Meeting Yun Xi's resentful gaze, Qi Rong tightened his thin lips, a flicker of complexity flashing across the bottom of his eyes.
"Do you just come to know me now?" Qi Rong sneered.
To achieve his goals, he didn't care what means he used.
Since ancient times, it's always the case that the winner takes all and the loser is nothing. Only the victors are qualified to be remembered in history. No one would care how graceful the defeated general's "eating posture" was!
This was also the most useful truth he had learned in the past dozen years!
Gazing at Qi Rong's arrogant and mocking eyes, Yun Xi only felt a surge of anger in her chest.
Yes, the Qi Rong she had known from the start was such an overbearing, despicable and shameless brute who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals!
Yun Xi was sitting on Qi Rong's lap, struggling hard to break free from his hold, but he clasped her waist tightly as if there was no one else around, forcing her to maintain this ambiguous posture with him.
"If you dare to move around again, do you believe I'll kiss you right now?"
Feeling Yun Xi's constantly wriggling body, Qi Rong squinted his cold eyes slightly, pressed his chin against her neck and shoulder, and hissed a threat into her ear with gritted teeth.
Although he didn't expect Yun Xi to be completely obedient and docile to him, her obvious repulsion annoyed him greatly.
Even though he deliberately embarrassed her in front of everyone, it was still the punishment she deserved for betraying him!
Yun Xi knew how stubborn Qi Rong was. She gritted her teeth in frustration.
Now that Shi Qian had been sent away by his despicable means, with him around, it was impossible for her to find someone to marry on the spur of the moment. Staying at odds with him like this wouldn't lead to any good result.
But her father was still suffering inhumane torture in the imperial prison!
Thinking of this, Yun Xi made up her mind. Suddenly, she said coldly,
"It's okay for me to be your concubine, but I have three conditions!"
As soon as Yun Xi said this, the surrounding fell into dead silence.
The old lady was the first to react. She sternly stopped Yun Xi,
"Yun Xi! Don't do something stupid out of a moment's confusion! If your father knew, he would surely be unable to eat or sleep and deeply blame himself!"
The old lady had already guessed what Yun Xi was thinking. Although she didn't like this granddaughter before and even wanted to drive her out of the prime minister's mansion more than once.
But now that the prime minister's mansion was in trouble, she realized how narrow - minded she had been. If it weren't for Yun Xi managing everything inside and outside the prime minister's mansion, it would have fallen apart long ago!
And she, this old lady, would surely end up wasting away in this disaster. No one would show her the slightest bit of pity.
Hearing the old lady's words, Yu Zhu quickly chimed in,
"Yes, miss. The old ancestor will be heart - broken if she knows! There must be other ways to rescue the master!"
Facing their persuasion, Yun Xi frowned and remained silent.
Although she knew they were both right, rescuing her father was extremely urgent, especially with Qi Rong standing in the way!
If he was determined to make trouble, with his ability and despicable means, it would be extremely difficult for her to rescue her father.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
For now, she had to temporarily submit to Qi Rong's tyranny. Later, when he lost interest in her, she would find a way to break free from his clutches!
Anyway, she never really intended to get married in the first place. It was all just a stop - gap measure. As long as she could find a way to get him to divorce her or divorce him herself in the future, her life could regain its freedom!
"I've made up my mind. You don't need to persuade me anymore."
Yun Xi said firmly. Then she turned to Qi Rong, her eyes challenging as she said,
"You claim you can cover the sky with one hand. I don't believe it! I'm just asking if you dare to accept my three conditions?"
As long as he dared to accept, she dared to be his concubine!
Meeting Yun Xi's challenging gaze, Qi Rong slightly curled his thin lips and encouraged her in a tone,
"Tell me first."
Yun Xi took a deep breath and seriously stated her conditions,
"One, I want you to rescue my father within three days and let him return to the prime minister's mansion safely; two, exonerate my father and younger sister from their charges, so that the prime minister's mansion will have no worries in the future; three, I want to go into business. You can't stop me or restrict my freedom because of this!"
"If you agree to all these three conditions, I'll pack my luggage right now and go back to the Prince Xian's mansion with you!"
Hearing Yun Xi clearly lay out the three conditions, there was another commotion around. The servants were shocked and couldn't help whispering to each other.
"Three days? The eldest miss only gave the Prince Xian three days. How is that possible?"
You know, their master had been locked in the imperial prison by the emperor for more than a month.
His disciples had almost exhausted all their connections, but still couldn't transfer him from the imperial prison to the three judicial departments, even to ease his physical suffering.
Therefore, just the first condition made everyone think that Yun Xi was deliberately making things difficult for Qi Rong and trying to make him back off.
"Moreover, almost everyone knows that the second miss poisoned the crown prince. Such a crime of poisoning the heir of the Liu Kingdom can't be simply exonerated!"
It was already a special grace that Yun Ni was just locked in the death row instead of being executed by slow slicing!
As for the third condition, it was even more difficult to understand.
The Liu Kingdom had always emphasized agriculture over commerce. The more noble the family, the more they despised merchants. And no man wanted his woman to show herself in public. If Yun Xi really became Qi Rong's concubine, she should stay at home obediently.
Asking the Prince Xian Qi Rong to allow her to do business freely seemed really "excessive" to everyone!
Yun Xi knew her conditions were harsh, but she also believed that for Qi Rong, it wasn't an impossible task. With his ability, although it might take some effort, he would surely be able to do it!
However, the most difficult part was to make him completely give up his hatred and schemes against her father, and even ensure the safety of the prime minister's mansion instead.
She knew clearly how difficult this would be for Qi Rong, who had always hated her father.
Now it was up to him to see if he really wanted to marry her as his concubine!
If he could give up his hatred, she could be his concubine!
Yun Xi stared intently at Qi Rong, not sure what his choice would be. But almost as soon as she proposed the conditions, Qi Rong quickly nodded.
"It's a deal! I'll agree to all of them."
Qi Rong's lips curled up. He agreed readily, his smile unrestrained as if the three conditions were no trouble for him at all.
After saying this, Qi Rong slowly stood up, let Yun Xi sit on his arm, and picked her up high. He announced in public,
"From today on, you, Yun Xi of the prime minister's mansion, are my concubine!"
Then, Qi Rong carried Yun Xi and strode out. He shouted to the more than a dozen guards in the yard,
"Put down the things. Let's go back to the Prince Xian's mansion!"
"Miss!"
"Yun Xi!"
Watching Qi Rong carry Yun Xi away like a bandit, Yu Zhu immediately chased after them. The old lady sat on the chair, stretching out her hand towards Yun Xi, and tears welled up in her cloudy eyes.
Hearing those desperate calls, Yun Xi's heart twitched. She turned to look at the old lady and said calmly,
"Grandmother, just pretend that the prime minister's mansion never had a Yun Xi, and you never had me as a granddaughter!"