Chapter 508: What Do You Think You Are

Chapter 508: Chapter 508: What Do You Think You Are

Shen Ningning could hardly believe what she was hearing.

She stared at Qi Xiuwei in astonishment as the girl broke down before her, her eyes filled with hatred and tears.

Perhaps fearing she might suddenly turn violent, Xie Ming’an had already moved quietly to stand in front of Shen Ningning.

He completely shielded his younger sister behind him.

Mr. Qi’s expression was complicated as he stared at his daughter. "You... you were actually that ruthless."

But Mrs. Qi rushed over, crying, and hugged Qi Xiuwei.

"She didn’t do it! It was me. I did everything."

Mr. Qi was furious. "Shut up! You’re still trying to cover for her at a time like this. It’s precisely because you never taught her properly that our child committed such a monstrous crime!"

By blood, Mrs. Qi Sr. was Qi Xiuwei’s grandmother.

According to the laws of Cangyun Country, killing a relative within three generations, especially an elder, was a major crime. The punishment ranged from exile to beheading.

Qi Xiuwei sobbed, her eyes somewhat vacant and numb.

"Father, you saw it all. You know how Grandmother oppressed Mother and me."

"If she had woken up, she would have kept trying to force me to marry someone I don’t like. Only after she fell ill did I realize how free and wonderful life could be."

"I no longer had to worry that saying one wrong word or giving an inappropriate look would earn me a beating and a scolding. I no longer had to worry about being forced to kneel in the ancestral hall for refusing to associate with some powerful family."

Qi Xiuwei murmured, tears streaming down her face.

"It was so good that she was sick. Mother smiled more, too."

Mr. Qi grew frantic. "But you still can’t kill someone!"

"I didn’t!" Qi Xiuwei shrieked, her eyes bloodshot and red.

She looked at her own hands but couldn’t convince herself.

"I didn’t want her to die... I just wanted to keep her from getting better so quickly. But why did it turn out like this...?"

Peeking from behind her second brother’s back, Shen Ningning tilted her head slightly and saw that the wound on the web of Qi Xiuwei’s thumb had turned into a hideous scar.

For a moment, Shen Ningning couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy.

She watched her friend struggle to survive in such a family.

Qi Xiuwei had just wanted a happy and peaceful life so desperately that she had been forced to resort to such a drastic method.

After being discovered, she didn’t try to argue much.

From then on, she answered whatever Xie Ming’an asked.

Qi Xiuwei had been drugging Mrs. Qi Sr. for some time.

She had been very cautious, only wanting to keep Mrs. Qi Sr. in a coma, so she controlled the dosage each time.

Logically, since she had been doing this for so long, there was no reason she would suddenly miscalculate the dose and cause Mrs. Qi Sr.’s death.

Xie Ming’an looked at the mother and daughter crying in each other’s arms, and at Mr. Qi, whose face was ashen, standing beside them.

He said lightly, "You should know that Lily Frost is a potent poison. Even if you only used a little, it would accumulate over the years and become fatal."

"However, you were right about one thing. You are not the primary culprit in her death."

Qi Xiuwei’s sobs faltered. She looked up, somewhat astonished.

"What do you mean?"

Xie Ming’an smiled. "I mean, you weren’t the one who wanted Mrs. Qi Sr. dead. Although you poisoned her, that’s just the superficial cause."

"But before we get to that, I have a few questions for Mr. Qi."

Shen Ningning saw her second brother’s sharp gaze suddenly shift to Mr. Qi.

She was slightly taken aback, and even Qi Xiuwei frowned in confusion.

Mr. Qi’s expression froze, and he pursed his lips.

"Mr. Xie, what do you mean by this? Are you suspecting me?"

Xie Ming’an scoffed, calm and composed, his dark eyes as sly and cunning as a fox’s.

"Routine questioning. You are one of the family members who had contact with the deceased. I’m supposed to investigate everyone one by one. It’s procedure. You wouldn’t be feeling guilty, would you?"

This one sentence completely infuriated Mr. Qi. "What do I have to feel guilty about? She was my mother! Would I kill her?"

Xie Ming’an walked over to the corpse, his gaze turning cold. "Whether you did or not, the body will tell."

With that, he began his questioning.

"Judging by the state of the body, the time of death was within the last eight hours. Based on the speed at which the poison takes effect, even a maximum dose of Lily Frost would take about four hours to be fatal after ingestion."

Calculating the time, it meant someone gave Mrs. Qi Sr. something to eat early in the morning, just as the sky was beginning to brighten.

To avoid any trouble, Xie Ming’an directly stated what he had just found out.

"Before I came in, I casually asked one of your maids in the courtyard. Mrs. Qi Sr. took her medicine three times a day: morning, noon, and evening."

"Given the circumstances, the problem must have been with the morning dose."

Mr. Qi grew agitated. "Then why don’t you just call in the ones who decocted and delivered the medicine for a thorough investigation? What are you asking me for? I was busy at the government office all last night and never came back."

"That’s not necessarily true," Xie Ming’an said with a smile.

He pointed at Mr. Qi’s shoes. "The dew was heavy last night, and there was a brief, sudden downpour. Yet, the soles of your shoes are spotless, Mr. Qi. You must have never stepped outside."

Mr. Qi looked down, and his face instantly darkened.

Xie Ming’an continued, "But I discovered something even more interesting. Why is there a wine stain on your sleeve?"

Shen Ningning looked toward Mr. Qi’s cuff and saw a brown stain on the inconspicuous inner side of the sleeve.

You would never notice it if you didn’t look closely.

She glanced at her second brother, her admiration growing.

’No wonder Uncle Emperor relies on him so heavily. Everyone says there’s no case Xie Ming’an can’t solve.’

’Seeing how observant he is, I know he’s truly incredible.’

Mrs. Qi looked puzzled, then it dawned on her.

"That’s right, husband. Why are you still wearing the clothes you wore when you accompanied Wei’er to the banquet at the Su Mansion?"

If Xie Ming’an hadn’t pointed it out, she wouldn’t have realized.

Mr. Qi indeed hadn’t come home last night. He had sent a servant boy back with a message saying he would be busy at the public office.

But even if he didn’t come home, Mr. Qi had a room at the office with clean clothes for him to change into when needed.

Xie Ming’an raised an eyebrow. "So Mr. Qi went to the Su Mansion as well?"

Shen Ningning was surprised. "I didn’t even notice."

Qi Xiuwei frowned and recalled, "But as soon as we arrived at the Su Mansion yesterday, Father said he had urgent business and left in a hurry."

Xie Ming’an smiled, his eyes glinting darkly. "Did you really leave, or did you hide somewhere to make your move? What do you think, Mr. Qi?"

He crossed his arms. "No wonder I found it strange. Why would a loyal servant like Caiyun suddenly betray her master, suffer in silence, and choose to commit suicide? It seems she was bought off by you, her even greater master, wasn’t she?"

Mr. Qi’s face turned livid. "Xie Ming’an! Don’t you dare make baseless accusations! Although your official rank is higher than mine, in terms of seniority, I am your elder. I’m only a year older than your father. How dare you speak to me like that!"

Xie Ming’an’s handsome face was icy.

He sneered. "I give you an inch, and you think you’re a ruler. If it weren’t for my sister’s sake, you’d be a suspect right now. I could haul you off to the Ministry of Justice for interrogation, and torture wouldn’t be out of the question."

"Trying to pull rank on me with your age? Ridiculous! Many of the criminals I’ve brought to justice were older than you. They’re all drinking soup on the Naihe Bridge now. Who do you think you are?!"

With that, he took out a token—an Imperial Decree for the Ministry of Justice, specially issued by the Emperor.

To see this token was equivalent to seeing the Emperor himself.

"The suspect will obey this order. Follow me back to the Ministry of Justice to confess and submit to the law. If you resist, you will bear the consequences."

Disobeying an Imperial Decree was equivalent to treason.

Normally, even the most heinous criminal wouldn’t dare move upon seeing the token.

However, when Mr. Qi saw him produce the Imperial Decree, his expression changed in alarm. Then, he lunged violently toward Shen Ningning.

He had actually pulled out a dagger hidden in his sleeve!

Mrs. Qi screamed, and Qi Xiuwei quickly threw herself in front of Shen Ningning.

"Father! Don’t do this!"

Unexpectedly, Mr. Qi hardened his heart and shoved Qi Xiuwei aside.

The sharp blade sliced across Qi Xiuwei’s palm.

She fell, taking Shen Ningning down with her.

CLANG! With a crisp sound, the Jade Ring on Shen Ningning’s person fell out.

It was the very one that Xiuxiu and the others had given her.

The blood from Qi Xiuwei’s palm spread out, staining the Jade Ring.