After tying up Tong Xiaonian and his group, a group of guards went up the mountain to subdue the bandits in the house.
The women who had been locked up were released immediately.
Meanwhile, the old women who were responsible for cooking and cleaning were tied up.
It's not that those who don't directly harm others are necessarily without fault; aiding and abetting evil is also a mistake.
He sent someone on horseback to the county ahead to report to the authorities.
Zhao Qinglin really wanted to go up the mountain and wander around, and see just how many despicable things this group of bandits had done.
She spoke in a high-sounding manner, but in reality, she just wanted to rob the valuables on the mountain.
Prince Rui knew Zhao Qinglin's little scheme, but he didn't expose it.
However, Prince Rui was trying his best to prevent the trip up the mountain.
"Wife, the mountain is so high, you'll get very tired climbing it."
Besides, these are places where bandits have lived; who knows how filthy they might be.
Don't let it pollute your eyes.
Besides, you're pregnant. What if you overexert yourself and harm the baby?
Zhao Qinglin smiled and said, "Husband..."
The sound was drawn out for a long time, and Prince Rui's legs went weak, feeling a tingling sensation throughout his body.
Whatever his wife said was law. Prince Rui wanted to carry his wife up the mountain, but Zhao Qinglin complained that it would hurt her stomach.
He gathered his energy and used his not-so-good light-body skills.
Although you can't swiftly leap through the treetops, jumping around in the forest is no problem.
Soon, the couple, led by guards, went up the mountain.
This house is really not small; in fact, it's much larger than the one that was wiped out near Mo City.
What did Zhao Qinglin come here for? Naturally, she came to ask for money.
Zhao Qinglin had absolutely no interest in the things that were confiscated from the warehouse.
Her favorite pastime was treasure hunting. So she dragged Prince Rui along and headed towards the main house.
The room looked quite clean, with a bed, two suitcases, a table, and four chairs.
It looks very simple. Although the ground is dirt, it is compacted and level.
The walls were painted with whitewash, which made the rough room look a little more comfortable.
Looking at the room that stretched out from one end to the other, Zhao Qinglin pondered where to begin her search for the treasure.
She couldn't believe that a bandit would be so selfless as to share the spoils with his underlings.
A search usually starts with the bed.
Zhao Qinglin ordered Prince Rui to shake off the bedding on the bed. Not only that, she also wanted to disassemble the bedding, including tearing off the cotton inside.
Make sure there are no hidden silver notes inside.
Then there were the pillows, but I couldn't find them either. I guess I'll have someone take the bed frame apart.
Believe it or not, if you simply move this bed aside, you won't find the silver notes hidden underneath.
The owner of this room is quite clever; he carved out quite a few hidden compartments under the bed.
Although they weren't very large, a secret compartment could still hold a few thousand taels of silver.
The bed was disassembled, so all that was left was the floor.
These heavy tasks were naturally not something Prince Rui could do.
The guards who had just helped find the silver notes were now very enthusiastic about the treasure hunt.
The princess is so clever; no wonder the prince likes her.
Some were digging, others were knocking down walls.
Zhao Qinglin stood at the doorway, looking into the room.
His eyes were like searchlights.
Her gaze focused on the painting on the wall.
"Your Highness, don't you think that painting is beautiful?" Zhao Qinglin said.
Prince Rui stayed by his wife's side the whole time.
"It's just so-so. It doesn't look like it was made by a master. Let's go take a look."
Zhao Qinglin smiled and said, "Doesn't Your Highness find it strange to have a painting hanging in a bandit's house?"
Prince Rui suddenly realized, "My wife means..."
Zhao Qinglin nodded, and at Prince Rui's command, someone immediately went over and took the painting down.
If you knock on the wall again, you can hear a hollow sound.
The group started looking for a safe place, fearing that a forced demolition would destroy the contents inside.
Zhao Qinglin shook her head.
"Don't bother with that. Try pulling that nail out. If that doesn't work, then use force to remove it."
Logically speaking, there shouldn't be any hidden weapons here, unless the bandits are masters of traps.
The guards thought about it and agreed.
Besides protecting the prince, they also had to investigate various matters, which led them to develop a habit of conspiracy theories.
They overcomplicate everything.
A guard reached out to pull out the nail, expecting it to be firmly driven in, but it came out very easily.
Then, the wall collapsed outwards, revealing a hole inside.
The area of the hole is exactly the same size as the painting.
It turns out the wall was made of wood. It was just that the wood was whitewashed, so it blended in with the adobe wall.
No wonder there was a small bucket of solidified white lime in the corner; it was meant to be used for grouting.
The cave wasn't very big, but it contained several boxes.
The guards took down the boxes and opened them one by one; the contents inside were truly beautiful.
Various gold and jade jewelry, especially jade jewelry, are of very high quality in terms of color and clarity.
The whole box of gold ingots was neatly stacked, and a rough calculation showed that it must have contained at least tens of thousands of taels of gold.
How many passersby must they have robbed to amass this fortune? It's chilling to think about; the people of this mountain stronghold truly deserve to die.
Zhao Qinglin was very excited to find these items.
"Excellent, excellent, everyone has worked hard today. Each of you will receive a certain amount of gold as a reward later."
Upon hearing this, the guards immediately clasped their hands in thanks to Zhao Qinglin.
Prince Rui stood to the side, his lips twitching. His wife was truly generous.
That gold ingot weighed ten taels, one tael for each person. There were over a hundred people, both openly and secretly, accompanying him on this trip.
I wonder if my wife will feel sorry for me later.
So he lowered his head and whispered in Zhao Qinglin's ear. After hearing this, Zhao Qinglin's eyes widened in shock.
"Then, can I take back what I just said?"
Prince Rui shook his head.
"I'm afraid that won't work. You'll lose your authority that way. Don't forget, your identity is that of a princess."
Zhao Qinglin took a deep breath, then another, and then grinned.
If she weren't smiling in a way that looked more like crying, no one would know that her heart was bleeding.
"It's alright, they risked their lives for you, they deserve a reward."
Besides, this was all ill-gotten gains; once it's gone, it's gone. I don't care. Really, I don't care at all.
Waaaaah, my husband, I'm so sad..."
Prince Rui quickly pulled his wife into his arms, saying, "Where do you feel unwell? I'll take you down the mountain now."
But why does the corner of his mouth have to be turned up like that?
Zhao Qinglin knew that Prince Rui was laughing at him, so she stepped on Prince Rui's foot, took a deep breath, and then looked kindly at the guards who were digging and searching.
"Did you find anything under the bed? And the roof beam? Anyone have the guts to reach up and take a look? Just be careful of snakes, insects, rats and ants."
Being on a roof beam isn't necessarily safe.
The guards responded in unison, and sure enough, a box was found on the roof beam.
It still contained gold and identity documents.
"Heh, this bandit is really cunning. This must be his way of leaving himself an escape route."
Zhao Qinglin guessed.
Sure enough, a jar was dug out from under the bed, but it contained some loose silver coins.
Judging from the way the silver has oxidized, it must have been buried here for at least ten or twenty years.
This room has been searched; let's move on to the next room.
The guards' method opened up the Ren and Du meridians.
The search and digging were incredibly thorough.
In the end, they actually demolished the entire house.
This truly proves the saying that you have to dig three times out of a mouse hole.
The same procedure applies to the warehouse.
Supported by Prince Rui, Zhao Qinglin went to the backyard. Looking at the lush tree there, something seemed off.
Prince Rui looked at Zhao Qinglin's expression and asked, "Wife, could it be that there are treasures buried under that tree as well?"
Zhao Qinglin shook her head. "I didn't sense any valuables buried underneath, but the color of the tree trunk seemed off."
When you get here, you can feel the heavy resentment in the air.
Let's interrogate these bandits properly later and find out what despicable things they've done.
Also, tell the county magistrate to find a good Taoist priest to come here and perform a ritual to help the deceased.
After saying that, Zhao Qinglin turned and left without pausing for a moment.
While pursuing his wife, Prince Rui couldn't help but glance back, feeling a little uneasy.
The items confiscated from the storeroom were registered and cataloged. The items found in the rat holes of various rooms were, unfortunately, accepted by Prince Rui and Zhao Qinglin.
Especially the gold in that box, it suddenly disappeared with a layer and a half gone.
Zhao Qinglin smiled with her lips pursed and head tilted to the side, appearing remarkably calm.
Everyone has taken their things. Quickly tell Prince Rui to close the lid of the box and take these things down the mountain for her.
As for the loose silver coins in the jar,
Zhao Qinglin looked at the house that they had demolished and said that they were upright and honest immortals.
They will not bow to worldly pressures, nor will they be blinded by money.
Look, that jar of silver is proof.
It took us a lot of effort to dig that out.
As the county magistrate, how could you ignore and not arrest such a large bandit gang during your tenure? Isn't that incredibly irresponsible?
They have absolutely no regard for the safety of ordinary people.
Did he accept bribes?
This concept must be communicated.
Besides, without their passage, it's uncertain when this harmful village would have been completely eradicated.
You must thank us. Without the achievements we provided, what would you be eligible for awards and commendations?
Zhao Qinglin kept muttering to himself while looking at the spoils of war. Of course, the guards remembered everything he said.
After Zhao Qinglin descended the mountain and got into the carriage, the nearby county magistrate, his face ashen, got out of the carriage and squatted by the roadside, vomiting violently.
This was incredibly bumpy.
Back when I was traveling for the imperial examinations, I had never ridden in such a fast carriage.
If the guard hadn't complained that the carriage was too slow and offered to take him on horseback, he would have been much better off.
He wouldn't risk having his internal organs shattered by driving the carriage that fast.
After vomiting, the magistrate felt his stomach cramping again. He quickly grabbed his robe and went into the woods by the roadside.
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