“Were you all just talking about the bandit troubles at the border?”
Shen Yu was abnormally sensitive to this topic, her sensitivity no less than Xiao Chunu’s first time—touch it and it’s over.
No matter who uttered the words “Qingfeng Village,” it could draw Shen Yu over to join the conversation.
“That’s right.”
Xiao Yue’s expression remained unchanged, and the look she gave Yun Wei still carried a hint of dissatisfaction and reproach.
Only the corners of her mouth lifted imperceptibly by a fraction.
“The banditry from Qingfeng Village is severe and has already affected the livelihood of the people at the border. Many imperial censors at the court have repeatedly advised that the court dispatch troops to exterminate the bandit forces of Qingfeng Village.”
“There are even some noble families who have taken the initiative to donate funds, demanding that the court send out a hundred thousand troops, led by Marquis Wuding to suppress the bandits.”
After saying this, Xiao Yue couldn’t help but sigh, her pretty little face full of worry.
“I often hear my father talk about this matter as well. It seems the banditry from Qingfeng Village has severely impacted the noble families’ trade with the border and beyond the passes, causing them to lose a significant amount of silver.”
“That’s why the noble families harbor such a deep grudge and hatred for Qingfeng Village.”
Xiao Yue’s words plunged Shen Yu into deep thought.
She seemed to recall hearing from her grandpa that the noble families wanted to take advantage of the border’s remoteness and difficulty to manage to engage in some smuggling of tea, horses, firearms, and salt.
For Qingfeng Village, as the local power, if the noble families wanted to smuggle, there would definitely be profits flowing into their pockets.
Logically, it should be beneficial for Qingfeng Village.
Moreover, given how much her grandpa hated the court and the emperor, he would absolutely support such smuggling transactions that wouldn’t bring the emperor the slightest benefit.
But the problem lay right here.
Shen Yu remembered the smuggling business so clearly precisely because of this.
Her grandpa was extremely disgusted by the smuggling activities of the noble families.
He was so bold that if the noble families dared to smuggle once, he would personally lead people to rob them once.
Thus, Qingfeng Village undoubtedly became a powerful strike against the noble families’ smuggling operations at the border.
Her grandpa’s explanation for this was… they were bandits, so why would they collude with the noble families?
Wouldn’t it be more profitable to just rob the goods the noble families were trying to smuggle?
But based on Shen Yu’s understanding of her grandpa, she knew very well that he always planned meticulously, often seeing a dozen steps ahead when taking the first one.
Directly robbing the noble families’ smuggled goods was undoubtedly a method of draining the pond to catch the fish.
Not only would it antagonize the noble families, but the court would also define Qingfeng Village as vicious bandits because of their robbery activities.
After all, the noble families’ ability to shape public opinion was very strong.
They would never mention a word about their own smuggling, but they would make a huge fuss about Qingfeng Village robbing their goods.
“As the saying goes, cutting off someone’s source of wealth is like killing their parents. Those noble families are so anxious to bite back, even going so far as to spend money to help the court suppress the bandits at all costs, probably for this very reason, right?”
“However… the court isn’t very interested in this. Mainly because suppressing the bandits costs too much. The funds provided by the noble families are only enough for the court to dispatch troops. Afterward, the pensions for the soldiers who died or were injured in battle, as well as the rewards in gold and silver, all have to be paid by the court. Exterminating Qingfeng Village won’t change the fact that the border is remote and the emperor’s authority is distant. There will just be another Qingfeng Village.”
As Xiao Yue said this, she instinctively glanced at Yun Wei, who was bowing her head beside her.
“Marquis Wuding is in charge of this matter, so Yun Wei should know best. The court’s willingness to suppress the bandits isn’t actually high. Moreover, the noble families have really gone too far this time, so the silver they’ve offered…”
“I think the court will probably use it to deal with the refugees outside the city and manage the increasingly severe Great Plague of the Hundred-Year Sore within the country.”
Xiao Yue’s words made Yun Wei instinctively raise her head, her face filled with a look of horror.
Shen Yu didn’t know Xiao Yue’s identity.
In her view, Xiao Yue’s words were just an analysis of the situation.
But Yun Wei knew…
Xiao Yue, as the Crown Prince of the Empire, her word was law.
If she thought this was how things should be done, then that’s how they would be done.
Taking the money the noble families raised for bandit suppression to manage the Great Plague… hiss…
Under normal circumstances, this would definitely be impossible.
But now, with the precedent of the attack on Mu’en Hall as support…
It seemed those noble families, to protect themselves, would really have to swallow this bitter pill in silence.
The refugees outside the city were the ones they brought.
Now they would have to spend their own money to settle those refugees properly.
Could it be that all of this… was a trap laid by the Grand Princess?