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

Two months have passed since the rebel turmoil began.

After several snowfalls, even the storytellers in the teahouses changed their stories, no longer recounting the gratifying news of the He family mansion being razed to the ground.

However, as the weather got colder, the large piles of wood left over from the demolition of the He Mansion saved the nearby residents a considerable amount of money for starting fires and keeping warm.

Bai Liming sat comfortably on the second floor, drinking tea and occasionally glancing at the snow-capped mountains in the distance, feeling very happy.

"Does my wife come here often?" He Yao, equally pleased, asked from the opposite side.

After the He Mansion was leveled, the streets on both sides were widened considerably.

People no longer have to take detours in their daily lives, and the scenery is naturally much more beautiful and pleasing to the eye.

She was recovering from a serious injury and was in a bad mood.

Lu Jian was afraid that she might cause something bad to happen if she kept it bottled up, so he urged her to go out of the palace more often.

"That's it."

Baili Ming added a few pieces of charcoal to the stove and said leisurely, "When my husband and I first met, he often brought me here."

"Back then, the scenery here was even more beautiful than it is now."

At the age of fourteen, Baili Ming was so angry that she almost pulled him down from the tree when a boy hiding in the tree threw sycamore fruit at her for the first time.

"The phoenix tree is also known as the acacia tree. It seems that my wife's husband must be an interesting person."

"Yes, back then he often invited me to come here to feed the swallows, and those birds were all fatter and fatter than the last one."

"However, later, He Shoufeng bought this place and turned it into a mansion."

"After that, I didn't like coming here much anymore."

In just two years, the boy grew into a chivalrous hero, as pure as the breeze and as bright as the moon.

They disdained the power struggles and petty scheming within the capital.

He simply asked her if she wanted to ride horses across the land together.

"So, this is another evil deed he committed."

No wonder Lu Jian said that Baili Ming's conditions were strange.

After this matter is accomplished, the He family mansion must be leveled, and no house shall ever be built on this site again.

"It's not exactly a bad thing, it's just that it's an eyesore to me."

Riding a horse without reins, against the wind and snow that filled the city.

Baili Ming and her knight-errant traveled to the Jiangnan region where spring reigns all year round, to the desert with its yellow sands and lone smoke, to the grasslands where the wind blows and the clouds move, and to the border where swords clash and horses gallop.

Finally, they found reeds covering the mountains and built a small house at the foot of the mountain, planting phoenix trees all around the house.

"On this point, my wife and I are surprisingly in agreement."

Seeing that He Yao's attitude had softened, Baili Ming poured her another cup of hot tea.

"But the world is ever-changing, and some things are beyond human control."

He Yao couldn't help but sigh softly after hearing this.

Yet, she stubbornly refused to put down another cup of cold tea, saying, "Some things, you just can't let go of."

Although the He family perished, not all those who were guilty died.

Those people, just like that old beast He Shoufeng, don't deserve to live.

"So......"

Bai Liming slightly curled the corners of her lips, her smile gentle. "How about we let it go for now?"

"Let them go for now?"

"I'm not afraid that you'll anger His Majesty."

"The current Wang Qingyan is more than ten times more difficult to deal with than the previous Wang family head."

"If it weren't for the planning by so many of us, and my sister's intervention, it wouldn't have been possible."

"The people sitting here enjoying the scenery today are probably others."

“You…” He Yao frowned slightly, not quite agreeing, but couldn’t find a reason to refute it.

"Besides, can the world today truly be governed by Your Majesty alone, achieving clean governance and a prosperous and powerful nation?"

He Yao retorted coldly, "Isn't there still your Baili clan?"

"If the court falls into chaos and the country perishes, even if the Baili clan possesses the strength to support the heavens, it will be nothing more than adding fuel to the fire."

After speaking, Baili Ming stood up and bowed, then said no more.

......

Shangyang Palace.

"said?"

"Yes, but whether Your Majesty listens or not, I cannot guarantee."

"It doesn't matter."

The reason Baili Ming was asked to persuade He Yao was simply because women are more likely to talk to each other.

Even if that doesn't work, he still has other options.

Besides, he also believed that A-Yao wouldn't do anything reckless.

When people are angry, they inevitably become stubborn and inflexible.

"If there is nothing else, I will take my leave now."

"No rush, take a look at this letter, it's from your sister."

Baili Ming took a look and immediately felt much more relaxed.

But then she realized something was off. "Could Wang Qingyan have discovered something?"

Lu Jian paused to think, and soon came to an answer: "As long as she does as I say, it shouldn't be a problem."

"What does your majesty mean?"

Speaking of this, Lu Jian was very proud.

"It's nothing, I just taught your sister a little something."

Um... what is there to be proud of?

However, her younger sister is good at everything, except when it comes to emotions, she is just... excessively mediocre.

His Majesty may not be a great person, but he certainly has some talent in this area.

With him sharing all his knowledge, there shouldn't be any problems.

"Then I am relieved," Baili Ming said, turning to take his leave without asking what Lu Jian had taught him.

Lu Jian picked up his pen again, but after writing only a few words, he paused again.

Sigh... Could it be that Baili Ce...?

No, no, no, it can't be, after all, his words are always true.

Bai Li Ce is quite clever; he would never make such a basic mistake!

......

It has to be said that Tong Niang truly lives up to her reputation as a social media tyrant.

Because Xiao Cui looked like this before she left:

No, I don't want to go. I don't want to play. I'm scared. There are bad people outside. Waaah...

After being dragged out for a day by them, this is what happened:

Hahahaha!!!

So delicious, I'll have another piece!

Hey! What are you idiots over there looking at?!

I look absolutely stunning in this!

You little wench!

This is the one I liked first!

Let me kiss you, and I'll give myself to you...

"Hmm..." Baili Ce nodded as he watched the two return with their bounty on their hands, clapping his hands slowly.

Tongniang's talent in this area is truly unmatched.

Of course, she betrayed her sisters at an absurdly fast pace.

"You guys keep chatting, I'm heading back now!"

On the way back to the inn, Wang Qingyan appeared.

Bai Lize quickly grabbed her sleeve, "Hey...you, don't..."

"What are you doing! What does this have to do with me! They're looking for you!" Tongniang desperately tried to stop them.

Not only did he break free from Baili Ce's pull, he also made a 100-meter sprint.

"call out--"

"Hey!" Baili Ce couldn't stop him; he disappeared down the long street.

I just said my feet hurt so much I wanted her to carry me.

Baili Ce asked her in return if she wasn't afraid of Wang Qingyan.

Tongniang arrogantly declared that if Wang Qingyan dared to disturb their sisterly gathering, they would give him a few punches!

Okay, okay, as expected, true sisters are all big braggarts...

The crucial point is that Wang Qingyan was still several hundred meters away from them!

Damn it—

All I can say is, this little cutie has incredibly sharp eyesight.

Because only now did she see clearly Wang Qingyan's expression...

Not exactly cold and aloof, but something's definitely up.

But what does it have to do with her?

She hasn't bothered him these past few days.

"Why are you here?" Baili Ce hugged the stacks of boxes tightly.

As she walked, she kept thinking, "That woman Tongniang didn't even offer to help me take some back."

She appeared completely at ease, without the slightest sign of panic...

Wang Qingyan's mood turned cold, and after a long while he said, "You're not going home so late, so I came to check on you."

He then extended his hand as if helping an ordinary friend, and tried his best to maintain a calm and composed expression, saying, "I'll do it."

"No need, no need, I can carry it myself, it's not heavy."

Bai Li Ce subconsciously tilted the box he was holding to one side.

Although my hands were a little weak, I could definitely carry it back myself.

The important thing is that she bought things she loved and didn't really want to give them to Wang Qingyan.

“…Okay.” Wang Qingyan remained silent for a moment, then withdrew his hand with a somber expression.

Silence fell over the long street for a moment.

But Wang Qingyan's eyes were always on her.

But all Baili Ce could think about was—

The weather has turned cooler recently, and it's much colder at night.

During the day, I didn't notice anything while playing around.

As the night deepened and the temperature dropped, and I walked slowly, I found my hands and feet were icy cold, and my face felt a little stiff.

She needed to hurry back to the inn and take a hot bath.

Let's try on the new dress! The new shoes! The new hairpin!

Oh, right!

There are also new rouge and face powders, and she absolutely loves that red one!

Hehe, then let's have some late-night snacks~

Beautiful!

......

So when he returned to the inn, Baili Ce couldn't wait to go upstairs.

Treading lightly, leaping over three ladders at a time, I was incredibly excited!

They didn't notice Wang Qingyan behind them, his expression gradually darkening.

The most terrible thing is--

As he passed Wang Qingyan's room, Baili Ce suddenly stopped and turned around.

Politely thank them, "Thank you for bringing me back."

Wang Qingyan could no longer tolerate it.

When I turned around and met her "thank you," her eyes were so cold they could freeze me to the bone.

"..." (The sentence is incomplete.)

Bai Lize finally realized that something was wrong.

but......

"You should get some rest. I'm going back to sleep now!"

Based on the principle that as long as she is quick enough, everything will be fine tomorrow, Baili Ce immediately rushed to his room!

"Oh!"

As soon as he lifted his foot, Wang Qingyan grabbed his arm and pulled him into his room!

The instep of his foot got caught on the threshold, and he almost tripped and fell.

Not only were things scattered all over the place, but—

Turning around, Wang Qingyan had already deftly closed and bolted the door.