After deceiving the villain, I was forced to love him.

When Baili Ming returned to Baili Mansion, Wang Qingyan had already arrived.

Upon seeing Baili Ming appear, Feng Deng and Feng Lan immediately greeted her with serious expressions, "Young Miss..."

Baili Ming went straight to the main hall and said, "You may all leave."

"..." Fengdeng stopped, at a loss, worried but not daring to follow.

Feng Lan hesitated for a moment, then caught up with Baili Ming and said, "Miss, let me go with you."

"..." Baili Ming's expression turned slightly grim.

Feng Lan quickly drew her sword and bowed in retreat.

When Baili Ming arrived at the reception room, Wang Qingyan also came forward with his hands at his sides. "Patriarch Wang, how have you been?"

"Since we've never met before, how can we talk about being apart?" He said, hands behind his back and eyebrows raised, his expression cold.

You can tell he's really angry.

Baili Ming continued politely, "Then, would Patriarch Wang be willing to come to the study for a chat?"

Wang Qingyan pondered for a moment, his eyes as deep as an icy pool, and said, "Please lead the way."

Seeing the two enter the study one after the other and close the door, the entire household was extremely worried.

however--

The door creaked open less than fifteen minutes after I went inside.

With a livid face, the man left Baili Prefecture like a gust of wind.

"..." Fengdeng and Fenglan looked at each other, both stunned for a moment.

They're... gone?

"Uncle Feng?"

"Hey"

"I'm hungry"

"Okay, I'll go right away," Fengdeng said triumphantly, as if he had won a great victory, and went to prepare the meal.

But Feng Lan was still puzzled, "Young Miss...the Wang family head, he..."

Given how Wang Qingyan walked straight into the mansion, if Baili Ming hadn't given prior instructions, they might have actually started fighting.

Bai Liming stepped aside, gesturing for Feng Lan to look at the letters scattered on the table in the room. "I just showed him the information my sister sent back."

"..." Feng Lan thought for a moment and smiled knowingly.

Bai Liming leisurely entered the study, in an exceptionally good mood.

With a hint of sarcasm, he said, "If he still has the nerve to make a move, then this game doesn't need to end in a draw."

The Baili clan lasted for hundreds of years; what hadn't they seen?

If it were so easy for the Wang family to take them down, what kind of teacher would they be?

......

Wangfu.

Amidst the chaos, Wang Qingyan sat down, rubbing his forehead in regret.

How could he be so careless as to think he had fooled her?

No wonder she insisted on going to Shucheng.

No wonder she distanced herself after the wealthy and powerful merchants of Shucheng were brought to justice.

No wonder......

She would rather abandon her identity as a member of the Baili clan than not escape.

She had known about the treacherous stone for a long time.

An Luoshi's death, Lin Yuchuan's speculations, the evidence Qiu Jiang gave her, He Jinzhan's problems...

Wang Qingyan's head was getting more and more ache. He didn't know how much she had found out, or what she was thinking about him.

All she knew was that she found it very difficult to trust him again.

as well as--

She truly can live a life without any attachment to anyone, severing ties with the past without the slightest hesitation and starting anew.

But what about him?

What should he do?

Was he wrong?

Do not!

He is right!

He just didn't do a good enough job!

That's why I let her get away!

As he reached out and picked up a lacquer box from the mess on the floor, Wang Qingyan's expression grew increasingly menacing and sinister.

This was a reward from Lu Jian, who said it arrived before he returned to the capital.

So you all really enjoy seeing him make a fool of himself, right?

Okay~

Let's see who has the last laugh.

......

"Thrown out?" Lu Jian looked at Zhang Shan slyly, a smug look on his face.

"Fortunately, there wasn't anything valuable as a reward."

However, is Wang Qingyan declaring war on them?

A smile flickered in Lu Jian's eyes, completely unconcerned about Wang Qingyan's actions.

Zhang Shanxin understood and smiled cryptically, "Your Majesty, Patriarch Zhou has been kneeling at the palace gate for two hours."

"What day is it now?" Lu Jian gently wiped the excess ink from the tip of his pen and carefully reviewed the memorials submitted by the newly appointed officials.

"It's the fourth day."

After rejecting Song Zhaohe's suggestion, Lu Jian didn't even look up as he processed the next document. "Pass down the message: if Zhou Tianli makes any further requests, I will exterminate the entire Zhou family."

The Zhou family first sought refuge with the imperial court, then with the Wang family, but the Wang family refused, so they sought refuge with the He family.

He shouldn't have kept such a fickle and backstabbing family around.

But if Zhou Tianli is sensible enough to let Wang Qingyan play with her, that would be fine too.

......

In the blink of an eye, all kinds of wild fruits in the mountains are ready to eat.

As the weather gets hotter, the dog wants to stay in the mud all day long, while the rooster and its harem crow incessantly.

Bai Lize's house was located on the sunny side, and even with plenty of greenery around, the heat of summer was still palpable.

Although the clothes could be very light, she chopped down a lot of bamboo so that everyone could sleep better in the coming months.

Some people built a shed for the chickens and dogs, and would splash some cool water on it to cool them down whenever they had free time.

After a very complicated process, some of the bamboo strips were split into pieces about the width of a finger, rolled into circles, tied with cotton thread, and boiled one by one.

After boiling until it slightly changes color, it is soaked in cold water for half an hour before being further split into thin bamboo strips to begin making mats.

Weaving a straw mat is much simpler than weaving a bamboo basket, but it really takes a long time.

Fortunately, this time it was a success.

Although the edges weren't finished very well, after cleaning up the protruding corners, applying wax, stuffing in a little cotton, and finally sewing the edges with scraps of fabric, it was usable.

Not only will it not scratch your skin, but it also has a faint floral fragrance.

The fragrance comes from essential oils she made by picking wildflowers when they were in full bloom in the mountains; her craftsmanship certainly couldn't compare to that of professional artisans.

Having lived here for so many years, she still understands the general steps involved in these production techniques.

On the summer solstice, she simply cut her hair short and tied it into a simple bun.

She no longer needed to use any cosmetics; she simply washed her face, applied some skin oil, and was ready to work.

At first, it was really exhausting. There were a lot of mosquitoes in the mountains, and it was inconvenient to buy things. Sometimes we wouldn't see anyone for ten days or half a month.

Several times she considered moving to town, but as life became more stable, she gradually adapted.

However, she didn't quite agree with Laifu jumping onto the bed every day at the appointed time and stomping on her with tremendous force to wake her up.

But her son was too old to beat him to death.

Isn't there still wealth and status?

Wealth and status? Ha!

Bai Li Ce glanced disdainfully at Fu Gui, who was gnawing on a chicken bone next to her. That bastard was even more cowardly than her.

All it does is wag its tail at Laifu!

Suddenly, Laifu stopped chewing, letting out a low growl, "Ugh..."

Bai Li Ce also stopped what he was doing and listened carefully...

I could faintly hear footsteps coming from outside.

"Woof woof woof!!!" Laifu and Fugui immediately rushed to the door and started barking.

"There's a dog! There's really someone!"

"Let's ask for directions."

"Wang Wang Wang..."

Laifu and Fugui barked loudly, and their bared teeth were particularly ferocious.

But that didn't stop the person outside from knocking on the door. "Hello, is anyone home?"

And every now and then, it would tiptoe and hop to peek inside.

"We are mountain folk passing through, and we've gotten lost. May we come in and ask for a bowl of water?"

"Come back," Bai Li Ce beckoned, telling his two dog sons to come back.

Through the gap under the wooden door, she saw several pairs of feet outside.

"Hello, could you do me a favor?"

"No."

There are plenty of mountain springs and streams in these mountains. If they were mountain people, how could they not find water to drink?

An awkward silence fell outside the door.

"Wang!"

"Wang!"

"Wang Wang!"

The two male dogs barked even louder, as if they were about to jump up and bite someone.

Bai Lize then realized that Lai Fu was already as tall as her when he stood up.

While stroking the dog's head to soothe it, he coldly stared at the gate. "Go down from here, and at the second intersection, turn left and keep going straight. There's a river there, and the water is very clean. You can go there."

"But we've traveled for half a day, and we've run out of food. We really..."

"There are a few fruit trees by the river, enough to fill our stomachs."

"The young woman is poor and has little to eat, so you should leave."

"I......"

The person outside the door wanted to say something, but was clearly pulled back by another person.

"Okay, thank you very much, sister-in-law."

"You're welcome"

After a rustling sound, silence fell outside the door.

Bai Li Ce looked down, but he couldn't even see his feet through the gap under the door.

But Laifu's ears remained perked up, and his dog eyes were intently fixed on the courtyard wall.

The person hasn't left yet!

Bai Li Ce slowly got up and went into the house.

"Wah, wah..." Soon after, the baby's cries could be heard.

Then came the sound of a woman comforting a child, "Oh, don't cry, don't cry, Mommy's here... Mommy's here."

"Sweetie, don't cry..."

"Wow, wow, wow..."

"Your dad will be back soon, be a good boy/girl..."

A hot wind blew, and a plum tree fell to the ground with a "thud" from the branch.

Laifu's ears drooped down, as if he were exhausted, and he lay on the ground, drowsy.

Bai Li Ce looked at the little gadget in his hand and squeezed it again.

"Wah..." A cry that sounded exactly like a baby's wails over.

She bought it from her ventriloquism master.

It contains a small flute; pressing it produces a sound, similar to the principle of a screaming chicken.

Walking into the yard, the rooster and its harem were also leisurely dozing off.

Bai Li Ce picked up the plum that had fallen to the ground, and upon looking at it, realized it was bad.

He threw it away, reached out and picked another one, and took a bite.

It's not as sour anymore.

Unfortunately, she couldn't wait for it to become sweet.

This place is no longer safe to stay.

......