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

Chapter 357 These bandits are definitely suspicious.

"Your Majesty, it seems we have arrived at our destination." Li Desheng slowly stopped the carriage and reported with some hesitation.

His uncertainty stemmed from the fact that although the bandits ahead had stopped, he had not seen the village they were talking about.

Upon hearing this, Su Nuannuan quickly reached out and gently lifted the car window curtain to look outside.

Just then, she happened to catch a glimpse of one of the bandits walking towards her carriage.

Seeing this, Commander Wu knew that the situation might have changed. He immediately spurred his warhorse and galloped out like an arrow, blocking the bandit's path.

"My lord, the road to the village is just ahead, but... but this carriage may not be able to pass. We'll have to trouble you and the lady to walk for a while." The bandit seemed somewhat apprehensive in the face of Commander Wu's obstruction, and spoke cautiously.

"Your Majesty, the situation is still unclear. You must not take any risks rashly," Jinse, sitting in the carriage, quickly advised.

Su Nuannuan frowned slightly, remained silent for a moment, and then softly called out, "Commander Wu."

Upon hearing the summons, Commander Wu quickly spurred his horse to the carriage, then nimbly dismounted, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Your Majesty, this humble servant is here. May I ask what Your Majesty commands?"

After a moment's thought, Su Nuannuan lowered her voice and instructed, "Commander Wu, you take your men and go into the village with them, bringing all the weapons you can use. If you find anything unusual along the way, immediately fire the appropriate signal flares to warn them."

"Does Her Majesty suspect them of having problems?" Upon hearing this, Commander Wu's heart tightened, and he quickly lowered his voice to ask.

Su Nuannuan nodded slightly, her delicate brows furrowed, as if deep in thought. After a moment, she said softly, "Hmm, I feel something's not right. Think about it, what kind of village can't even be entered by a carriage? Besides, they clearly said their village was at the foot of the mountain, but look, are we even at the foot of the mountain now?"

Reminded by Su Nuannuan, Commander Wu suddenly realized his mistake. He slapped his forehead and cursed himself for being so careless. He hadn't paid any attention to what the bandits had said.

"How dare they deceive the Empress!" Commander Wu was furious and said angrily, "This humble servant will go and tear them to pieces!" With that, he drew his sword and charged at the bandits.

Seeing this, Su Nuannuan quickly reached out to stop him and gently advised, "Commander Wu, please don't act rashly. Killing them now may feel good, but we won't know their true intentions. In my opinion, it would be better to hold back for now and follow them into the village to find out what's going on."

Commander Wu calmed down a bit and realized that Su Nuannuan's words made sense, so he nodded and replied, "Your Majesty is absolutely right. I will follow your advice."

At this moment, Jinse leaned out of the carriage and handed a blue purse to Commander Wu, saying softly, "These are antidote pills. You and the other guards each take one. When you follow them into the village later, take them secretly, just in case, so as not to fall into their trap."

The bandits were unaware of this action, as they were already surrounded by other guards and had no time to pay attention to anything else.

"Does Miss Jinse suspect they might poison us?" Commander Wu asked, taking the purse from Jinse with a suspicious look on his face.

Jinse nodded solemnly and explained, "As the saying goes, 'better safe than sorry,' it's always good to be prepared."

"Miss Jinse is indeed very thoughtful," Commander Wu said, putting away the antidote pouch.

Immediately afterwards, Jinse took out a green pouch and handed it to Commander Wu, adding, "This pouch contains poison powder. In case of danger, just scatter it, and the enemy will fall to the ground in no time."

"You've taken the antidote pills, so even if you accidentally come into contact with the poison powder, you don't need to worry about being affected."

Commander Wu quickly thanked Jinse, carefully took the purse containing the poison powder, and put it away carefully. Then he said to Su Nuannuan, "Your Majesty, since that's the case, then this humble servant will take some men to follow them and see if they are real bandits or fake bandits."

Su Nuannuan frowned slightly, still somewhat worried, but nodded in agreement, saying, "Go! But be extra careful along the way, don't let your guard down, and don't underestimate the enemy."

After receiving the order, Commander Wu hesitated for a moment and said to Su Nuannuan, "Your Majesty, perhaps we should leave some people here to protect your safety."

"No need. There are people protecting me in secret. There is no need to worry."

She paused, then continued, "Tingxue and Jinse are both skilled in martial arts. With them by my side, I can handle any situation. Moreover, I also have weapons for self-defense."

Before she finished speaking, Su Nuannuan took out the musket that had been placed aside and showed it to Commander Wu. The musket was entirely black, with smooth lines and a faint metallic sheen, clearly indicating that it had been meticulously crafted.

Upon seeing this, Commander Wu felt much more at ease. He knew that this musket was extremely powerful, and if Su Nuannuan were in danger, a simple pull of the trigger would deliver a fatal blow.

Su Nuannuan's actions were undoubtedly intended to reassure Commander Wu so that he could focus on his work without worrying about her safety.

“Only by doing this can we find out whether they are real bandits or fake bandits.” Su Nuannuan shook her head decisively and answered firmly.

Upon hearing this, Commander Wu hesitated slightly, seemingly somewhat worried, but still nodded obediently and said, "Then...then Your Majesty must be extra careful."

"Don't worry, just be careful," Su Nuannuan instructed.

"Yes." Commander Wu clasped his hands in a salute, then turned and strode forward.

"Everyone, listen up! Dismount!" Commander Wu gave the order, and the guards quickly and neatly dismounted, their movements swift and efficient.

"You lead the way, everyone follow!" Commander Wu then issued two more orders, the first to the bandits and the second to the guards.

However, at that moment, one of the bandits noticed that Su Nuannuan had not gotten off the carriage. He was a little surprised and quickly stepped forward, asking with a fawning expression, "Sir, sir, why isn't the lady getting off the carriage?"

"Your Majesty is of noble birth, how can you walk into the village with you?" Commander Wu said angrily, "We will follow you into the village to understand the situation, which is the same. At that time, Your Majesty will naturally make a decision for you."

Upon hearing this, the bandit hurriedly nodded and bowed, repeatedly saying, "Yes, yes, yes, what this gentleman says is absolutely right." However, just as he was agreeing, he didn't forget to give a wink to his companion beside him.

This subtle movement happened to fall into Commander Wu's eyes, and alarm bells immediately went off in his mind: "These bandits are definitely suspicious."