Wan Jinda stood in front of several prison carts, carrying a large cleaver. The Fourth Prince immediately understood how critical the situation had been and that killing the prisoners was a last resort.
Just now, when the iron cavalry wiped out the bandits, everyone felt like they were dreaming. They watched as thousands of iron cavalrymen slaughtered the bandits, and only after the bandits were wiped out did they truly come to their senses.
The Fourth Prince came before Li Hui and dismounted.
"I am late, Your Highness has been frightened."
"Fourth Imperial Uncle..." Li Hui burst into tears upon seeing the Fourth Prince.
"Your Highness, there's no need to worry. I've brought three thousand iron cavalry this time, enough to sweep away all forces in the desert. Now there's nothing to fear," the Fourth Prince comforted Li Hui.
At this moment, Wan Jinda walked over and bowed to the Fourth Prince.
"Greetings, Fourth Prince."
"General Wan, you've worked hard. This time, escorting the prisoners and silver back to the capital was due to the court's negligence in not sending troops to escort them, which almost allowed several forces in the desert to succeed."
Thanks to Princess Li Xue's reminder, His Majesty ordered me to bring three thousand cavalry as reinforcements. Fortunately, we arrived in time, preventing any major chaos.
"Thank you for your help, Fourth Prince. When you arrived, did you see the ten soldiers I sent back?"
"I met them. They said they were ordered by General Wan to bring silver notes back to the capital."
I realized something was wrong. Since General Wan had told them to take the silver notes and leave first, it meant the caravan was in great danger.
So I dispatched three hundred iron cavalry to escort them back to the capital, while the remaining iron cavalry rode at full speed, not daring to linger, and finally arrived in time.
"If it weren't for the ten soldiers you sent, I wouldn't have been able to arrive here so quickly; I would have arrived at least two hours later."
Hearing this, Wan Jinda wiped the sweat from his forehead. Fortunately, he had made the right decision, otherwise he and his companions would have fallen into the hands of the robbers.
Next, the Fourth Prince was not in a hurry to continue his journey. He ordered his soldiers to set up camp, treat the wounded, and rest for a day before returning to the capital the next day.
With the military escort, the convoy encountered no further problems, and after more than ten days, it finally returned to Beijing.
After learning that the Fourth Prince had brought the convoy back safely, the Emperor was finally relieved.
Previously, three hundred cavalrymen had escorted ten soldiers carrying silver notes back to the capital. Through their accounts, he learned about the caravan's experiences on the return journey.
Wan Jinda's decision to have them return to the capital with the silver notes was clearly made under extremely urgent circumstances. Since the Fourth Prince's reinforcements were able to meet them, it meant that the reinforcements were not far from the First Prince's convoy.
He is now very worried about the safety of the eldest prince, and sending the eldest prince on a mission to Yuanxi may have been a mistake.
The young prince is gone, and if the eldest prince were to suffer any mishap, it would be a disaster for the royal family.
Thus, the emperor spent some time in trepidation until the Fourth Prince escorted the convoy safely back to the capital, at which point he finally felt at ease.
The eldest prince fell ill after returning to the capital due to the shock he experienced on the return journey, but he recovered without serious illness.
Through this experience, the emperor finally saw Li Hui's abilities clearly. He realized that Li Hui was no match for the young prince and was not fit for important tasks. If things continued this way, the future of the Great Northern Dynasty would be bleak.
Hopefully, this experience will be helpful to the eldest prince. In the future, we should frequently find things for him to do, and we must start training him from now on.
That day, the emperor summoned the fourth prince and expressed his thoughts, saying that this was a matter for the royal family and he did not want outsiders to know.
The Fourth Prince nodded and said, "Your Majesty means to find some opportunities for the First Prince to gain experience so that he can grow and be capable of taking on important responsibilities in the future."
"That's right. Take Princess Li Xue for example. The Prince has put her through many trials. Now, Li Xue is not only knowledgeable but also extremely capable. It must have been Li Xue's idea to go to the desert to meet the Prince's caravan during his expedition."
"This was indeed Li Xue's idea. Li Xue often travels all over the country and visits people's homes, which has indeed broadened her horizons. However, it was not I who asked her to do it, but because she likes it this way."
Actually, I don't want her to be like this. It's not good for a girl to be like this all the time, but I have no choice.
"She's gotten much thinner and darker since returning to the capital, which breaks my heart. I reckon she'll be leaving again in a few days," the Fourth Prince said.
"I don't think so. Every time Li Xue goes out, she is not just traveling, but actually doing things for the court. As long as it is beneficial to the court, she is willing to do it. During this period, she has done a lot of important things for the court."
The emperor's words pleased the Fourth Prince greatly. His daughter would follow his example, and everyone knew of Li Xue's contributions to the court. As her father, he was naturally delighted.
Suddenly, the Fourth Prince remembered something, and he took out a box and handed it to the Emperor.
"Your Majesty, this is a new tea that Xue'er made herself in the countryside before returning to the capital. I tasted it and found it to be better than some of the famous teas in the capital. Such fine tea is too good for me to enjoy alone, so I brought some over for you to try."
"This is a new tea made by the princess herself. It's wonderful! I want to taste it now." The emperor held the tea leaves, very pleased, and immediately ordered someone to brew tea for him.
Soon, a cup of tea was brewed, its aroma filling the air; just by smelling it, you could tell it was good tea.
The emperor picked up his teacup, sipped it slowly, and after a long while, uttered two words:
"Good tea."
The Fourth Prince was also very pleased to see that the Emperor liked this tea.
"My elder brother said he wanted to give the eldest prince a chance to gain experience, but I don't know how to give him that opportunity."
"Experience is not about sightseeing, but about settling down and working diligently, learning to endure hardship and broaden one's horizons. Only in this way can experience be effective."
The funds for this water conservancy project have been secured, and construction has already begun in various regions. I plan to appoint Hui'er as the inspector for this year's water conservancy projects, to get some practical work done and broaden his horizons.
"But the First Prince knows nothing about water conservancy, how can he supervise it?" the Fourth Prince asked, puzzled.
"The water conservancy inspection is just a gimmick. Of course, he won't actually do the inspections. He just needs to follow the water department officials and do some things."
The Fourth Prince understood. They called it training, but it meant letting the First Prince travel among the common people, understand their conditions, and broaden his horizons. How could the officials of the Water Department possibly let the First Prince work for them?
"When does Your Majesty plan to send the First Prince off? Have you discussed this with the First Prince and asked him to make some preparations?"
"Not yet. I'm about to talk to Hui'er about this. This isn't something to discuss; he needs to go through some training."
The imperial edict rewarding Zhao Lushi has already been drafted. When the time comes, Hui'er will accompany the messenger to Shuixian Village so that he can see what it's like.
I heard that Zhao Lushi is only in his early twenties, about the same age as Hui'er. I hope they can get to know each other.
Zhao Lushi is a rare talent of our time. I originally intended to appoint him to a post in the capital, but he was born into a poor family and would face suppression and exclusion in the court, which would be detrimental to him.
For now, he'll stay in Narcissus Village, hoping that he can be used by Hui'er in the future.
After the imperial edict is delivered, Hui'er will accompany the officials of the Ministry of Water Resources to various places to begin water conservancy inspections, which may last for more than a year.
I hope Hui'er will achieve something in the past year or so.
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