Princess, she is the one who facilitated the extradition.

A shifty-eyed man was knocked to the ground.

Qi Yun rushed forward and recognized the person, "It's Yang Bokang's lackey."

He must have heard what they were saying; this man cannot be allowed to live.

Once Yang Bokang learns his mother's secret, he will definitely use it to attack her.

At that time, the mother would be guilty of the heinous crime of deceiving the emperor, punishable by death.

Thinking of this, Qi Yun swiftly pulled out the hairpin from her hair, intending to stab it towards the man's heart.

The Duke of Qi—no, she should now be called the Duchess—stopped Qi Yu, saying, "I'll do it."

As she spoke, she swiftly raised her foot and kicked the man hard in the temple.

Before the man could utter a sound, he lost consciousness completely.

Qi Yun said, "Mother, throw her into the river."

This person must have been sent by Yang Bokang to monitor her. Now that she's gone, Yang Bokang will definitely look for her.

The river below the mountain is big and deep enough that if people are sunk to the bottom, even if their bodies surface later, they won't be traced back to them.

The Duchess was very upset.

Her Yun'er was originally innocent and kind, but now she can kill and dispose of corpses without blinking an eye.

It was hardship that changed her, and it was also because her mother failed to protect her.

"it is good."

She smiled and nodded to Qi Yun, then carried the man down the mountain. Qi Yun followed, lifting her skirt and scanning their surroundings warily.

Gui Yao and Mao Dan hid in the bushes not far away, tacitly shrinking their necks.

After the mother and daughter had gone far away, the bird and the person poked their heads out together again.

Mao Dan whispered, "Master, they've killed someone."

Gui Yao adjusted the headband woven from green vines and leaves.

He said calmly, "You're a bird, and I'm deaf and blind."

They know nothing.

Mao Dan understood; his master wasn't going to interfere anymore.

It straightened the leaves on its head, and asked, "Should we still follow?"

Gui Yao leaped onto a tree, broke off a leafy branch, and without a second thought, declared, "Protecting our employer is a responsibility shared by both humans and birds."

Mao Dan rolled his eyes; his owner was clearly just being gossipy.

When the man and the bird sneaked to the riverbank, the Qi family mother and daughter were pushing the man, who had stones tied to his body, into the river.

The bird whispered, "If we tie stones to it, and it gets pulled out, won't people know it was murder?"

Without the stones, one could say it was an accidental fall into the water.

Gui Yao remained calm and composed, saying, "By the time they are recovered, the Yang family may not still be in the capital."

The evil plan is about to come to fruition, and with Qi Yun's immense determination, he will not allow the Yang family to have any more good days.

Mao Dan was about to say something when Gui Yao, holding up a branch, bent over and moved forward.

It turned out that the Qi family mother and daughter had already left the riverbank.

"Master, you're being too lewd."

Gui Yao glared fiercely, gritting her teeth, "If you don't want to become a bald bird, you'd better say it again."

In order to save his five-colored feathers, Mao Dan immediately backed down.

"Master, your beauty is unparalleled; even petty theft cannot conceal your extraordinary aura."

"Look at you, even when you walk with your butt sticking out, you look better than everyone else. Your movements aren't sleazy at all..."

Gui Yao didn't think it was a compliment, but she didn't care anymore, because the Qi family mother and daughter stopped on a low slope.

"Yun'er, leave the Yang family."

The Duchess held Qi Yun's hand and said, "I will find a way to kill Yang Bokang. The Yang family has no capable descendants. Without Yang Bokang, the Yang family will not pose a threat to us."

She only told Gui Yao that she would go to suppress the bandits, but she didn't say that she would assassinate Yang Bokang before leaving the capital to suppress the bandits.

She was worried that Qi Yun would insist on staying in the Yang family to take revenge, so she had no choice but to tell her her thoughts.

Qi Yun shook her head. "Mother, I can't turn back now. On the contrary, you shouldn't sacrifice for me anymore. I've already lost my father, but I can't lose you too."

"Mother is alright."

The Duchess told her the real deal she had made with Gui Yao: "Miss Gui Yao wanted us to resolve our differences, so she deliberately scared you."

From her unspoken message, she said she had a way to deal with your lifespan, but you must not commit any more killings. Everything is for your mother, okay?

"Mother, please give your daughter another chance."

Qi Yun's eyes reddened. "My father died because of me. If I don't take revenge myself, I will never have peace in this life."

Yang Bokang is cautious in his actions, and my mother hasn't been able to find any fault with him all these years. She only needs to wait a few more days, and I will be able to control Yang Yue to expose his true colors.

Fearing the Duchess's objection, she pleaded, "Mother, once the Yang family falls, I will return home, okay?"

Men can fight side by side with their sons, so why can't we, mother and daughter, fight together? Mother, I beg you.

The Duchess shed tears, "Silly child, your mother is worried about your safety."

If anything happens to you again, your mother's heart will have no strength to beat anymore.

The loss of her husband and son was almost crushing her; if it weren't for her three children to protect, she would have collapsed long ago.

But remembering what Gui Yao had said, she finally agreed to Qi Yun's request, "You mustn't act impulsively. Discuss everything with me, okay?"

She was still worried.

With his mother's approval, Qi Yun hugged her tightly, saying, "Thank you... I'm sorry... I love you!"

The Duchess gently stroked her daughter's back, her eyes glistening with tears. "You are my children. It is a parent's duty to protect their children."

Your father never regretted what he did, nor did he blame you. On the contrary, I was the one who got stuck in a rut and was too harsh on your brother, which caused him…”

"If my brother knew the truth, he wouldn't blame you. The Duke's mansion is beset by internal and external troubles, and you only hoped he would succeed because you had no other choice..."

The mother and daughter reminisced about the past, and both broke down in tears.

Gui Yao rubbed her red eyes and complained in a low voice, "This sandstorm is so annoying, it's getting in my eyes."

She crept backwards, holding the branch in her hand.

Seeing the moisture in her eyes, Mao Dan didn't expose her, but tiptoed after her.

Now that they were far apart, Gui Yao felt a little lost, her nose tingling with tears. "Mao Dan, what fun things are there outside the city?"

Mao Dan thought for a moment, "Pang Cui said there are lots of beautiful mushrooms growing in the mountains, why don't we go mushroom picking?"

Gui Yao thought about the deliciousness of the mushrooms, "Then what are we waiting for?"

The Qi family mother and daughter have been following them without their knowledge, and now they've even taken birds into the deep mountains to pick mushrooms.

They devised a plan to deal with the Yang family and returned to the capital together. They separated just before entering the city and went back to their respective residences.

Gui Yao also found the place Pang Cui had mentioned. She saw colorful umbrellas scattered all over the ground, like broken clouds blooming in the mountains, which was very beautiful.

"These mushrooms are so beautiful, balut! I want to pick more to take home; they're sure to taste delicious."

Balut was also attracted by the various beautiful and colorful mushrooms. "I only knew that mushrooms tasted good before, but I didn't know they could also grow so beautifully."

Unfortunately, it was just a bird and couldn't help with the picking.

Gui Yao didn't care at all. She skipped and twirled among the colorful mushrooms covering the mountain, like a happy elf, gathering the various mushrooms into a long silk cloth she took out from her space.

When the long silk bag was no longer full, the man and the bird happily returned to the city.

Thinking that he had eaten quite a lot of food from Xiao Huaijin, Gui Yao bought a bamboo basket by the roadside and sent half of it to Prince Jin's residence.

She was in a hurry to get home to eat mushrooms, so she didn't go into the palace. She just handed the bamboo basket to the gatekeeper and said, "I picked these in the mountains and I'm giving them to your prince."

After saying that, without waiting for the gatekeeper's reply, he hurriedly took Mao Dan back to Xuanji Tower.

As soon as I entered the house, I called out, "Qingqing, Qingqing, can you cook?"

Qingqing came out of the house upon hearing the sound, "I've learned it."

She glanced at the brightly colored mushrooms in the bag and hesitated, "But I've never cooked mushrooms before."

"I've heard that the better the ingredients, the simpler the cooking process."

Seeing Gui Yao so happy, Mao Dan was happy to spoil her.

"Mushrooms are naturally delicious, Qingqing will definitely be able to cook them well."

Gui Yao really wanted to eat the mushrooms she had picked herself, and nodded repeatedly with bright eyes.

Encouraged by the person and the bird, Qingqing made stir-fried mushrooms, fried mushrooms, and mushroom soup.

Gui Yao took a bite and stomped her feet in delight at how delicious it was.

The balut took a bite and spun around, thoroughly enjoying it.

Qingqing took a sip of the soup, her eyes narrowing with delight at the taste.

After a busy day, Xiao Huaijin had just returned to his residence when the steward brought him a bamboo basket.

"Your Highness, have you offended Miss Gui Yao?"

Xiao Huaijin looked at the bamboo basket, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

The butler tilted the bamboo basket to show him, "Miss Guiyao has picked half a basket of poisonous mushrooms for you to eat."

This is an attempt to make his prince lie on a plank.

Xiao Huaijin didn't think so; he was just a little curious, "Did she pick them?"

The butler nodded. "That's what she told the doorman."

After glancing at the bamboo basket again, Xiao Huaijin suddenly remembered something and ran towards Xuanji Tower...