Wu Caiwei moved quickly, having anticipated his attack. She was only concerned about the frightened child, and seeing him lunge again, fueled by a mixture of old and new resentments, she put all her strength into her kick.
The butler coughed up several mouthfuls of blood, landing on the ground, still in disbelief. He was also a practitioner of martial arts, and his skill was not low. He had thought it was a sure thing, but he had never expected to fail.
At this moment, he understood everything. The kick he had received carried a strong internal energy, clearly indicating that her martial arts far surpassed his. The shrewish image she had presented upon their first meeting was clearly an act, designed solely to lower his guard.
He thumped the ground in frustration; he had been too careless. Soon, he was bound and gagged.
Led by Wu Caiwei, they quickly discovered the entrance to the secret passage. Someone, impatient, was about to enter, but she grabbed their arm.
While they watched in confusion, she pulled out several colorful pills from her sleeve, giving one to each person and urging them to eat quickly.
"Don't worry, these are antidotes we developed. Entering this secret passage is easy, but getting out is difficult. This will give you a helping hand."
Everyone's gaze involuntarily turned to General Liu. After a moment's thought, he nodded. Others might not know, but as part of the imperial guards, they were aware of the recent close relationship between the Crown Prince of Qin and the Emperor. The Emperor trusted him implicitly, and they believed he wouldn't dare harm them, lest he lose his head.
Seeing them take the medicine, Wu Caiwei handed a packet of powder to General Liu with a meaningful look. "When you see those annoying rats, scatter this at them. Don't worry, you won't have any problems after taking my medicine, but as for them, it's hard to say."
Upon hearing this, the butler immediately wriggled his body, trying to break free from his restraints, looking at Wu Caiwei with urgent pleading eyes.
General Wu, sensing a considerable presence below, quickly called out to everyone to descend cautiously.
Wu Caiwei and the butler stared at each other, their eyes filled with hatred. Refusing to back down, Wu Caiwei said, "Are you implying I'm betraying you after you helped me find my child?"
The butler nodded frantically. Wu Caiwei stepped forward and punched him in the stomach. He involuntarily doubled over, trembling with pain.
"If you hadn't brought it up, I wouldn't have sought you out. Don't pretend you don't know. My son getting lost and falling asleep was a lie. In reality, you sent people to capture him."
The butler's eyes widened involuntarily. He couldn't understand how she had discovered his actions, which he thought were so well concealed.
"Do you think the Crown Prince and I spend our days idly tending to flowers and plants in the garden? You're mistaken. Those are treasures. For instance, I made pollen for my son, which he could smear on himself to ward off insects. You sent people to find the child and touched him, yet I smelled a familiar scent on you. You can deceive others, but you can't deceive us."
Wu Caiwei knew her son would be in grave danger in his hands. If she hadn't acted swiftly and decisively, using the captured hidden guards in the passage as a threat, he wouldn't have surrendered. By the time she found him, he would likely have been a corpse.
Seeing his regretful expression, Wu Caiwei knew exactly what he was thinking – he regretted not having killed her son. Now, it was her turn to deal with him. She stepped forward and kicked his knee, likely crippling that leg. After a moment's thought, she hobbled over and crippled the other leg as well. It didn't matter whether he had legs or not, as his head would be removed soon anyway.
The butler broke out in a cold sweat from the pain, wishing he could pass out. Just then, screams echoed from the secret passage.
His expression gradually turned to despair. He tried to crawl forward, but no matter how he moved, he could feel nothing but pain. He was on the verge of a breakdown, glaring at Huangfu Yun Kun and Wu Caiwei with predatory eyes. However, they completely ignored him, engrossed in playfully interacting with the child as if no one else were present.
Soon, those who had descended into the secret passage returned. Except for a few imperial guards who sustained minor injuries, everyone else was jubilant, clearly having reaped a bountiful harvest.
Some went to the front courtyard to find reinforcements, while others continuously carried items up from underground. Wu Caiwei herself had not gone down. She had only seen people coming up from below and had guessed there were people there, but she hadn't expected so many weapons, gold, and jewels.
The courtyard was filled to the brim, and they also brought up one to two hundred captured hidden guards. Wu Caiwei believed this wasn't the entire contingent; perhaps some had been killed below.
General Liu's gaze towards her changed. He quickly stepped forward and bowed deeply, expressing his gratitude. Fortunately, he had trusted these two, taken the antidote, and scattered the powder for them, otherwise, they would have gone to their deaths. Who would have thought that such a sizable force, comprised entirely of suicide warriors, was hidden underground?
No one knew how their powder had been developed to be so potent. With a mere scattering, it had rendered their opponents utterly incapable of resistance. Although some were less affected and could barely fight back, they were no match for them.
This discovery sent shockwaves through the court. They had never imagined that such a group could be hidden within the capital. With the Emperor's instigation, the news spread like wildfire among the populace.
The Emperor had supported Huangfu Yun Kun's rise because the King and Queen of Qin were soon to be apprehended. He had no intention of sparing their lives, but he needed a justification to spare Huangfu Yun Kun.
Everyone in the capital was shrewd. They understood the Emperor's intentions from his actions. Even the Ministry of War was promoting the effectiveness of the weapons Huangfu Yun Kun had developed for them.
People naturally sought to avoid harm and pursue benefit. Soon, wherever Huangfu Yun Kun was mentioned on the streets, he was praised unanimously, as if they hadn't mocked him just a short while ago.
The couple, however, remained unfazed. What pleased them was the Emperor's allowance for the situation to develop in this direction, indicating he had no intention of taking Huangfu Yun Kun's life. As the saying goes, as long as there is green in the hills, there will always be wood to burn. Their long efforts had not been in vain.
One day, before they had even left their residence, they heard the sounds of revelry. The couple exchanged glances and quickly went outside. News had arrived that the imperial army had stormed the King of Qin's mansion, capturing the King and Queen of Qin along with their children, and were escorting them back to the capital.
It would take several days for the messenger to travel from the King of Qin's fiefdom to the capital. They would arrive about ten days later than the messenger, meaning in ten days, the King and Queen of Qin would be seen in the capital, paraded in prisoner carts.
The crowd began to eagerly anticipate that day, preparing to throw rotten eggs and vegetables. While they were discussing it heatedly, they saw the Crown Prince and Princess of Qin. Regardless of what happened, these were their biological parents, and it was inappropriate to speak ill of their parents in front of them. The crowd spontaneously fell silent.