Consort Zhuang doesn't want palace intrigue; she just wants to raise her child and live a caref

Chapter 356: Blind and blind

"Replying to your question, sir, including this time, it's been three times in total. As for the exact number of robberies, we don't know." The bandit who had spoken first was now trembling with fear, cold sweat dripping from his forehead, afraid that he might inadvertently anger the nobleman before him.

"Three times?" Tingxue looked at them in surprise, clearly taken aback by the number.

With their fighting skills, how could they have successfully robbed someone twice? Tingxue really couldn't understand how they did it.

“We’ve always robbed lone individuals before; this is the first time we’ve robbed a caravan,” one of the bandits kneeling on the ground suddenly muttered quietly.

Although the sound was very soft, Tingxue could still hear it clearly with her keen hearing.

"Have you ever killed anyone?" Tingxue's face instantly turned extremely gloomy, and her voice was icy cold, as if it could make people feel a chill run from the soles of their feet to their heads.

"No, absolutely not. We really only robbed some silver, we don't want anything else." The bandit said with a look of terror on his face, as if Tingxue's questioning made him extremely afraid.

“We know that murder is a crime and that you have to pay with your life!” His voice trembled slightly, as if he was trying to defend himself.

However, Commander Wu was clearly not buying it. He glared at him and said sternly, "Since you know that murder is illegal, does that mean robbery isn't?"

This angry shout was like a thunderclap, making the bandit tremble all over. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

Just then, another bandit suddenly interjected, "We were forced into this situation by those officials!"

His voice was filled with resentment and helplessness. "They not only took away our land, but also abducted several girls and young wives from our village! We hid the remaining girls and young wives in the mountains, but even so, those officials still won't let us go!"

At this point, the bandit became even more agitated, tears streaming down his face like a burst dam. "They're forcing us to hand over the people we're hiding, or they'll kill our entire village!"

"We really couldn't survive, so we followed Ping San and started robbing people..." The bandit's voice gradually lowered, and finally turned into a sob.

And Heisan, the corpse lying on the ground.

The bandit's words struck Wu and his men like a heavy hammer, causing them to furrow their brows. Su Nuannuan and Jinse, sitting in the carriage, were equally shocked by the bandit's words. They exchanged a glance, both seeing disbelief in each other's eyes.

They never imagined that such officials existed in this place so far from the capital. This not only worried them about the security of the area, but also made them deeply concerned about the lives of the local people.

At this moment, Su Nuannuan finally couldn't hold back any longer. With Jinse's help, she slowly stepped down from the carriage. Standing in front of the carriage, Su Nuannuan looked intently at the group of ragged and haggard bandits kneeling on the ground, and a sense of pity arose in her heart.

However, this feeling of pity was fleeting, because Su Nuannuan knew that although these bandits seemed pitiful, they had indeed committed crimes. As the saying goes, "every pitiful person has something hateful about them," and no matter the reason, it was not a justification for becoming a bandit.

Becoming a bandit is one thing, but when robbing, couldn't you at least use your brain and choose your targets carefully? Why did you have to overestimate yourself and rob her?

"Where is your village?" Su Nuannuan asked coldly, her face ashen.

The bandits looked at each other, exchanged glances, and then remained silent, none of them replying.

Seeing this, Tingxue, who was standing to the side, was immediately enraged. Her eyebrows furrowed and she shouted angrily, "You ignorant fools, how dare you be so disrespectful to Her Majesty! If you don't answer, believe me, I will execute you on the spot!"

However, the bandits did not seem to be afraid of Tingxue's threats. One of them, with his neck stiff, said defiantly, "Even if the heroine kills us, we will never tell!"

Seeing this, Su Nuannuan's anger flared up instantly. She hadn't expected these bandits to be so stubborn; they were simply refusing to listen to reason! However, she suppressed her anger and said with a cold smile, "If you don't tell me the location of your village, how can I help you?"

"You're going to stand up for us? You're not a fraud again, are you?" one of the bandits muttered suspiciously.

Upon hearing this, Tingxue couldn't help but smile. She looked at the bandits with interest and teased, "Oh, so you guys were fooled before?"

The bandits looked at each other, then lowered their heads in embarrassment, clearly feeling that Tingxue had hit the nail on the head.

Seeing this, Tingxue found it even more amusing. She continued, "Listen up, everyone. The person standing in front of you is no ordinary person. She is the Emperor's acknowledged mother, holding an extremely high position, and can sit on equal footing with the Empress Dowager."

As soon as Tingxue finished speaking, the bandits' faces instantly turned to terror. They stared wide-eyed at Su Nuannuan in disbelief, then knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly, shouting, "So it is the Noble Consort Zhuang! We were blind and offended Your Highness. Please forgive us!"

Su Nuannuan was somewhat surprised by the dramatic scene before her. She paused for a moment and asked in confusion, "You... know me?"

The bandits hurriedly kowtowed and replied, "Your Highness, we do not know you, but we do know that the high-yield corn and sweet potatoes were discovered by Your Highness. It is because of these two high-yield grains that we have not starved to death."

"Now that you know my identity, can you tell me the location of your village?" Su Nuannuan asked with a serious expression.

"Your Highness, our village is located at the foot of the mountain not far ahead."

"Get up, everyone! Lead the way." After saying that, Su Nuannuan turned around and got into the carriage.

After expressing their gratitude, the ragged bandits got up and walked ahead of the caravan.

As for Ping San's body, the bandits ignored it and simply left it on the pipe.

Finally, the Dark Dragon Guards stepped in and used a corpse-dissolving liquid to melt Ping San's body into water, which was then covered with soil.

After traveling for about 15 minutes, the carriage stopped.