Chapter 162: Siege of Tingxuexuan
Cheng Nianying's face often gives people a feeling of innocence.
At this moment, the guard looked at her face, and his first thought was that she had been deceived.
After calming down, I heard her say, "From the north of the city, the same person as Amo."
North of the city?
The guard still remembers the scene he saw at that time - the people there had no expression on their faces, carrying farm tools, with their necks hunched, looking dull, cowardly, and honest.
"They...are still doing this?" the guard was surprised.
Amo was sent out to hunt down Yin Heng, so it is not surprising that his neighbor did the same thing.
Fu Yi was more concerned about another thing: "You said hundreds of people? There weren't that many people there."
"Well, they say there's another place west where people like them are settled."
"How can so many people do this? It doesn't make sense."
"Because I can't survive." Cheng Nianying looked at him strangely.
"Although Weiyang is a small place, it is considered rich. Why would the local people be in such a state? Unless... they are outsiders."
"Yes, they said they were fleeing from disaster."
Since ancient times, refugees have been a major concern for emperors. If they are not properly settled, they will gather in large numbers and cause chaos.
Fu Yi took advantage of the situation and pushed the not-so-delicious lotus seed cake away, saying softly, "Wei Yang is so audacious."
Cheng Nianying sensed something was wrong in these words.
Before she could ask, Fu Yi spoke again: "Amo was sent to hunt down Yin Heng, and his neighbors did the same thing. ... When you came down the mountain a few days ago, were they sent to kill you?"
"How can we trust such a person?" the guard worried.
Fu Yi was not in a hurry. He raised his hand to silence the guards and then asked, "Are they willing to do the job no matter who pays them?"
"That's right. They are too poor."
"That day they were ordered to come and kill you. Was it because when they saw you, they knew you were friends with Amo that they didn't attack you?"
Fu Yi paused, "Or is it because you also gave them money?"
"Or was he beaten back by you?"
Now that the girl's identity as a killer has been exposed, there is no need to be shy about talking about her abilities.
"Of course I beat them back." Cheng Nianying looked at him and asked, "Do you also think they are unreliable?"
"Quite the contrary."
"They didn't stop just because you and Amo knew each other, which shows they are not indecisive. They have their own priorities."
"Being beaten back by you in the end shows that you're not some idiot who'd choose to walk down a dead end even though you know it's a dead end."
"I don't think anyone can buy them off."
But in just a few words, Fu Yi saw through them clearly.
"Go get a hundred taels." Fu Yi ordered the guard, "Accompany her to the north of the city tomorrow."
Fu Yi now looked much more serious. He said, "Each person can only get 80 coins a day. If they are young and strong, they can get 100 coins. The price cannot exceed this, and we cannot show favoritism based on who has more elderly, weak, sick or disabled people in their family."
"The servants in the Cen Mansion only earn forty cents a day. They should be happy to receive this money."
"It's just that when there are so many people, there are bound to be many different opinions. Just because these few people are reliable doesn't mean that everyone else is reliable..."
Fu Yi paused.
Cheng Nianying then responded, "If one person leaks the news, no one will get the money."
Fu Yi smiled appreciatively: "Yeah."
After a few words, Mr. Cen San came.
Fu Yi quickly called out to Cheng Nianying: "Don't roll under the bed again."
"Oh." Cheng Nianying dodged and lay behind the screen.
What's the difference between lying on the ground and rolling under the bed? Fu Yi had a headache.
As soon as Mr. Cen San came in, he said, "The things that Miss Xiaohe lost were found."
The headgear given by King Liang?
This is not good news.
Seeing that Fu Yi was not in high spirits, Mr. Cen Sanye sighed and said, "What a pity, Miss Xiaohe has not been found yet."
"Did Third Master come here specifically to stab me today?"
"How dare you?" Third Master Cen sat down beside him and whispered, "There are so many women in this world. Why should the prince worry about her?"
Fu Yi glanced at him and said, "Is there nothing that Third Master can't get?"
Mr. Cen suddenly understood that it was all because of the feeling of being a proud child of heaven. He looked at Fu Yi and felt that this man was still young.
He was different. He was older and had tasted all kinds of women. Whether he got her or not wouldn't affect him at all. The only thing that bothered him was the boundless power in the imperial capital.
And Fu Yi got all of this too early and too quickly.
"I can't think of anything that far ahead. It's the current situation that makes me more troubled." Mr. Cen sighed.
"What about Yin Huiyi?"
"Yes." Master Cen San looked at Fu Yi, "You are right. The person he is looking for is not Xiao He at all. He is looking for the only son of the Yin family's eldest branch."
"My only son." He sighed again with emphasis.
These two words really carry a lot of weight.
"If it was from any other branch, it would be fine... but he's Yin Huiyi's son. Yin Huiyi was once a prime minister."
After Mr. Cen Sanye finished sighing, he suddenly changed the subject: "Tell me, how could it be such a coincidence that Yin Huiyi's only son came to Weiyang to serve as the county magistrate? He even changed his name and surname so that no one under him recognized him!"
The tone of the inquiry was so strong that even Cheng Nianying could hear it.
She quietly picked up the copper hairpin behind the screen. So this thing was a good gift. It was inconspicuous and could be used as a short blade. It had some weight, so it could also be used as a throwing weapon.
"Do you mean that the Yin family intends to set up a trap for the Cen family?" Fu Yi raised his eyes at this time.
I am very satisfied with Mr. Cen Sanye’s “cleverness”.
"I can't understand it." Mr. Cen shook his head. "Why would the Yin family do this? The two families have no dealings with each other, and both are doing well."
"Oh, Yin Huiyi said that the reason he wanted to find Xiaohe first was because Xiaohe entered the city with his son Yin Heng. He wanted to get the truth from Xiaohe."
"But Xiao He, how did you get to know Yin Huiyi's son?"
"Please tell me, Your Majesty, what is Xiao He's identity and origin? Why is she not only obsessed with you, but also closely related to the Yin family?"
Fu Yi didn't answer but asked, "What do you suspect I have done?"
"How could that be? The prince knows what the queen is thinking, and even His Majesty is happy to see it. So it's only a matter of time before they become relatives... The prince is a member of the Cen family, so why would he doubt it?" Third Master Cen immediately denied it.
"Yin Huiyi lost his son, so it was only a matter of time before he went mad. This matter has nothing to do with the Cen family, but I'm afraid he'll use it as an excuse to cause trouble for the Cen family. I've always heard of the Duke's reputation, and today I'd like to ask him for some advice for the Cen family..."
"It's impossible to persuade someone who has lost a child." Fu Yi said calmly.
Quite out of the matter.
Mr. Cen San was slightly annoyed and asked tentatively, "If we kill a few people..."
"Who to kill? A scapegoat?" Fu Yi suddenly thought of what "Xiao He" once said, "The anger of a noble is always harder to appease."
He was so furious at the time that he didn't care what she said.
Now it was very appropriate to bring it up for Cen San to hear: "... Third Master, you should know that people like Yin Huiyi, with their family background and status, will always be more difficult to calm down their anger."
"He lost a son, so others should also lose a son. This one who died couldn't be just an ordinary person's son." Fu Yi paused and asked Cen San, "Does the Third Master have a son?"
Mr. Cen San's heart ached, and he stood up angrily. "What are you talking about, Prince? I've already told you that Yin Heng's affair has nothing to do with the Cen family! The people at the county government office made it clear that he was frightened to death!"
"It's fine if you just tell me this, but will Yin Huiyi believe it?"
"My Cen family has no grudge against him, so why doesn't he believe it?" Mr. Cen San's tone was cold and hard, but he was not confident in his heart.
He didn't know what Yin Heng saw when he became the county magistrate.
He wanted Yin Heng to be alive, but he also wanted him to be dead.
This is a dead end!
"Third Master is reluctant to part with his son, but what about your two brothers?" Fu Yi suddenly asked.
Just as Mr. Cen San had advised him just now, "She's just a woman."
Fu Yi also said in an extremely calm tone: "It's just a son, and I can have another one."
Mr. Cen Sanye did not get angry, but walked away thoughtfully.
Cheng Nianying crawled out and asked, "Why do you seem to be irritating him with every word you say?"
"I'm telling the truth, but it's a harsh truth. I really can't give him any advice."
How could there be any chance of breaking the trap he set up?
"What if he was so angry that he took out a knife to kill you? I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to catch him in time from behind the screen."
Fu Yi smiled: "So next time you should hide under the quilt."
When Mr. Cen Sanye walked out, he was terrified and his face turned pale.
Cen Da went to meet him and asked, "What's the matter? Fu Yi won't give us any advice?"
Cen Er said, "Perhaps he was just a name in Imperial Capital... He was made seriously ill by a maid in Weiyang. What a joke!"
Cen Da turned his head and said unhappily, "Don't let Yao girl hear this."
Cen Er shook his head: "Why are you protecting her before we even get married?"
"Third brother? Why don't you say anything?"
Mr. Cen Sanye raised his head: "Fu Yi... Fu Yi is deliberately provoking me!"
"What?"
Third Master Cen uttered inconsolably, "He told me to sacrifice a son to appease Yin Huiyi's wrath. I didn't want to... Then he asked, 'What about your two brothers?'"
"He doesn't know that blood is thicker than water in our Cen family, and the bond between family members is strong. We can't compare to those aristocratic families! Ordinary people would be provoked by him like this, but how could I?"
"Thinking about it again, it was he who reminded me that Yin Huiyi was looking for his son that day... He was trying to provoke me to attack Yin Huiyi..."
"Wait, Third Brother, please speak slower..."
Third Master Cen couldn't stop talking at all, and his face was filled with suspicion. "He shouldn't be so concerned about a little girl... That day when he stood up for Xiao He and took action against the county government, it was not right..."
"This is a trap set by him!" Mr. Cen San said sternly.
"Is this... a serious guess?"
"Regardless of anything else, surround Tingxuexuan first."
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