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

"Strong words!"

"Girl, with your attitude, it's hard for us to believe in your sincerity."

"You think you can make us believe you with just a few words?! You're being far too naive!"

"that is!"

......

Another round of questioning ensued, but the crowd's attitude was noticeably less forceful.

Or rather, the fact that she dared to appear here alone already made her somewhat believable.

But which of you here isn't a shrewd person?

Everyone's just watching and waiting.

After looking around, Baili Ce calmly asked Chen Da, "May I ask, Master Chen, have you had any news about your private army recently?"

Although she was speaking to Chen Da, her gaze remained fixed on Qiu Jiang.

This person is the real challenge we need to overcome today.

Chen Da's expression changed slightly. "You know me?"

"Wouldn't it be foolish for a woman like me to prepare nothing?"

After saying that, he looked at the person on his left and smiled slightly, "Don't you agree, Mr. Lei Fangming?"

The robber-merchant whose name was called sat bolt upright.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Baili Ce said, feigning surprise upon seeing his expression.

"Now we should address you as Patriarch Tang, after all, you have been in someone else's place for eighteen years."

"..." This is the first time in all these years that someone has learned his last name!

"And the third person to my right is Gu Jie, a notorious thief from Cangzhou."

"The seventh one from the left, Luo Bi, the son of the former Tongzhou Prefect, should now take your grandmother's surname, right?"

"What do you want to do!" Robbie rushed out.

"It's nothing, I'm just envious that the old man is 81 and can still travel to Xizhou."

The fist that was swinging towards her face stopped abruptly... Gritting his teeth, Robbie wisely stepped back.

"as well as......"

Meeting Qiu Jiang's gaze indifferently, Baili Ce became much more reserved.

"Boss Qiu, do I need to prove anything more?"

After staring at each other for a long time, Qiu Jiang smiled slightly.

I was amazed by Baili Ce's boundless composure; she was truly unlike any ordinary woman.

"As the daughter of the Baili family, it is not difficult for me to know these things."

"That's right," Bai Li Ce also admired Qiu Jiang's composure.

He was clearly a ruthless and decisive person, but he still pretended to be cautious and suspicious.

"Then may I ask everyone here, who has received accurate information about the private army over the past half month?"

"And who can say where the private army is now?"

"And who is leading them?"

"Why couldn't you contact your private army when Lin Yuchuan and Li Tong led the Imperial Guards to garrison Shucheng...?"

"You all surely haven't considered these issues, have you?"

None of the people present were kind; they had definitely thought about these questions a thousand times over.

更遑论——

"Gentlemen, please don't forget that the county government is still in the hands of the Imperial Guards."

"It's been so long. If the He family still has the strength, their private army could have covered ten miles a day by now, and we should have seen them by now."

"..." The crowd looked at each other.

They still dare not make a decision easily.

We're all in the same boat now. If anyone shows fear or has the idea of ​​going ashore, causing the boat to lose its balance, we'll all die together.

They might even be the first to be pushed into the water!

unless......

"..." Chen Da pulled at his black brocade outer robe and silently sat back down.

The reactions of the others were mostly understood, but they kept quiet about it.

Qiu Jiang smiled kindly, but his ruthless aura remained undiminished.

"According to what you said, the defeat of Shucheng is a foregone conclusion. Since the Baili family is the greatest contributor to the court, you have no need to make this trip."

"Besides, we have all witnessed the Wang family head's affection for you. Why did you go through all this trouble to come here without telling him?"

As a qualified person in power, Baili Ce should have done his homework beforehand to know what kind of people they were.

Or perhaps the dog emperor had already told her what to do.

Her decision to come alone was definitely not impulsive.

But since she dared to come, isn't the simplest way to increase our chances of winning to detain her?!

Qiu Jiang secretly planned to make his move once she revealed more information.

Little girl, you're so naive!

"Although it's a done deal, it's not perfect yet."

Neither a mutually destructive outcome nor a Pyrrhic victory is what they want.

"As for the head of the Wang family..."

Bai Lizhe paused for a moment, then used a somewhat inappropriate analogy.

"If someone stuffs the things you hate most into your mouths and keeps crying and saying that this is his whole world."

"You can't refuse; you have to finish it all. And then they ask you why you're unhappy. What will everyone else do?"

"Heh..." Qiu Jiang chuckled softly, the wariness in his eyes fading somewhat.

Lei Fangming stroked his chin, looking at Baili Ce with interest. "If I were the one doing this, I naturally wouldn't care."

“They might even enjoy the process of conquering.”

How can a bully possibly care about the feelings of the bullied?

As long as I'm happy, that's all that matters.

"But what if..."

Someone casually chimed in, "If I were the one having disgusting stuff stuffed into my mouth, I would definitely kill his whole family."

"Yes! Even if things get really bad, we'll fight to the death."

"Then stuff the things he hates into his mouth and see if he can eat them or not!"

Yes, there are some people in this world who are like that when they are looking for their other half.

What they enjoy is making themselves the god of the other person.

It's a process where whatever is given must be obediently accepted by the other party, without regard for their thoughts or feelings.

It can even turn the other party into a target of public criticism, leaving them no choice but to depend on it.

But if you resist or express dissatisfaction, they will feel that you are ungrateful and have betrayed their sincere feelings.

They still put on an act of doing what's best for you, while repeatedly crossing your bottom line.

They assimilate your thoughts, erase your personality, and then pretend to be deeply in love.

Chen Da also expressed his thoughts, "If it were me, I would make sure he loses everything, wishing he were dead."

Well, that's not necessary.

"Then, young lady, how can we be sure that you truly dislike it?"

Qiu Jiang still had no trust in her whatsoever; to him, this reason of romantic affection was a joke.

"I am first and foremost the head of the Baili clan, and only secondly Baili Ce."

"What I just said was merely my personal feeling, but on a larger scale—"

Looking around, I thought, "You all don't think I value the Wang family's interests more than my own family's, do you?"

"Hahahaha..." Chen Dalang laughed loudly.

"Excellent! Young lady, you speak your mind so frankly! You are truly a hero!"

"You flatter me. It's just that family interests come first, and only then can my interests be guaranteed."

What protection?

Happiness that you cannot control is a cage!

Lei Fangming followed up, "Then how can you guarantee that we won't become the next old drug dealer?"

Bai Li Ce took out a piece of silk from his sleeve, a calm smile on his face, "I wonder if this guarantee satisfies you all?"

The servant waiting nearby quickly brought the silk to Qiu Jiang to see.

"..." Qiu Jiang's expression changed drastically upon seeing this, and he couldn't hide his surprise and joy.

"What did you write?!" Chen Da quickly stepped forward.

"Show us quickly!"

Then it's the others...

After they had all finished reading, everyone couldn't help but beam with joy.

But after his initial excitement, Qiu Jiang quickly realized what was happening.

"Why does this edict of amnesty only bear His Majesty the Emperor's personal seal, and not the imperial seal?"

Bai Li Ce stood up and bowed, smiling meaningfully, "In business, how can you pay the balance before seeing the goods?"

"You don't really think I'm not afraid you'll just detain me, do you?"

"..." Qiu Jiang lowered his eyebrows and stared at her silently.

The gazes around them gradually filled with murderous intent.

The cold glints standing on either side and behind them were clearly visible in their peripheral vision.

But there were always some reservations.

Finally, Qiu Jiang's expression softened, and his chilling killing intent suddenly faded.

"Someone, take the young lady to see Magistrate Lin, and send her back to the inn in a quarter of an hour."

Bai Li Ce's tense nerves relaxed, and he put the poison sac between his fingers back into his sleeve.

......