That very night, Yin copied the examination papers into a dossier and sent guards to deliver them to several vice ministers of the Wenyuan Pavilion, so that they could take a look at the completion of the papers. Every year, the examiners were selected from among these vice ministers, so Yin had essentially pulled some strings.

In the early morning, Yin handed the things to the guards of the Sticky Rod Office and asked them to send them back to the capital. The princes who left the palace to establish their own residences would have several advisors. Most of these people came from poor families and were unable to enter the palace examination or could only serve in remote places after entering the palace examination. Some ambitious people would choose to live in the courtyards of princes or court officials, hoping to have a better future.

Back then, Yin was considered an enlightened ruler. Among his advisors, several aspired to official careers, and he granted their wishes. Although their official ranks in the court were not high, they held relatively important positions.

Regardless of rank, all officials sent to the provinces did as their masters requested. The Yuqing Palace had the strongest influence, and Suo'etu had been making preparations since the Crown Prince was a child.

"Fourth Prince, did you not sleep all night?" Qingyan walked in from outside and saw Yin sitting in the armchair with bloodshot eyes. In front of him was a black secret document, with the exam paper copied by the examinee himself placed directly inside the secret document.

"Hmm, how did you rest?" Yin smiled and looked at her tenderly. "I've had breakfast, and I'll go shopping with you."

After they came out, Yin assigned Qingyan a task: to go shopping. The guards behind them were specially trained and could pick out useful information at the most crucial moment.

ah?!

Qingyan was stunned. Since they arrived, neither Yin nor Yin had left the courtyard. Every day, Yin Genjue Luo Shi accompanied her when she went out.

"Don't you like it?!" Yin laughed.

"Let's go now, let's eat outside, okay?" Qingyan had already observed the food stalls around here, and some of the noodles were quite good, especially the various pancakes. Since Yingenjueluo had always grown up in a greenhouse, Qingyan was worried that the food would make Yingenjueluo feel unwell.

When traveling, it's best to avoid eating whatever you feel comfortable with. Qingyan didn't want to take the blame, so she ultimately decided against going out to eat.

Yin smiled, having already guessed Qingyan's thoughts. He discussed with Yin that the two couples would separate for the next few days.

The two changed into their outdoor clothes, and with a few servants by their side, walked out the door on foot.

Su Peisheng and Su Lan exchanged a glance and could only follow behind, letting the guards take the carriage back.

The morning air was very fresh. The two walked side by side on the street. Their demeanor attracted the attention of many people. Qingyan looked down at herself. The magenta silk fabric she was wearing was bought from a shop in Yangzhou. It should be suitable for locals. The style was designed by the local shopkeeper. The buttons were made of silk, and there should be no omissions.

"Let's go to the party and have some pancakes." Yin leisurely accompanied Qingyan, walking to the side of the stall and joining the end of the line.

Many people noticed this situation and quietly paid attention to the area. The slightly wealthier families in the area would not lower themselves to queue up; instead, they would wait in one place for their servants to buy the items.

"Master, this place is quite nice. We'll order something with a stronger flavor later. Do you think we should buy some for my elder brother and sister-in-law?" Qingyan asked.

She felt a little awkward not bringing anything for her sisters-in-law after leaving the house, even if they didn't need the gifts, it was still a courtesy on the surface.

Yin shook his head. Yin had a good appetite and often ate these kinds of things. However, it was different for the Yin Genjue Luo family. To avoid trouble, they decided not to buy any food that they could eat.

"Alright." Qingyan fell silent. She frowned slightly as she listened to the people in front of her discussing the scholar. Weren't the officials supposed to keep quiet? Why are they still talking about it?

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, and sure enough, his expression was also very unpleasant. The people were whispering among themselves, gossiping about what would happen next.

After they left that day, the government officials seemed to realize something was amiss and hastily left. They kept sending people towards Yangzhou, hoping to get useful information from there.

"Yangzhou?!" the person in front exclaimed in surprise. "You still have people going there? Now, all the checkpoints are closed. Except for the people from the post stations, no one else can pass through."

Qingyan stared at the pancake stall. The stall owner was unaffected and continued making pancakes. Several nearby customers kept talking about how the government's order made it very inconvenient for people to stay at home; it was practically a lockdown.

"What's so strange about that? It's said that a curfew is in effect in the counties surrounding Yangzhou, supposedly because the imperial procession is too close. My relatives there mentioned it to me when they came over these past few months, saying that it's because some officials are going to pleasure boats, which is very inappropriate for the people to see." The man smirked and said, "It's also said that the princes on their southern tour were taken to those kinds of places by officials. Tell me, isn't that ridiculous?"

Qing Dynasty officials were strictly forbidden from attending, and those who heard the gossip felt it was offensive to their ears.

Yin stood in front of her, blocking her small figure, which made the waiting diners in front of him even more unruly.

"Ahem, there are women around, you should behave yourselves a bit." An older woman in front, having heard the increasingly outrageous behavior behind her, spoke up directly.

Several diners quickly apologized, explaining that they knew each other and hadn't paid attention to the situation while chatting.

After buying the pancakes, Yin went to a local restaurant with a gloomy expression, hoping to get more information there. Qingyan followed him in a very good mood, since these were not things she was concerned about.

The constant complaints from the people frightened Yinzhen. The scholars carrying memorial tablets to the examination hall were not acting out of a sudden impulse; the seeds of this discontent had been sown since the Kangxi era. At the time, he even felt fear, believing that he had not done enough to cause such dissatisfaction among the scholars.

When he discovered the truth, he simply found it laughable.

"Your Majesty, I have already sent people to verify what those people said." Kangxi ordered Yin to temporarily put aside the White Lotus Rebellion and secretly investigate the scholar's suicide and the cover-up case. He was to prepare a brief report upon his return.

Yin nodded and focused on helping Qingyan remove the crab meat. The little girl loved seafood, and this time she ate to her heart's content.

"Little darling, make sure you have some ginger tea when you get back," Yin said casually.

Qingyan nodded in agreement, pointed in the direction of Erlu, and asked him to answer first.

"Yes, we must investigate thoroughly and not let any mistakes go unpunished." Officials often have some shady income, and as long as it's not specifically bribery or selling official positions, he has to tolerate some of it.