The prefect of Caicheng agreed without hesitation. These were minor matters to him. He also wanted to send his trusted confidants to the capital to assess the situation. He had not yet made up his mind about how to handle the Ren family's affairs. If he really wanted to investigate, he would prefer to clear himself of any involvement with the Ren family beforehand and shift all the blame onto them.
Yan Shujin said, "There is one more thing that requires the cooperation of the prefect and the county magistrate."
"Please speak, Princess."
"Just post a notice saying that the old sage has been moved by a divine intervention and has moved the river god worship ceremony to tomorrow, and ask all the townspeople to go." Yan Shujin said in a deep voice, "I have something to say."
The prefect of Caicheng readily agreed.
The county magistrate had no right to refuse.
Once everything was arranged, the prefect and magistrate of Caicheng took their leave, but neither of them mentioned the people who were tied up.
The guard whispered, "Princess, I've brought all the corpses back. They're in the carriage in the backyard of the inn."
Yan Shujin stopped the prefect of Caicheng and said, "You should also deal with the corpses of those thieves in the backyard and see if you can find any clues."
"yes."
The prefect of Caicheng said, "Then I will leave some soldiers to protect the princess."
Yan Shujin nodded.
The prefect of Caicheng then made the arrangements.
Yan Shujin looked at the people on the ground and said, "The inn is getting more and more crowded these days."
The guard remained silent.
Yan Shujin said directly, "Separate the men and women, lock them up, throw them on the ground, just make sure they don't escape. Also, trouble the imperial physician to get them some medicine and force it down their throats."
The guard respectfully agreed.
Yan Shujin hesitated for a moment and said, "I will write an urgent letter and have it sent to the capital by the post station, on an urgent basis."
Urgent letters are different from regular ones; they are only used for important matters.
"yes."
Yan Shujin immediately wrote a letter to Empress Dowager Yan. She gave a general account of the river god worship ceremony, but did not directly mention the Zheng family's affairs. Instead, she mentioned that she had bought the Guan family's house, but the Guan family was dissatisfied and had their neighbors cause trouble at her house. They also told the neighborhood children to ignore them and to play tricks on her and her brother. She said that she was still angry when she thought about it. Even if others saw the letter, they would only think that Yan Shujin was having a casual chat with Empress Dowager Yan and would not think anything of it.
After finishing writing, Yan Shujin handed it to Guard Wang and asked him to arrange for someone to mail it.
Yan Shujin believed that her grandmother would tell her uncle after receiving the letter, because their family had never bought any courtyard from the Guan family.
When only Yan Shujin and Aunt Yu remained, Aunt Yu said, "Princess, it would be best to bring all those children back to the capital."
Yan Shujin knew this too, and hesitated before saying, "But what if they were abducted and their parents are looking for them?"
Perhaps because her father was not around when she was young, Yan Shujin is more soft-hearted when it comes to such things.
Aunt Yu sighed and said, "Even if the princess allows them to go home, I'm afraid that once His Majesty finds out about this, these children and even their families will be brought to the capital."
Yan Shujin hesitated for a long time before saying, "Then let them meet. They can register. If they can go home by then, I'll pay for their travel expenses to send them back. Just say that I feel it's fate that I brought them into the capital, and that they can keep me company on the way."
Aunt Yu frowned and said, "If that's the case, it might damage the princess's reputation."
It's inevitable that they'll be labeled as willful and cause others to be separated from their families.
Yan Shujin thought for a moment and said, "We can't let these people know the truth. If they do, even if these children can go home, will their families still treat them like this?"
Aunt Yu sighed inwardly and said, "The princess is indeed very thoughtful."
In truth, Yan Shujin's tendency to be too soft-hearted at times and in some places is not a big problem. In fact, soft-hearted people are always more reassuring. As long as Emperor Yan trusts Princess Yongfu, it doesn't matter what others say. With this in mind, Aunt Yu felt relieved.
In the afternoon, the magistrate not only posted notices, but also specially ordered his yamen runners to go door-to-door to inform them of the upcoming river god worship ceremony. Upon hearing that it was the old deity's word, none of the people hesitated at all.
Moreover, if you go early the next morning, there probably won't be any good seats left.
When Yan Shujin arrived, everyone saw the old immortal sitting in the sedan chair. He looked ruddy-faced and, although he didn't speak, he didn't seem to have been mistreated. The people quickly bowed to him, kneeling on the ground with their heads pressed tightly to the ground, showing great respect.
He was even more respectful than when he was facing Yan Shujin.
Yan Shujin saw this but said nothing. Instead, she had someone bring Li Zhaodi's father up and said, "Isn't it supposed to be a sacrifice to the river god? Anyone who has a request can step forward."
Before anyone could react, Yan Shujin continued, "The old immortal said that as long as you have any requests, he will help you speak to the river god after you offer the tribute."
After these words were spoken, the old immortal said, "Yes, come out if you have any requests."
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