Jun Yelan listened to the news from the guards. The boxes in the official's courtyard on the left were already filled. He waved his hand and said, "Transport the grain to the manor. Exchange the money for cloth and tools, and send them over too."
"Yes, Your Highness." The guards left. They bumped into Lan Yan at the entrance and bowed before departing.
Lan Yan walked in, carrying a bowl of white fungus soup. Seeing Jun Yelan still frowning, she asked, "Your Highness, is there something else?"
Jun Yelan looked at the map on the table. "The civilians in the city have been settled. However, there are still mountain bandits outside the city. They occupy the mountain range. If we are to eliminate them, we will need to arrange more manpower."
The biggest problem in this Dingzhou was the lack of capable personnel. The people he had brought were already dispersed. If he drew more people, his and Lan Yan's safety would be threatened.
Lan Yan looked at the map and suggested, "These mountain bandits were once civilians. If they learn that their relatives here are safe, perhaps they will listen to us. We can try to negotiate with them."
Jun Yelan thought this was also a solution. "I need to go personally for this. Otherwise, they won't trust us."
"Then, Your Highness, I will go with you. It's more dangerous for me to be here alone." Lan Yan said this deliberately, wanting Jun Yelan to take her along.
Jun Yelan was indeed worried. He held Lan Yan's hand and nodded. "Alright, you'll be safer by my side."
"Okay." Lan Yan brought the white fungus soup over, placed it in Jun Yelan's hand, and smiled. "Your Highness, this is to nourish your body. You've been too tired lately." She often woke up in the middle of the night and saw Jun Yelan still handling official documents.
She walked behind Jun Yelan and touched his temples, gently massaging them. "Your Highness, please rest early tonight. I'm a bit scared sleeping here alone."
Hearing this, Jun Yelan naturally nodded. He couldn't bear to see Lan Yan have a poor night's sleep.
Lan Yan showed a smile of success behind him.
The next morning, the two of them, along with a few people, headed towards a nearby mountain. Of course, this was only the apparent number of people.
The largest bandit stronghold was on this mountain. The bandit leader used to be a butcher in the city. Seeing that he couldn't make a living, he rallied his neighbors and villagers, declared himself king of the mountain, and specialized in robbing the rich when they descended.
Lan Yan pushed Jun Yelan's wheelchair to the entrance of the stronghold and immediately saw bones hanging at the entrance.
Most of the bones were the remains of fierce beasts from the mountain.
The people in the stronghold noticed them and quickly ran inside to report to their leader. "Big Brother, someone has arrived at the entrance. It seems to be an official. Do you want to go and see?"
"Nonsense!" Bandit leader Zhu Laoda pushed away the beauty in his arms, grabbed the large saber beside him, and led dozens of subordinates, swaggering towards the entrance.
However, when he saw the beauty at the entrance, he stopped in his tracks. It was a subordinate next to him who urged him. He quickly snapped back to attention and stood not far from Jun Yelan, shouting, "Who are you?"
Jun Yelan's eyes were icy. "The Third Prince of the present dynasty, here to handle matters in Dingzhou."
Zhu Laoda frowned. "This is even higher than the officials of Dingzhou." He thrust his saber into the ground and roared, "I don't care who you are, leave your money, and I can let you go."
"Heh." Jun Yelan sneered. "Sometimes being too arrogant is not a good thing. Your food supply here is dwindling, and you won't survive this winter. Accept the amnesty, and you can return to the city."
The subordinates shouted, "The city can't even survive, why would we go back?"
Jun Yelan cast a cold glance, silencing the subordinates. "Since I have come, I naturally do not do useless things. The civilians and grain of Dingzhou have been settled, and next, we will repair the river."
"If you don't believe me, you can send someone down the mountain to investigate and reunite with your relatives." Having seized their weakness, he was confident the person before him would agree.
Zhu Laoda fell into hesitation and sent subordinates down the mountain. The others remained on the mountain, closely watching Jun Yelan and his group.
Jun Yelan was not in a hurry at all. He even instructed Xia Lian to bring snacks for Lan Yan. They had to wait for a long time, and he was worried Lan Yan would be hungry.
So Lan Yan ate leisurely on the side, occasionally feeding Jun Yelan. Fortunately, she didn't have to handle today's matters and could treat it as an outing.
Jun Yelan noticed Zhu Laoda looking over and blocked Lan Yan with his sleeve, staring at him with intense ferocity.
Zhu Laoda withdrew his gaze, a look of regret on his face. Just then, his subordinates returned and reported the changes in the city to him. He immediately looked at Jun Yelan in shock. This prince was indeed not just for show.
After much deliberation, he patted his subordinates on the shoulder and nodded. "Your Highness, we agree, but I have one condition. I am lacking a wife, can I marry the beauty beside you?"
As soon as he spoke, Jun Yelan's eyes blazed with anger, and he waved to the guards behind him. "She is this Prince's." He tightly grasped Lan Yan's hand, feeling an urge to kill.
Zhu Laoda was instantly frightened. He pointed at Xia Lian behind Lan Yan and shouted, "Isn't she Your Highness's maid! I understand, Your Highness, you're enjoying the blessings of both worlds."
This time, not only Jun Yelan, but Lan Yan and Xia Lian also glared at Zhu Laoda.
The veins on the back of Jun Yelan's hand bulged. He was determined to kill this person today.
As the two sides were about to fight, Lan Yan held Jun Yelan's arm and smiled, "Your Highness, can you leave this matter to me?" She shook Jun Yelan's sleeve, which somewhat dissipated his anger.
Then she stood up and looked at Zhu Laoda, "Xia Lian is my beloved maid, and her marriage is decided by her. If she agrees, this matter can proceed. If not, there's nothing to discuss."
Zhu Laoda's eyes drooped, but there was still hope. He straightened his clothes, looked at the indifferent Xia Lian, and smiled, calling out, "Miss, I don't like delicate ones. I like your fiery type."
"If you are willing to be my wife, I will entrust everything to you from now on, and I will do all the housework. You can do whatever you want." He had fallen in love at first sight.
Xia Lian looked at Zhu Laoda, contemplating which part of him to cripple. "I have no plans to get married."
This was a rejection. Zhu Laoda was so sad he almost cried. In front of his subordinates, he held back his tears and said, "Alright, I will work hard." If he followed Jun Yelan down the mountain, he would definitely have opportunities to meet her in the future.
As he passed by Jun Yelan, he also said, "Your Highness, so you like delicate ones. It must be quite hard."
Jun Yelan's anger flared up again. He called out, "Xia Lian, this person is yours to handle." He watched Zhu Laoda being dragged away by Xia Lian, then raised the hand he held with Lan Yan and said, "To this Prince, she is the one and only, the best person in this world."
Lan Yan's heart bloomed with joy. Jun Yelan had praised her so highly.