The elder brother's smile vanished instantly, replaced by a look of confusion.

He looked at his two brothers with some confusion.

But his two brothers had similar expressions.

But Tiger quickly realized what was happening.

He stepped forward and cleared his throat.

"Ahem, don't think we'll be scared just because you mention the palace! Tell me, which eunuch or nanny in the palace are you related to?"

After Tiger said that, the older brother understood and instantly gained confidence.

The eunuchs and nannies in the palace also had families outside the palace.

The person in front of them might indeed have some connection with the palace, and was trying to intimidate them by using the palace as a pretext.

The older brother puffed out his chest; he wasn't afraid of this at all.

"So what if it's the palace? Don't think that just because you're related to people in the palace, we can't afford to offend you! Let me tell you, there's no one in the entire capital city we can't afford to offend!"

Tiger, like him, puffed out his chest, looking confident and smug.

Gu Jiangli remained expressionless, understanding that these people dared not think of anything more serious, and said:

"I admire your confidence, brother. Since you would take the initiative to find out about the family background of the people you robbed, didn't you find out who the Gu family patriarch was when you broke into the Gu family to rob them?"

"Ha, what's there to know?" The bandit leader sneered. "Master Gu is nothing more than a low-ranking official of the eighth grade, and he resigned from his post more than a year ago. He has neither a wife nor children at home, just a lonely old man. Isn't he perfect for people like us?"

Gu Jiangli shook his head and sighed, "Alas, it seems that you don't know enough, elder brother. The Gu family patriarch does have children; he has a daughter."

"Tch, so what? At his age, even if he has a daughter, she's already married."

“It’s not about marriage.” Gu Jiangli looked directly at the bandits in front of him and smiled playfully. “His daughter entered the palace for the imperial concubine selection in her early years and became a concubine. Three years ago, she gave birth to a son and is now the Empress of Da Jiang.”

Seeing the smiles on his elder brother and Tiger's faces gradually fade, Gu Jiangli's smile grew even deeper.

"You're robbing the Emperor's father-in-law's house? Don't you even know that?"

The bandit leader's legs trembled, and he looked at Tiger with a questioning gaze.

Tiger shook his head in a panic, "Big brother... I don't know anything about this either? Master Gu's family is so poor, they only have worthless things, how could he be the emperor's father-in-law? Could this little girl be trying to trick us?"

Gu Jiangli heard Hu Zi's whisper and calmly replied:

"Who would dare impersonate the Emperor's father-in-law? That's a capital offense!"

The three brothers panicked instantly.

But the eldest brother still stood firm, fiercely pointing his knife at Gu Jiangli, and shouted:

"Stop talking nonsense! Quickly tell us the names of the eunuchs and nannies in your palace who are close to you! We must get the 60,000 taels of silver!"

"So what if...so what if he's the emperor's father-in-law! We can afford to offend him! What does it have to do with you!"

Gu Jiangli smiled and her eyes narrowed. "Of course we're related. I am the daughter of the Gu family patriarch."

He finished speaking.

Several people suddenly appeared behind the bandits.

They were all guards dressed as servants who had come with Gu Jiangli and the emperor.

They stood in a row, their faces cold and composed, their bodies strong and powerful, forming a human wall that blocked the bandits' escape route.

It was immediately apparent that they were well-trained and far from ordinary servants.

The bandit's knife clattered to the ground, the ferocity on his face vanished instantly, and he froze completely.

Tiger and his second brother next to him swallowed hard at the same time.

"Second brother... Master Gu is the emperor's father-in-law, and she is Master Gu's daughter, so she must be..."

The second brother answered blankly, "Your Majesty the Empress."

Tiger's gaze then fell on the three-year-old child beside her. "And her son is...?"

"The current Crown Prince."

Tiger looked last at the man sitting silently next to Gu Jiangli, exuding an imposing aura.

"Then her husband must be...?"

"Great Jiang...Emperor..."

The three men's bodies went limp, as if they had been hit on the legs with a stick, and they all knelt down on the ground, wishing they could bury their heads in the ground.

"Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty, spare me! I was blind, I didn't mean it!" The bandit leader had lost his arrogance and was now humble to the core.

Tiger also said:

"Your Majesty, Your Highness, please spare us! We truly didn't know this was the residence of the Imperial Father-in-Law, nor did we know your identities. Please have mercy!"

How could they have known they'd actually tied the emperor and empress to their heads?

What kind of goddamn luck is this?!

Who would have thought that such an ordinary-looking eighth-rank official would be the current emperor's father-in-law?

Who would have thought that the current emperor and empress would secretly bring their son to visit the emperor's father-in-law's family!

They seem to have encountered every kind of bad luck imaginable.

The most important thing now is to save your life!

Tiger raised his head slightly and secretly glanced at Gu Jiangli's stomach.

She thought to herself that it was fortunate they hadn't been violent towards her; if anything had happened to the Empress's pregnancy, the Emperor would probably have skinned her alive to vent his anger.

None of them were physically injured. For the sake of the child, and to accumulate good karma for the unborn child, surely they won't be sent directly to the underworld?

The bandits trembled like leaves, waiting for the emperor and empress to speak.

Gu Jiangli glanced at the emperor.

She had had her fill of fun; the bandits were so frightened they could only beg for mercy. What to do next was up to the emperor.

The emperor gave her a doting smile, but his expression showed a hint of helplessness.

He originally intended to have a few guards take the man down directly.

Since Gu Jiangli wanted to have some fun, he could only let her tease these bandits.

The emperor turned his head, instantly regaining the imposing and cold demeanor befitting an emperor.

He didn't have any special methods for interrogating prisoners; he would just ask whatever he wanted to know.

"When you were seizing control of the Gu family, who else was there besides you?"

The emperor's words startled the bandits.

Gu Jiangli was also stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening.

The Gu family, after all, had some servants and maids.

It would be quite difficult for the three of them to rob the Gu family of everything.

In other words, there were more than just these three people involved in the robbery.

My father also said that many officials' homes in the capital had been robbed, and it seemed that it was their gang who did it.

The eldest brother spoke tremulously, "Your Majesty, besides the three of us brothers, there are other brothers in the mountain camp..."

"Where are they now?" the emperor asked coldly.

The older brother swallowed hard, seemingly struggling with something.

He hesitated before saying:

"Your Majesty, I will tell you everything I know. Can you spare the lives of my three brothers?"