After treating Zheng Chengguang's wounds, Ning Xi'er sat down and started chatting with him.
Ning Xi'er asked about the landslide. She had just come along the road and saw that the houses in the fields were as stable as Mount Tai, which was obviously not in line with the signs of a landslide.
It's impossible that the mountain collapsed while the houses and fields not far from the foot of the mountain remained unharmed.
If it were a landslide, this place isn't in a volcanic zone, nor is it a mudslide. Ning Xi'er has seen rocks rolling down the mountain; they're all solid, extremely hard rock...
Unless caused by human intervention, even if the fracturing is due to geological pressure, it should occur from bottom to top, not from top to bottom...
This doesn't look like a landslide, it looks more like...
The mountain was forcibly blasted open.
However, Ning Xi'er had no evidence, so she did not say it explicitly.
"Your Highness is wise! To be honest, I have serious doubts about this sudden landslide on the mountaintop, but due to the heavy casualties and fear of another bandit attack, I did not spare any manpower to investigate..."
Fortunately, Zheng Ye and the princess returned, and You Yong also returned with his men, so there were a few more people available.
Ning Xi'er remembered Haitang mentioning the reinforcements, so she asked Zheng Chengguang where these people came from.
"Them..."
Zheng Chengguang's expression softened for once. "It's Xu Yan who's arrived with his men..."
"Oh..." Seemingly remembering that Ning Xi'er didn't know who Xu Yan was, he explained:
"Xu Yan is Eunuch Xu's adopted son. Originally, the Prince and Eunuch Xu arranged for him to go to the desolate region ahead of time to take care of everything..."
At this point, Zheng Chengguang seemed to realize he had spoken out of turn, but in an instant, he revealed a magnanimous expression, showing that he trusted Ning Xier completely.
"His spies sent word that we were being chased all the way, and out of concern, they came ahead of time to join us..."
"Oh..." Ning Xi'er suddenly realized, and continued to ask, "Then was Xu Yan raised by Eunuch Xu's side since he was a child?"
Zheng Chengguang assumed she was just curious and that they would be spending more time together in the future, so he offered a few explanations.
"No, Eunuch Xu was castrated to serve the Crown Prince back then because of poverty. He took care of His Highness from a young age, when His Highness was still the former Crown Prince..."
Ning Xi'er nodded; she had already heard about these things.
Zheng Chengguang continued, "The late Empress, who was the Prince's birth mother, trusted Eunuch Xu implicitly because she saw how diligently he cared for the Crown Prince..."
"Upon learning that he missed his family, they sent people to search for them. They eventually discovered that Xu's entire family had perished in the famine, leaving only his nephew, Xu Yan..."
"The Empress granted Eunuch Xu permission to purchase a residence outside the palace to raise his nephew. Since Xu Yan's parents had both passed away, Eunuch Xu was all alone and adopted him as his son."
"Xu Yan was already twelve years old when he was found. Time flies, ten years have passed..."
The empress in the story has long since passed away.
Xie Zhun went from being the former crown prince to an exiled criminal.
With both parents dead and unable to walk properly, he was relentlessly pursued by his closest relatives, leading to a dramatic change in his life.
He was even less capable than Xu Yan had been before.
Ning Xi'er still had questions about Xu Yan, but it wasn't appropriate to ask any more.
She always felt that Xu Yan's appearance was too cleverly timed.
It has a flavor that's hard to describe.
If Xu Yan hadn't arrived with his men, the situation would have been completely reversed, and the casualties would likely have been even more devastating...
Xie Zhun, Duke of Protectorate...
The consequences would be unimaginable.
They might return to find corpses strewn everywhere.
That's why they lived so close to You Yong, only needing to purchase weapons from the two nearest counties...
They couldn't even make it back in time, yet people from the distant wilderness managed to arrive at the perfect moment, "on cue" the arrival?!
After listening to Zheng Chengguang's words, Ning Xier realized how important Xu Yan was to Eunuch Xu, so she naturally couldn't easily question him, but at least she could keep an eye on him secretly.
Upon his return, Zheng Ye quickly assessed the scene and arranged for the injured to be taken care of.
After a headcount, 82 bandits and their families were killed, and 40 were injured, 15 of whom were seriously injured.
Five people from the Prince's Mansion were killed, fifteen people from the Duke of Huguo's Mansion were killed, and fifty people were injured, ten of whom were seriously injured.
You Yong and his brothers returned with somber expressions; the mass grave had already been filled.
Ning Xi'er returned to the carriage and retrieved lime powder. In front of Zheng Chengguang, Zheng Ye, and You Yong, she suggested that the bodies must be completely cremated before being buried.
Sprinkle lime powder around the perimeter before covering it with soil.
It was early autumn, and the temperature wasn't low. The large-scale burial of corpses at this time of year could easily lead to an outbreak of disease.
You Yong had served in the military and had handled the bodies of comrades and prisoners of war, so he knew that Ning Xi'er wasn't deliberately making things difficult for him...
With a heavy heart, I personally took the box containing the lime powder.
Ning Xi'er surveyed the chaotic scene around her. Burning the corpse in front of the elderly and children would only worsen their mood...
This place is stained with blood, and it is indeed not suitable for stationing troops here; it would only further demoralize the troops.
When Eunuch Xu saw them gathered, he came over.
"How is the prince?"
Ning Xi'er asked.
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