As the sun began to set, the temperature gradually decreased, and fewer ships came and went in front of the dock.
The originally densely packed Tuyuhun troops were reduced to only two squads stationed there.
On the contrary, the laughter and cursing of the soldiers could often be heard from the makeshift houses not far away.
The officers and soldiers who had been searching the docks during the day were now gathered in small groups, playing cards and drinking.
But somehow the topic gradually changed, and the original joy vanished.
“When can we go back? Even if the food is bad in Tuyuhun, we don’t have to freeze here. This dilapidated house is drafty at night, and I’m freezing to death.”
"Who says otherwise? I really want to go back. If only that wanted criminal could show up on his own, we wouldn't have to suffer like this."
The only benefit is that it puts those merchants in a difficult position.
In the innermost compartment of the room, a burly man listened thoughtfully to the words of the person next to him.
"Chief Chen, those people really do seem to be just passing through this place, heading to Tuyuhun to do business."
Many brothers followed them all day, and nothing unusual happened. That young lady went to the male-male brothel with Jiu Niang today.
As for the young master and his entourage, they simply bought some things and went back without making any further discoveries.
Many of our brothers are still guarding outside the inn. Should I send them back now?
The tall, thin soldier spoke tentatively, but he was somewhat apprehensive.
Why would the leader suspect those people for no reason? He went to their boat today and even asked them some questions about cloth. They answered well and it was clear that they were indeed in business.
Leader Chen glanced at him but didn't say anything, and hesitated for a moment.
He initially suspected that those people were indeed because he had never seen them in Kunming.
Those who travel to Tuyuhun for business will almost always pass through Chuncheng, and it's impossible for them to have never traveled by water.
Therefore, he also made a special trip to review the records of ships that had been coming and going in the past few months.
That group was indeed making their first appearance.
The answers from the others were also correct; they said they had never traveled by water before and dared not take the risk.
This time I was just passing through Weizhou. I learned that the Weizhou water bandits had been completely wiped out, so I tried the waterway. It seems there are no problems.
But the timing of their arrival was too coincidental. They didn't choose to travel by water earlier or later, but they just happened to choose this time to travel by water, and it just so happened to be their first time appearing.
Too many coincidences cease to be coincidences.
After thinking it over, he simply said, "Let's observe first."
Just as the tall, thin soldier was about to respond, a shorter man beside him reminded him, "Those people might leave tonight. If they really are wanted people, not only will we fail to catch them, but we'll also let them go."
If the higher-ups blame us, we're all finished.
Leader Chen was taken aback, looked at the short soldier, and hesitated for a moment before asking, "What do you want to say?"
The man lowered his voice and said, "Who cares if it is or not? We've been here for so long, enduring wind and rain every day, working ourselves to the bone. Anyway, the eldest prince has almost completely taken control of Tuyuhun now."
All we have to do is say we've taken down Aguzan, and if the leader says so, then he has to be.
"They just happened to walk right into our lives. It was their first time in Little Spring City, and nobody knew them. What a great opportunity!"
A merchant whom nobody knows, they say is whoever they want.
No one knows the true identities of those people; all we need to do is silence those twenty-odd people.
Then they can return to Tuyuhun and won't have to continue living a life of hardship here.
Chen, the leader, immediately had a bright idea, thinking it was a good one.
They had been staying in Kunming for four or five months, and the novelty had long worn off. They were not eating or sleeping well every day, and they still had to guard the dock. If the weather was good, it was okay, but if the weather was bad, they could not slack off even in a raging storm.
Who can stand living like this?
Not to mention that they had been thoroughly searching the docks for four or five months and hadn't even seen a single hair on the Second Prince.
In his opinion, the second prince might already be dead.
The eldest prince had taken the initiative to wage war against the Great Jin Dynasty, and had captured many cities through surprise attacks, causing countless deaths and injuries among the people of the Great Jin Dynasty. How could the emperor of the Great Jin Dynasty possibly leave the second prince alive?
Just as some people say, the Emperor of Jin deliberately left the second prince behind, hoping he would return and fight with Aliji, causing internal strife, so that Jin could take the opportunity to attack Tuyuhun.
In his opinion, the second prince is no match for the eldest prince.
If the old Khan hadn't been still alive and was being held firmly by some ministers, the eldest prince would probably have already become the new Khan.
However, it's pretty much the same now, since Tuyuhun is now basically under the control of the eldest prince.
Even if the second prince were to return now, it would be too late.
He really couldn't understand what the eldest prince was afraid of. As for the second prince, his bloodline was not pure, so he was basically out of the running for Khan.
Forcing them to conduct a thorough search now is just torturing them.
Seeing that he had persuaded the leader, the short soldier continued, "Leader Chen, in my opinion, we should send someone to notify the patrol teams in the city now, and take those people down tonight."
It doesn't matter if we find out later that we killed the wrong person. Those patrol teams are probably just as tired of being here as we are, and just want to go home as soon as possible.
When the time comes, tell those people our plan, and they will definitely agree.
After all, someone has already been killed. If a reasonable explanation isn't given, the Lord of Chuncheng will definitely demand an explanation from Tuyuhun. If things escalate, it won't be good for either us or the patrolling soldiers.
Leader Chen thought it made sense and quickly said, "Go and tell the governor right now that we have found the second prince."
The short soldier simply smiled and nodded, then quickly left the dilapidated house.
As night fell, the air outside grew a bit colder.
At this moment, inside the Ping An Inn.
Jiang Yimian and her group were having a meal in the lobby on the first floor.
The surrounding tables were also occupied, but it seemed rather deserted compared to the bustling atmosphere during the day.
Spring City is close to Tuyuhun, and the temperature difference between day and night is huge; it can freeze to death at night.
So much so that now, it's only been a short while since it got dark, and there are hardly any people outside anymore.
Jiu Niang returned at this moment. The group of people, who were sitting quietly together eating, immediately started teasing her as soon as they saw her return.
"Oh, Ninth Sister went to the male brothel again. It seems she was quite satisfied today, as she didn't return until dark."
"Indeed, I saw Jiu Niang go there early this morning. She's been gone for so long, she must have really met someone she likes."
Facing the scrutinizing, teasing, and disapproving gazes, Jiu Niang pretended not to notice, smoothed a stray hair behind her ear, and smiled sweetly, "I was lucky to have seen the view from the top floor today. If I didn't care about the people at the inn, I definitely wouldn't have wanted to come back tonight."
Actually, she woke up to find Jiang Yimian missing and worried that something might have happened to her at the male-male brothel, so she hurriedly left from the top floor.
She was surprised by the respectful attitude that Chen Yu had towards Jiang Yimian; she almost thought she was dreaming.
If she hadn't been curious about Jiang Yimian, she definitely wouldn't have rushed back.
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