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

Chapter 87 The Only Chance to Survive

The He residence. Amidst blood and fire, He Shoufeng ran frantically to the outer courtyard. "Help! Someone help me!" "Quick, someone kill..." He tripped and stumbled, then scrambled to his feet. "Kill this beast!" "Yes, you're the old beast, I'm the little beast." He Yao glanced back at the coffin in the courtyard, then downed an entire bottle of medicine. She stared indifferently at the "dead" rushing towards her, her eyes suddenly turning pitch black. Mother, don't worry. No one will leave here today. ... Late at night, Baili Ce got up again for a midnight snack. "Young man, make me some spicy fish." "Miss Baili, Young Master Wang instructed that it's not good to eat too much spicy food at night, what do you think?" "Then just heat up the leftover roast meat from lunch." "Young Master Wang said that eating roast meat so late will cause indigestion tomorrow morning." "Then make me some braised pork knuckle." "This..." The waiter hesitated. Forced to bite the bullet, he said, "Um... Young Master Wang also said that it's not good to eat too much oily food at night." "Yes, it's bad for your skin," the voice trailed off. "..." Damn it! I'm eating a late-night snack, not oily, spicy, or meaty food, what kind of late-night snack is that?! But the moment he grabbed the waiter's collar, Baili Ce held back. "..." After waiting for a long time without getting a slap, the waiter opened his eyes again. Putting down his restless but troublesome right hand, he gritted his teeth, "Then... cook... a bowl... of... noodles!" "Okay, okay, please wait a moment." After eating the noodles, which were bland but tasted pretty good, he went to the outhouse, read the note he had taken from the waiter's collar, threw it into the latrine, and finally went back to his room to sleep, satisfied. Half an hour later, the news that had been exchanged with the waiter also reached the "rebels" outside Shucheng. Then, the spies sent out by the powerful families of Shucheng were all quietly wiped out.

Two days later, the outcome of the bloody battle in the capital was revealed to Qiu Jiang through a informant from Shucheng who had "escaped" the capital.

At that time, four days had passed since Lu Jian had killed the rebels.

"It's over, it's all over," Qiu Jiang slumped into a chair, completely drained of energy.

After a long pause, he asked blankly, "Are you sure the emperor won?"

The heavily injured informant said, "Every word I said is true."

"The bloody battle in the capital was breathtaking and involved an unprecedented number of people."

"How could I dare to lie?"

"The old general?"

"A single sword strike to the throat, and he died on the spot."

"..." A wave of dizziness hit him, and Qiu Jiang almost fainted.

He originally thought that as long as that veteran general from the northern frontier didn't show up, he could win.

Or perhaps the officials in the capital aren't foolish enough to all jump out.

Or perhaps, the He family shouldn't be too ruthless or hasty...

They were able to stabilize Baili Ce while observing the battle situation in the capital.

In this way, regardless of who wins or loses, they will still have a way out and will not lose their entire fortune or their lives.

did not expect......

Qiu Jiang closed his eyes resignedly. "Not a single one left?"

The man with heavy eyeliner nodded.

"The emperor not only quelled the rebels in the capital in a single day, but also razed the He family to the ground."

"They also sealed off all the checkpoints in the capital."

"The Investigation Division and Baili Shi even led their men to kill people in the streets all night long."

"If I hadn't been infiltrated by the Imperial Guards, I probably wouldn't have been able to escape."

Qiu Jiang let out a long sigh, his expression full of helplessness.

They purged them, leveled them to the ground, locked the gates, and killed them all night long.

With so many words strung together, how could any eyeliner possibly escape?

And it just so happens that he was Qiu Jiang's informant.

Isn't this obviously giving him the opportunity to betray everyone?

"Alright, go and recover from your injuries."

"Yes"

The informant turned and left, wondering why Qiu Jiang hadn't blamed him.

Suddenly, a chill ran through me.

"Swoosh!" Qiu Jiang drew his longsword, and the informant fell to the ground.

......

September 20th, the weather was sunny.

Early in the morning, Bai Li Ce brought a stool and sat down in the lobby downstairs.

Before long, Qiu Jiang appeared in front of the inn carrying a bundle of thorns and leading a horse-drawn carriage.

He smiled the moment he saw her, and his attitude became ten times more amiable.

He even went so far as to hand over all the account books he possessed, as well as the correspondence between him and officials from various departments.

This includes, but is not limited to, who has seized how much land from the people and how many merchants have been harmed.

They smeared the Three Cities Village or the refugees with countless accusations, secretly cultivated numerous spies, and planted them all there.

How was the monthly silver distributed among the He family, and how much information was sold to the northern barbarians...?

"So, you came secretly?"

Qiu Jiang lowered his head humbly, "Yes, young lady."

"That Lin Fu Si?"

"It was sent to the county government last night."

"Brother Qiu is really considerate."

"No, no, you can just call me Xiao Qiu."

"What about these things?" Bai Li Ce asked, feigning confusion.

"These items are absolutely genuine."

"Hmm," Baili Ce nodded.

Then, feigning difficulty, he patted the top ledger with an exaggerated expression, saying, "This much stuff is enough to be executed ten times over."

"The powerful families of Shucheng are closely allied. If they are all treated leniently, my younger sister will also be in a difficult situation..."

Qiu Jiang immediately cupped his sleeves in a gesture of respect and knelt down frankly and without hesitation.

Three bows, three periods of intense heat, three kowtows.

The kind that makes a loud noise.

When I looked up again, my forehead was red and swollen, and there was dust on the tip of my nose.

His eyes, however, were shockingly direct: "Please, young lady, give me a chance to live."

“This…” Bai Li Ce placed his hand on the ledger and thought silently for a long time.

The capital city was in uproar, and 30% of the high-ranking officials and nobles connected with the He family's business were executed on the spot.

The old general, who was a member of the imperial family, had his throat slit by Zhang, the eunuch beside Lu Jian.

The Prefect of Jingzhao and others, along with the rebel army that stormed the palace, were also almost all killed.

These people in Shucheng are no longer a threat.

But if they want to live, the pardon is their only chance.

After all, they already had one.

Although it is a private seal, it cannot be said that it is simply not recognized.

Most importantly, these people, who have been entrenched in Shucheng for many years, are not entirely without merit.

Take, for example, the act of selling information to the northern nomadic tribes.

If used properly, it will be of immense benefit to military and political affairs.

In many places, they were allowed to operate openly while the imperial court remained in the shadows, allowing them to reap the benefits without lifting a finger.

Even at its worst, it can become a knife.

But these people are a cancer in themselves, and if they are let off easily, there will be endless troubles in the future.

We must demonstrate the absolute authority of the emperor while also seizing the excellent opportunity to crack down on outlaws.

hiss......

How can we exploit this loophole?

Bai Li Ce thought it over and over again, and only helped Qiu Jiang up after his legs had gone numb.

"All family property shall be confiscated."

"Of course, of course," Qiu Jiang nodded respectfully.

He also took the opportunity to clearly see the words on Baili Ce's palm.

"You must write a confession and a letter of accusation."

"That's natural. We are all people who deserve to die. It is already an act of great imperial grace to spare even one person."

"Girl, you are so kind and benevolent, I will definitely write it down clearly."

"All the servants, henchmen, maids, and even the handymen and wet nurses in your household must be handed over to the Lin family for a thorough investigation. Anyone involved in the case or who violates the law must be dealt with according to the law."

"No problem at all."

"We must leave Shucheng in three days."

"It will be ready in three hours."

It's pretty urgent!

However, "This won't do. Lin Fusi is seriously injured and needs some time to recover."

"Yes, yes, it's all my fault for being inhuman, daring to attack Lin Fusi!"

As he spoke, he slapped himself more than a dozen times.

Bai Li Ce, of course, did not stop him.

After he finished fanning himself, he continued acting.

"When you leave, you are not allowed to take any valuables with you."

"Just give me two thin garments to cover my body."

Hmm... Baili Ce nodded in satisfaction.

"Three days later, the Prefect of Lin will publicly read the pardon edict in my hand at the county government office and verify the copy in your hand."

"By the time..."

"and many more"

"Ok?"

"I have a question that I must ask."

Bai Li Ce was also very polite, "Please speak."

"What if I hadn't come today?"

"Of course you can choose not to come."

She has always been fair.

"But the person talking to me now is either Master Chen, or Gu Jie, or perhaps..."

"Three days later, I will bring all the wealthy and powerful families in Shucheng who have committed crimes to the county government."

Bai Li Ce bowed respectfully, "Then we await your good news."

After watching Qiu Jiang leave, I turned back to look at the second floor.