The tent flap was lifted, and Qi Li, who had just left, returned, followed by Ha Yue Zhu. Two maids dressed in barbarian attire also followed closely behind.
Qi Li hurried towards the bed, with Ha Yue Zhu close on his heels.
The two maids stood on either side of the tent entrance, their eyes downcast and silent.
Qi Li frantically searched. It wasn't under the pillow, the bedding was scattered, but still, he couldn't find it.
Within the space, Li Man'er's eyelids twitched. She thought, "Is that jade pendant so crucial to him? Did I unintentionally find the most important thing to Man Mu He Ha?"
"Fu Ma, what are you looking for?" Ha Yue Zhu saw that Qi Li was sweating on his forehead in the middle of winter and couldn't help but frown. "Is it something extremely important to you?"
"My jade pendant, my jade pendant is missing." He threw all his clothes onto the ground, but still couldn't find it.
Ha Yue Zhu waved her hand, and the two maids withdrew. The couple spoke softly behind the screen.
"Does that jade pendant relate to your past?"
"Yes! That dragon-patterned jade pendant was a gift my father bestowed upon me on my seventh birthday. In our Zun Kingdom, the etiquette is very strict. Dragon patterns and dragon decorations can only be worn and used by the Son of Heaven. Anyone else who uses them is committing a great disrespect and a capital offense."
Ha Yue Zhu naturally did not understand this. "Then, even your princes cannot use it?"
"Not even the Crown Prince can use it." Qi Li's eyes became very gentle. "My father doted on me immensely. If I hadn't been harmed and had not left the palace, the person who would be the Crown Prince now might have been me."
Li Man'er finally understood that the person before her was not some hidden gem, but a genuine prince, who had been forced to leave the palace after being harmed. It seemed he was quite favored, but with only a few princes in the palace, judging by his age, he could only be the second prince, Qi Li.
He hadn't died back then; he was forced to leave the palace!
"Does this jade pendant relate to your past? Can it prove you are a prince?"
Qi Li shook his head. "I was nine years old when I left the palace. I knew everything, I remembered everything, and my appearance hasn't changed much. I still have birthmarks. How could I rely on a lifeless object to reunite with my father and mother?"
Ha Yue Zhu breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "Then you don't need to be so nervous. If it's not found, then it's not found."
"Mm! It's just a keepsake. I took many things with me when I left the palace, but in the end, only this jade pendant remained. I was starving back then and never thought of selling it. It's just a bit reluctant that it's suddenly lost, and more so, I'm not used to it."
Ha Yue Zhu said, "Sometimes things are not necessarily lost. Perhaps they just fell somewhere we haven't discovered yet. When you stop looking for it one day, maybe it will appear on its own."
Qi Li nodded, gently pulled his wife into his arms, and said, "You are right, perhaps it will appear on its own."
Li Man'er could tell at a glance that Qi Li was lying. That jade pendant must be extremely important to him, perhaps even for planning some grand scheme, and it was definitely not as simple as he made it sound.
"Alright, let's go out. Have someone clean this place up."
"You go ahead and be busy. I'll tell them a few things. If they see the jade pendant, they'll keep it for you."
Qi Li nodded and left the tent first. Ha Yue Zhu called the two maids over and instructed them to clean up thoroughly and not to miss the jade pendant.
The two maids quickly agreed. After Ha Yue Zhu left, they meticulously cleaned.
Li Man'er knew this was an excellent opportunity. She had to find a way to leave.
She knew the reason for the barbarian wedding, knew Man Mu Ha He's true identity, and knew he planned to use the barbarian's strength to return to Zun Kingdom. Now was the time for her to withdraw with merit.
Li Man'er seized the opportunity, swiftly flashed out of the space, knocked one maid unconscious with her left hand, and tightly gripped the other maid's throat with her right, crushing her trachea without any effort.
The maid's body went limp and she fell to the ground, becoming a corpse.
Li Man'er immediately stripped the maid of her clothes, then approached the tent, making sure no one was around before lifting the curtain and walking out.
Li Man'er deliberately chose paths where no one was around. She weaved between tents, occasionally entering the space to hide, and slowly approached the main gate of the barbarian camp.
Just then, the entire camp suddenly fell into chaos. Shouts of "Catch the assassin! Catch the assassin!" echoed everywhere.
Li Man'er quickly approached a tent and then entered the space.
Soon, people rushed to the gate to apprehend the suspect, but no unfamiliar faces were seen. The guards at the gate didn't know what had happened. Later, they heard that spies from Zun Kingdom had infiltrated the camp to poison and kill. They were furious and wished they could dig three feet into the ground to find the culprit.
At this moment, the atmosphere within the barbarian camp had reached an extreme low. Inside the army tent, Ti He Ye glared at his subordinates, his expression as if he were about to devour someone.
"How did this person get in? Has anyone seen him?"
Everyone looked at each other, unsure how to respond.
The water in the camp had been poisoned. Many soldiers fell ill during breakfast. Hundreds of people had died. The poison was so potent that even Ti He Ye almost fell victim. If it hadn't been for the commotion outside, the food in his hand would have been eaten. A moment later, he would have been a corpse.
Later, they discovered that one of Ha Yue Zhu's maids was dead and another was unconscious, yet they hadn't even seen the perpetrator's appearance. The unconscious one had her clothes stripped, likely in an attempt to sneak away. Therefore, they were now searching for anyone wearing a maid's outfit.
"My King, this person is elusive and possesses extremely high martial arts skills. He is likely sent by Zun Kingdom to spy on the enemy," said an elder. "All entry and exit routes to the great camp are now sealed. I believe he cannot escape."
Ti He Ye seemed displeased with this explanation. "Find him for me. Within an hour, I want to see the person, dead or alive."
"My King, the sun has not yet risen, and the fog is thick. It may be difficult to catch him." How many men do we have here?
Not a hundred thousand, but still seventy to eighty thousand. Among these seventy to eighty thousand people, are they all familiar with each other? It would be normal for a few unfamiliar faces to appear.
Just as he was about to say something else, he suddenly heard someone report, "Reporting to the King, the culprit has been caught."
"Caught?" Ti He Ye's spirits lifted. "Are you sure?"
The messenger replied confidently, "It should be him. This person is of slightly shorter stature and was wearing a princess's maid's clothes when apprehended. Most importantly, a pouch of poison was found on him."
Ti He Ye laughed heartily. "Good, bring the person up."