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

Yilin County, the economic and political center of Jiangzhou, was one of the three upper counties of Jiangzhou along with Shancheng and Lingshui, and was also the first of the ten counties of Jiangzhou.

The remaining seven counties are divided into three middle counties—Mok Thanh, Nguyen Giang, and Thanh Ha—and four lower counties—San Duong, Thanh Duong, Bao Lam, and Ku Lam—based on their wealth.

As the wealthiest family in Jiangzhou, the Shi family, though not as prominent as the Cheng and Zheng families of the past, has gathered all the remaining forces of those two families.

Incidentally, he also moved the family of Song Shuyan, who was originally in Shanyang and was Song Zhaohe's cousin, to Lingshui County, and assigned them the tax revenue of Mocheng and Ruanjiang to manage.

Therefore, when they learned that Xue Fengshi was coming to investigate, the Shi family was not only unafraid, but also, under the banner of the imperial court, joined forces with wealthy households in several other counties to increase tax revenue considerably.

Unexpectedly, Xue Fengshi's abilities were truly outstanding, and his mind was incredibly sharp; he actually managed to uncover quite a bit of information despite the pressure.

At the same time, thanks to his personal charm, he gained the help of many people and escaped the assassins sent by the Shi, Cheng, and Zheng families several times.

However, even a powerful dragon cannot suppress a local snake, and ten days ago, Xue Fengshi still disappeared.

A day later, Yu Cheng, who had been wandering around the mountains outside Yilin County with eight hundred light cavalry, did not receive a signal from Xue Fengshi that he was safe and sound on time. So he immediately followed the information Xue Fengshi had given him and sneaked into Yilin to check.

It was two days later when he found out that Xue Fengshi had disappeared in Anqing County and that it was related to the Shi family.

After failing to get the Shi family to return the people and getting a cold shoulder, Yu Cheng also wanted to take drastic measures. However, Xue Fengshi had instructed him from the beginning that he should never expose the eight hundred light cavalry unless absolutely necessary.

"So, you just... waited for eight days?"

Yu Cheng originally wanted to argue, but thinking that Madam Sun would soon unlock Baili Ce's handcuffs and shackles, he could only feel embarrassed and humble. "This... I am, after all, just a mere fifth-rank military officer."

"Such a big matter, I really dare not make a decision lightly."

"Moreover, His Majesty's letter also stated that everything should be done according to your wishes after Miss Baili arrives. How could I presume to make such a decision?"

Yes, such a big thing is not something an ordinary person can handle.

The night was as dark as water, and Baili Ce fell silent.

They were just waiting for Lady Sun to find out how many people the Shi family had, their accomplices, and their direct henchmen before launching a precise strike.

......

The Shi family.

In the brightly lit courtyard, Shi Shiyuan had already drunk quite a bit of wine.

But he still had no intention of putting down his wine glass. Not only did he accept all offers, but he also happily told the maid, "Come on, fill it up for me!"

"Master Shi, you certainly have a good capacity for alcohol!"

"Come, let me toast you again! May you live as long as the Southern Mountains and enjoy lasting wealth and prosperity!"

"Hahaha, thank you very much."

May you be blessed with boundless happiness and abundant wealth!

"Thank you for your kind words, Young Master Li!"

May you have many children and grandchildren, and may your family prosper for generations to come!

"Please, Mr. Song!"

"Please, Patriarch Shi!"

Amidst the clinking of glasses, guests offered their blessings, which made Shi Shiyuan increasingly happy. When the atmosphere reached its peak, the pair of golden eagles presented by his son made him laugh heartily.

May my father soar to the heavens and survey the blue sky!

"Hahaha, look at this kid, he's always trying to make me happy, I'm already so old... Pfft!"

Before he could finish speaking, his son's blood gushed out, splattering all over his face.

"Whoosh whoosh!!!"

Before the guests could even scream and run away, more arrows rained down like a dense raindrop.

"Puff puff!!!"

"Ahhhh!!!"

"Someone come! Someone come!"

Screams, scrambling, falling... Amidst the sounds of flesh being pierced, the courtyard instantly descended into chaos.

Some were trampled, some were terrified to the point of having their livers and gallbladders ruptured, and some were dismembered...

During this time, a few guests managed to escape to the door by the skin of their teeth, only to find in despair that all the exits were blocked.

"Whoosh—Sizzle! Sizzle!" An arrow pierced through Shi Shiyuan, who was hiding behind a guard. Baili Ce twisted her stiff neck, and the long-lost smell of blood excited her.

Fifteen minutes later...

"Are you... alright?" Seeing Baili Ce strangely touching the bloodstains on his face and smiling without even having to force it, Madam Sun trembled beside her.

She crouched down and took a deep breath of the bloody smell... It was such a wonderful feeling; she'd never thought it smelled so good before.

But as he was fully focused, another ethereal voice entered his mind, "Baili Ce!"

She slowly stood up, turned her head and looked at Madam Sun, whom she had called countless times.

He manually added a smile, "It's okay."

Then he reached out and pulled her—

"..." Madam Sun trembled and retreated a little, but fearing that Baili Ce would think that she was disgusted by him and lose control, she hurriedly moved forward a little.

never mind......

He lifted his robe to wipe the blood from his face, and Baili Ce tried to soften his voice, making himself appear gentle and tender.

"Next one"

......

Lu Jian received Yu Cheng's letter three days after Bai Li Ce arrived in Jiangzhou.

Five of the best carrier pigeons died during the flight.

At that time, he had just sent Lin Yuchuan his fourth urgent order, urging him to take his men to guard all the intersections on the way from Jiangzhou to the capital, so as to prevent anyone from turning the tables and filing a complaint with the emperor.

Let those bastards in Jiangzhou taste what it's like to have nowhere to go but nowhere to hide!

But after reading the letter, he felt terrible.

So much so that they would cook and eat lunch in the yard under the scorching sun.

But putting aside the rapidly increasing danger of Baili Ce, with this kind of efficiency, the capital will soon receive news that Jiangzhou has once again been plagued by "Gu".

Moreover, he was acting as an accomplice of Wang Qingyan.

Given that the Cheng and Zheng families had always maintained close ties with the Wang family, it was already a foregone conclusion to take this opportunity to eliminate their influence in Jiangzhou.

Afterwards, Xue Fengshi produced more evidence and exposed the corrupt officials in the other counties of Jiangzhou who needed to be eliminated, thus completely resolving the historical problems left over in Jiangzhou.

In this way, even if A Yao really loses control and Baili Jiangluo wants to use her to stir up trouble in the capital, the world will only think that Wang Qingyan is the instigator.

In this way, he will retain his imperial authority and the support of the people, and will be able to protect A Yao under any circumstances.

As long as she can be saved, she has a chance to recover.

Of course, if Xue Fengshi really gets into trouble, then we'll just have to trouble Baili Ce to keep killing people in Jiangzhou.

Although that's a bit brutal, it would definitely solve the problem once and for all.

Moreover, he also has Wang Qingyan in his hands, as well as the "Tiger's Pocket Scheme" tailored for Wang Qingyan by Baili Ce. At the same time, he himself has been seriously injured. No matter how he operates, he has a chance of winning.

However, it is not the right time to return to the capital. It is not convenient to directly investigate the internal strife within the Baili family, nor do we know who exactly in the court has made moves in Jiangzhou and Hezhou. Therefore, we are in a passive position in dealing with the political situation.

For example, without Baili Ming's timely provision of intelligence on the border, the imperial court's control over changes in the border situation would be much slower.

For example, without Xue Fengshi leading the Censorate to check and balance the Six Ministries, there's no guarantee that some officials won't abuse their power, seek personal gain, or commit foolish acts.

So...

Lu Jian sighed silently. It seemed he had to find a way to help Baili Ming, otherwise things would be very unfavorable if things continued like this.

As Your Majesty was pondering this, the prison guard came to report, "Wang Qingyan is insisting on seeing you."

What a joke! He's the supreme ruler, the Emperor! Does Wang Qingyan think he can just see him whenever he wants?!

A direct refusal: "I won't see you."

"But..." Seeing that Lu Jian's expression was still acceptable, the investigator boldly continued, "He said that this matter is of great importance to you, and if you do not see it, you will surely regret it."

"..." Lu Jian's chopsticks silently stopped.

Well, he's hot too, might as well go cool off...