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

"Waaah..." I haven't shed this many tears in the past twelve years.

The third leader's sleeves were all wet.

"Keep going! You're the best!" The second-in-command took a moment to encourage her again.

After squeezing so much that she felt like her tendons were about to break, Li Simei finally breathed a sigh of relief, her head covered in sweat.

"Phew..." She breathed a sigh of relief, her head covered in sweat.

All my frustrations vanished in this unusual way.

Then......

"Pfft!" Li Simei spat another mouthful onto her wrist—

liqueur.

"..." The pain was so intense that she couldn't make a sound.

The fifth leader had a "I'm so smart" look on his face, "Luckily I didn't let go."

"..." Even after his wrist was bandaged, Baili Ce was still sobbing.

Her face was filled with regret, pain, anger, and resentment, "You old hag..."

I almost lost control of my bladder and bowels from the pain.

"Who is Rong Momo?" Li Simei asked with a sense of accomplishment after washing her hands.

He took a breath, wiped away his tears, and said in a serious tone, "An absolutely stunning beauty."

"Then you're right~"

Feeling quite pleased, Li Simei sat down beside the dressing table and noticed the glass stone that seemed to have a flowing Milky Way. "Did the Wang family head give it to you?"

"Hiss... um..." She gently placed her right hand on the pillow that the Fifth Master had brought over. Even a slight touch hurt her terribly.

Third Master: "Then why do you still say he wasn't sincere?"

"When did I say that? Stop making false accusations."

"They really don't know what's good for them," the fifth leader said in a sarcastic tone.

"You came here just to mock me?"

Third-in-command: "Of course not."

"That is?"

After circling the room and finally finishing all the edible food without finding any hidden chambers or secret rooms, the second-in-command nodded to the fifth-in-command.

The leaders immediately sat down around the table.

"..." Bai Li Ce originally wanted to tell them to close the door, but after thinking about it, he felt that not closing the door was the right thing to do.

Once they close the door, it's tantamount to telling others that they are plotting something.

We can no longer observe what's happening outside.

Therefore, closing the door is tantamount to inviting others to eavesdrop.

The fifth leader lowered his voice with a smile, "We went to check yesterday, and the people in the Three City Strongholds have been settled almost completely."

“We won’t go into the extra details,” the second-in-command said cheerfully.

From the outside, it really looks like a group of people chatting and laughing.

"In short, as long as you need us brothers, our lives are yours."

"..." Li Simei and the third leader exchanged a glance, both of them feeling a little embarrassed.

Finally, the fifth leader spoke on their behalf, "But we can no longer stay in Lincheng."

Bai Li Ce looked troubled. An Luo had also discussed this issue with her when he was around.

After a moment's thought, she made a decision, "How about you come with me?"

The leaders remained silent.

"People of Sancheng Village, you can rest assured that the imperial edict of amnesty will be issued in five days at most."

"The spies left behind by the Baili clan in Jicheng will also take care of them."

"The silver left behind by your leader was also distributed to the victims as compensation."

That was the bag of silver that An Luo gave her. Although the majority of it came from the Baili family, at least it meant something.

"The people who came from Kyoto with me will continue to promote the encouragement of agriculture and sericulture."

“Once trade resumes in the three cities, you may return if you wish.”

The second-in-command looked at Baili Ce, unusually serious for once, and asked, "What harm would it do if we went?"

"It will be targeted by certain forces."

Bai Li Ce didn't hide anything from them, "Those who are involved in the He family's business are all rich and powerful. In their eyes, your existence will definitely bring a lot of trouble."

"All of you leaders have come from the brink of death."

"I won't say those high-sounding words."

"What I can guarantee is that I will do my best to protect them within my capabilities."

"If it's beyond my ability... I'll definitely take care of myself first."

The second-in-command expressed his understanding, saying, "Since the boss has been so frank, we brothers have nothing to say."

I'm afraid...

"What are you afraid of?"

The fifth leader spoke up again, saying, "I'm afraid someone doesn't want you to leave."

"..." Bai Li Ce was well aware that returning to the capital ahead of schedule would cause many problems.

If she goes to the capital, she can protect them better.

Seeing her silence, the Fifth Master assumed she hadn't realized what was happening. "Have you forgotten? The message released by Patriarch Wang was that the Imperial Guard was completely wiped out, and he was controlled by others because of you."

"If word gets out on your way back to the capital, all your plans will have been for nothing."

"Besides, Lin Yuchuan is already wary of us. If you return to the capital sooner, he might overthink things."

Lin Yuchuan wouldn't be the only one to overthink things; Lu Jian would be even more likely to.

"Most importantly, given your current state, the Wang family head would absolutely not want you to go on your way."

The leaders took turns speaking, which completely dissuaded Baili Ce from returning to the capital ahead of schedule.

"Then... I'll write you a letter, and you can go by yourselves?"

Li Simei and the third leader remained silent.

The second-in-command hesitated.

The fifth leader thought for a moment... then shook his head and refused.

"The capital is under the emperor's nose, and various forces are intertwined. If we go there on our own, it would be like walking into a trap."

"Then what do you think we should do?"

After careful consideration, the fifth leader stood up, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and bowed to Baili Ce.

"Please, sir, take us in as spies now and send us to Thorn City."

Goodness, she's been waiting for him here.

Just as Baili Ce was about to help the fifth son up, he simply sat down and didn't move. "The selection of Baili clan spies is very strict."

"And the training is rigorous. Have you thought this through?"

The second-in-command looked indifferent and said, "I have no objection."

Li Simei and the third leader exchanged glances. "We agree as well."

"Alright," Bai Li Ce said, helping the fifth brother up. He dipped his left hand in tea and drew a symbol on the table.

"Go to Liuxiang, South Street, Jicheng, and find a Qisheng Oil Shop. Show this to the owner's youngest daughter. Remember, it must be the youngest daughter."

"After she sees it, she will make proper arrangements for you."

"But you should know that once you become a spy, you won't be so free."

"Of course, this is indeed a good way to hide one's identity."

"Well... take care, boss," the fifth brother finally withdrew his dream of becoming a high-ranking official.

Seeing that they had made their choice, Baili Ce no longer tried to stop them. "Take care, everyone."

......

Once the heads of the household left, the once bustling house became quiet again.

It was only then that she had time to examine the glass stones on the dressing table more closely.

As she looked at it, she fell into deep thought.

She seems familiar... I've seen her somewhere before...

......

Under the shade of a tree, Jiu Er respectfully presented the letter, "Master, there's progress..."

After reading the letter and learning that He Jinzhan and Zhou Tianben had secretly returned to Beijing, Wang Qingyan was convinced that the He family had no chance of turning things around.

"What about Bicui? How old was she when she started following her?"

"Nominally, she is nine years old."

Wang Qingyan's cold eyes narrowed slightly. "In name only?"

“Bicui initially just followed the girl to learn etiquette and did not take care of her daily life.”

“It wasn’t until the young lady took control of the household that Bicui was assigned to serve her.”

No wonder Bichon had the opportunity to collude with outsiders.

"Then wouldn't she be..."

"It's not that bad," Jiu'er quickly explained, realizing what Wang Qingyan meant.

"After the girl returned to the Baili family, she was raised by three nannies."

"However... it seems that the fourth wife doesn't like her very much."

"How can I not like you?"

Wang Qingyan asked detailed questions, and Jiu Er dared not be careless in the slightest. "There was no arbitrary mistreatment or beatings, but the girls were often punished by being forced to copy books."

After a moment of silence, Wang Qingyan asked, "How many years has it been since that first wife remarried?"

"It's been seven years."

In other words, she had a very difficult time from the age of seven to twelve.

Have the nannies who took care of her been found?