"To recruit or not?"
After dealing with the women's affairs, Jiang Jiuniang didn't linger and went straight to interrogate the steward.
Only by obtaining confessions can we have solid evidence when dealing with those people in the future.
"I really don't know anything!"
The steward was quite stubborn. He knew that as long as he kept quiet, these people couldn't do anything to him without evidence. But if he spoke up, not only would his master be in trouble, but his family would also suffer.
The guards were furious. The old man had clearly said he wanted to confess, which was why they brought him over, but now he was refusing to say anything.
They wanted to take the person over to continue beating him, but Jiang Jiuniang stopped them, saying, "If you beat him any more, he'll die. This person is just looking for death."
As she spoke, she silently took out a small porcelain bottle and said, "Tie him up."
Several people stepped forward, pinned the butler down, and bound him even more tightly than when Aunt Kang was arrested, determined not to give him any chance to move.
Jiang Jiuniang opened the small porcelain bottle and sprinkled the white powder on the steward. Almost instantly, the steward's body stiffened and then began to writhe uneasily.
It itches, it itches so badly it's unbearable!
Unfortunately, he was completely bound, so he couldn't even scratch himself.
That wasn't the end of it. A little while later, the pain started again. It felt like his whole body was being gnawed by thousands of worms, and every bite made this grown man want to scream.
Before he could even cry out, it changed again. This time it was numbness, like being struck by lightning. His whole body convulsed and trembled, and he was driven almost insane by the torment.
Then came a variety of other symptoms, one after another. I have no idea how this tiny powder works.
Seeing the person twitching and writhing on the ground, everyone found it strange and came over to join in the fun.
Especially the woman he had harmed, seeing him in such pain made her feel very happy.
"Pah! Serves him right!"
If the steward was capable of withstanding beatings and was even prepared to die, he simply couldn't endure such torture. Before one round was even over, he started yelling that he wanted to confess.
"Hurry up and recruit them, don't waste our time."
"You...you give me the antidote first..."
The housekeeper's face turned red; all he wanted now was to be free as soon as possible.
"You have no right to bargain with me."
Jiang Jiuniang didn't even look at him, just playing with the small bottle in her hand. If this person wasn't honest, she would add some more ingredients.
The butler barely had time to think before he blurted out the details.
Just as they suspected, he did indeed intend to go up the mountain to ask for help.
For the past few days, Fatty Zhao's place has been closed to visitors. People have been sent to investigate, but there have been no results. So his master asked him to come up the mountain to ask someone to check it out. This way, he can show his concern, and if anything happens, his master won't be implicated.
But they never expected that even the bandits had been outmaneuvered, so he was caught red-handed as soon as he arrived, becoming irrefutable evidence.
"I... I've told you everything I know. Now... can you give me the antidote?"
The steward looked eager, but Jiang Jiuniang simply put the small bottle away under his ardent gaze and ordered, "Take him aside, don't let him get in the way."
That medicine won't kill you, it'll just be very torturous. This person has done so many bad things, he should experience this kind of pain and know that harming others will not end well.
The women, upon seeing this, felt great admiration for Jiang Jiuniang.
A woman stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and said, "Madam, I would like to apologize to you."
Jiang Jiuniang looked at her; she was the same person who had been reluctant to escape last night and had almost screamed and woken up the bandits during the escape.
She still feels lingering fear when she thinks of Jiang Jiuniang's gaze.
Why?
"At first, when Madam said she could rescue us, I didn't believe her, and my attitude was somewhat dismissive. I even almost made a sound that startled the bandits. Madam is truly talented; I was blind to her abilities, so I want to apologize to her."
A wise person knows when to yield. She was frightened by Jiang Jiuniang's gaze last night, and now that she's been rescued and knows that Jiang Jiuniang is no ordinary person, she naturally has to take the initiative to befriend her.
Of course, most importantly, she didn't look down on them at all for having been bullied by bandits. She even kindly advised them to think positively, saying that women should be strong and not be appendages of men.
Jiang Jiuniang didn't expect her to say that, but she was still a little happy. Look, she saved another one.
"It's nothing. I just hope you can live a good life from now on and live up to the risks I took to save you. That's enough."
She accepted her apology and wouldn't hold it against her anymore.
The woman was very happy, and after bowing to Jiang Jiuniang again, she went back.
At this moment, Lu Baichuan returned, saw the butler, and learned the general outline of the matter.
Jiang Jiuniang asked, "What do you plan to do?"
"No plans. These matters will be handled by others later. We'll just go back once those bandits surrender."
Lu Baichuan had been preoccupied with the border conflict, a matter that had been delayed for far too long.
"Hmm, that works too."
Jiang Jiuniang didn't have any particular thoughts. Since she was already here, she was willing to follow them wherever they wanted to do.
At this moment, in the village, Dayong had just been beaten up. The villagers felt that Dayong was the one who caused the village to become like this. If he hadn't listened to Jiang Jiuniang and encouraged everyone to have a competition, they wouldn't have lost so badly.
Da Yong didn't fight back, and even he felt it was his fault.
However, no one went all out; they just punched each other a few times to vent their anger, and then asked in a gruff voice, "So what do we do now? Are we really going to surrender?"
If they surrender in this situation, they won't have a good time in the army. They'll just be sent to wherever it's dangerous, unless they're really outstanding and get noticed by their superiors, but such opportunities are very rare.
"What other choice do we have? If we don't surrender, we'll die now; if we surrender, we can live for a while longer, and maybe we'll have a chance to turn the tide!"
When someone spoke up, everyone naturally understood what he meant by "turning the tables"—that is, secretly running away again and repeating the same mistakes.
"If I had the chance, I would like to be a real soldier."
Da Yong spoke calmly, drawing everyone's attention.
This means I will no longer be on their side.
The crowd's eyes instantly turned fierce: "Dayong, what do you mean? Do you want to be a traitor?"
"I just want to live a normal life, get married and have children in the future, so that my children can also have a good future."
His voice was very calm; he was serious about all his fantasies about Jiang Jiuniang yesterday.
He was just starting his military career when he had the opportunity to make a name for himself and bring a stable life to his family.
Everyone fell silent. Who wouldn't want their descendants to live a peaceful life?
Being a bandit may be fun, but can you be fun forever?
Can you protect your descendants for a lifetime?
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