"Grand Concubine, Madam is used to being busy, and she can't stand being idle. So, please let Madam continue to stay by your side."
The Grand Concubine was touched and said, "Madam, you still care about me."
Soon, the nanny took the eldest princess, who had just finished her meal, to the city gate to inquire about the news.
In the military camp, the eldest prince was also summoning his subordinates who had just returned from the second prince's fiefdom.
"Grand Prince, we traveled to many places this time. Finally, we inquired with a group of refugees in the capital city and learned that they had indeed seen an old woman and a child fleeing famine in the capital city."
"After our careful questioning, we found that the elderly woman should be the nanny who escaped with the young master."
"As for the young master, the refugees said they couldn't see his face clearly. They only remember that he wasn't very tall, very thin, and his face and hands were black."
"The child's hair is also very long, and his face is dark, so you can't see his face at all."
"They said the old woman and the child didn't have much luggage, just a bag. They also ate away from everyone."
"According to the refugees, the child doesn't talk much, so everyone has always believed that the old woman brought her granddaughter to escape famine."
The eldest prince was silent for a moment after hearing this. "Did you find out where they went afterwards? Which road did they take?"
"Reporting to the eldest prince, there was a refugee riot in the capital, and the government ordered the killing of many refugees."
"It will be difficult for us to find out about the young master later."
"Later, our people followed the refugees to the county town south of the prefectural capital, but there was no trace of the young master."
"The worst thing is that human traffickers are rampant in that county. Many children have been abducted by traffickers."
"We haven't found the young master yet, and we haven't heard from the parents of the missing child that an old woman was carrying a child, and then the child disappeared."
"I suspect that Madam should be continuing south with the young master."
"When the people I sent out came back, they found many refugees driving carts towards Yunzhou."
The eldest prince touched the ring on his hand and said, "It's a good thing that refugees are coming here for refuge. You will make arrangements when the time comes. The refugees have arrived. Make sure they are well settled."
"Yes, Your Highness, I will certainly properly accommodate the refugees who have come here for refuge."
"Did your people find anything unusual on the way back?
"Prince, something unusual has happened. Not far from us is a town called Shilin."
"Shilin Town is a very small town, nothing special about it. What's special about it is that not far from Shilin Town, there's a mountain stronghold called Qingfeng Village."
"The bandits in Qingfeng Village basically grow their own food and vegetables on the mountain, and are basically self-sufficient."
"They also don't harass the people living down the mountain. They occasionally come down to exchange things they can't find on the mountain. But they won't force anyone to buy or sell anything."
"So, our people didn't go to suppress the bandits in Qingfeng Village because they were relatively peaceful."
"If they're still behaving like this, we should just ignore them for now. Our main concern now is to guard against a surprise attack from the Tianlong Nation."
"Prince, two months ago, the bandits in Qingfeng Village were defeated by a group of bandits coming from the north."
"It is said that some of the bandits from Qingfeng Village were killed, and some escaped. The remaining bandits joined forces with the bandits who came later."
The eldest prince suddenly asked, "How many bandits were there later? What was their style of doing things?"
"Reporting to the eldest prince, according to the spies' report, there are more than 600 bandits. They are all young and strong. Their fighting ability is quite high."
"And they have already collected food from the villagers at the foot of Qingfeng Village twice."
"It is said that when they first harvested grain, they killed a lot of villagers as a warning to others."
"So during the second harvest, all the villagers handed in their grain. Now it's almost time for the third harvest."
"The bandits in Qingfeng Village not only robbed the villagers of their food, they also robbed refugees passing through. Anyone who looked wealthy was robbed."
"Have you sent people to Qingfeng Village to check? Are all the more than 600 people young and strong?"
"Reporting to the eldest prince, our people have confirmed it. Moreover, our people have discovered that the bandits in Qingfeng Village have transported all the food and core silver they looted."
"Have you found out where it was shipped to?"
"Your Highness, our people noticed the bandits in Qingfeng Village too late and missed their first two food deliveries."
"However, the time for the next grain harvest is approaching. Our people will definitely keep a close eye on it."
"Okay, I'll definitely send someone to keep a close eye on them. It seems to me that the bandits who later showed up at Qingfeng Village were soldiers in disguise."
"As long as we determine where they transported the grain and money, the answer will be revealed."
"Yes, Your Highness. We will definitely send someone to keep a close eye on Qingfeng Village."
The eldest prince stood up and took two steps. "Also, are there many refugees passing through Qingfeng Village recently?"
"Your Highness, since it's November now and the weather is getting cold, there are many refugees passing through Qingfeng Village."
"The bandits in Qingfeng Village don't rob the poor, or small groups of refugees."
"Usually they rob wealthy families or large groups of refugees. Once they start, they never return empty-handed."
"It seems that the bandits in Qingfeng Village are a serious threat. We must eradicate them in the future. However, we definitely don't have time recently. The earliest we can do so will be after the New Year."
"Our people are all keeping an eye on the people from Tianlong Country. We really can't spare many people to suppress the bandits."
"Your Highness, today's spies brought news. They said that the bandits in Qingfeng Village said that if the next grain delivery is insufficient, they can use human beings to replace the grain."
The eldest prince asked in surprise, "Is the news accurate?"
"Your Highness, the news is accurate. The people of Shilin Town have been discussing this matter for the past two days. Furthermore, the Shilin Town government is in cahoots with them."
"Do the people in Qingfeng Village say what kind of people can be used to buy food?"
"Your Highness, the people from Qingfeng Village said that both men and women can be used to pay for food. However, they have to select the right person first."
"If the bandits from Qingfeng Village don't take advantage of us, we won't be able to buy food."
"How exactly does it pay for food? Did they tell us?"
"Our spies say that a man is worth fifty kilograms of food, and a woman is worth thirty kilograms of food. As long as the bandits in Qingfeng Village take a fancy to us, we can be used as food."
"So this is how you can pay for food."
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