He kept trying to say something, but in the end, he could only manage a few garbled words.
Still, Jiang Pengji understood perfectly.
System: “…”
Actually, it was also quite curious how Jiang Pengji could have known all that information, bamboozling the bandits so thoroughly.
She looked up at the sky outside the door.
It seemed to be early in the night.
“I’ve always been a merciful person.
Since you’re so eager to know, I’ll let you die in peace.”
System: “Are you really that kind?”
“You have a sachet at your waist, and inside it is a handkerchief.
Judging by the sachet’s style, the stitching, and its condition, it’s obvious this isn’t something a man would use.
In other words, the owner must be a young woman.
You treasure this sachet dearly, unconsciously stroking it over and over.
Even after washing up and changing into new clothes, you still kept them with you…
You care for it so much.
Who is the owner to you?”
Jiang Pengji lay half-reclined in the main seat, one arm resting on the armrest while her legs were draped over the other.
Her entire posture was the picture of utter indolence.
“You have the mark of a tattoo punishment on your face.
Although you’ve grown a full beard to hide it, someone with a keen eye can still faintly see it…
Of course, besides me, it seems everyone else is a bit blind, since no one else noticed.”
Showing off while still taking a dig at others…
How shameless, the System thought.
“That tattoo clearly states the name of the county where you were punished, as well as the details of your exile to Zisang.
Yet, as an exiled prisoner, you’ve appeared here in Hejian Commandery…
Needless to say, you must be a fugitive.
I’m sure you wouldn’t dare return to your hometown to visit your family.”
If an exiled prisoner escaped, they’d be fine if they weren’t caught.
But if they were, they’d be beaten to death on the spot.
Taking a slow breath, she continued unhurriedly, “The way you looked at the sachet was filled with pain, yet you were also deeply attached to it, your gaze tinged with regret.
So, I took a bold guess that the woman must have passed away, and her death was likely unnatural.
When I bluffed, it turned out to be true.”
System: “…No…
That Monniang could have died from other causes too…”
Jiang Pengji rolled her eyes inwardly and said to it, “When a person has a very deep impression and emotion toward a certain behavior, their aura and expression will change when the same thing happens.
This is a reflexive psychological suggestion response…”
That’s why, when the noble ladies were pulled off their carriages and the bandits said they wanted to have a go right then and there, the bandit leader was the one who reacted that way.
System: “…Who would even think of that?”
“As for your fellow villager…” Jiang Pengji smiled, revealing a row of white teeth as if amused.
“When I mentioned Monniang’s cause of death and said I knew who the killer was, his reaction sent a crystal-clear message: he was guilt-ridden.”
“That was the kind of panic you see when someone’s terrified of the truth coming out.
When would a person react like that?
He might not be the killer, but he definitely knows how Monniang died and who killed her.
He’s an eyewitness and an accomplice in silence, yet he dares not tell you…”
A guilty conscience needs no accuser.
When the bandit leader used this to interrogate him, the Lame Man’s slightest hint of panic would be enough for the brute to brand him the murderer of Monniang.
It was a classic case of mud falling into one’s pants—even if it isn’t shit, it’ll be mistaken for it.
Connecting this to the bandit leader’s reaction when Monniang was mentioned, Jiang Pengji was certain he wouldn’t give the Lame Man any time to explain.
If he acted on impulse and killed the Lame Man, the matter would be buried forever.
“As for why I knew the evidence was on the Lame Man’s back?
Who told him to dress so sloppily that his old scars were exposed for everyone to see?”
Unfortunately, he was also the one who had carried Jiang Pengji down from the carriage.
Seeing the scars hadn’t been difficult.
Scratch-like marks on the back, or scars left by sharp weapons…
“Sometimes, people easily mistake those for marks left behind after the deed…
But that would only happen if the battle was particularly fierce.”
In any case, she had no idea when the Lame Man had gotten those scars, but it gave her the perfect opportunity to seize upon the matter.
Why was Jiang Pengji regarded as a Fierce Demon King by the Seventh Legion?
Besides her martial prowess, it was her tongue.
No one wanted to take a single lap around their superior and have them immediately know what they’d eaten for breakfast, what they’d drunk, whether they’d slept alone last night, if they had any strange sleeping habits, or if they’d been cheating and doing bad things…
Just thinking about it was a living hell.
Therefore, in light of Jiang Pengji’s ruthlessness, the soldiers of the Seventh Legion—from the officers down to the privates—always maintained the most impeccable grooming and attire during inspections.
“As for the Second-in-Command’s child, when you brought him here, I saw a row of children’s shoes drying in front of a thatched hut.”
Jiang Pengji gestured with her hands and continued, “The size seemed to be for a four- or five-year-old.
One pair was very old but washed clean, and the soles were worn, indicating someone had worn them.
The rest, however, were brand new, with flat soles and no signs of wear.”
At this point, Jiang Pengji was nearly laughing out loud.
She chuckled as she spoke, “Your Second-in-Command covets beauty, yet he still remembered to keep those shoes…
Tsk, tsk.
There must be a hidden story here.
Therefore, I believe he has a son—one who is already dead.”
Perhaps he was kidnapped and sold, or perhaps a wild beast snatched him away.
But since Jiang Pengji intended to incite conflict and turn them against each other, she naturally had to choose the most tragic scenario.
The more the Second-in-Command “loved” his child, the more horrific his death would be, and the harder it would be for him to control his emotions.
In Liu Lanting’s memories, those two years had been plagued by continuous droughts.
She decided to simply fabricate a story about cannibalism—specifically, exchanging children to eat them.
That reason was shocking enough.
Once these details were settled, the rest was just a matter of improvising.
Regardless of whether her deductions were correct, her expression had to radiate confidence.
This would instill a sense of trust in her listeners, making them believe she was telling the truth.
Not only that, the reactions of the people involved would guide her judgment, allowing her to tailor her narrative to be as close to the truth as possible.
When the Bandit Leader claimed his lover was Xinniang, his breathing barely changed.
Jiang Pengji knew right then that he was bluffing.
A quick probe had confirmed it.
This alone demonstrated just how profound Jiang Pengji’s skill in deception truly was.
She shifted comfortably, continuing to lie down, and finished by stretching and letting out a yawn.
“The Fourth Boss is even easier to figure out.
This village shows signs of women living here, yet among all the bandits, only the Fourth Boss is dressed properly—or rather, has a woman tending to him.
But given his well-known appetite for women, his relationship with her is likely precarious.”
“As for why I think that woman might be sleeping with other men…”
Jiang Pengji shrugged.
The words that followed were downright smutty and violent, yet she seemed completely oblivious to the shock value.
“First off, this is a bandit stronghold.
You’ve got a bunch of blood-and-bone grown men living together with zero morals, no worldviews, and no values.
Female resources are critically scarce.
When they have needs, what do they do?
Do they handle it themselves, or do they help each other out?
In such an environment, the Fourth Boss has a woman to look after him, yet the atmosphere within the stronghold remains strangely harmonious…”
The System: “…Host, I think your values are the ones that are precarious.
You’re in desperate need of some palace intrigue to save you.
Why not find an emperor and start a sweet little romance?”
Faced with the System’s opportunistic jab, Jiang Pengji had only one word: “Fuck off!”