The cannon fodder heiress trembled with fear after being recognized as a member of her family.

The stars and moon in the sky returned to normal, but there was still an array in the mountain, so it was still dark and there was no sign of dawn.

Han Cuiyin raised her eyebrows slightly. "Yes, but why should I tell you? What benefit would I get from saving you?"

There are nearly three hundred people here, all on a large platform.

Unidentified patterns covered the large platform, and half of the patterns beneath the feet of these people had already lit up.

Everyone gasped.

It is common knowledge that Master Xu has a bad temper.

Those court officials were even more afraid of him than they were of Emperor Chu Yuan.

As soon as Han Cuiyin finished speaking, everyone began to murmur among themselves. This dark-skinned girl was too arrogant and disrespectful to the Grand Preceptor Xu. They wondered how the Grand Preceptor Xu would treat her in a moment.

Previously in the palace, a palace maid merely swept a fallen leaf onto the feet of the Imperial Preceptor Xu, and was immediately kicked away by him.

The palace maid was seriously injured and would have to spend the rest of her life bedridden.

After this incident, no one dared to approach within three meters of Master Xu.

These are all things that happened when Master Xu was young; there are countless examples.

Decades have passed, and Master Xu rarely makes public appearances, only attending important occasions.

But whenever he appears, everyone recognizes him.

The giant sword on his back is his trademark, and no one questions that.

Li Meiyun clutched her handkerchief, inwardly screaming, "Cut her up!"

Han Yueshi shared the same thought; she stood behind the Third Prince, who shielded her completely.

The others were surprised to find that the girl Han Ge Lao's family had recently taken in was incredibly bold.

Han Cuiyin, unaware of the crowd's thoughts, simply stood below the platform, a smirk playing on her lips. "Does Grand Preceptor Xu think I, a weak woman, have the ability to save so many of you? I only came in to find my cousin; what do the others have to do with me?"

After speaking, she glanced around with her almond-shaped eyes. Almost everyone there was someone she knew from her past life, except for the group of young masters who liked to surround her.

The man next to Grand Preceptor Xu, dressed in riding and archery attire and looking down as if lost in thought, should be the Second Prince.

She had met the Third Prince in her previous life, but the Second Prince rarely appeared in public.

When he raised his head, Han Cuiyin could finally see the man's face clearly.

"So it was him! He was the one who wanted to help on the night of the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. He's just another womanizer, nothing special." She knew what was going on, but she didn't show it on her face.

Luo Jingqian tapped Han Cuiyin's arm twice with his folding fan to make her look away from the Second Prince.

“Miss Han, so many people are trapped here now. If you have a solution, why not tell us? These families are wealthy. Just ask for whatever you want, and I'll act as a go-between. They won't dare not fulfill your promise!”

After Luo Jingqian finished speaking, he glanced around the stage.

Everyone nodded in unison, looking at Marquis Jingyun with tears in their eyes, as if promising not to renege on their promise.

Han Cuiyin was not favored by Grand Secretary Han, but the Jinghe Grand Princess's residence was her backing.

Even if Emperor Chuyuan's attitude towards the Grand Princess is strange, he wouldn't suddenly have a lapse in judgment and eradicate the Grand Princess's entire lineage.

Besides, the Marquis of Jingyun's sect is not simple, and Emperor Chuyuan might not dare to make a move easily.

The Grand Princess's husband is no ordinary man; when he goes mad, even his own father can't control him. He's currently recuperating, likely at Qingshuang Mountain, otherwise the Grand Princess wouldn't come here every month on the fifteenth.

Those with a brain have already noticed something amiss.

Han Cuiyin could see all the little tricks those people on stage were doing.

"Ten thousand taels per family. Each master can bring four guards. Each additional guard costs an extra thousand taels of silver." Han Cuiyin finished speaking slowly, watching the people on the stage change color, feeling infinitely pleased.

The Yan family only accumulated a few hundred thousand taels of silver over several decades, and they were still doing extremely profitable business.

These people were almost all from noble families, and they had accumulated a great deal of wealth.

Her asking for 10,000 taels is not too much.

There are dozens of stores here, and that's how they offered a low price.

"Why don't you just rob someone!" came an angry voice from the crowd. "You're blinded by greed!"

"Exactly, with so much money, isn't Grand Secretary Han afraid of being impeached by the censors for taking the opportunity to amass wealth?"

Some people have already started to take advantage of the situation.

Some families also thought it made sense and got involved.

"I'm robbing them! Your impeachment of Grand Secretary Han has really helped me a lot. You should go quickly. It would be best if the Han family were exiled three thousand miles away. I would be more than happy to do that!" After Han Cuiyin finished speaking, she smiled at them. Her white teeth were more eerie than her eyes that shone with a ghostly light in the dark.

"Naughty!" Luo Jingqian smiled helplessly. "Those people are just haggling. Don't pay them any mind."

Han Cuiyin nodded and then said to the people above, "See the patterns under your feet? These are not ordinary patterns; they are the strokes of an array. When they all light up, it won't matter if you cry and beg for mercy. Those who agree to pay, stand on the left; those who disagree, stand on the right. Write an IOU when you come down from up here."

Everyone looked down and saw a faint light appear beneath their feet.

"She's telling the truth! Quick, my family has one extra person. Whoever is short a person, we'll give you five hundred taels after we leave..."

Those with sharp minds have already started figuring out how to get everyone out of the country with minimal expense.

Those who used to clamor about the high price have been isolated.

Within fifteen minutes, everyone was standing on the left.

Han Cuiyin smiled dismissively, "Nothing special. They've lost all their integrity just to survive. If they think it's too expensive, why don't they just tough it out?"

In the face of life and death, those people dared not utter a word in response.

Even Xu Tianyun remained silent for so long; they must have a death wish.

Many people are already laughing behind the scenes, saying that once they get out safely, those people won't have a moment's peace and would better stay at home to avoid being ridiculed when they go out.

"Lord Luo, you collect the IOUs. Don't let these people take advantage of any loopholes." After entrusting the matter to Luo Jingqian, Han Cuiyin said to the others, "However, my debts are not easy to owe. Don't even think about defaulting, or you'll have nightmares about being struck by lightning tonight."

These words were specifically addressed to Han Yueshi.

Standing behind Han Cuiyin, Han Lingzhi recalled the panic that had gripped the household in the past few days, and felt even more wary of Han Cuiyin.

She hadn't had those nightmares, and though she didn't know why, upon seeing the culprit, all she wanted to do was get away.

“We’re all one family. Here’s twenty thousand taels of silver for you!” The Third Prince took the purse from the guard and tossed it to Luo Jingqian.

Luo Jingqian nodded to her, "It is indeed twenty thousand taels. They can come out now."

The second and third princes were accompanied by about a dozen guards, including Xu Tianyun, and the money was just right.

"Here you go." A stone bead was tossed in front of Xu Tianyun.

After they emerged safely, the stone bead shattered into dust. The Third Prince was the first to voice his concerns, "This broken bead costs thirty thousand taels?"

Han Cuiyin ignored her and casually said, "The money is settled, why aren't you leaving? Are you waiting to have your lifespan drained? This is a sacrificial ritual, and the place you just stepped on was a sacrificial altar."

Xu Tianyun's expression changed upon hearing this. "Thank you for saving us, young lady. We'll be leaving now."

Xu Tianyun covered the Third Prince's mouth and left with his men.

The Second Prince passed by Han Lingzhi and said, "Miss Han, why don't you come out with us?"

Han Lingzhi glanced at Han Cuiyin, and without the slightest hesitation, turned and left.

Han Yueshi witnessed everything on the sacrificial altar, her fingernails digging into her palms, and drops of blood dripping from them.