Chapter 346: In a big forest, there are inevitably some bad birds
When the news came, Prince Lang and Prince Liang, who were only thirteen years old, took the initiative to volunteer to go to Yuzhou to retrieve the stolen military rations.
Wen Li'er was pleased with their responsibility, but also worried about the two young children and feared that something might go wrong, so she ordered Yongtai to lead a team of elite soldiers to follow them throughout the journey and granted them the power to temporarily dispatch the Yuzhou garrison.
The three men lived up to everyone's expectations. They traveled day and night to reach Jinling Prefecture in Yuzhou, joined forces with the local garrison commander, assembled 5,000 elite soldiers, and took advantage of the dark night and strong wind to climb Liangshan Mountain, launch a surprise attack on the thieves' nest, and wipe out the mountain bandit's nest in one fell swoop.
Not only did they recapture the 200,000 dan of military rations that had been robbed, but they also confiscated all the food, fodder, gold, silver and treasures that the bandits had accumulated over the years and donated them all to the "National Protection and Fundraising Office."
The three of them originally wanted to personally escort the food and fodder to Jinghaiwei, but they were shocked to hear that the Nanzhao Ghost King Nong Zhigao had sneaked into the Kyoto Imperial Palace with the intention of harming the Imperial Concubine and the princes and princesses.
Yongtai acted decisively and handed over the important task of transporting grain and grass to reliable generals and provincial officials. He then took the Prince of Liang and the Prince of Lang and rushed back to Kyoto without stopping day and night.
Therefore, as soon as Yongtai entered the palace, before he could even catch his breath, he was pulled away by Zuo Qing to deal with the complicated task of eliminating traitors.
However, the two young boys, Prince Liang and Prince Lang, packed up and headed straight for the Bixi Palace.
The two young men, with sweat on their foreheads, ran so hard that they saluted Wen Li'er politely after entering the hall, but their faces could not hide their excitement.
After the ceremony, he turned around impatiently and directed the breathless eunuchs behind him to put down the heavy boxes they were carrying and open them.
It turned out that although they traveled day and night on the way back to Beijing, they were still thinking about their relatives in the palace, and they specially squeezed out time to buy gifts for their families in the prosperous towns they passed by.
In the box, there were all kinds of novel toys and Yuzhou specialties for Xiaoxiao and his friends;
What were given to Wen Lier were several sets of jewelry and head ornaments with Yuzhou local characteristics, as well as several pieces of high-quality silk with a soft luster and unique patterns.
Wen Li'er looked at the two young men who were a little tanned but full of energy, and a warm feeling surged in her heart, and a sincere smile appeared on her face.
"Good kids! It's hard for you to travel around and still care about us. You've really grown up."
She immediately ordered Shaoyao, "Go to the kitchen and tell Chef Li to add a few more dishes to lunch. Prince Liang and Prince Lang will dine at the Bixi Palace. Bring some iced drinks."
"Yes." Shaoyao hurried away.
Xiaoxiao hadn't seen the two little uncles for a long time. When he saw them today, he was as happy as a little deer and rushed over with cheers.
"Uncle Liang! Uncle Lang! Xiaoxiao misses you guys so much."
Yan Shilang laughed and leaned over, picked up the chubby little guy and weighed him.
"Wow! It's gotten a lot heavier! With your small body, you can follow Uncle Wang and I to practice horse stance and boxing."
"Really?" Xiaoxiao widened his black eyes in surprise, full of excitement.
Yan Shilang was about to nod in agreement generously, but suddenly remembered something and subconsciously looked at Wen Li'er with a questioning look in his eyes.
Wen Li'er looked at her son's excited little face and smiled.
"If your uncle Wang is willing to teach you and you are willing to study hard, then you can do it."
"Yeah! Mother agreed."
Xiaoxiao jumped for joy, stretched out his chubby little hands and hugged the legs of the two little uncles tightly, as if he had already seen his future appearance as a martial arts master and awe-inspiring.
By evening, Yongtai finally teamed up with Zuo Qing to thoroughly search the palace again, and indeed, they uncovered two more well-hidden suspects who had slipped through the net.
One was an old maid in the laundry department, and the other was actually working in the Empress Dowager's Fengxiang Palace.
After secretly putting the two spies into the dungeon, Yongtai dragged his tired body and hurried to the Bixi Palace.
"Your servant Yongtai pays homage to Her Majesty the Imperial Concubine. May Her Majesty be blessed with good health."
Wen Li'er hurriedly raised her hand to support him. "Eunuch Yong, please get up quickly. This trip to Yuzhou has been a long journey of thousands of miles. You have to suppress bandits, protect grain, and look after the two young princes. It's really hard work for you. Is everything going well?"
Yongtai stood up straight, a smile on his face. "Thanks to the Majesty's grace, although this journey was dangerous, everything went smoothly. I have lived up to the Holy Order and the Majesty's trust. The food and fodder have been sent back to Jinghai Guard. Prince Liang and Prince Lang have been extremely brave, which makes this old servant admire them."
He paused, his expression turning solemn: "Your Majesty, I have something important to report."
Wen Li'er's expression also turned serious: "Eunuch Yong, please feel free to speak."
"Yes," Yongtai bowed. "The cause of the robbery of 200,000 dan of military rations shipped from Yuzhou Jinling Prefecture to Jinghai Guard has been identified. It wasn't a random incident involving bandits. Instead, a traitor emerged from the ranks of the National Defense and Revenue Department responsible for escorting and dispatching that batch of rations. This individual, bribed by the bandits, deliberately leaked the convoy's route and defenses."
Wen Li'er was not surprised by this result.
In a big forest, there are bound to be some harmful birds.
She asked in a deep voice, "Can the person be dealt with?"
Yongtai nodded. "Don't worry, Your Majesty. The traitor and the bandits who hijacked the government grain have been executed on the spot by the Yuzhou Governor. His family and relatives have all been exiled to Lingnan, never to return home."
Wen Li'er nodded, deeply agreeing with the verdict.
The soldiers were fighting bloody battles with the enemy to defend their country, but some people colluded with foreign enemies for personal gain and robbed their food and supplies. This is a heinous crime and they deserve to die!
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