The system forced me to blow up the female lead's fishpond.

Upon hearing this, Qu Yuanye was furious, his eyes blazing with rage. "That brat talks a good game, but now he's using her as a hostage to threaten us. How can he be so shameless?!"

Xiao Ling was extremely anxious. He took a step forward and pointed his sword directly at Xue Liao, the tip of which was only a hair's breadth away from Xue Liao's throat.

He roared angrily, "What have you done to Miss Shen?"

"Please do not worry, everyone. My young master has not taken Miss Shen hostage. He has only sent me to convey some important information."

Xue Liao was not alarmed by the sword tip so close at hand, and casually relayed Zhang Jiali's words.

"Regarding the massacre of Yongshou Village, someone from the Dali Temple will come forward tomorrow to confess and accept punishment. As for now, only the unsolved case of General Shen's disappearance remains unresolved."

After Xue Liao finished speaking, he turned his gaze to Shen Chao and said calmly, "If General Shen still insists on his own opinion and claims that the tiger tally was personally handed to the Second Prince, then I'm afraid that someone with ulterior motives will accuse the Prime Minister's Mansion of trying to collude with the prince to rebel and usurp the throne."

However, if General Shen were to admit that the tiger tally was lost due to his own negligence, then at most he would be punished for dereliction of duty and demoted.

Upon hearing this, Shen Chao's previously calm face instantly turned frosty, his eyes sharp as ice blades, piercing straight into Xue Liao.

"Is the Crown Prince's statement an attempt to force people to submit and compromise through threats?"

Shen Chao's voice was low and hoarse, each word seemingly squeezed out with difficulty from between his teeth, and the raging anger he suppressed was clearly audible.

Seeing this, Xue Liao lowered his eyes slightly to avoid the piercing gaze. "I wouldn't dare. Young Master only wanted to remind General Shen that this matter is of great importance. I hope General Shen will carefully consider the priorities and not act rashly, lest he regret it later."

Shen Chao laughed in extreme anger, the sound of his laughter appearing particularly abrupt in the oppressive atmosphere.

He stepped forward slowly, his robe sleeves fluttering with his movements, as if venting his inner resentment. "What a fine 'self-determination'! This blatant coercion is presented in such a grand and respectable way."

He knew perfectly well that Zhang Jiali's move was an attempt to completely control the situation, to drive him into a corner, and to pave the way for the future.

Zhang Jiali's influence in the court is now unfathomable. If he insists on the fact that the Tiger Tally was handed over to the Second Prince, anyone with ulterior motives could stir up trouble in the court, and the Prime Minister's Mansion would surely face annihilation and be subjected to confiscation of property.

However, if he admits that the tiger tally is lost, although he can preserve the reputation of the Prime Minister's Mansion, it is also tantamount to admitting his incompetence and negligence.

Once the tiger tally slips out of his control and falls into the hands of others, the control of the tiger tally will inevitably fall into the hands of those ministers who side with Zhang Jiali.

At that point, the situation will become even more uncontrollable, and the entire situation will tilt in Zhang Jiali's favor.

Compared to Shen Chao's anger, Chu Chouchi's state of mind was also extremely bad, beyond words.

His fists were clenched under his sleeves, and his eyes were covered with frost.

I thought that given the current situation, once a fight broke out, the outcome would be unpredictable.

But now they realize that there are too many flaws among them that are difficult to repair, which allowed Zhang Jiali to precisely penetrate their defenses and deliver a fatal blow.

He lost so completely.

Shen Chao was so angry that his chest heaved violently. It took him a long time to swallow his anger and say, "I can give you the tiger tally. Where is Zhizhi? Bring Zhizhi here."

"General Shen, there's no need to worry." Xue Liao saw Shen Chao's angry face, his eyes darkening, filled with a sinister intent. "As for Miss Shen—"

Xue Liao remained silent for a moment, as if considering his words, before continuing:

"Miss Shen has already agreed to marry the young master."

These words, once spoken, were like a boulder thrown into water, stirring up a thousand waves among the crowd.

In an instant, the atmosphere suddenly became tense. Everyone was stunned and bewildered by this unexpected news.

whoosh-

A snowflake drifted into Chu Chouchi's eyes. He instinctively looked up and saw snowflakes falling all around him.

Snowflakes landed on his face, instantly turning into drops of icy water that trickled down his cheeks.

Chu Chou's thin, red lips trembled uncontrollably. After a long while, he raised his phoenix eyes and asked, "What did you say?"

In this frigid air, his breath instantly turned into wisps of white mist, seemingly floating before his eyes, making it impossible for him to discern directions.

Before Xue Liao could respond, Xiao Ling's emotions had already reached their peak. "Zhang Jiali must have used some underhanded means. Miss Shen's beloved is the Second Prince. How could she marry him?"

Chief Feng's eyes widened in fury, veins bulging on his forehead, as he gripped his iron hammer, his anger palpable. "What underhanded methods did you use to force Miss Shen?"

Xue Liao lowered his head slightly, his emotions unreadable, and repeated, "Miss Shen has indeed agreed. The young master is deeply in love with Miss Shen, so I hope you all need not worry about this. If you do not believe me, you can go and ask Miss Shen for yourselves."

His voice wasn't loud, but in the cold wind, it was like a sharp arrow aimed straight at Chu Chou Chizha.

Chu Chouchi felt a buzzing in his ears and his mind went blank. The snow fell even more fiercely at this moment, as if to bury him completely under the snow.

"..."

Chu Tu snapped out of his shock and glanced at Chu Chouchi, whose thin lips moved as if he was about to say something.

However, before he could speak, Chu Chouchi took out the half of the tiger tally from his pocket, swung his arm and threw it straight behind Xue Liao, then ran forward without hesitation.

That somewhat lonely, unsteady figure disappeared into the white snow in an instant, leaving only a string of uneven footprints.

The crowd stared at the direction Chu Chouchi had left, remaining silent for a long time with solemn expressions.

The snowflakes continued to fall slowly, settling on people's shoulders, temples, and hair, as if determined to cover up all the world's troubles with their flawless whiteness.

-

Shen Zhizhi stood quietly inside the room, silently watching the Seven Star Society's guards carefully tend to Zhang Jiali's wounds.

After the guards quietly withdrew, the room was immediately enveloped in a deathly silence, with only Zhang Jiali's slightly heavy breathing rising and falling gently in the stillness.

"Why must I be the one to hold the position of Crown Prince?"

Zhang Jiali raised his eyes slightly, and his voice broke the silence, faint yet clear.

Shen Zhizhi glanced at the pale face on the bed, her expression unchanged, but she did not answer his question. Then she turned her gaze to the window.

Outside the window, heavy snow fell, turning the whole world into a silvery white.

Through the swirling snowflakes, Shen Zhizhi seemed to be gazing into the distance, yet also seemed to see nothing at all.

After a moment, she smiled self-deprecatingly, "What? The Crown Prince is usually good at planning and has everything under control, yet he couldn't figure this out? Or do you want to continue threatening to kill yourself to force me to submit and reveal the reason behind it?"