Remember "Bookworm" in one second.
An hour later, it dawned.
Last night's raid on the official ship involved seventy bandits, more than half of whom were killed, and the rest were seriously injured. The guards and sailors on the official ship also suffered casualties.
Wang Tong was indeed the leader of the East Palace Guards, handling such matters with ease and efficiency. He left only two slightly injured bandits to be interrogated for details, while the rest were sent to the nearest government office for disposal.
The injured sailors on the official ship were all sent to the cabin for treatment and bandaging. Although the Crown Prince was traveling in secret, the ship also brought skilled imperial physicians. Dealing with these superficial wounds was nothing.
Dozens of Donggong guards kept fetching water from the river to rinse the deck, and the bloodstains on the deck were quickly washed away. Only the lingering smell of blood remained.
"......Your Highness, everything has been taken care of." Wang Tong, who had been busy for half the night, was still full of energy and reported everything in brief and concise language. Finally, he added: "Lord Ling and all his family members have come to see you to express their gratitude and are waiting outside."
The crown prince nodded slightly.
No impatience on his face, nor any annoyance.
Wang Tong secretly let out a sigh of relief and immediately ordered: "Please ask Lord Ling and his family to board the ship."
The servant retreated after receiving orders, and after a moment, Mr. Ling entered the cabin with all his family members.
Lord Ling hastened forward, performed a grand bow and said with gratitude: "I am Minister Ling Zhiyuan, thanking Your Highness Ta Sun for saving my life. Last night I encountered bandits, fortunately Your Highness led the guards to rescue me in time. Otherwise, my whole family would have probably met with disaster."
These words were spoken with deep emotion and sincerity, overflowing with gratitude.
The crown prince smiled calmly and accepted the courtesy: "Ling Langzhong, please get up. It's just a matter of lifting one's hand."
His Highness Taizong, why did you suddenly appear on this waterway? And how did you coincidentally see the distress signal and come to rescue us?
Such trivial details would certainly not be explained by the crown prince himself.
Ling Da Ye didn't dare ask more questions and with gratitude said a few words before standing up.
Ling Jingxu also stood up with Sun and others, lowering her head and looking gentle and soft.
Completely different from the ruthless girl holding a dagger last night.
The crown prince's gaze swept over the girl with a hint of a smile, his lips curling up slightly. It was unclear whether he was mocking or amused.
"Come and take a seat!" Although the Crown Prince was young, he had an air of nobility that was overwhelming, his words and actions filled with an irresistible majesty.
Ling Da Ye somewhat flattered and surprised, thanked: "Thank you, Prince Tai Sun, for granting me a seat."
The one in front of him is the eldest son of the East Palace, the most favored and loved by the Emperor. The Crown Prince is weak and not a long-lived physiognomy. Perhaps before the Emperor's death, he will directly pass the throne to the Imperial Grandson, which is also possible.
In short, this world will eventually belong to this young man sooner or later.
It's a delightful thing to be favored by the Crown Prince!
......
At the crown prince's command, several eunuchs immediately brought over small, exquisite rugs.
It was natural that ordinary people did not have the qualification to sit on an equal level with the Crown Prince. Sitting on a slightly lower velvet mat was already a great favor.
After Old Man Ling sat down carefully, everyone else also sat down one by one.
Ling Jingxu deliberately sat in the most rear position, and intentionally hung her head down, without raising her head to look at the Crown Prince. Her ears, however, were pricked up cautiously and carefully, not missing a single word.
The crown prince ordered: "Wang Tong, tell Ling Langzhong and his family about the bandits' confession."
"Yes," Wang Tong responded, standing behind the Crown Prince and saying in a deep voice: "This group of bandits has about 100 people. They have four ships, their lair is very hidden. Normally they engage in human trafficking."
Human Trafficking?
Everyone was shocked at once.
No wonder the bandits who launched a surprise attack on the ship last night did not kill many people, but instead divided their forces to fight with the guards and sailors, then searched and found the third floor cabin to abduct Ling Jingyu and her brother.
"They specifically target beautiful and talented daughters of officials, using their usual methods. First, they find a suitable target, then secretly follow them, and finally, they take action when the opportunity arises. They don't harm anyone or steal gold and silver. They only abduct the targeted person. Once they achieve their goal, they immediately escape and never linger."
"They acted swiftly and successfully. The family was worried about the daughter who had been kidnapped. They didn't dare to report it openly, but could only search secretly. There was no news, yet they couldn't spread the word."
"The abducted girls will be quickly transported beyond the borders and sold to the leaders of the barbarian tribes. The price is high, a girl can usually sell for the high price of 100 war horses."
"We, the Great Zhou Dynasty, lack war horses. An ordinary war horse can be sold for 200-300 taels of silver. The best war horses from outside the pass can sell for as high as 3,000-4,000 taels of silver. One hundred war horses would be worth 30,000-40,000 taels of silver. With such a huge profit, it's no wonder these bandits dare to take risks."
Those two bandits couldn't bear the torture and confessed everything. They said that on that day, they had been eyeing Miss Lingjiu at the dock, and after secretly following her for two days and two nights, they finally found an opportunity to make their move.
After Wang Tong finished speaking, everyone's face didn't look very good.
This is the psychological activity of the masses.
Ling Da Ye: If Ling Jing Yu was really kidnapped and sold outside the pass, what face would he have to see his elderly mother and fifth brother at home?
Sun: It turns out those people were indeed after Ah Shu. What a disaster.
Chiang: Fortunately, they didn't succeed! Otherwise, Ah-shu's life would have been completely ruined.
Ling Xi: It turns out that Ah Jiao's premonition was correct, it's all my fault, I didn't take it to heart at the time, if only I had been prepared earlier, things wouldn't have ended up like this.
Ling Jingyan: Are these bandits all blind? Even if I'm not as beautiful as Ling Jingxiao, at least I'm a stunning beauty and a talented young lady. Why doesn't anyone notice me?!
......
Of course, no one has deeper feelings than Ling Jingxuan.
Her palms were sweating profusely, and her heart was filled with lingering fear.
This beautiful face has never brought her true happiness. The tragedy of her past life was half due to Lu Xuan's heartlessness and the other half due to Lu Qian's infatuation and Lu An's lust for women.
It's even more absurd in this life, and I've actually been targeted by a group of greedy bandits.
If she hadn't sent out a distress signal earlier, if it wasn't for the right people coming to her rescue, if she hadn't made that split-second decision... what fate awaits her now?
Ling Xiao suddenly stood up, feeling his way to the front of the Crown Prince, then knelt down with a thud: "Thank you, Your Highness, for saving Ah Shu! The favor you've done us, Ah Shu and I will never forget, and we'll definitely repay your kindness in the future."
As he spoke, he knocked his head on the ground three times with great force.
Ling Jingxu gazed at Ling Xiao's slightly thin back, her eyes suddenly burning hot, with tears welling up.
