After being forced into a marriage with a wealthy family, the virtuous wife caused a huge uproar.

The group caught up with Yuwen Zhang and his companions, who were walking down the mountain from the back.

"Those people are local militia, bandits from Huangling Mountain colluding with officials. You go first, I'll go check Gong County." Gu Ce said to Yuwen Zhang, then led his men away from the main force.

Yuwen Zhang carried goods and wounded soldiers, traveling all night until dawn, when they finally left the territory of Gong County.

Gu Ce, Rong Yingluo, and the others then entered Gong County.

The county magistrate suffered a great loss on the mountain and could only slink back to the county town in disgrace.

An hour later, the effects of the drug that had hit him with the hidden weapon wore off.

He rushed into the county government office without stopping.

Gu Ce and the others hid not far away and watched him go in. It was not yet fully light.

But those who get up early are already up, and the sounds of dogs barking and roosters crowing fill the air.

"Madam, go find an inn to stay in. I'll go check out the county government office. I know you can't take it anymore, you haven't slept all night," Gu Ce said to Rong Yingluo, who had just finished yawning.

"Alright, you take An Yi with you. We'll wait for you at the inn." Rong Yingluo knew she didn't need too many people, and she was indeed feeling very tired.

Ling Feng led the way to an inn.

Rong Yingluo washed up briefly and went to bed.

She was later awakened by hunger.

But as soon as she opened her eyes, she saw a man's slightly open chest in front of her, and her face was pressed against his chest, rising and falling with his breath. She was sleeping in his arms.

When did this happen?

Although she and Gu Ce slept in the same bed, they had never slept so intimately, embracing each other like this.

She wanted to push the man away, but why did she feel a little reluctant?

She had never been held in someone's arms like this before.

Every time she went back to her parents' home, her mother would hug her, but it was only for a short while. She had slept with her mother before, but her mother never held her like this while she slept.

Because the eldest sister was always there, the three of them slept together.

Why does this feeling feel so strange?

Having finally regained her composure, she reached out to push Gu Ce away.

But before he could exert any force, a voice came from above: "Awake?"

Rong Yingluo looked up and met Gu Ce's sleepy gaze.

It was already broad daylight by then.

"What time is it now?" Rong Yingluo blushed slightly, but still pushed Gu Ce away.

Gu Ce naturally loosened his arms, as if they had always been sleeping in each other's arms.

It's almost noon.

"Get up quickly, I'm starving, I feel like I could eat a whole pig!" Rong Yingluo said exaggeratedly, then sprang to her feet and quickly dressed and washed up.

Seeing how lively she was, Gu Ce secretly shook his head.

Today was the first time his wife had seen him wake up in his arms, yet she showed no sign of shyness whatsoever.

When will my wife finally understand? I can only sigh and ask the heavens.

The two went to a large restaurant and had breakfast and lunch together.

Neither the couple wore fine clothes; instead, they disguised themselves as an ordinary, wealthy couple with some means of income.

The two dined in the main hall so they could hear more gossip.

As soon as they sat down, the chatter of the diners around them reached their ears.

"Last night gave me a real fright. The county magistrate is really something. He launched a surprise attack and wiped out that bandit gang in Huangling Mountain overnight, leaving not a single one alive."

"Yes, my son happens to be in the local militia. He's still fast asleep at home. He said he fought so fiercely last night that the blade of his knife is dulled."

Upon hearing these two sentences, Rong Yingluo paused in her hand, which was about to pour tea.

Can you really pat yourself on the back like that?

Gu Ce took the teapot from her hand and personally filled the teapots for both of them.

When the waiter came to ask them to order, Rong Yingluo ignored him and let Gu Ce order instead.

She wanted to listen carefully to the gossip.

"After so many years of suppressing bandits, the officers and soldiers have finally done something worthwhile."

"We're so close to the capital. The county magistrate couldn't handle it before, so why doesn't the capital send troops to suppress them? There are hundreds of thousands of troops stationed around the capital. These bandits aren't even enough to fill their teeth."

Who knows?

"I suspect those bandits likely have connections in the central government, otherwise how could they have survived this long? But why did the county suddenly make such a strong decision to suppress them?"

"Now that there's a new prime minister, perhaps the prime minister simply can't stand it anymore."

"So, according to your analysis, you're saying that those bandits in the court are the Crown Prince? Who in the court doesn't know that Prime Minister Gu and the Crown Prince are at odds?"

"I didn't say that, don't try to label me like that."

Upon hearing this, Rong Yingluo suddenly had a sudden realization.

"Are those bandits the Crown Prince's men?" Rong Yingluo asked quietly.

Gu Ce simply smiled without saying a word.

This is the lobby, full of people; you can't say just anything here.

Rong Yingluo understood from Gu Ce's reaction.

It turns out those bandits were people who amassed wealth for the crown prince.

However, the head of the gang wasn't entirely honest either, having hoarded a considerable amount of wealth. He probably saw through the situation long ago, realizing that the Crown Prince only needed him for now, and that he would definitely be purged once the Crown Prince ascended the throne.

A bandit can never truly reform.

The food was served quickly, and the two ate while listening to various speculations and conjectures.

The most common thing people talked about was that the banditry was gone, so they wouldn't have to worry about being robbed if they wanted to go to the capital.

Back at the inn, Rong Yingluo eagerly asked Gu Ce, "What did you see at the county government office last night?"

This place is close to the capital, and the position of county magistrate is a good one. The county magistrate of Gong County was someone sent by the Crown Prince.

That county constable was the magistrate's brother-in-law; the two were practically inseparable. Last night, after the second-in-command of Huangling Mountain sent out a distress signal, it was the magistrate who sent him to investigate.

Upon learning that the mountain was full of corpses, the magistrate immediately took credit for the bandit suppression, placing the blame on the county lieutenant. He also brought back the corpses and laid them out in front of the county government office. The common people naturally believed him without a doubt, but there were also some who were not stupid.

As you've heard, it's abnormal that Gongxian, so close to the capital, could produce such a den of bandits.

"Because in recent years, those bandits have only robbed people of their money and rarely killed anyone, the county magistrate has been covering up the matter and not reporting it to his superiors." Gu Ce listened to the county constable and the county magistrate discussing how to handle the matter well from the rooftop last night.

Yuwen Zhang left last night. If Yuwen Zhang hadn't come forward and claimed that he had wiped out the bandits, and the county magistrate had actually written a memorial to the prefect, he might have been able to get away with it.

It remains to be seen how he will explain this to the Crown Prince.

How did a bandit den that amassed wealth for the crown prince end up being wiped out by its own people?

Gu Ce doesn't even need to lift a finger; the Crown Prince will give the magistrate of Gong County a good beating.

"So, are you going to get involved in this?" Rong Yingluo was very curious about how Gu Ce would handle the matter.

"I currently have no evidence to prove that I am the Second Prince; it has all been speculation. Therefore, no matter how serious the Crown Prince's crime is, as long as it is not treason, the Emperor will treat him leniently."

The Emperor only wanted to control the Crown Prince so that he wouldn't be too arrogant. He just needed the Crown Prince to obediently wait for him to pass away before he could take the throne.

So even if we expose this, the Crown Prince will still be the Crown Prince, unless I can prove right now that I am the Second Prince.” Gu Ce was also helpless.

He needs to wait for the Duke to return before he can ask about his origins.

This kind of thing must be asked in person, not by letter.

Moreover, his current status is more advantageous in the court. If he were to acknowledge his ancestral lineage, the Crown Prince and Consort Cao would do everything in their power to deal with him.

"You mean, this is just going to be the end of it?" Rong Yingluo asked incredulously.

"So what do you want?" Gu Ce asked, amused.

This little thing is really clear about its likes and dislikes, and doesn't know how to be flexible.

Things in this world are not simply black and white; they can also be gray.