Shen Ziyu, a young girl, fought on the battlefield for so many years, her hair turned white before her death, and she became a general. Only she knows how much suffering she endured along the way.

In ancient times, the hierarchical system was very strict, unlike in modern times, where women can openly defend their country as long as they meet the standards.

The only thing they have in common is that, no matter when, becoming a qualified and excellent soldier requires paying a price that ordinary people cannot bear.

"Let's not mention this matter again from now on. Put the sign away properly."

"Yes, my lady!"

This sign won't get stolen no matter where you put it, of course you'd throw it into her storage space.

Finally, she asked the question that had been lingering in her mind.

"Wife, how can they be sure this brand is real or fake?"

Ye Lingyu knew that she didn't understand anything, so she patiently explained to her: "The imperial court has a Ministry of Rites that is specifically responsible for these matters. No one would be so foolish as to steal the token of a marquis like the Marquis of Ping Le."

However, she didn't know whether anyone was acting in the name of the Marquis of Ping Le's residence.

Then Ye Lingyu added, "It's possible to forge Officer Nie's identity token, but no one would dare to forge a token of a duke or marquis like this if they didn't want to be executed along with their entire family."

"Moreover, copper mines, silver mines, and gold mines are all under the control of the imperial court, and the annual output is recorded in a register."

"It's not that anyone can get it just by wanting to, and not everyone has the opportunity to access these tokens."

What Ye Lingyu didn't say was that anyone who dared to forge the Marquis of Ping Le's plaque would likely be ground to dust and extinct even in death.

Even after she explained it like that, Cheng Qingyan understood pretty much.

Although they didn't have the technology of modern times, the ancients had their own methods.

Li Gang was still in the yard, his eyes still covered by a blindfold he had torn from his own body.

Even if the county government sends people this time, they will not be able to capture these bandits who have come down the mountain. As for those who are still on the mountain, they will need to be redeployed before they can be wiped out.

As for how many people are still on the mountain, and where their stronghold is, no one knows yet.

Yuanning County has never had a large number of bandits, so Li Gang must have made a great contribution by appearing so precisely during these two robberies of Cheng Qingyan's supplies.

Cheng Qingyan and Ye Lingyu stood on the porch in front of the living room. She asked Ye Lingyu, "Wife, do you think Li Gang really doesn't care about the lives of his wife, children, and elderly parents?"

"Why would they collude with bandits? I just don't understand."

"If you can't figure it out, then go ask him. Anyway, there's nothing else to deal with right now."

When he arrived in front of Li Gang, his clothes were disheveled and covered in dust from all the twisting and turning, making him look extremely disheveled.

Cheng Qingyan sat on the stone bench, and Meng An, with his keen eye, brought Li Gang in front of Cheng Qingyan and Ye Lingyu.

"Meng An, you should rest for a while. After you've rested, go and bring Li Gang's wife, children, and elderly relatives over."

"And please invite the village chief over as well. Go ahead."

Ye Lingyu stopped Meng An and added, "Just in case, bring two people with you, and also bring Zhang Changgui's wife, children, and parents."

Upon hearing Zhang Changgui's name, Li Gang was momentarily startled.

Zhang Changgui was one of the bandits who had already died.

The reason he died was because he and his companion had informed the bandits that Cheng Qingyan was transporting watermelons as valuable as gold and silver.

He participated in a robbery with the bandits and was killed in the chaos.

Along with Zhang Changgui, a bandit henchman also died.

Li Gang's sudden change in behavior naturally did not escape the notice of the two people who had been watching him closely.

Cheng Qingyan is a better actress than Ye Lingyu at playing the role of a fox borrowing the tiger's power.

After clicking her tongue a few times, she started to intimidate: "Li Gang, tell me, this time the bandits have stumbled and run into the patrol inspector's soldiers. How many of them can escape?"

"If you don't show up, won't they think you're tipping off the officers and soldiers?"

"Oh, by the way, do they know where you live?"

"Do they all know how many people are in your family?"

Each word was like a knife, piercing Li Gang's heart.

Li Gang shook his head frantically, shouting emotionally, "Stop talking! Stop talking!"

He was well aware of the brutality of those bandits.

He knew those bandits because he had been captured by them before.

After that, he was not only beaten half to death, but also robbed of all his belongings.

Out of desperation, in order to survive, he would often collude with bandits to rob passing merchants.

The reason why they haven't attracted the attention of the government for so long is mainly because they haven't caused any major disturbances over the years.

The robbery of Cheng Qingyan was an unexpected bonus, so the preparations were insufficient, resulting in the deaths of two people.

The reason they let Li Gang move around freely was, of course, because they knew where Li Gang's home was.

The world is vast, but you can run away from your temple.

The principle of not extending blame to family members serves as a constraint on those with principles.

Mountain bandits are vicious and ruthless people who will not spare even the elderly, weak, women, and children.

With no way forward and no way back, Li Gang's remorse reached its peak at this moment.

But there's no going back in life; you have to bear the consequences of your own actions.

Li Gang's wife and children came with Zhang Changgui's wife and children, while the village chief arrived a step later.

Cheng Qingyan had Meng An remove the blindfold, and then said to Li Gang, "Li Gang, the county government will be here by tomorrow at the latest. You can decide for yourself whether to tell them or not."

Li Gang's face was covered in sweat, dust, and bits of grass. At this moment, his hair was slightly askew, his hair was disheveled, and his face was still covered in dry grass.

His clothes were filthy, and his robe was torn.

His wife and children looked at him with tears in their eyes. They had no idea what had happened, including their parents and Zhang Changgui's family.

Does anyone tell their family before doing something bad?

It wasn't anything honorable, so he and Zhang Changgui only discussed it privately, and their families were unaware of their sordid affairs.

Li Gang's father was in his fifties or sixties, with gray hair and beard. When he saw his son being tied up, he didn't rush over without a care in the world like his mother did.

Instead, he bowed to Cheng Qingyan and said, "Cheng San, I don't know what my unfilial son did to offend you. This old man apologizes to you here."

Cheng Qingyan quickly stepped aside: "Old man, you don't need to do this. You should ask Li Gang about the specifics."

"Perfect timing, Zhang Changgui's family has arrived, and the village chief is here too."

“Li Gang, you can choose not to speak. This is not a courtroom, and no one will punish you.”

"But you'd better think it through yourself: do they need to know?"

Simply put, if family members know they have offended bandits and make preparations in advance, they might still be able to escape with their lives.