Chapter 12 — Wu Yang Flower – Jade Snow Palace

His pupils constricted violently. Jiangnan salt transport. That is Dai Zhou's most important economic lifeline, and also his greatest financial base. As soon as I opened my mouth, I demanded half of the country from him. Greedy? Are not. I'm just asking for the exact price he has to pay.

"Cannot!" he immediately refused.

I raised my eyebrows slightly, my voice still as light as air.

"Your Majesty, don't you reconsider? The price of rice... is just the beginning."

I looked straight at him, every word clear:

“If tomorrow, the whole capital can no longer buy a single licorice.”

“If the day after tomorrow, the military doctors in the barracks don't have enough medicine.”

“If the day after tomorrow, the winter coats of the border guards never arrive…”

“Enough!” he shouted loudly, interrupting me.

I know, he understands very well. If I say I can do it, I will do it. He looked at me like I was crazy. But he is wrong. I'm not crazy. I'm just not afraid anymore.

“Why did she have to go to this extent?” he asked, his voice as heavy as the weight of the sky.

I looked at him and slowly replied:

"Because you locked the front door. I'll just open another door."

“Between us… must we get to this point?”

He asked that question, his voice hoarse, as if each word required effort to get out. I looked at him, my heart sinking little by little.

“That's not what I want,” I said slowly. “It was you who forced me.”

I looked straight at him, every word clear, without evasion.

"Tieu Quyet, you have to remember carefully. It was you who pushed me from a woman who just wanted to live peacefully every day, into a businesswoman who doesn't spare any means. It was you who ruined my life."

I paused for a moment, then smiled softly, a smile that didn't carry any warmth.

“For now, I just let you taste the feeling of being empty-handed.”

Every word I utter is like a thin blade, silent but sharp, silently cutting into him one by one. (I'm sorry I just got scolded, I've been stuck on the computer all this time, since early morning... Remember to follow me and give me suggestions... spicy Chili) He looked at me, looked at me for a long time, as if he wanted to find something familiar in my eyes. But in my eyes right now there is only coldness and hatred that cannot melt away. Finally, he understood. He lost. Lose until there's no way back. The so-called “rebirth” that he once thought was a chance for redemption turned out to be not grace, but just another level of hell — longer, deeper and more painful. And the person who personally pushed him into hell was the person he wanted to keep by his side the most. After a long time, he closed his eyes and nodded slightly. When he opened his mouth, his voice was so hoarse that it was almost speechless.

“I agree.”

The moment he said those two words, I saw the light in his eyes completely extinguish, like the last embers of a fire had just been blown away by the wind, leaving only cold ash and dead silence. He didn't say another word, just turned and walked in front of the desk. He commanded hoarsely. Not waiting long, the guard outside the door immediately brought in pens, ink, paper, research, and a thick stack of documents with a bright red seal. That is the office specializing in transporting Jiangnan salt - Dai Zhou's money bag, and also one of his most important sources of power. He holds a pen. I could see clearly that his hands were shaking very slightly. He looked at the document, then looked at me, his eyes filled with a pain so deep that I couldn't even read it. Finally, he put down his pen. Two words “Tieu Quyet” was written down, the pen strokes flew wildly, the force penetrated the paper, as if he had put all his strength and pride into it. After writing, he picked up the Regent's golden seal. Without a moment's hesitation, he pressed down firmly. The red lipstick mark appeared on the document, the red color was as dazzling as blood, making me suddenly pause. In that moment, I suddenly realized that what was being stamped was not only a seal, but also a piece of life that had been buried by his own hands. He pushed the document towards me.

“Hers.”

His voice was calm and terrifying.

“She won.”

I stepped forward and picked up a document that was powerful enough to shock the world. I am not in a hurry, nor trembling, I just slowly read each line, confirming each clause. When we are sure there are no mistakes, we fold it up and put it in our sleeve. There was no trace of joy on my face. Just a piece of cold, extreme silence.

“One more thing.”

I pulled out another blank piece of paper, placed it on the table, raised my pen and wrote down a few lines. Not a retirement letter. Not a letter of separation. It's a broken contract. From today, Tham Thanh Nguyet and Tieu Quyet no longer have any contact. In life we won't see each other again, in death we won't be involved. Whoever disobeys will be destroyed by heaven and earth.