They carried all the sacks and placed them in a large pile at the center of the courtyard. Dust rose faintly in the warm air as the heavy bags thudded against the ground one after another.
Luo He's gaze drifted over the mount of sacks for only a heartbeat before he spoke, his voice calm almost casual.
"Mother-in-law," he called as though making a simple request.
"Would you be so kind as to take the dagger you've hidden in your hair and slit open one of these sacks?" The air stilled.
For the briefest moment, her composure cracked. Shock flickered across her face before she could suppress it.
Almost unconsciously her hand rose fingers brushing against the ornate hairpin no the blade tucked securely within her hair as if to reassure herself it had not betrayed her. Yet it had. And far too easily at that.
A faint knowing smile touched Luo He's lips. "There's no need for embarrassment," he added gently. "If you'd rather not you can simply pass it to me." As he spoke he lowered himself to one knee pulling a sack closer with unhurried precision.
Every movement was steady yet deliberate like a man unveiling something utterly mundane rather than exposing a carefully guarded secret.
Around them the family stood frozen their silence thick with confusion and curiosity.
Eyes darted from Luo He to her questions unspoken but heavy in the air.
A moment passed. Then she stepped forward. "No," she said her voice regaining its usual poise though now edged with resolve.
"I will do it myself." She said. Opportunity gleamed in her eyes, she would not let this moment slip. With a fluid motion she drew the dagger free. The ornament slipped loose her hair shifting as strands cascaded softly around her shoulders.
The concealed blade caught the light its edge cold and unforgiving. Without hesitation she bent down to the closet sack.
Behind her Jin Quan stared utterly caught off guard. "Honey… since when did you start hiding a dagger in your hair?" he asked his voice strained with disbelief.
He stood there stunned not just by the weapon but by what it implied. That she had carried it even in private even beside him. The thought stirred a flicker of anger sharp and uncomfortable. Did she truly see him as a threat?
He straightened slightly gathering what remained of his authority, ready to voice his displeasure perhaps demand an explanation even an apology. But the moment his eyes met hers He froze.
That single glance. It wasn't anger.
It wasn't irritation. It was something far colder. Jin Quan felt it like a blade pressed against his throat.
Every trace of indignation he had gathered shattered instantly. The words he had prepared questions, accusations, demands collapsed before they could even form. His spine stiffened then instinctively lowered as if his body understood something his pride refused to accept.
This was not a woman he could confront.
This was not even a woman he could question. A flicker of movement from her hand barely anything at all made his breath hitch. The dagger turned once between her fingers, controlled, effortless, practiced. Jin Quan swallowed yard.
"I was just asking," he muttered the force in his voice gone reduced to something almost pitiful. He didn't dare say another word. Didn't dare step closer. Didn't even dare meet her eyes again.
Because deep down far beneath pride and pretence Jin Quan wasn't merely wary of his wife. He was terrified of her.
Luo He noticed this tension immediately but remained as if ideal. She cut open one sack. A sharp tearing sound cut through the silence. Then Gold coins spilled out in a shimmering cascade clinking loudly as they poured onto the ground catching the candle light in a dazzling display. She gasped.
All previous composure vanished at that instant. The noble dignified aura she carried dissolved replaced by raw unfiltered emotion. In that moment she was no longer a woman of status just a person overwhelmed by the sight before her.
Luo He remained calm. "Here we have 1.8 million gold coins," he said evenly. "None of it is sealed yet so the origins are untraceable. I need one million of it placed into chests and buried somewhere beneath the mansion. The remaining eight hundred thousand will be used to pay off our debts."
"My son from now on call me mother." Jin Su said her voice trembling and her eyes glistening with tears from sheer joy. "For years I've done everything I could to reduce our expenses. We were drowning in a sea of debt and now… we can finally be free."
Her husband stood beside her still frozen in disbelief. "Father-in-law did you hear what I just said?" Luo He asked respectfully. Jin Su turned and punched him on the shoulder snapping him back to reality. "Bury the one million as told," she said firmly.
Luo He talked again, "father in law call everyone we owe money to. Tell them we are nearly bankrupt and that we need to restructure our loans. Call them to be here tomorrow morning I will deal with them personally."
He blinked still trying to process everything. "But… why should we say we're bankrupt? We have more than enough gold now." Jin Quan asked. "Trust me, Father-in-law," Luo He replied calmly. "This is in our best interest."
Mother Jin cut in sharply, her tone no longer gentle. "Just do as he says. Don't ask foolish questions."
Luo He raised a hand slightly, intervening. "If we tell them we are rich they will try to squeeze as much gold out of us as possible," he explained. "But if we claim we are on the brink of collapse they will focus on recovering what they can.
They might push us to sell land or assets instead of increasing the debt." He paused his gaze steady. "And once they settle on their calculations we pay everything in one stroke cutting off all these parasites with one clean blow."
The hall fell silent again but this time it was not confusion that filled the air.
It was realization.
The next morning, Luo He woke early the pale light of dawn spilling softly through the high windows. The cool air of the manor filled his lungs as he moved with calm precision. Each motion deliberate and measured.
There was a quiet sharpness in his eyes, the kind that revealed a plan already set in motion. A mind weaving through layers of strategy while the household still slept.
He approached his father-in-law who looked genuinely weary. Red-rimmed eyes and a slouched posture betrayed his attempts to hide his exhaustion. Luo He knew his father in law was banned from joining his wife in bed the previous night.
The weight of years of worry over unpaid debts pressed visibly on Jin Quan's shoulders. With a small rueful sigh Jin Quan confessed. "Son I was punished by my wife last night for acting stupid.
My wife was disappointed that I couldn't solve our debts over the years which took you less than two weeks to handle. It seemed almost effortless watching you handle it."
Luo He rested a reassuring hand on his father-in-law's arm. "Stay in bed and appear weak. My plan is to say you suffered heartburn due to our family's declining state. It will work like a charm and loosen the last of their guard.
I will also see what I can do about your other problem." His voice was low and steady but there was a spark of reassurance in it. A promise that they were not powerless anymore.
Next Luo He went to his wife. Her posture was upright and confident her eyes alert yet warm. "Wife you will be my muscle. Do not let anyone get too close to me," he instructed. There was an unspoken trust between them.
She met his gaze a slight nod conveying her readiness and loyalty. Finally he visited his mother-in-law who had an aura of composed dignity.
"Mother you will act as our ambassador." She straightened her back the slightest hint of a smile crossing her face as she accepted her role understanding the stakes and the subtle power Luo He now wielded.
The air in the room felt tight charged with anticipation. Each family member seemed to transform into actors stepping onto a stage their hearts pounding with quiet tension.
Every expression and gesture rehearsed yet natural. One by one they nodded committing themselves fully and the household held its collective breath.
Soon after the creditors arrived. The morning sun glinted off their polished shoes and gleaming coins and their eyes were sharp and calculating. They were led inside under the pretence of concern.
Guided through the estate with subtle manipulation as if being drawn into a carefully woven illusion. The walls adorned with rich tapestries and muted candlelight cast long shadows lending the room a weighty solemnity.