Chapter 415 Dungeon Interrogation: All's Fair in War

The three Hu brothers were locked in a spacious iron cage. They were originally calm, as if they had long since become indifferent to life and death.

However, when Ji Qingwu appeared in the dungeon carrying an infant, the three men's expressions changed instantly. They rushed towards the iron bars, their eyes filled with shock and anxiety.

"Madam has given birth?!" Hu Liexian shouted.

The dungeon echoed with the sound of his roar, making people's ears ring.

The baby in Ji Qingwu's arms was startled awake by the sudden roar and immediately burst into tears.

"How is Yao Yao? Is she alright? Why didn't she come?" Hu Chen gripped the bars, his eyes bloodshot, as if he was about to burst out of the cage at any moment.

Hu Feng, on the other hand, appeared much calmer.

But upon hearing the baby's tender and pitiful cries, his lips trembled slightly, but in the end he said nothing.

He knew perfectly well that revealing the importance of the hostages to his opponents would be a foolish act.

Upon seeing this, Ji Qingwu quickly adjusted his posture, hugged the child even tighter, and completely wrapped the baby in a hoodie.

She skillfully swayed the baby, and with this soothing gesture, the baby's cries gradually subsided.

Hu Feng forced himself to turn his head, his narrow eyes fixed on the man on the chair in the southwest corner of the dungeon.

Although this man's clothes and appearance were no different from those of an ordinary soldier, Hu Feng could tell from his posture and the attitude of others towards him that his identity was extraordinary.

Hu Feng took a deep breath, finally made up his mind, and said, "Please, sir, spare this child's life!"

Ji Qingwu followed Hu Feng's gaze and saw Wei Ting sitting in the corner.

He had a faint smile on his face, but his eyes weren't on Hu Feng. Instead, he was gazing thoughtfully at her and the baby in his arms.

Ji Qingwu's heart tightened, and she quickly lowered her head, continuing to gently rock the baby in her arms, trying her best to avoid Wei Ting's gaze without leaving a trace.

She knew that Wei Ting was not someone as easily fooled as Li Chengxun, and that her identity would be exposed if she was not careful.

The two soldiers who had brought Ji Qingwu earlier walked up to Wei Ting and said respectfully, "These are the midwife and the child."

Wei Ting glanced at Ji Qingwu, his tone calm.

"The baby has already been born?"

The soldier nodded: "Yes."

Ji Qingwu raised an eyebrow, pondering to himself.

No one from Qi Peiyao could be found; this child has absolutely no connection to the Hu family.

She quickly understood Wei Ting's intention: he wanted to use this fake baby to deceive the three Hu brothers.

Earlier, Li Chengxun had already led his troops to control the bandits. Now that Wei Ting was not stationed in the Northern Army but had come to Black Wind Village, he must have an important mission.

They sent someone to bring her, the midwife, and the child together, intending to mislead the leaders and create the illusion that Qi Peiyao had been found and had already given birth.

The purpose of this trip was to coerce the three Hu brothers in order to achieve Wei Ting's objective.

Ji Qingwu's lips curled slightly.

This is indeed a common tactic used by the General Who Guards the North; all's fair in war.

However, she was also slightly relieved, at least Wei Ting hadn't discovered her identity yet.

Wei Ting's gaze returned to Hu Feng.

"Hu Feng, you want me to let this child go? Do you know that your men are not from Beili?"

Hu Feng's eyes flickered, but he did not admit it.

“No matter where they come from, after so many years in Beili, they are my brothers.”

Upon hearing this, Wei Ting's smile deepened.

"What a great line, 'no matter where they come from.'"

Wei Ting has been here for so long, but Hu Feng has been beating around the bush with him, refusing to give a direct answer or admit that he has any dealings with Xi Jin.

He raised his hand, and four soldiers immediately stepped forward, unlocked the dungeon lock, and prepared to pull Hu Chen out from the far side.

Hu Lie immediately stepped in front of Hu Chen, glaring at him and shouting, "What are you going to do with my third brother?!"

Hu Feng stared intently at the young soldier and said, "This is my third brother. He is not from Xijin!"

Wei Ting crossed his arms and said in a leisurely tone, "Since you regard the enemy troops of Xijin as your brothers, these two brothers should be no different from them and should be killed on the spot."

The enemy forces of Xijin?

Ji Qingwu's eyes widened, and she secretly cast her gaze at Wei Ting.

If these bandits were soldiers of Xijin, then it makes sense why Qipeiyao was so certain that no one would bother them.

However, this also means that Hu Feng was colluding with foreign enemies, a crime of great importance.

At this moment, Wei Ting stood up, and Ji Qingwu quickly looked away, gently coaxing the baby in her arms, and continued to play her "role" with complete dedication.

Hu Feng's face turned very ugly.

He knew that once the imperial court found out about this, they would face certain death.

Two more soldiers entered and headed towards Hu Lie and Hu Chen. Hu Feng raised his voice and said, "You can't touch them!"

Wei Ting leisurely smoothed the wristband wrapped around his hand.

"I'll show you whether I can or can't."

With his hands on his hips, Hu Lie exuded an aura of invincibility, and said with a righteous expression, "What Xijin enemy army? You're talking nonsense! The Black Wind Stronghold only takes in homeless refugees."

Hu Chen, who had been captured by the soldiers, was also indignant.

"If your court hadn't been so incompetent, there wouldn't be so many refugees. We just took them in."

Wei Ting gave a light snort and looked at Hu Feng.

"Your two brothers are incredibly naive; it seems they know nothing about this."

Hu Feng remained silent.

He did not reveal the true identities of the people in the village to Hu Lie and Hu Chen, firstly because he was afraid they would leak the information, and secondly, so that if things were exposed one day, he could take full responsibility.

Hu Feng walked to the edge of the prison bars, his face grim, and said, "Who are you? I want to speak with the person who can decide the life and death of Black Wind Stronghold."

The soldier closest to him said, "This is General Zhenbei. You can speak to him as you wish."

Upon hearing that the young man in front of him was the renowned General Zhenbei, she realized that he was truly a hero.

Hu Feng's expression changed, and he said, "You are Wei Ting?"

Hu Lie and Hu Chen's eyes also became strange, and their originally arrogant demeanor immediately diminished.

Wei Ting said, "Hu Feng, the Emperor has entrusted me with the decision of this matter. In other words, your life and death, as well as the life and death of this child, are all in my hands."

Hu Feng said cautiously, "General Wei, we have not committed any heinous crimes over the years, nor have we betrayed Bei Li."

Wei Ting sneered: "Is that so? As far as I know, Black Wind Stronghold has committed quite a few crimes over the years."

“Lord Li’s men have already handed over all the cases of your robberies over the years to me. You have mostly robbed the carriages of wealthy merchants and corrupt officials, but because of you, many people have also died or been injured.”

He paused, his tone suddenly turning cold: "But your biggest crime isn't that."

Wei Ting suddenly walked up to Ji Qingwu...