Abandoned Woman Busy Farming
Chapter 1158 - 1160: The Mastermind Behind the Scenes_1

Chapter 1158: Chapter 1160: The Mastermind Behind the Scenes_1

Bai Ruozhu’s eyes darkened a few shades, she had to find Achun as soon as possible, she couldn’t let him fall into the enemy’s hands, otherwise, he really was more likely to meet calamity than fortune.

First of all, if he refused to confess anything, she feared that the enemy would use numerous inhumane methods against him; secondly, even if he held out and said nothing, would the Emperor believe him?

In the following two days, Bai Ruozhu and her companions searched along the river and the nearby villages, but they didn’t find any clue as to whether Jiang Yichun had concealed all traces himself or whether the enemy had discovered his traces and intentionally erased them.

On the third day in the early morning, Lu discovered that someone was following them, and he silently signaled to Bai Ruozhu. In accordance with their prior agreement, she quietly sprinkled some short-acting poison powder in the places they passed.

The poison powder’s effect was short-lived, so it would not harm any villagers passing by; even if there was an accident, it would only cause someone to faint for a short while at most.

"It’s done!" Jianqi called out in a low voice, and Bai Ruozhu immediately made a signal. The group turned around and charged towards the rear, the person who had been following most closely was knocked out, and though some behind did not faint, they were also left without the strength to resist, Lu and the others dealt with them cleanly and swiftly, taking down those people and dislocating their jaws.

Bai Ruozhu counted, a total of seven people, clearly not the core forces of the local enemy, most likely just stumbled upon them while searching for Jiang Yichun and decided to follow, never expecting to fall for Bai Ruozhu’s sleeping powder."

All seven were pressed on their acupoints and woke up one after the other shortly.

Lu’s body suddenly moved, and as soon as he made his move he pressed one person’s mute acupoint, then raised his hand and dislocated the person’s arm.

The man’s expression twisted in pain but he couldn’t make any sound, yet his expression was sufficient to prove his agony at the moment.

The remaining six showed anger, and with a look from Lu, the other Shadow Guards made their move similarly, pressing the captives’ acupoints and dislocating one of their arms.

Bai Ruozhu felt a chill throughout her body, she was by no means a merciful person, usually ruthless in her approach, but even now she felt her teeth sour and her body cold.

Truly befitting of the Shadow Guards, their movements were both fast and fierce.

But in the next second, Lu’s expression twisted because the seven suddenly changed expressions, their faces no longer showed pain but simultaneously turned into a silly daze!

Soul Capture Technique! These three words unconsciously appeared in Bai Ruozhu’s head, didn’t the people sent by Duke Duan before the rebellion all fall under the Soul Capture Technique, and when caught, nothing could be interrogated out of them?

But if it really was Duke Duan, wasn’t he using Soul Capture Technique to avoid leaving behind any evidence? Would this not expose him too quickly as the mastermind behind the scenes?

She always felt that this matter was definitely not simple, if it was too easy to deduce that it was Duke Duan’s doing, wouldn’t that be illogical?

As a Shadow Guard, Lu must know some of the things about Duke Duan’s rebellion, and when he saw the use of the Soul Capture Technique, his face became grave. Bai Ruozhu wanted to share her suspicions with him, but in the end, she held back.

They were only speculations, baseless and fruitless, and since Duke Duan had already been convicted for plotting a rebellion and treason, speaking out might seem like an attempt to prevent misdirection for her team, but who knew if one day, someone with an agenda would accuse her of speaking on behalf of Duke Duan?

...

In Yicui Building, a tall figure appeared silently in Jiao Bingqin’s Room. Jiao Bingqin only saw a silhouette and shuddered all over, hurriedly knelt to the ground and said in a low voice, "Subordinate greets the Master."

The tall man turned around, and a pair of pitch-black eyes fixed tightly on Jiao Bingqin, making her feel even colder all over.

"Useless thing, such an intricate trap was set up, and you still failed to obtain the item. What use do I have for you?" The tall man’s voice was extremely cold, as if in the next second he could take Jiao Bingqin’s life.

Jiao Bingqin hastily bowed down to the ground, pleading, "Your lordship, please spare my life. I never expected that, even after creating the illusion that the Emperor no longer trusted Jiang Yichun and decreeing his extermination, he could still react so quickly."

She placed one hand over her chest, her face miserable as she said, "He chose to jump off a cliff rather than let his enemies capture me and even shot a dart into my chest. If not for this subordinate’s great luck, I might not have survived at all."

The tall man snorted coldly, "He has been suspicious of you for a while. You harbored inappropriate desires, which made him extra wary of you. Otherwise, how could you have failed to succeed? You should not have aspired to become Jiang Yichun’s concubine without my consent."

The emphasis he placed on the word "you" was particularly heavy, seemingly a reminder of Jiao Bingqin’s status, reminding her not to harbor inappropriate thoughts.

Jiao Bingqin’s body trembled, and she bit her lip, saying, "I thought that by becoming his woman, I could better extract words from him."

The tall man laughed, his laughter filled with scorn, "Has it been proven that he could fancy you? Enough of this nonsense. I will give you another chance to redeem yourself."

"I am willing to die for you, my lord. Please give your orders," Jiao Bingqin said respectfully as she kowtowed loudly.

"Find out where Jiang Yichun is. He wants to kill you, doesn’t he? As long as he knows you’re not dead, he will surely show up," the tall man said.

Jiao Bingqin shivered again. Wasn’t this making her bait? But did she have a choice?

Clenching her teeth, she hurriedly said, "This subordinate obeys, but after I was injured and fell into the water that day, I was saved by the courtesan Qingqiu and became her maid. However, she has been giving me a hard time at every turn; with her around, I truly find it difficult to act."

"I will deal with the courtesan. Take care of your duties. If there is the slightest error this time, you can forget about keeping your life," said the tall man before his figure flashed, heading towards Qingqiu’s room.

A gleam of excitement flashed in Jiao Bingqin’s eyes. The thought that Qingqiu would soon be in trouble made her disregard her lord’s final warning.

When the time came for her to serve tea to Qingqiu as was customary, Jiao Bingqin heard Qingqiu playing the guqin, and the lord she had just recently kowtowed to was sitting inside the room, sipping wine and listening to the music, his face expressing utter contentment.

Jiao Bingqin became panicked. How could her lord become a guest in Qingqiu’s private quarters?

With a smug glance, Qingqiu swept her eyes over Jiao Bingqin, the corner of her mouth curving up in a smile that was indeed charming enough to make even flowers pale in comparison.

Jiao Bingqin left the room, filled with frustration, and waited outside.

At the end of the piece, she heard footsteps from inside the room, followed by Qingqiu’s coquettish voice, "My lord, you are too eager..."

The rest of the words were cut off, and what followed could be imagined. Soon, the room was filled with the laughter of two people, and not long after, it turned into those kinds of embarrassing noises, leaving Jiao Bingqin outside blushing and then turning white in quick succession.