From cannon fodder villain to superpowered queen

Outside the Jiang family's accounting office, the night was deep, and insects chirped softly.

Bi Yao and Jiang Ruiyuan crouched down, like two thieving mice, hiding behind a clump of lush green bamboo.

"Are you sure you want to do this? This is the Jiang family's money bag. What if it gets discovered..." Bi Yao lowered her voice, her heart pounding, feeling even more nervous than during the college entrance examination.

Jiang Ruiyuan handed her a small cloth bag, his tone firm: "Of course, you can't catch a wolf without risking your cub! This is our start-up capital for leaving the Jiang family."

Just then, Bi Yao felt a chill down her back, as if she were being watched by something.

She turned around abruptly and saw a dark figure flash by in the distance.

"Someone's here!" Bi Yao's heart stopped, and she almost shouted out loud.

Jiang Ruiyuan also noticed something was wrong, grabbed Bi Yao's hand, and hid in the deeper shadows.

"It's Zhao Meng!" Bi Yao recognized the dark figure as the captain of the Jiang family's guards. He was known for his loyalty and exceptional skills, comparable to the ancient Imperial Guards.

"This is really bad..." Bi Yao thought to herself.

"Don't panic," Jiang Ruiyuan calmly analyzed. "He probably just saw us here, but doesn't know what we're doing. You proceed with the plan, I'll distract him."

Bi Yao took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.

She straightened her clothes and walked towards the accounting office as if nothing had happened.

"Ahem," Bi Yao coughed twice, raising her voice, "Mr. Qian, are you still working so hard so late?"

The accountant, Qian Gui, was turning the beads on his abacus when he heard Bi Yao's voice. He was startled and almost dropped the abacus.

"Manager Bi... Manager Bi? What brings you here?" Qian Gui looked nervous, his eyes darting around, as if he had done something wrong.

"I've come to look at the accounts," Bi Yao said seriously. "The household expenses have been quite high recently, and the old lady asked me to check them."

Upon hearing this, Qian Gui's expression turned even uglier.

He stammered, "The...the accounts are...all correct..."

Bi Yao sneered, "Is that so? Then Mr. Qian, can you explain why last month's purchasing expenditure was twice as much as the previous months?" She pointed to a number in the ledger, her tone sharp.

Sweat beaded on Qian Gui's forehead as he stammered, "This...this is because..."

"Why?" Bi Yao pressed on, "Mr. Qian, you wouldn't be...lining your own pockets, would you?"

Qian Gui's face changed drastically, and his hand trembled as he pointed at Bi Yao: "You...you're spouting nonsense!"

"Whether it's slander or not, we'll settle that later." Bi Yao picked up the ledger, a cold smile playing on her lips. "Mr. Qian, let's 'go over the accounts' properly tonight..."

Qian Gui's eyes darted around, and he nervously touched his sparse goatee.

"Manager Bi, this audit is no child's play. You need to produce some evidence to prove you have the authority, right? What if you are... cough cough... falsely conveying an imperial edict?" He said sarcastically, trying to scare Bi Yao away with his official tone.

Bi Yao sneered inwardly, "Old fox, trying to play these tricks on me?"

She pulled a neatly folded piece of paper from her sleeve and slammed it on the table: "Open your dog eyes and look! This is the old lady's handwritten order!"

Qian Gui nervously accepted the edict, examined it carefully, and his face immediately turned even more unpleasant than a bitter gourd.

This imperial edict is genuine!

He wilted, looking like a frostbitten eggplant, and reluctantly pushed the account book in front of Bi Yao: "Manager Bi, please..."

Bi Yao picked up the ledger and pretended to look through it.

She had already learned from Jiang Ruiyuan that Qian Gui was a cunning old fox who had definitely tampered with the ledgers.

Sure enough, she soon discovered a considerable amount of hidden funds, tucked away in an inconspicuous corner, untouched for years—a real piece of meat!

Bi Yao's eyes rolled and a plan came to mind.

She slammed the ledger shut and said seriously, "Mr. Qian, these accounts are too messy and need to be reorganized! This... um... special item, let's put it under... routine maintenance expenses for easier management."

Although Qian Gui was heartbroken, he didn't dare say anything and could only watch helplessly as Bi Yao transferred the money away without anyone noticing.

Bi Yao was secretly delighted. With this money, she could live a few comfortable days after escaping.

She was preparing to retire successfully when suddenly...

With a creak, the door to the accounting office was pushed open...

Zhao Meng pushed the door open abruptly, scanning the accounting room with a wary look, his gaze finally landing on Bi Yao: "Manager Bi, what are you doing in the accounting room so late? Could it be..." He deliberately dragged out the last syllable, his tone full of suspicion.

Bi Yao's heart skipped a beat, but she remained outwardly calm. Just as she was about to explain, Jiang Ruiyuan strolled in from outside, looking composed. "Headhunter Zhao, you've come at the right time. The old lady was worried about the accounts and specifically instructed Steward Bi to do a thorough check overnight. Thank you for your hard work." Zhao Meng looked at Jiang Ruiyuan with some skepticism, then at the account book in Bi Yao's hand and the old lady's order. In the end, he didn't dare to say anything more, only muttering, "In the middle of the night, it's really a big fuss..." before turning and leaving.

Qian Gui watched helplessly as Bi Yao transferred the money away, feeling a mix of itch and pain in his heart, like being scratched by a cat.

Although he felt something was amiss, he had no evidence and could only swallow his anger and watch helplessly as Bi Yao left.

Bi Yao walked out of the accounting room, breathed a long sigh of relief, and secretly rejoiced: Hehe, I've got my first pot of gold!

Jiang Ruiyuan met Bi Yao in the night, his face grave. "Although we've got the money, this is just the beginning. To completely leave the Jiang family, we need one more thing—the key to the back door." Bi Yao was taken aback. "The key to the back door? Isn't it with the butler, Liu Fu?" Jiang Ruiyuan shook his head. "Liu Fu is cautious. He foresaw his impending doom, so he hid the real key. Getting it will take some effort..." He pulled a yellowed slip of paper from his pocket, covered with strange symbols. "I found this in Liu Fu's study; it should be a clue to the key..." Jiang Ruiyuan handed the paper to Bi Yao, pointing to one of the symbols. "This symbol... I think I've seen it in the stables..."