Chapter 208

208 The Bandits

Until, a sound from the bushes not far from behind the rock made BeiYau’s eyes, who was always on guard with a sword in his hand, open his eyes quickly, looking intently at the origin of the sound, until suddenly many people appeared from behind the rock and attacked suddenly.

“Hiaaattt!” In the dark, those people whose faces were invisible due to the darkness and their coverings rushed towards the guard, surely not ordinary people as they were able to knock several of BeiYau’s men down.

“Ah!”

“Insolent who are they!” BeiYau hadn’t moved from his spot, surely his men should be able to deal with people who might be mountain bandits, just like what old man Wu said.

LuoXiang parted the curtains of his carriage looking in the direction where the skirmish was taking place.

“Bei”

“Report Your Majesty there are bandits attacking, but Your Majesty don’t worry they are not my men’s opponents, they will be overcome in a moment”

LuoXiang took a breath, he was very sleepy and glanced inside the carriage where BaiYing was sleeping very soundly and peacefully, lest the commotion wakes him, LuoXiang slowly got off the carriage.

“So many intruders”

.....

Not long after, some of the bandits who attacked were finally caught, it was a stupid move to attack the Crown Prince’s entourage, not a smart idea because at that time the Crown Prince’s entourage was guards by fairly high martial skills men.

Brukk!

Several men of various shapes, tall, round, short have been dropped to their knees in front of the Crown Prince who was so disturbed that he couldn’t continue his sleep, his eyes were sharp seeing several men kneeling in front of him with faces and bodies full of wounds, who are very unlucky because of only those three people couldn’t escape.

“You guys are so brave to attack our group, are you tired of living? Even if you die here, your bodies will be abandoned and become food for the hungry wolves who have been waiting very patiently.” The Crown Prince thought he would just prank those people.

One of the slightly stocky men raised his head, looking at the Crown Prince intently as if not afraid of death.

“Just kill servant, what does it mean to live or not? All of my life is now meaningless.”

The Crown Prince smirked.

“Heh is easy but, our swords are too shiny to kill ordinary people like you, you guys, can’t even hold a weapon properly and expect to rob peoples, so ridiculous, Bei, just throw them to the wolves who have been waiting, after all, we don’t need to take prisoners along, who only disturb people’s sleep.”

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BeiYau nodded, although he was a bit hesitant, it had been a long time since his Crown Prince had ordered them to punish or kill people, and looking in his eyes now, BeiYau thought the Crown Prince was indeed serious.

“Yes Your Majesty”

But before BeiYau ordered his men to advance, BaiYing’s voice stopped him.

“Your Majesty, what does Your Majesty mean?”

LuoXiang stuttered to see BaiYing who was already standing behind him, the boy woke up from his slumber.

“Eh YingYing, you awake? Well, these people have dared to disturb our sleep, after all, they are useless bandits who can only annoy passers-by, killing a few of them will make the bandits lessened right?”

BaiYing looked at some of the bandits kneeling in front of them, some real faces. very ordinary, even too ordinary, eyes full of sadness, not like the bandits he used to saw, BaiYing slowly come closer, all the guards on alert as the young man approached the bandits who seemed resigned to their fate, seen clenching their fists firmly in their laps.

“Why? You guys became bandits?” he asked, LuoXiang smirked, the kid’s question was so innocent, what else could lead people to become bandits if not to rob people’s property.

But BaiYing’s innocent question made the three grown men raise their heads, saw BaiYing’s face which lowered his body in front of them and looked at each other, then one of the stoutest men swallowed his saliva before answering BaiYing’s question.

“We’re, not bandits, we, are forced to do it to make more money” replied the man, LuoXiang crossed his arms in front of his chest.

“Well, as did I say Ying, what else do they want if not money, heh, this is really wasting time”

One of the men finally couldn’t help but shed a tear which he quickly wiped away with his sleeve.

“Ems, we, have no other choice, if, we don’t get the money, our children, will be sold elsewhere, we, must get it so that we can buy them back, as soon as possible” the answer of one man on the right side made BaiYing glancing at the other two who were also unable to contain their sadness, they lowered their heads deeply, dissolved in helplessness and resignation, BaiYing looked at the Crown Prince, who had sat up in his seat at the men’s answer.

“Heh, really”

...

“Can’t Ying, this is a very bad idea, how could I allow you to do such a stupid thing” LuoXiang exclaimed after hearing BaiYing’s idea,

The skies getting bright and they couldn’t sleep all night because of this bandit problem, BeiYau had already sent his men to search the base while the slave sellers, who were told by three men from their native Moon village, where their children were forcibly taken by people who claimed to be MaYang city officials who took care of human resources issues.

Because they had come of working age and the children still do not have a job, the city officials have the right to arrest for not being able to pay the fine, and that makes the children from Moon village and its surroundings who are grown up to held captives, even, one by one they are sold as slaves to brothel houses or other forced work, before their children are sold the family must be able to provide some money to pay the fine, that’s what makes old man Li and his two neighbors became bandits along with many other local villagers.

But, even after BeiYau’s men searched the location who’s told by one of the residents, the place was empty, they had moved.

BaiYing’s hold LuoXiang who was standing and washed his face with the fresh water brought by the young guard.

“Your Majesty, this is the only way, if they can’t find those people before this afternoon then their children will disappear and be sold somewhere, let me help them, according to old man Li those people will come back to the village this afternoon to pick up the children who have just grown up, this is very scary, if they lose their children again...” BaiYing stopped his speech, unable to continue the incident that made him unable to contain his sadness, what a poor people.

LuoXiang understood BaiYing’s point, he was deeply affected by this matter, and they really couldn’t let this happen in front of their eyes, previously if they didn’t know they couldn’t do anything, but when they found out, as a Crown Prince or not, even if they were only commoners, he couldn’t allow injustice to happen in front of his own eyes without doing anything.

“It doesn’t have to be you, you are my concubine, Viceroy WahYe, shouldn’t someone so honorable and precious as you be bait for those brainless fools, let someone else do it, BeiYau can follow them”

BaiYing raised his head, LuoXiang’s loud voices, he knew this was the Crown Prince’s words which worried him so much that he couldn’t possibly let him get into trouble, but BaiYing’s hand held LuoXiang’s hand tightly.

“Your Majesty forgot, that in this world, there may be no one who can harm Ying’er, so what is Your Majesty worried about? I must be able to protect myself very well.”

LuoXiang gulped, looking at BaiYing from under his feet to the top of his head, that was what worried him, his YingYing’s appearance and face were very attractive, which a normal person would not like him when they saw such a beautiful face before their eyes? Men and women, all would be fascinated by him, that was what he most worried about.

LuoXiang exhaled.

“Heh this kid”

BaiYing’s hand was still tugging at LuoXiang’s clothes as he used to do whenever he sulked, and it seemed, the Crown Prince had no other choice but to comply.

...

Pranngg!!

The stuff fell, the village people, which located not far inside the city gate of MaYang looked very shabby and poor, the land was arid and the residents’ houses were almost collapsed, this is one of the villages classified as very poor and neglected by city officials because of its not strategic location, even if the peoples there are very poor no one will notice them and the great city of MaYang will not be affected by it.

Men dressed as guards from the MaYang city officials burst into the resident’s houses who could not pay taxes and fines, ruffled furniture, and pushed people, most of whom were old and old and unable to resist.

“Master” a woman who may be the wife of the owner of the shabby house held her husband’s body which was pushed hard to the ground and hit the rickety table, all their belongings were broken and messy when they fell to the floor, three-city soldiers stood with their high chins and arrogant faces to see the helpless people kneeling before them begging for mercy.

“Please don’t, sir, our son just had his birthday yesterday, there is still a lot of time before the deadline for him to find a job, we are not yet obliged to pay a fine, please forgive us and give us time” the voice of an elderly man who kneeled down to the ground, his wife joined kneeling beside him.

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