Travel through space and help the prince’s husband in construction

Chapter 1112 An official's daughter falls for the Xiao brothers; Ling'er uses the opportun

Meng Ling'er went to find Xiao Yan, but found him entertaining guests.

The prefect and general both came to see Xiao Yan. Meng Ling'er didn't go in directly, but listened outside to hear their purpose.

"General Xiao, the bandit problem here is particularly serious. Even if you capture this group of bandits and leave with your men, it won't be long before a large number of bandits gather again."

Our situation here is unique. The soldiers stationed here and the bandits are all brothers who fought side by side. When it comes to suppressing the bandits, no one has the heart to actually take action.

"Can you understand my predicament?" General Baron, stationed at the site, said helplessly.

Prefect Liang Yu also lowered his stance and pleaded with Xiao Yan: "General Xiao, we would be very happy if you came to help us suppress the bandits."

However, if you leave with your men, when the bandits regroup, they will rob and commit crimes even more brazenly in order to retaliate against the government, to quickly seize money, and to expand their bandit organization.

As the local official and the garrison commander, we both bear inescapable responsibilities, but our abilities are limited.

"We've come to you today to ask you to write a memorial to the court, requesting that you station yourself here for a year to help us completely resolve the bandit problem."

Xiao Yan came here to suppress bandits, and his mission was scheduled for three months. Besides, he had promised his mother and grandmother that he would cooperate with their arranged marriages upon his return. He was getting on in years, and his marriage needed to be settled as soon as possible.

Xiao Yan neither directly agreed nor directly refused, but instead replied truthfully:

"General Balen, Prefect, I understand your difficulties. The banditry here is complex, and it will certainly not be possible to eradicate it completely in a short time."

"However, I am on a mission ordered by the imperial court, with a term of only three months, and my elders at home are also hoping that I will return to settle my marriage." Xiao Yan said solemnly.

Prefect Liang Yu hurriedly said, "General Xiao, if you can stay, the imperial court will reward you handsomely for your meritorious service in suppressing the bandits, and your future will be bright. As for the mission period, we can also help you petition the imperial court to extend it."

General Baron chimed in, "Yes, General Xiao, only you have the ability to completely resolve this bandit problem, and the people are hoping that you can stay longer."

Xiao Yan fell into deep thought. At this moment, Meng Ling'er gently pushed open the door and entered. She walked to Xiao Yan's side and said softly, "General, this matter of suppressing bandits concerns the safety of the people in this region. If it can be completely resolved, it will be a great achievement."

"Marriage can wait. Have your mother find a suitable daughter from an official family; then we can finalize the arrangement as soon as possible."

Xiao Yan also felt that eliminating the bandits was a major matter. He had already made up his mind, stood up, and said to the two men:

"Very well, I will write a memorial to the court requesting permission to be stationed here for a year, and I will definitely help you completely eliminate the bandit problem."

Before Xiao Yan, Xiao Lie, and Meng Ling'er came to investigate the case and suppress the bandits, the king had already authorized Xiao Yan to handle the border bandit problem with full authority.

After half a month of investigation and dealing with the bandits, the three men concluded that the banditry in the area was serious, and the crimes were ruthless and rampant, which was due to the ineffectiveness of the local government and the garrison in suppressing the bandits.

It's even possible that someone tipped them off and protected the bandits, which allowed them to easily evade large-scale anti-bandit operations by the government.

They had already decided to observe here for a period of time, find out the root of the problem, and look for solutions.

Liang Yu and Baron's requests were exactly what Xiao Yan wanted. His refusal was both a fact and a feigned reluctance. His aim was to make Liang Yu and Baron believe that the three of them were acting under orders, wanted to return to the capital quickly, and did not want to meddle in other people's business.

In this way, Liang Yu and Balun will not only not hinder their investigation of the bandits and those who collude with them, but will also actively help them.

The news quickly reached the ears of Xiao Lie and Yun Yisanren.

Xiao Lie didn't mind returning more than half a year later. No one would bother him at the border, and he could even fight bandits, earn merit, and broaden his horizons—he couldn't ask for more.

Yunyi Sanren was anxious to return and see his sect disciples. He could not and did not need to stay here permanently.

They can quickly wipe out a large number of bandits, and then he should go back. He can come back to help again if needed in the future.

Meng Ling'er's future has truly become a problem.

Meng Ling'er neither wanted to leave Yunyi Sanren nor did she want to fight bandits on the border and realize her ideals and ambitions.

Yunyi Sanren hopes that Meng Ling'er will spend some time training at the border, experiencing the hardships of life firsthand. She wants her to personally understand how hard-won peace is at the border and the arduous journey of the border soldiers defending their country.

Liang Yu and Balun advocated keeping the Xiao brothers, Xiao Yan and Xiao Lie, not only to have them fight bandits, but also because their daughters were of marriageable age.

The eldest daughters of both families each took a liking to one of the Xiao brothers.

The two adults also spoke highly of the two cousins. Not only were Xiao Yan and Xiao Lie both handsome and from prominent families, but more importantly, their character and talent were truly admirable.

So the two adults kept the Xiao brothers with them. However, in their eyes, Meng Ling'er, this princess of extraordinary status, was their daughter's biggest potential competitor.

Therefore, Liang Yu and Balun wanted to test the relationship between Meng Ling'er and the Xiao brothers.

Meng Ling'er and Xiao Lie are cousins ​​who have shared similar interests since childhood, naturally leading to a close relationship. Xiao Yan has also become familiar with Meng Ling'er over the time they've spent together. They are also cousins ​​in a roundabout way, so their interactions are quite natural as well.

For the time being, outsiders really couldn't tell the relationship between them.

This greatly worried Miss Liang and Miss Ba. They deliberately bumped into Meng Ling'er, dragging her to restaurants, jewelry shops, and street stalls to buy snacks…

Of course, throughout the journey, the two young ladies and Meng Ling'er's conversations invariably revolved around the Xiao brothers.

Meng Ling'er didn't think much of it at first, but later she discovered that Miss Liang Xuejiao was in love with Xiao Lie, and Miss Ba Muya also liked Xiao Lie. The two young ladies were being attentive to her in order to confirm whether she liked their sweethearts.

Meng Ling'er is an unconventional person, and her replies to the two young ladies were ambiguous.

However, what she meant was: "Both Xiao brothers are outstanding young men from noble families, and they are both very suitable candidates to become future prince consorts."

"This time, I, the princess, am working with them to solve the case and suppress the bandits, precisely to determine which of Young Master Xiao I truly favor."

The two young ladies each tried to persuade Meng Ling'er not to choose the person she liked, so they tried all sorts of ways to curry favor with her.

Meng Ling'er took the opportunity to befriend them. Her purpose was naturally to find out if there was any secret collusion between the government officials, the local soldiers, and the bandit leaders.

Yunyi Sanren had always paid special attention to Meng Ling'er. He placed a tracking talisman on her. Although he wouldn't constantly monitor her whereabouts, he would occasionally check her updates.

After hearing what Meng Ling'er said, he felt inexplicably uncomfortable.

He didn't understand. Since Ling'er had decided to choose a consort from the two Xiao brothers, why was she bothering him? Did this little girl even know what he was doing?