To figure out Su Qinghe's tactics, the key lies in the man who has fallen into their hands.
After some deliberation, Su Qingcai did not visit the man for the first few days, allowing the villagers to take care of him for several days before finally coming to his door.
At that moment, the man was leaning against the bed in a daze. His foot had almost been caught in an animal trap and was now unable to move around easily, so he had to stay in the villager's home to recover.
Upon hearing the sound of the door being pushed open, the man instinctively looked in the direction of the sound. When he saw that it was Su Qingcai, his throat tightened, and he stiffened and turned his head away, unwilling to meet Su Qingcai's gaze.
"What, seeing that I'm still alive and well, you feel guilty and dare not go back to see your master?" Su Qingcai stood on the bed, his eyes as deep as a still pool. "Tell me about the Seventh Prince's plan. What exactly does he want to do?"
As expected, Su Qingcai had come to gather information. The man turned his head away and didn't say a word.
"You think you have a lot of backbone?" Su Qingcai looked at the man with a half-smile. "I'm not asking you. If you don't talk, I have plenty of ways to make you talk. The people in this village have been feeding and taking good care of you these past few days, and I don't see any gratitude in your heart. You don't need to stay here and cause trouble for them."
His tone was slow and leisurely, yet it carried a sense of chilling indignation.
The man's heart skipped a beat, and a layer of cold sweat even broke out on his forehead from nervousness.
Su Qingcai is no pushover; even if he ends up in a fishing village, he has plenty of ways to deal with people. Furthermore, his mention of the villagers of Carp Village is particularly perplexing.
After rescuing the man, the villagers didn't threaten to kill him. Instead, they took him in and cared for him well. Their simple and kind nature touched the man's usually cold heart.
Sensing that the man's attitude was softening, Su Qingcai coaxed him gently, "No one in this fishing village blames you. They've taken such good care of you these past few days. I don't think you're anything particularly evil. What's wrong with telling me everything you know? People should always be grateful, right?"
"I..." The man lowered his head, his heart filled with conflict.
After a long silence, he finally spoke up and said what Su Qingcai wanted to know.
"Actually, the Seventh Prince's plan is very simple. He wants the highest position and has already started taking action. Sending people everywhere to find talented people is one of his strategies. I was sent here, but I didn't expect you to be in this fishing village as well... What are you planning to do now?"
"What I want to do is none of your business," Su Qingcai said calmly, secretly taking note of the information he had heard. "You're a smart person to be able to say all this. Since you've chosen to surrender to me, why don't you stay by my side and work for me from now on? Anyway, you definitely can't go back to the Seventh Prince's side. I think you're quite skilled, so you could stay by my side as a bodyguard."
Murder in a fishing village is difficult to handle. This person doesn't seem to be a bad person. It would be better to recruit him into our ranks and make him our right-hand man. This could also curb Su Qinghe's arrogance.
Su Qingcai has already shown the best path; it's up to the man to choose.
After another moment of silence, the man pondered for a long time before finally nodding silently.
Su Qingcai clapped his hands in satisfaction and turned to leave.
"Very good. From now on, you will be my bodyguard. Forget your name and all that you used to be with the Seventh Prince. Here you will have a new identity. My bodyguard captain is named Ding Yi, and you will be called Bing Er."
Su Qingcai casually gave the man a name and then informed Ding Yi about it.
Ding slammed his fist on the table and stood up abruptly, angrily saying, "No! This man has ulterior motives! How can Your Highness trust him?!"
"I've always believed in the principle of 'if I doubt someone, I won't use them; if I use someone, I won't doubt them.' What, after following me for so many years, are you starting to doubt my judgment?" Su Qingcai's sharp eyes narrowed, the imposing aura of which sent chills down one's spine. "These next few days, you'll go and take care of him, and teach him the rules of the bodyguards. Do you understand?"
"...Your subordinate obeys." Ding Yi was filled with resentment, but he dared not openly disobey Su Qingcai's orders, so he had no choice but to do as he was told.
In the following days, Ding Yi truly went to take care of Bing Er. Although the two initially disliked each other, they gradually became more harmonious during this time, and their conflicts melted away like ice melting in the snow.
Bing Er's foot injury gradually healed, and he specially moved next to Su Qingcai's house, which was just a wall away from Ding Yi's resting place. The two often practiced martial arts together in the courtyard, and their relationship steadily improved.
Ru Xing was unaware of Ding Yi's identity and current situation; she still considered him just a new villager. Ding Yi didn't go to town with Su Qingcai to deliver goods because he was taking care of Bing Er, and Ru Xing was very anxious because she couldn't see him.
The moment they met, Ding Yi came to Ru Xing's rescue. His cold and resolute face was deeply etched in her heart, haunting her dreams and filling her with love.
Ru Xing couldn't resist any longer, so she chose a day to go to Carp Village to find Ding Yi. She happened to run into Ding Yi practicing martial arts in the courtyard, and his elegant and skillful moves captivated her.
"Are you tired? How about we go to our family's restaurant for a meal? It's on me!"
Ru Xing walked forward shyly and gently tugged at Ding Yi's clothes.
Ding Yi had long forgotten Ru Xing's face. He frowned and thought for a while before saying impatiently, "I don't have time. Go eat by yourself if you want."
"What do you mean you're too busy? You can't even find time to eat a meal? I'm not trying to hurt you, so why are you in such a hurry to reject me?" Ru Xing persisted, insisting on dragging Ding Yi out of the house.
Ding Yi felt helpless but couldn't bring himself to lay a hand on the woman. Then, a clever idea struck him, and he quickly said, "How about this, if you need someone to have dinner with, I can find you one!"
Before Ruxing could answer, Ding Yi took it upon himself to rush into the house, pull Bing Er out, and shove Bing Er in front of Ruxing.
Bing Er looked completely bewildered, not understanding what had happened, when Ru Xing screamed loudly.
"It was you! You kidnapped us and committed such a heinous act, how dare you still stay here! And Young Master Ding, how could you associate with such a person? It truly breaks my heart..."
Ru Xing blinked, and she was so aggrieved that she was about to burst into tears.
Bing Er glanced at Ding Yi with a gloomy face. Ding Yi gave an awkward chuckle, unsure of what to say.
The three of them were making a ruckus in the courtyard, but it did not affect Su Xiaoning, who was studying blueprints in a house not far away.
Having changed his fate, A-Liang could no longer understand the shipbuilding blueprints. He explained this to Su Xiaoning, who, though feeling sorry for him, didn't pressure him. Instead, she obtained the blueprints herself and studied them diligently every day.
Faced with these incomprehensible blueprints, Su Xiaoning actually managed to discern the clues.
These blueprints are almost identical to modern 1:1 scale ship model blueprints!
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