Chapter 600: Allies Gather from Eight Directions

"What are you planning?"

Qin Yuan wanted to ask it clearly.

Treasure Bead was confident, slightly raised her head, hands behind her back, and smiled slowly. Qin Yuan felt her head twitching—how was it that she resembled both Marquis Gu and Mr. Songshan?

"When you employ someone, trust them; if you doubt someone, don’t employ them. Just wait and see what she does, Third Sister-in-law."

Qin Yuan had to wait patiently.

After a while, two bird calls sounded outside the back window.

Treasure Bead was delighted, "The person has arrived."

With that, she swiftly leaped up, opened the back window, stuck her head out, and said, "Come quickly, come quickly, we’ve been waiting for you, even my Third Sister-in-law is getting anxious."

The person didn’t reply but shoved a long, bundled item wrapped in brocade cloth inside.

Treasure Bead slanted her body, one foot on the wall, the other suspended, and took the long item in her hands, slinging it over her shoulder.

Qin Yuan: ...

Next, Treasure Bead threw the long bundle onto the canopy bed, pulled the edges casually, causing the cloth to unwrap, revealing a woman with disheveled hair wearing a nightdress.

It turned out to be the unconscious Miss You.

"This..."

Qin Yuan gasped in shock, looking at Treasure Bead.

Then another person leaped in through the back window, wearing the dress of the Yelv Clan, head wrapped in a scarf, revealing only their brows and eyes, and said hoarsely, "Seventh Miss, is this the person?"

Treasure Bead clapped her hands and laughed, "Yes, it’s her."

Qin Yuan understood, "You’re planning to..."

Treasure Bead nodded proudly, "She has been scheming against me all day, so it’s time I retaliate. I initially intended to pair her with the Crown Prince, but since the Crown Prince fell into water, she’ll be with King Jin instead."

Qin Yuan couldn’t help but laugh and cry.

Treasure Bead doesn’t act often, but when she does, it’s lethal.

King Jin already has Princess Consort Jin, even the position of concubine is filled, while Miss You is the legitimate daughter of Duke Zhen’s Mansion—if she enters King Jin Mansion as a good concubine, Duke Zhen would be furious.

At this moment...

Qin Yuan pondered.

The person said, "Madam, even if this matter creates a storm, Dingbei Marquis can handle it, and Prince Qi won’t sit idly by either."

Qin Yuan was curious, "How do you know?"

The person laughed, "I serve Prince Qi, and recently, I’ve been at Dingbei Marquis’s disposal, attending the banquet with Yelv Zhi due to Dingbei Marquis’s orders."

With that, they bowed and pulled out a token from a hidden pocket, handing it to Qin Yuan, with Prince Qi’s seal engraved on it.

Qin Yuan accepted the token and examined it closely, while Treasure Bead’s eyes widened, and she, with hands on her hips, pointed angrily at the person, "So you were instructed by my Third Brother and Prince Qi, why did you deceive me earlier?"

The person smiled without saying a word.

Qin Yuan hurriedly returned the token, soothing, "Alright, alright, Treasure Bead, now’s not the time for this discussion, let’s finish our arrangements quickly and find Hong Ye and Cui Ming. Mother is probably getting impatient, and later you still need to apologize to the Crown Prince, appearances must still be kept."

Treasure Bead was rather disheartened, "Alright."

She originally thought of herself as a righteous hero, renowned far and wide, with people willing to come from all directions. But it turned out the person was arranged by her Third Brother, and the words of gratitude earlier were just to amuse her.

However, the person had better martial arts and more cunning ideas.

At the moment, it was a time for employing people.

She couldn’t fall out with them.

Treasure Bead was fuming with no outlet, consequently showing some rudeness to King Jin and Miss You.

Everyone hurriedly made arrangements, and just when they were about to leave, Qin Yuan lit the aphrodisiac incense again. Treasure Bead, lacking restraint, asked curiously, "Third Sister-in-law, hasn’t King Jin already become an eunuch? Why add this unnecessary touch?"

Qin Yuan steeled herself and replied, "Even my needlework isn’t that fast, this might be the last time."

Treasure Bead chuckled.

The person kept their head down, pretending not to hear.

Treasure Bead remarked, "Third Sister-in-law, you have to teach me this trick someday."

Qin Yuan’s ears turned red, as she sighed, "We’ll talk about it later, let’s quickly find Hong Ye and the others, who knows how they’re doing."

The three of them climbed out the back window one by one. At this moment, the backyard was silent and empty, and the corner gate was half-open. The person whispered, "Excuse me," then grabbed one with each hand, feet tapping the ground, jumping over the wall.

With this leap, they passed through the second door, returning to the inner courtyard where they initially waited.

Only Yang’er stood anxiously under the tree’s shade. As soon as Qin Yuan and the others landed, Yang’er rushed over, her voice choked with tears, "Madam, where did you go? You scared me to death."

Qin Yuan said, "To make a long story short, are you the only one here?"

Yang’er nodded.

Qin Yuan sighed, "Hehua and Hong Ye were taken away. We’ll find a way to locate them."

Yang’er panicked.

Hehua, alongside her, underwent training under Madam Jin, treating each other like sisters. Today, accompanying Dingbei Marquis’s wife as guests, they entered a perilous situation, unaware of their current suffering or if they will survive to reunite or resume working together.

Yang’er forced back her tears, her eyes reddening, making Qin Yuan reluctant to look.

The person said, "Madam, don’t worry, there are maidservants here to attend to you. You and Seventh Miss should go find Old Madam first; once the others are found, we will send them over."

Treasure Bead suggested, "Why not let Third Sister-in-law take the maidservant with her first, while I go with you to search."

The person shook their head.

"Taking Seventh Miss with me would be troublesome. If someone sees, it will be difficult to explain. Rest assured, King Jin and the others won’t harm them."

Qin Yuan thought for a moment and said, "You make sense, we’ve been too anxious and lost our plan."

The person nodded, "Let’s settle this, and I’ll take care of the matters here. Just wait for the news."

Before the words had finished, the figure disappeared in a flash.

Yang’er was horrified and dared not speak for a long time. After some time, she asked Qin Yuan, "How old is she? She looks about the same as me but has such exquisite martial arts. Did she start training from infancy?"

Qin Yuan laughed, "Even if I had started martial arts from infancy, I wouldn’t be able to match you, which shows that everyone has different talents."

Yang’er agreed, "Right, right, it’s a blessing from the heavens, nothing to envy."

Treasure Bead remained silent. In her view, the person’s martial arts seemed even superior to Gu Shiliu.

She couldn’t even pass one move with Gu Shiliu.

With this person, it might be the same.

Could she not seek justice for herself?

Thinking that the person had earlier flattered her, making her believe her martial arts and righteous acts were exceptionally outstanding, easily overshadowing the pitiful yet grateful woman—did they secretly laugh at her ignorance?

Treasure Bead stomped her foot fiercely.

Qin Yuan asked, "Treasure Bead, what’s wrong with you?"

Treasure Bead said stubbornly, "Nothing, just suddenly feel that they’ve been buzzing around like flies for so long, and we only defeated one with a single blow, isn’t that too unfair?"

Like a cat catching a mouse, shouldn’t we play with it half-dead before eating it?