged nose and sharply defined features—truly, sword-like brows and starry eyes, peerlessly handsome.

Zhong Yao gazed back at him. After a moment, she said dazedly, "...Heir Xie, you are so handsome..."

"..." Xie Chi's thick brows suddenly furrowed. The handsome young master instantly transformed into a fierce, intimidating man, startling Zhong Yao into clarity, sobering up in an instant.

"Oh!" she exclaimed with sudden realization. "I get it! Important things should be kept close by, so you guessed my elder brother wasn't in Jiangzhou, but that she had brought him back to the capital!"

Once she grasped this point, everything else connected.

"So when you asked to borrow the dogs, it wasn't for Xue Fang to play with! And Xue Fang wasn't neglecting his duties for amusement! He had those dogs sniff my elder brother's clothes, then deliberately let them loose so they could search the capital!"

After excitedly saying this, Zhong Yao shook her head again. "No, no, if those dogs had found clues about my elder brother, we could have just gone directly. There was no need to follow Chen Luoling."

She dismissed her previous theory and amended, "It was fake! Oh, right! You tricked her!"

Her elder brother had been away from home for several months. Relying on scent to find someone wasn't necessarily reliable, which was why Xie Chi needed to take her brother's personally inscribed calligraphy, paintings, and jade pendant.

Then Xue Fang took the dogs out of the city, 'accidentally' lost the leashes, and searched for a long time before 'finding' them.

After that, he just took the dogs to play with Chen Luoling. As long as Chen Luoling saw the calligraphy or paintings bearing her elder brother's signature, or the jade pendant engraved with the character "Zhong," that the dogs had 'found' somewhere, she would naturally suspect it was a distress signal from her elder brother and would certainly go to investigate.

No wonder Chen Luoling said, "I thought this might be a trap."

"Heir Xie, you are so clever!" Zhong Yao, having figured it all out, looked at Xie Chi with shining eyes and said, "But I played a part too. If I hadn't tested her so many times before, creating opportunities, you couldn't have tricked her so easily."

Having found her elder brother, she was in high spirits. Her voice was light and cheerful, her emotions fluctuating like waves, having changed many times already. Xie Chi's mood, however, was still stuck on that "You are so handsome."

How was this any different from "little beauty"?

Xie Chi's arm tensed. Many times he wanted to pinch Zhong Yao's face and make her look at him properly, to see clearly whether he was more fierce or more handsome. In the end, he was restrained by Old Madam Xie's words echoing in his mind: "Ah, men."

Xie Chi clearly knew that, as a man, he had base instincts. He couldn't guarantee that physical contact with Zhong Yao wouldn't again provoke indecent thoughts.

Fortunately, Zhong Lan had been found. Once he successfully diverted the trouble onto the Crown Prince, the second Zhong son should also be located. Then he could go to fulfill his appointment at Misty Hidden Mountain and completely rid himself of Zhong Yao, this annoying troublemaker.

Therefore, Xie Chi restrained himself.

He closed his eyes, letting Zhong Yao chatter beside him, neither responding to her nor looking at her again.

The carriage rumbled along with Zhong Yao's murmuring. By the time it reached the Zhong residence, it was nearly midnight. If Xie Chi hadn't sent a guard ahead to deliver a message saying Zhong Yao had lost track of time playing with Xue Fang and that the Marquis's carriage would personally bring her back later, Madam Zhong would have been frantic with worry long ago.

After getting off the carriage, Zhong Yao didn't immediately enter the residence. She dismissed the anxious servants waiting at the gate, instructing them to inform Madam Zhong, and after telling Xie Chi to wait for her a moment, she turned and ran towards her own courtyard.

Xie Chi had no intention of waiting.

He told the guards to drive on. As the carriage began to move, he imagined how Zhong Yao would likely nag him when they next met, and in the end, he gave in again.

Just have to put up with it a while longer.

The Zhong residence wasn’t large. Before long, a slender figure came darting out of the gate, followed by a few servants who kept their distance, not daring to approach.

“Heir Xie! You’re still here? I thought you’d already left!” Zhong Yao ran until her hair was disheveled and she was out of breath.

Xie Chi sat inside the carriage, watching her through the window, and said, “Get to the point.”

“Get to the point!” Zhong Yao pulled a stern face and mimicked him. As she spoke, a stray lock of hair fell across her eyelashes, trembling with her every word.

Zhong Yao couldn’t hold back a laugh first, then brushed the hair from her eyelashes. With both hands, she proffered a small box, trying to pass it through the window.

The box wasn’t large, but it seemed pretty heavy.

Xie Chi glanced at it but didn’t take it, saying, “Giving me a brick so I can smash you to vent my anger?”

“It’s silver, silver and banknotes!” Zhong Yao looked at him petulantly, opening the box to reveal its contents. “I thought that for my family’s affairs, you’d not only have to go to trouble but also spend money. I can’t help with the former, but I do have a bit put aside, so I pulled together what I could for you.”

Xie Chi studied her for a moment, thinking to himself, *No wonder she reacted so strongly when I asked her on the carriage if she had any private savings. So she really does, and quite a lot at that.* Based on the size of the box, he roughly estimated it contained over a thousand taels.

She wasn’t from a great clan—how could a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old unmarried girl have so much money?

Unless she had sold her jewelry.

Xie Chi recalled her attire from earlier that day, frowned, and asked in a low voice, “Where did you get so much money?”

“I stole it from my eldest brother,” Zhong Yao answered crisply.

Xie Chi: “...?”

“If it’s not enough, my second brother’s room still has some good stuff. I’ll steal that tomorrow too—they’re both away anyway.”

Misinterpreting Xie Chi’s silence, Zhong Yao magnanimously added, “Don’t worry about the money. The year before last, when my second brother returned to our hometown to pay respects to our ancestors, he got a few blue agates from foreign merchants. He said he’d keep them for my future sister-in-law. Those things should be quite valuable. I’ll steal and sell them tomorrow—that should bring in a few hundred taels more.”

Xie Chi’s lips twitched. “I don’t need money.”

Nor would he spend a young lady’s money.

“Really, you don’t need it?”

“What do you think the Marquis’s estate is?”

A century-old marquisate would lack anything but money.

“Alright then.”

Zhong Yao put the silver away, thanked Xie Chi, and was about to turn and leave when she thought for a moment and said, “But I’ll still steal it. I quite like my second brother’s treasures too.”

“Hehe…”

As if those treasures were already in her hands, Zhong Yao chuckled like a little miser.

Xie Chi watched through the window, seeing her clear, bright eyes and curved lips clearly.

Mischievous, silly, foolish.

Not the least bit likable.