If you were cold and aloof in your past life, why are you crying in this one?

After reading the letter from Jiankang, Wang Jue had even more plans in mind.

Yu Liang has no cards left to play. If this matter isn't settled soon, when will it ever be?

The departure time was set for the latter half of the night.

There was no rush, so he went back to Xi Lingxian's place first.

She was probably still embarrassed by their intimacy that day and wasn't very willing to talk to him.

The two people were separated by a door; one was sitting, and the other was lying down.

After a while, Xi Lingxian's voice came from the inner room, tinged with drowsy laziness: "Are you asleep?"

"no."

"What are you going to do with those people?"

Wang Jue turned a page of his book, his voice steady: "Follow them to Liyang Manor and arrest all those involved. With witnesses and physical evidence, Yu Liang can't deny it even if he wants to."

When are you leaving?

"Wait for Lu Jiu's signal before dawn."

There was silence for a moment.

"Then why aren't you asleep?"

"I'm not sleepy."

"You have dark circles under your eyes."

Wang Jue did not answer.

A rustling sound came from the inner room, followed by footsteps.

Xi Lingxian came out wearing slippers.

She wasn't wearing an outer garment, only a plain white undergarment, her hair was loose, and she was holding a cup of tea in her hand.

She placed the tea beside Wang Jue, expressionless. "Drink this and go get some sleep. Don't let yourself pass out before they catch you."

Wang Jue looked at the cup of tea, then at her.

She stood before him, moonlight streaming in from the window, illuminating her clean-cut face.

A warm, soft feeling welled up inside him, something he couldn't quite put his finger on.

Xi Lingxian paused for a moment, then turned her face away. "I just feel bad because you helped my father and brothers. Don't overthink it."

He turned and went back into the inner room, pulled the blanket over his head, and said, "I'm going to sleep."

Wang Jue picked up the teacup and slowly took a sip.

He smiled, put down his teacup, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes.

Just before dawn, Lu Jiu's signal came back.

A whistling arrow pierced the sky, its sharp sound particularly clear in the pre-dawn silence.

That was the agreed-upon signal: the target had arrived, its location confirmed, and a manhunt was requested.

Wang Jue opened his eyes, stood up from the chair, walked to the door of the inner room, and gently knocked on the door frame.

"I'm about to leave."

A muffled voice came from inside, with a sleepy, nasal tone: "Hmm. Be careful."

"Know."

He strode out of the study, mounted his horse, and rode away.

The guards were already lined up in the courtyard, their torches fluttering in the morning breeze.

"Set off."

The sound of horses' hooves shattered the silence of dawn, and dozens of riders surged out of the governor's mansion like a tide, galloping off in the northwest.

Liyang Manor was Yu Liang's secret base in Jiangzhou over the years, so Wang Jue dared not be careless.

Half an hour later, they arrived at the manor. Under the cover of darkness, Lu Jiu and his group killed many of the enemy's guards.

"Wang Jue, it's been a long time. How have you been?"

A familiar voice came from outside the hallway.

Wang Jue was not surprised to see Yu Bing; Jiangzhou was Yu Liang's former stronghold, so it was perfectly normal for him to send a son there.

"Yu Bing, you and your son have been entrenched in Jiangzhou, not thinking of seeking benefits for the people, but instead protecting each other, abusing your power for personal gain, selling official positions, and committing bribery and perverting the law; do you still intend to resist to this day?"

Yu Bing's expression wasn't pleasant. "Wang Jue, stop spouting those high-sounding platitudes. Which aristocratic family has clean hands? Which family's land wasn't acquired through land grabs? Your Langya Wang Clan is a first-rate aristocratic family, but also a first-rate oppressive and powerful clan. How dare you criticize me?"

Wang Jue didn't argue with him. "You should have heard the news from Jiankang City. Your father's plan has failed. Xi Gong has already signed a divorce agreement with your aunt. Even Xi Hui and Xi Yao may not be Xi Gong's children. Both publicly and privately, it is your Yu family that has wronged the Xi family."

Yu Bing gave a soft snort. Xi Yao held a short knife to "Xi Lingxian's" neck and slowly walked in front of the people.

The implication of taking hostages is quite clear.

Wang Jue chuckled: "Young Master Yu, what do you mean by this?"

Yu Bing: "I know that there are experts from your Wang family under the eaves and treetops within miles of here. But who doesn't know that the eldest daughter of the Xi family is Xi Jian's precious darling? If you let her do this, will Xi Jian let you off the hook?"

"It seems he's not going to let the Yu family off the hook, is he?"

"That's because you stood by and watched someone die!" Yu Bing said. "What I want is very simple: you withdraw from Jiangzhou and hand over the governor's seal and staff."

Ultimately, what the Yu family wanted most was absolute control over Jiangzhou.

"I'm sorry, I cannot comply!"

Yu Bing was furious. "So, you're disregarding the safety of Lady Xi?"

Wang Jue didn't even glance at it, "Kill me or torture me, do whatever you want with me."

Xi Yao's dagger was already close to "Xi Lingxian's" neck, and blood was even seeping out. Seeing this, she sneered: "Sister, I thought you really had the ability to make all the men in the world submit to you, but it turns out you're nothing special."

"When disaster strikes, everyone scatters. Hahahahahahahahaha!"

Xi Yao's smile was both ferocious and smug.

Just then, in a flash, a dart shot out from Xi Lingxian's sleeve and pierced straight into Yu Bing's arm, causing Yu Bing's eyes to widen.

The change came so suddenly that the others didn't even have time to react. However, the "Xi Lingxian" in Xi Yao's hand was extremely agile and skillful. She knocked the dagger out of Xi Yao's hand and leaped to the treetop not far away.

Seizing the opportunity, the hidden shooters unleashed their arrows simultaneously, raining down arrows from the sky.

Xi Yao was shot in the arm and couldn't believe it; Yu Bing was hit by several arrows, but since none of them hit vital organs, she still had the strength to speak.

"No, that's not right, that Xi family girl is fake."

Wang Jue's expression was complicated: "You sent people to my residence to capture people, but you didn't even use your brain? In Jiankang, I can say that I have exposed my weakness to everyone. Everyone knows that Lord Xi loves his daughter."

"Given all this, what makes you think I would allow my weaknesses to become someone else's target?"

"Besides... don't you think you succeeded too easily that day?"

Yu Bing let out a low, mocking laugh, her face filled with unspeakable anger and resentment. "Yes, there are clearly loopholes and flaws, but..."

But he was so eager to defeat Wang Jue that when he found a weakness in Wang Jue, he didn't see it as a weakness at all. Instead, he was secretly relieved that this person wasn't perfect in every way.

Ultimately, it was his own arrogance that ruined him.

Wang Jue, not only killing her but also destroying her spirit, glanced down at Xi Yao and said, "We've been sisters for over ten years, yet you can't see anything amiss; it seems the claim that you're not Xi Gong's blood relative isn't entirely unfounded."

Xi Yao coughed up blood and fainted.

"Young master, should we leave these two alive?"

Wang Jue's gaze turned icy. "There's no need."

He took the longbow handed to him by the guard. He could let others go, but he would personally execute Yu Shi and Xi Yao, mother and daughter, no matter how many times it happened.

Upon seeing this, Yu Bing was horrified. "Wang Jue, how dare you! Even if she isn't the Xi family's daughter, she's still the Yu family's nephew. How dare you treat human life so lightly!"

With a "whoosh," the arrow, carrying the grudges of two lifetimes, struck Xi Yao squarely in the heart, killing her instantly!

Yu Bing fainted from fright. Wang Jue, not wanting to get his hands dirty any longer, handed him over to his personal guards to finish him off.

Only his people will remain here.

What happened in Liyang Village today is up to him to decide.

While inventorying the stolen goods, Lu Jiu also found a box of letters in Zhuangzi's secret room.

These were all secret letters between Yu Liang and Jiangzhou officials over the years, clearly recording the division of every penny of embezzlement and the arrangements for every cover-up.

With all this information, Yu Liang couldn't explain himself even if he had a hundred mouths.