"Hmph? Send her away? Where do you plan to send her? To keep her like a slave again? You're truly cruel!"
Huo Xiaoxiao looked at her father in surprise: "Don't say that. Believe me, if you had a half-sibling, your methods would definitely be more ruthless than mine."
"I think you look just like your mother, don't you? Humph, like mother, like daughter!"
These words were truly outrageous. Huo Xiaoxiao's expression changed drastically, and her gaze towards her father suddenly sharpened: "Is that so? Then I'm really curious, since you're dissatisfied with my mother, why did you marry her? Or why didn't you kick her out? Don't worry, you don't need to explain, I'll explain. My mother is the legitimate daughter of the Shui family; her marrying you is practically a step down for her! And you?"
Taking a deep breath, Huo Xiaoxiao decided it was best to be clear today: "Marrying my mother would elevate you to the top. Not only would you gain the support of the Shui family, but you'd also receive a large dowry from my mother. However, my mother isn't generous enough. After learning about Huo Yi and her daughter, she wanted to get rid of them immediately. But she was too foolish. She shouldn't have asked for your opinion first, expecting you to personally send them away. Heh, how foolish!"
A thought struck Shi Tou; she suddenly remembered that Huo Xiaoxiao's mother had died suddenly from an illness, but how could someone who was perfectly healthy...
“Father, let me call you Father one last time. You know the truth of what happened back then. I have no evidence and no way to accuse you.” Huo Xiaoxiao stared straight ahead, her eyes unfocused. “Since you have chosen Huo Yi, then it’s alright. I’m leaving. Don’t worry, I won’t go after Huo Yi anymore, because it’s really unnecessary.”
"Xiaoxiao!" Grandpa Huo exclaimed in surprise, "Huo Yi won't threaten your position in the Huo family!"
"Grandpa, you don't understand. This really isn't about threats. Let me put it this way: there's a type of person whose very existence makes me restless and unable to eat or sleep. She's like a thorn in my side; just seeing her makes me feel uncomfortable all over. It's either me or her—that's not a threat. I mean it!"
"Xiaoxiao, stop fooling around!"
Huo Xiaoxiao sighed. She didn't understand why these people still thought she was being ridiculous, even though she had made herself so clear: "Goodbye, Grandpa. I won't change my name, because it was given to me by my mother. But from now on, I am no longer the eldest daughter of the Huo family."
"What do you want to do?" A hint of pain flashed across Grandpa Huo's face. He already had a premonition, but he just didn't want to believe it.
"Leaving the Huo family is that simple." Huo Xiaoxiao said earnestly, "I can't kick someone out, so I have no choice but to leave on my own. Goodbye, Grandpa, Xiaoxiao will no longer be able to take care of you."
"let her go!"
Just as Grandpa Huo stood up to stop Huo Xiaoxiao, Huo Xiaoxiao's father roared, "Aren't you just threatening me in another way? I want to see what you can do after you leave! Huo Xiaoxiao, don't think you're so great. Without the Huo family, you're nothing!"
"Is that so?" Huo Xiaoxiao sighed softly, "Then let's leave it at that. I'll wait and see."
Huo Xiaoxiao walked up to the stone and grabbed her hand: "Let's go, we're no longer welcome here."
"Go! Go now! If you're so capable, then never come back!"
☆, Chapter 266 Miss Huo's Counterattack
"Sister, you really... just left like that?" Even after walking out of the Huo family's gate, Shi Tou still looked incredulous. Huo Xiaoxiao, on the other hand, was very calm, as if all of this was within her expectations.
Since Huo Xiaoxiao left with nothing, she naturally wouldn't use the Huo family's carriage anymore. After getting into Han Shiyi's carriage, Shi Tou indicated that they were going to Ironforge.
"Sister, what are your plans for the future?" Shi Tou frowned. To be honest, she didn't quite agree with Huo Xiaoxiao's approach. Yes, Huo Yi was annoying, but that didn't mean she was going to abandon the entire Huo family.
"You can still call me Xiaoxiao from now on." Huo Xiaoxiao's expression was very calm. "Besides, I know what you're worried about, but I have no choice but to leave the Huo family now. Even without this incident, I would have found an opportunity to leave."
"Why?" Shi Tou didn't care about the form of address, but Huo Xiaoxiao's question shocked her.
"You!" Huo Xiaoxiao reached out and slapped Shi Tou on the forehead. "You haven't been back for two years, and you didn't even bother to find out what's going on in the capital? You just barged in like that, aren't you afraid of getting into trouble!"
Shi Tou lowered her head guiltily. It wasn't that she didn't want to ask; it was that she simply couldn't find out! Since arriving in the capital, apart from what Han San and Han Shiyi told her, she had no other sources of information.
"Did you know that Grandpa had an accident not long ago?"
Shi Tou looked up at Huo Xiaoxiao in shock: "What? Grandpa... wait, isn't he perfectly fine?"
"Hmph, well..." A cold glint flashed in Huo Xiaoxiao's eyes: "Looks like it? Grandpa had been hovering at the level of an eight-star mage for ten years. Just two months ago, he left the capital, saying he had found a way to break through. But no one expected that when he returned half a month ago, his magical power was in chaos, and now he's not even as good as a magic apprentice!"
"What?!" Shi Tou jumped up suddenly. He lost his balance and crashed headfirst into the roof of the carriage. Clutching his head, he looked at Huo Xiaoxiao with teary eyes: "This...how could this be?"
Since both Shi Tou and Han Shiyi were Qi Masters, they were completely unaware of Grandpa Huo's magic. Furthermore, there was absolutely no information about Grandpa Huo before this, which explains Shi Tou's shock.
“There have been cases of magical chaos before, but Grandpa’s case is a bit extreme. He’s gone from an eight-star mage to a useless person who’s not even as good as a magic apprentice! And, most seriously, he probably won’t be able to practice magic for the rest of his life.”
Huo Xiaoxiao's expression was somewhat somber. However, her tone was quite natural, indicating that she had already accepted the situation: "As for the reason, you don't need to ask me, because even I don't know. In fact, this is only the second time I've seen Grandpa since he came back. As for the reason for his chaotic magic, I'm afraid even my father... even his own son, doesn't know."
Hearing Huo Xiaoxiao's words, Shi Tou was speechless for a moment. She had once heard a saying: time is the most terrifying weapon. But at that time, she couldn't understand the meaning of those words. Now, she finally understood.
In just two short years, everything and everyone she knew had changed. For a moment, Shi Tou felt lost. Was her return to the capital the right or wrong decision?
"Where are we going?" Han Shiyi, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up. Her mind had been in a mess and she hadn't noticed what Shi Tou had told the coachman.
“Ironforge,” Stone answered softly. “I know you’re worried about your mother, but didn’t your brother say that he’s with her and should be safe?”
Han Shiyi nodded silently and did not speak again.
Seeing her like this, Stone stopped trying to comfort her, for she knew that no words could compare to letting her see her mother with her own eyes. But it was already late, and it would be better to settle down in Ironforge for the time being.
"Sister... Xiaoxiao, what are you planning to do in the future?"
Huo Xiaoxiao looked at Shi Tou with a deep gaze: "That depends on you. You know, I've put all my bets on you."
"I?"
"Yes, it's you. My next move depends entirely on whether you support me."
Stone paused, somewhat confused: "But how do you know I'll definitely come back? And what will you do if I don't?"
“If you don’t come back, I will choose to leave the Huo family after I kill the real Huo Yi. If possible, I will also kill my so-called biological father along with him.”
Huo Xiaoxiao's expression remained calm, but Shi Tou felt a chill run down her spine. She clearly sensed the overwhelming killing intent emanating from Huo Xiaoxiao as she spoke. It was obvious she wasn't joking. Thinking this, Shi Tou secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, she received the news and arrived in the capital in time; otherwise…
"Are you glad you came to the capital in time, which allowed that father and daughter to survive?" Huo Xiaoxiao was a shrewd person, and she could tell what Shi Tou was thinking just by looking at his expression: "So, I have to tell you, I don't intend to let them go, but rather I intend to make them wish they were dead in a different way."
Stone gasped sharply, nearly choking on his breath: "Cough cough, you... just tell me directly, what exactly are you planning to do?"
"First, I need your support."
"Okay, I support you. Those two aren't good people anyway." Shi Tou readily agreed, mainly because Huo Xiaoxiao's current state was too creepy. Shi Tou felt it was necessary to make the Huo father and daughter the most hated people. Well, better to sacrifice a friend than oneself!
"I think so too. I know you'll support me, not only because of our years of sisterhood, but also because of your brother whom you've never met, right?" Huo Xiaoxiao said calmly, pleased to see the astonishment on Shi Tou's face.
"What did you say?" Stone exclaimed in shock. "Could it be that the Third Prince died at Huo Yi's hands?!"
Huo Xiaoxiao nodded, answering with unusual decisiveness: "Yes. But this is definitely not something she could have accomplished alone. She must have had accomplices, but I don't know who they are yet."
“I understand.” Stone’s eyes also turned cold. That’s right, the royal family had never shown her any kindness, especially those irresponsible parents. However, the Third Prince was only five or six years older than her, and she didn’t believe that he would have been involved in what happened back then.
Because of this, Stone still cares a little about his blood brother; at least he won't stand by and watch the person who killed him live a carefree life in this world!
“Ironforge is your property. You entrusted it to me back then, but you didn’t transfer the ownership to the Huo family. Now, either you restore your original status as the second young lady of the Huo family, or you transfer Ironforge completely to my name. Of course, the money is still yours, and I will not touch a single penny. The profits over the years are also being managed by Steward Hua. I swear, I have never done anything to betray you.”
Huo Xiaoxiao spoke very seriously. Seeing that Shi Tou had no objection, she continued, "My suggestion is still to restore your status. This will not only completely disrupt the Huo family's wishful thinking, but also allow the royal family to restore your status."
“No, I won’t go back to the royal family.” Stone said firmly, “I’ll just transfer Ironforge to your name instead. I don’t care about any of that anymore.”
Ironforge was originally just a toy for her, and after all these years, she had long lost interest in it. Since Huo Xiaoxiao wanted it, she would simply sell it off.
“Alright. Then, I will send someone to the Huo family to deliver two messages.” Huo Xiaoxiao’s lips suddenly curled into a smile, but there was no warmth in that smile: “First, Ironforge is now mine. Second, I will take my mother’s dowry with me when she married into the Huo family.”
Stone's eyes widened: "What?" She was completely shocked by the second point.
"Don't you know? Imperial law stipulates that the property of husband and wife is separate. That is to say, my mother's property cannot be inherited by my father."
"Then who will inherit it?" Stone was a little confused. Was there some kind of prenuptial agreement here?
“Me? I have the right to inherit half of my mother’s property.”
"And what about the other half?" Stone seemed to understand a bit; this was probably not some prenuptial agreement, but rather inheritance law. In his previous life, if he encountered this situation, both the husband and his biological children would indeed have inheritance rights.
What Shi Tou didn't expect was Huo Xiaoxiao's next words: "Of course, the other half should be returned to the Shui family! Because my mother is the Shui family's daughter!"
"ah?"
"What's wrong? Don't you know?" Huo Xiaoxiao looked at Shi Tou with some confusion: "The laws of the Empire stipulate that if one spouse dies and the surviving spouse does not remarry, the property is inherited by the surviving spouse. Otherwise, it is inherited by the children and parents."
Shi Tou started circling the mosquito coil eye, struggling with the question for a long time before she finally understood: "What if it were the husband who died?"
"Of course, if the wife does not remarry, then she can inherit all of her husband's property. If she remarries, then the husband's property will be inherited by his biological children and parents. The specific distribution will depend on the number of people, but half of it must go to the biological children."
"But your father didn't remarry." This is crucial, but would Huo Xiaoxiao not have thought of this?
"Isn't there Huo Yi? Look, he's already admitted that Huo Yi is his biological daughter, and he even kicked me out of the house for his biological daughter. Tell me, if I go to the Shui family tomorrow and start crying like this, what will they do?"
Huo Xiaoxiao blinked: "Even if the Shui family doesn't care about my mother, I believe they will help me because of my mother's huge dowry."
☆, Chapter 267 Who Wants the Third Prince to Die
As it turned out, Huo Xiaoxiao's guess was entirely correct. Although her maternal grandparents had passed away, the current head of the Shui family was Huo Xiaoxiao's biological mother's eldest sister. The head of the Shui family was thirty years older than Huo Xiaoxiao's mother, making the saying "an elder sister is like a mother" truly fitting here.
So, just as Huo Xiaoxiao had expected, she first announced to everyone that she had left the Huo family. After Huo Xiaoxiao was injured, Grandpa Huo had handed over the position of family head to Huo Xiaoxiao's father, and it was precisely for this reason that he wanted to protect Huo Yi at all costs.
However, he never expected that Huo Xiaoxiao would actually make a public statement. Naturally, he didn't hold back, not only responding to Huo Xiaoxiao's words but also officially designating Huo Yi as the next heir of the Huo family that very day. Unfortunately, he didn't anticipate that Huo Xiaoxiao would have a follow-up plan.
After learning that the Huo family had confirmed its next head, Huo Xiaoxiao went directly to the Shui family. The Shui family head didn't appear in person, but she sent her own daughter to the Huo family to demand her dowry. This immediately threw the Huo family into chaos.
It's important to understand that the rankings of the six major families in the East are not static. Of course, the Qin and Han families have maintained their positions for centuries; the Qin family is always first, and the Han family is always last. The rankings of the other four families change almost every few decades.
The Huo family is currently ranked fourth among the Eastern families, but twenty years ago, they were ranked fifth. Don't underestimate this ranking; the power of the six major Eastern families is completely unequal. The Qin family, ranked first, is several times stronger than the other five families combined. The Shui family, ranked second, while not as powerful as the Qin family individually, is more than ten times stronger than the next four families combined.
The fundamental reason why the Huo family was able to rise from fifth to fourth place in just twenty years was the marriage of Shui Bi, the eldest daughter of the Shui family.
Shui Bi. The youngest daughter of the previous head of the Shui family, she possessed exceptional talent and became an eight-star water-elemental mage at the age of 28. In the same year, she married Huo Yuntian, the eldest son of the Huo family. The following year, she gave birth to her daughter, Huo Xiaoxiao.
"He obtained my mother's body, her dowry, and because of her constitution, his magic power increased significantly, elevating the Huo family's status. And what was the result? He thinks he wasn't truly in love with my mother. Hahaha, if it wasn't true love, why marry her? If it wasn't true love, why use her dowry to support other women? And expect me, the legitimate daughter, to pamper that little bastard? Humph. Do you really think things in this world are so easy? Does Huo Yuntian think he's the chosen one, and everything must go according to his wishes?!"
Inside Ironforge, Steward Hua reported the latest situation to Stone. Huo Xiaoxiao listened with a cold smile; she wanted to see how that bastard would react!
"Miss Huo..."
"Don't call me that anymore. I'm not Miss Huo anymore." Huo Xiaoxiao interrupted Steward Hua. "From now on, just call me Xiaoxiao, just like your beautiful mistress."
Stone was taken aback by his "beautiful master" and promptly corrected himself, "Wushuang, from now on you will call me Stone, understand?"
Steward Hua couldn't bring himself to question the two's unique taste. Nodding, he glossed over the issue of address: "Alright. Then I'll continue. It's like this, the Shui family sent someone to say that they don't want a single penny of the Huo family matriarch's dowry; they'll keep it all for you."
Huo Xiaoxiao looked up in surprise. But then she nodded: "I understand. If they send someone to deliver the dowry, just accept it for now, I'll handle the rest."
"Xiaoxiao, you...you'd better not accept everything." After hesitating for a moment, Shi Tou still advised, "No matter how much it is, you still have to give some to the Shui family. Even if they are polite to you, you can't accept it all."
"Of course." Huo Xiaoxiao smiled at Shi Tou. "What's rightfully mine, I won't give up in the slightest. What's not rightfully mine, even if it's offered to me, I won't accept it. But the current situation is that the head of the Shui family is my aunt. If she wants this face, I'll give it to her. As for the dowry, I'll set aside half of it and give it to her when I go to thank her later."
Shi Tou paused, then suddenly remembered a very convenient thing in this world—space equipment. Although Huo Xiaoxiao's mother's dowry was extremely large, it mainly consisted of house deeds and land deeds, along with a large number of purple gold coins and jewelry. In terms of actual volume, it wasn't actually that big.