Princess, she is the one who facilitated the extradition.

The Duke of Qi closed his eyes briefly. "Young lady, you have keen insight. Could you please keep this a secret for me?"

Since Gui Yao had already seen through it, there was no point in him refuting it anymore.

Moreover, he needed Gui Yao's help and wanted to exchange his honesty for Gui Yao's protection of Qi Yun.

"Xuanji Tower would not betray information about its employers, but the Second Miss clearly already knows your identity."

Gui Yao sighed, "Have you ever thought about how she married into the Yang family to help you, enduring humiliation and painstaking planning?"

In the end, you still sacrificed your own life. What did all her perseverance over the years amount to? How is she supposed to live the rest of her life?

"I...I just want them to live without being bullied."

The Duke of Qi's eyes reddened, but he no longer ran away. "I will see her."

Gui Yao nodded and watched him leave.

Yu Qinghuan came out of the inner room. "I used to think I was unfortunate, but even though I lost my childhood memories, I am still myself, and I will continue to be myself in the future."

"Life has many facets, and each has its own hardships."

Gui Yao turned to look at her. "Did you come looking for me for something?"

Yu Qinghuan nodded. "I would like to ask you to sever my emotional ties as well."

These past few days I've figured it out: Pei Xuanji was able to control himself from coming to find me after learning the truth.

It's clear that the Love-Loving Talisman didn't completely control him, so his previous infatuation with me was partly genuine.

Having been manipulated for so many years, to finally win his love is not a wasted life.

Now that he has severed all ties and forgotten me, I should not spend the rest of my life in a love affair that has no future.

Some things we've possessed don't necessarily need to be deeply etched in our memories.

She looked at Gui Yao and smiled, "So, I want to forget the past, start over, and live a simple and happy life."

But the ghost market might not let me off so easily. I'm willing to sell myself to you, young lady, and ask for your protection for the rest of my life.

"Have you thought this through?"

Gui Yao asked her.

"It couldn't be clearer."

She suddenly smiled mischievously, "If he doesn't remember me, and I still think about him, wouldn't I be at a disadvantage?"

These past few days in Xuanji Tower have been the most peaceful days of my life. The young lady makes me feel so safe; I would follow her for the rest of my life.

Gui Yao smiled and said, "Then so be it."

That night, Maodan returned home and was very happy to learn of Yu Qinghuan's decision. "That's good too. Now there's another person who will love their master."

When the bird saw the glittering bracelet on Gui Yao's wrist, its eyes were glued to it. "Master, where did you get this?"

Upon learning where it came from, it felt a little jealous. "I want Maodan too. When you used to buy jewelry for yourself, you would always think of Maodan."

Gui Yao's eyes flickered. Mao Dan was even more vain than her. Today, she had completely forgotten about Mao Dan.

He stubbornly replied, "How could I accept a gift from His Highness?"

"Excuse."

Mao Dan lay down on the table and started rolling around, "My master has found a man and forgotten about the bird, boohoo, the bird is so sad..."

At this moment, it was like a toddler throwing a tantrum in front of its parents, showing none of the composure it displayed in public.

Gui Yao, feeling guilty, said, "Then I'll allow you to pick one out of my storeroom, okay?"

"I want to wear a diamond like my master."

It's not in the warehouse.

Yu Qinghuan has lost her memories of her time with Pei Xuan; all she remembers is Gui Yao saving her and protecting her.

From now on, she would be living with Gui Yao and Mao Dan. Upon seeing this, she raised her hand.

"Qingqing knows how to make jewelry. As long as I have the materials and tools, Qingqing can make small styles that are just like the girl's and suitable for Maodan to wear."

When she severed her ties with her lover and wrote the contract of servitude, she changed her name to Qingqing.

Before Guiyao could speak, Maodan had already started cheering.

Having no other choice, Gui Yao took out the diamond and gold and went to buy a set of tools.

Unexpectedly, the jewelry Qingqing crafted was in no way inferior to that of Yaoguangxie.

She even added a snap fastener because it was for the bird to wear on its foot.

Making such exquisite things from such small anklets requires a lot of skill.

Mao Dan put on the shiny anklet, feeling quite satisfied. "Qingqing, you're amazing! You could sell all your jewelry."

Yu Qinghuan smiled shyly, "The jewelry I made at the Ghost Market was indeed put in their shops for sale."

When the Ghost Market trains them and they can bring profits to the Ghost Market, the Ghost Market allows them to have their own interests and hobbies.

Upon hearing this, the man and the bird exchanged a glance and spoke in unison.

"Then keep hitting."

"Keep selling."

They were all clueless about making money, and now that someone in the building knew how to do it, both the man and the bird were excited, since grave robbing wasn't a sustainable business.

Gui Yao said, "You don't need to pursue quantity, just quality and innovation. Only make one of each style."

Once you've finished making it, I'll have Zhao Mingyue sell it on my behalf. She'll receive a share, and you'll also get a share.

Zhao Mingyue is a businesswoman; she knows how to sell at the maximum profit.

Qingqing was very happy to have her own value, and immediately drew a few more designs, saying she wanted to make some jewelry for Guiyao as well.

Gui Yao looked at the bracelet on her hand and said, "Hehe, I'm very satisfied with this one. You don't need to beat it for me yet."

"Qingqing can make one for herself, and then make one for Prince Jin."

She was reluctant to give away many diamonds, but she was willing to give away gold and jade, having obtained quite a lot from the cemetery.

After thinking for a moment, she simply took a pen and sketched a rough outline, half of it a plain gold circle and the other half a piece of emerald green jade.

"nice."

Qingqing's eyes brightened. "I'll do it right away."

Gui Yao thought for a moment. Since it was to be given to the prince, it seemed inappropriate for her to do nothing. "I'll go polish the jade."

Because he was busy with other things, and also because there was income in the building besides robbery and tomb raiding, Gui Yao slept very soundly that night.

Both the Duke of Qi and Qi Yun were bound to stay up all night.

One was waiting for her daughter to arrange a meeting, while the other hesitated about whether to meet her.

The following day, Qi Yun finally couldn't resist his worries and secretly left the Yang residence.

Instead of returning to the Duke of Qi's mansion, she sent someone to inform the Duke of Qi, arranging to meet him at Qi Yu's grave.

Duke Qi dared not delay and set off as soon as he received the letter. When he arrived, Qi Yun was already kneeling in front of Qi Yu's grave.

"Yun'er".

He dismounted and tentatively called out to his daughter.

Since Qi Yun got married, he had not seen his daughter for four years, only secretly visiting her a few times.

Now, whether it was the fear of returning home or the impending confession, he was hesitant to step forward.

Qi Yun slowly turned her head to look at the Duke of Qi. Before she could say anything, tears were already streaming down her face.

The person in front of me looked even more haggard than I remembered.

"The Yang family is always looking for opportunities to deal with the Duke of Qi's mansion. I know how difficult it is for you to deal with them."

Qi Yun wiped away her tears. "I suppose Gui Yao has already told you about the ghost child. I will manipulate Yang Yue to deal with the Yang family, and the Yang family will no longer be a threat to the Duke's Mansion."

This is what I owe you, and I should repay it. You don't need to make a deal with Guiyao.

"Your brother is dead. Without you in the Qi State Duke's mansion, those people from the main family won't let your elder sister and younger brother have a good life. You must live to protect them."

"I will protect them, and I will also deal with the Yang family; this is an adult matter."

Duke Qi stepped forward slowly, saying, "Children need not worry about these things."

The tears she had wiped away fell again. Qi Yun quickly looked up; she was no longer a child.

But in the eyes of those who love her, she is still a child who needs protection.

"Just like back then, my brother and I were bewitched by Yang Bokang and secretly brought a poisonous snake home to give to our father as a birthday gift."

As a result, I was bitten by a venomous snake. My father sucked out the venom for me, but eventually the poison took effect and I was injured.

But you didn't want us to bear the guilt of killing our father, so you lied to us and said that the snake wasn't poisonous.

And he himself is impersonating my father to uphold the prestige of the Duke of Qi's mansion?

Qi Yun looked up at the Duke of Qi with a sorrowful gaze, "I don't want that kind of protection. It's too heavy for me to bear."

"How...how did you know?"

The Duke of Qi looked at his daughter with affection; she had become much thinner than before her marriage.

The clarity that existed in her eyes before her marriage was gone, replaced by a look of profound weariness. How did she manage to cope alone after learning the truth?

"I heard you crying in grief after you whipped your brother's corpse."

Qi Yun's tears fell incessantly. "That night, I learned that my father had died more than ten years ago, and I had killed him with my own hands."

But it was actually our mother who protected us as we grew up.

Fearing that we, a widow and her children, would be bullied, she put on her father's clothes and mask.

She publicly declared that the Duchess of Qi had fallen off a cliff and her body was incomplete. Unable to bear seeing his wife's tragic state, he personally prepared her body for burial and sealed the coffin. The coffin actually contained the real Duke of Qi…

Qi Yun choked up, her throat so constricted that she needed to gasp for breath to continue making a sound.

"Yang Bokang initially gave us non-venomous snakes that would dance to the music."

My brother and I were ignorant and never thought that on the day our family went to the village outside the city to celebrate our father's birthday, it would be such a coincidence that a snake charmer appeared outside the village.

We were only thinking about making the snake dance to please our father and give him a surprise, but we didn't realize that the snake cage had been replaced long ago.

Even knowing where the snake came from and the Yang family's wickedness, my mother dared not avenge my father.

She was afraid that seeking revenge on Yang Bokang would reveal to him who was truly dead.

She dared not stand out in the court, fearing her identity would be exposed. But she could not be a useless Duke of Qi, abandoned by the court and bullied by everyone. In that case, she would not be able to protect her children.

Therefore, she worked very hard to maintain the glory of the Duke of Qi's mansion without revealing her identity.

She even married her best friend, who had been abandoned by her husband's family, and completely transformed herself into a different person.

But my brother and I were too young to believe her, unaware that we had already killed our father and implicated our mother.

They even frequently complained that their father was heartless and remarried, that he was harsh on their older brother, and that he wasn't close to them enough.

She slowly lowered her head, looking at her hands. "What right do I, the culprit, have to complain..."

Her trembling hand slapped herself hard across the face.

Duke Qi rushed forward and grabbed her wrist. "It's not your fault. You and Yu'er were only three and five years old, respectively, back then."

"The fault doesn't lie with you, it's with Yang Bokang who harbored evil intentions, and it's with me who failed to keep an eye on you..."

"Mother!"

Qi Yun interrupted the Duke of Qi, sobbing, "How long are you going to bear this burden?"

A cry of "Mother" interrupted the Duke of Qi's words. She hugged Qi Yun tightly; it had been a very, very long time since she had heard that word.

But the next moment, she abruptly released Qi Yun, her sharp eyes fixed on a large tree in the distance. "Who?"

As soon as the words were spoken, the person had already moved into an attack stance using light-footed martial arts, heading towards the source of the sound...