Chapter 224 Cooperation Achieved

Zhang Linyue poured the wine down his throat as if it were free. Qiuqiu tilted her head, thought for a moment, and then pushed the wine pot on the table toward him again. She seemed very considerate.

Yun Shuyue held down Qiuqiu's hand, and looked up in confusion: "Drink?"

[Does my cousin want some too?]

Yun Shuyue was certain that what she heard was Qiujiu's inner voice. Could it be that she was also a monster?

Yun Shuyue shook her head, "I won't drink."

She wanted to be alone.

Chuchu decisively pushed her cousin's hand away, "Him!"

Zhang Linyue was completely drunk, alternating between crying and laughing like a madman. Yun Shuyue was so busy stopping Qiuqiu that she didn't keep an eye on him, and before she knew it, he had snatched the wine pot and chugged it down.

Chiu Chiu beckoned with her little hand: "Wine!"

The waiter waiting outside readily replied, "Coming right up!"

One insisted on drinking, while the other desperately tried to dissuade her. Yun Shuyue simply gave up. After all, it wasn't like she was just drinking it all.

After drinking until the very end, Zhang Linyue collapsed on the ground, unable to move. Yun Shuyue kicked him, but he didn't react.

She turned to look at her little rascal: "Tell me, why did you make him drink so much?"

Chuchu placed her little hands obediently on her belly and smiled shyly at the two of them: "Hehe~ Move, dou!"

Yun Shuyue didn't understand why she had to get Zhang Linyue drunk and take him away, but as a potential sister-complex, she did as she was told.

Fortunately, Yun Shuyue was quite strong, and she carried Zhang Linyue and carried Qiujiu back to the Zhennan Prince's Mansion.

Gao Wenyan only realized that the person was missing two hours later. Just as he and Manager Mo were about to go out to look for him, the gatekeeper came to report that Miss Yun had brought the old master of the Zhang family back.

Shopkeeper Mo sighed, "Why did Miss Yun bring Zhang Linyue back? He's one of Shao Xin's men."

Gao Wenyan hadn't yet figured out the complicated relationships in Yuncheng. "Who is this Zhang Linyue?"

“Naturally, he’s an ally that Qiuqiu found.” Yun Shuyue struggled to carry the adult man, while the chubby little boy behind her was still tightly gripping her neck. “Quick, Gao Wenyan, come and help.”

Gao Wenyan rushed over to catch Zhang Linyue, but before he could, Yun Shuyue let go, leaving him sprawled on the ground. She then held Qiuqiu in her arms and muttered to Gao Wenyan, "Why did you catch him? Hug Qiuqiu!"

They can't even grasp the key points!

Chirp peeked out with her little head, pouting her lips in dissatisfaction, "Hug~"

Her belly was being pushed up so uncomfortable!

What she didn't know was that her dear cousin was a corpse carrier on the battlefield, and the fact that she didn't carry her back like a piglet was a testament to her parenting skills.

"It's the domestic and virtuous Wen Yan who knows how to take care of the kids," she said, pointing to Zhang Linyue, who was lying drunk on the ground and fast asleep. "Friend," she added.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Manager Mo stepped forward at the opportune moment to explain the relationship between the Zhang and Shao families.

The Zhang family is considered a large family in the southwest region. Zhang Linyue's grandfather's generation moved to Yuncheng from other places. However, their branch of the family did not prosper, and by the time of Zhang Linyue, there was only one son.

"Forty years ago, the Shao family married the daughter of a high-ranking official in the capital. Later, the lady died, and the dowry she left behind became the first pot of gold that allowed the Shao family to quickly accumulate wealth."

Yun Shuyue and Gao Wenyan were unaware of the entanglement between the Wenyang Marquis's Mansion and the Shao family. Qiuqiu, who had heard about the grudges, was so angry that her ahoge (cowlick) stood on end. "You scoundrel!"

[It's all my family's money!]

Yun Shuyue glanced sideways, "Is this some kind of staged accident?"

Chuchu gave her a look that said, "You don't understand my sorrow."

Yun Shuyue took the same measure as her aunt, manually muting Qiuqiu's microphone.

The little duck's beak is back in action!

Chirp: My maternal grandfather's family are all trained!

Seeing the two sisters making all sorts of little movements, Manager Mo asked them with a smile, "Are you still listening?"

"Listen, listen, please continue."

Shopkeeper Mo glanced down at Zhang Linyue on the ground: "The Shao family used that lady's dowry to make money for dirty business, all shady dealings. In the end, they ran into the longevity poison that ruins the whole family. Once you touch this stuff, you're ruined; you can only live as a half-human, half-ghost in your next life."

"No, it means you don't even have the rest of your life."

Zhang Linyue woke up at some point, slumped on the ground in despair, and looked as if he had aged ten years in an instant.

“If you smell that stuff too much, you can’t quit, and you’ll die. My son is practically dead now.” He pointed at Qiuqiu and the others. “You outsiders are from the capital, right? I can cooperate with you to eliminate the Shao family’s influence.”

Gao Wenyan didn't believe Zhang Linyue would be so kind. "Conditions?"

"I want you to destroy all the longevity herbs in the Shao family, leaving not a single one."

"make a deal!"

With the agreement reached, Zhang Linyue unsteadily got to his feet and staggered outside. He deliberately stopped beside Qiuqiu, shook his throbbing head, and finally handed her the jade pendant.

Chuchu, inexplicably clutching the jade pendant, watched Zhang Linyue walk away, a sudden pang of guilt washing over her. Had she been plotting against someone...?

Gao Wenyan patted his head and said, "Take it. He must have his reasons for giving it to you."

Moreover, when it comes to scheming, it's hard to say who's scheming against whom.

They've barely shown their faces in Yuncheng, so it's highly unlikely they'd actually run into Zhang Linyue the moment they stepped out. This Zhang Linyue son needs the Shao family's longevity-enhancing drugs, so he doesn't dare turn against them. He wants to use them to get rid of the Shao family; it's not a bad deal for Qiuqiu to collect some interest from him.

Zhang Linyue, wanting to use someone else to do his dirty work, naturally needed to sharpen the knife beforehand, and thus had to offer it a little reward. In the evening, he sent over information about the whereabouts of Su Junyao and Su Jinze.

Gao Wenyan held the note, still puzzled: "The water dungeon in the Duhe Prefecture?"

"Is the information reliable?" Yun Shuyue snatched the note. "I'm going!"

Gao Wenyan disagreed: "No. His Highness the Crown Prince's reinforcements will arrive soon. The disappearance of a First-Class Marquis in the southwest is no small matter. We have a legitimate reason for our attack, so you can rest assured."

Yun Shuyue: "I'm worried! The later they go, the more dangerous it will be for them. I'll go!"

"I'll go too!"

"What are you, a scholar who can't lift a finger, going to do? Are you going to your death?"

"Then I can't let you go alone!" Gao Wenyan refused to budge an inch. "I just can't let you go on this risk alone."

For the first time, Yun Shuyue felt so weak. "Then...then I can't take you with me, can I? That would be suicide!"

Gao Wenyan didn't speak, just stared at Yun Shuyue, making her feel a chill down her spine. Even a general can be quite helpless when encountering a scholar.

"We can't just sit here and do nothing, can we?" Yun Shuyue said. "Steward Mo, do you have any manpower available in the manor?"

Shopkeeper Mo nodded: "There are soldiers stationed in the suburbs, but we can't be sure if this note is real or fake. If we send troops in directly, we'll definitely alert them. If it's fake... I'm afraid Lord Su and his men will be hidden even deeper."

"I'll send a team to scout out their strength first."

Chuchu, who had been sitting quietly there, waddled to the center like a little duck, opened her arms wide, and exclaimed, "I'm going!"

Yun Shuyue said angrily, "Don't swear."

Chirp chirp reiterated: "I'm going!"

"You're going? Where are you going?" Yun Shuyue scoffed. "How are you going to get there? By crawling through a dog hole again?"

She let out a couple of hums; she's quite a capable little thing too.

It skipped happily toward the door, but as soon as it reached the door, it did a spectacular turn and then... tripped and fell on its backside...

"Chirp chirp!"

Chirp opened its mouth and howled, "Ouch, it hurts so much!"

Thirteen, feeling helpless, grabbed her by the collar and lifted her up: "Next time you go out, don't say you're the owner of our Spring Breeze Pavilion."

He felt ashamed!

Behind Chiu Chiu stood a group of shadow guards who had appeared out of nowhere.

Shopkeeper Mo was dumbfounded: "Where did they come from?"

Why isn't there any sound? Do they really think all the guards in their palace are dead?!

"Someone, come quickly!"

Gao Wenyan stopped him, "Manager Mo, don't panic, these are Qiuqiu's people."

With glistening tears still clinging to the corners of her eyes, Qiuqiu sniffed, determined not to lose face: "Yes."

"Chirp!"