Sludge suction system

Yunniang led the group quickly through the narrow alley, their footsteps echoing in the cramped space. After turning a corner, a commotion reached their ears: the buzzing of bees, the curses of Cui'er and the others, and Lan Ke'er's cries for help all mixed together.

"Over there!" Yunniang's eyes sharpened, and she immediately quickened her pace and rushed over. There, in the open space, Cui'er, A'da, and A'san were surrounded by a swarm of bees. Their faces and hands were covered in red, swollen bumps, their hair was a mess, and they were frantically waving their arms, trying to drive the bees away, but to no avail.

Ah Da carried Elisa Lam on his back, his steps faltering, each step incredibly difficult, while Elisa Lam struggled desperately and cried out for help.

"Ke'er!" Yunniang cried out anxiously, calling out Lan Ke'er's name. Hearing the familiar voice, Lan Ke'er's eyes instantly lit up with hope.

"Sister! Save me!" Elisa Lam responded with all her might.

Yunniang and her guards rushed forward and surrounded Cui'er and her group. The head maid looked at the disheveled group with a cold expression and shouted sternly, "How dare you kidnap people near the palace? Who ordered you to do this?"

Cui'er was still unwilling to give up. While dodging the bees, she glared fiercely at Yunniang: "Yunniang, don't be so smug. Even if you succeed this time, we will not let this go!"

Yunniang walked up to A'da, her eyes blazing, "Release Lan Ke'er!" Although A'da was unwilling, surrounded by guards and suffering from bee stings, he had no choice but to slowly put Lan Ke'er down.

As soon as Lan Ke'er landed, she staggered towards Yun Niang, and the two embraced tightly. "Sister, I knew you would come to save me." Lan Ke'er's eyes were filled with tears, and her voice was filled with the relief of surviving a disaster.

Yunniang gently patted Lan Ke'er's back and comforted her, "Don't be afraid, your sister is here, everything will be alright."

At the same time, the guards stepped forward and firmly restrained Cui'er, A'da, and A'san. This thrilling kidnapping crisis finally took a turn for the better thanks to Yunniang's efforts.

The head maid hurriedly led Cui'er, A'da, and A'san, who were being escorted, back to the embroidery workshop. Inside, everyone looked tense, and the atmosphere was as heavy as the eve of a storm.

The head aunt sat high in the main seat of the embroidery workshop, her face cold and stern, her gaze sharp as a blade, staring directly at Cui'er, A'da, and A'san kneeling on the ground. The guards on either side stood ramrod straight, their long swords gleaming coldly, intensifying the tense and oppressive atmosphere within the workshop. The embroiderers crowded around, whispering amongst themselves, their expressions filled with fear and curiosity.

"Kneel down!" the head maid shouted angrily, her voice booming like a bell. Cui'er and the others' knees buckled, and they knelt down with a thud. Cui'er lowered her head, her hair falling messily on both sides of her cheeks, her body trembling slightly. Ah Da and Ah San cowered, their eyes darting around, not daring to meet the head maid's gaze.

The head maid's gaze was piercing, fixed on Cui'er, her voice as cold as ice in the dead of winter: "Cui'er, as an embroiderer in the embroidery workshop, how could you commit such a kidnapping? Who instructed you? Who is the mastermind behind this? Confess the truth now!"

Just as Cui'er hesitated to speak, Jin Lili in the crowd glared at her with eyes like a snake, her gaze seemingly poisonous, as if warning her sharply: "If you dare to utter a single word, your whole family will die!" Cui'er felt the malicious gaze that was like a thorn in her back, and her whole body trembled violently. The words that were on the tip of her tongue were instantly swallowed back in fear.

Cui'er took a deep breath, slowly raised her head, a resolute glint in her eyes, and gritted her teeth as she said, "Aunt, no one instructed me. I did all of this by myself." Her voice trembled slightly, yet it also revealed a fierce determination.

These words immediately caused an uproar in the embroidery workshop. The embroiderers stared wide-eyed, their whispers growing louder. The head aunt's brows furrowed into a deep frown, her face filled with disbelief: "Just you alone? Why would you do this?"

Cui'er lowered her head, a hint of jealousy and resentment flashing in her eyes, and whispered, "I...I'm just jealous of Lan Ke'er. As soon as she entered the embroidery workshop, she was valued by everyone and was even able to participate in the creation of the phoenix pattern, while I remained unknown. I was unwilling to accept this, so I wanted to kidnap her so that she could no longer embroider the phoenix pattern."

Ah Da, standing to the side, looked away and hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "Auntie, yes, it was Cui'er's idea. We just wanted to help her out, that's all."

Elisa Lam stood to the side, her face filled with shock and anger. She took a step forward and questioned, "Cui'er, how could you do this? We may not be close, but we have no grudges against each other either. Why would you do something so foolish out of jealousy?"

Cui'er bit her lip, remaining silent. The head maid pondered for a moment, her gaze sweeping back and forth between the three, still harboring doubts: "There are many suspicious points in this matter. How could you possibly carry out a kidnapping so easily near the palace?"

Cui'er seemed determined, and suddenly kowtowed, her forehead hitting the ground with a dull thud: "Aunt, all the mistakes are mine, punish me if you must, this has nothing to do with anyone else."

Yunniang stood to the side, her brows furrowed. Although she knew that Cui'er's words were probably not entirely true, she was at a loss for what to do given Cui'er's resolute confession. Inside the embroidery workshop, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. This sudden storm had fallen into a strange stalemate after Cui'er's voluntary confession.

The atmosphere in the embroidery workshop was tense, with everyone's eyes fixed on Cui'er kneeling on the ground. Just then, Jin Lili pushed through the crowd and rushed to the head aunt, her face showing just the right amount of grief and indignation.

"Aunt, this is heartbreaking!" Jin Lili's eyes reddened and her voice trembled. "I've always treated Cui'er like a sister, but I never expected her to do such a disgraceful thing!" After saying that, she took out a crumpled piece of paper from her sleeve and respectfully handed it to the aunt in charge.

"What is this?" The head maid took it, her eyes fixed intently on Jin Lili.

"Auntie, this is a receipt I found by chance." Jin Lili straightened her back and spoke righteously, "Cui'er secretly took the embroidery from the embroidery workshop to sell, and this receipt is irrefutable proof! At first, I couldn't believe it, but the facts are right in front of me!"

Upon hearing this, Cui'er's eyes widened in shock. She looked up at Jin Lili with a burning rage in her eyes: "Jin Lili, you're slandering me! You forged this receipt!"

Jin Lili, however, seemed not to hear, turned to look at everyone, and said with heartache, "Cui'er, I have always respected you, but how could you do such a thing that damages the embroidery workshop for your own selfish interests? Now the evidence is conclusive, so stop trying to deny it!"

Seeing this scene, Ah Da and Ah San turned pale with fright, their bodies trembling like leaves, their eyes darting frantically between Jin Lili and Cui'er.

Elisa Lam looked at Jin Lili and then at Cui'er in disbelief, asking, "Cui'er, is this true? How could you steal and sell things from the embroidery workshop?"

Jin Lili quickly chimed in, feigning a wronged expression, and looked at Lan Ke'er: "Sister Lan, I don't want to believe it either. But for the sake of the embroidery workshop, and for us to successfully complete the Phoenix painting, I really can't stay silent any longer."

Yunniang stood to the side, her brows furrowed into a deep frown, her sharp gaze scrutinizing Jin Lili. She had a premonition that something was amiss; Jin Lili's appearance was too sudden, and the receipt was highly suspicious. "Jin Lili, this matter concerns Cui'er's reputation and the rules of the embroidery workshop; it's no small matter. Are you sure this receipt is genuine, or that someone is deliberately framing you?"

Jin Lili puffed out her chest and said resolutely, "I guarantee with my life that this document is absolutely genuine! If there is even a single lie, I am willing to accept the punishment!"

The head aunt carefully examined the receipts in her hand, her expression growing increasingly cold. The embroidery workshop erupted in chaos; the embroiderers whispered amongst themselves, their eyes filled with contempt and anger as they looked at Cui'er. Isolated and helpless, Cui'er could only watch as Jin Lili relentlessly framed her amidst the overwhelming accusations, her heart filled with despair and sorrow.