However, Yin Sheng's men, after keeping an eye on her for a while, discovered that Fang Qing was indeed as carefree as if nothing had happened.
They discovered that Fang Qing was not only good-tempered, but also exceptionally gentle with her subordinates. Every few days, she would have barbecue with the group from Fengyulou, filling the entire manor with the aroma of roasted meat. However, they could only watch and not eat, which was incredibly agonizing for them.
That day, Fang Qing and the others were having a barbecue behind the tea plantation as usual. While listening to Seventeen's report on the situation outside, Fang Qing looked at Yin Sheng, the person in charge of watching her.
"Seventeen, look how hard those brothers have worked. Go and call them over to eat with us. We have plenty of food anyway."
Seventeen was removing the skewers from Fang Qing's plate when she heard this and looked in the direction Fang Qing was looking.
Those people were looking in this direction.
"Then you might as well feed it to the dogs."
Fang Qing chuckled softly.
"This meat isn't for them to eat for free; we're going to get something from them that we want."
Seventeen looked at Fang Qing with suspicion.
"Just call them over."
"I doubt they'd come even if we called them."
They are now on the opposing side, how could we possibly let our guard down and come over for a meal with them?
"The enemy is us and Yin Sheng, not these people. They're just people who work for money. How much of their loyalty do you think they have to Yin Sheng?"
Seventeen was stunned.
"How does Madam know that these people won't be completely devoted to Yin Sheng?"
"Based on my observations over the past few days, haven't you noticed that the clothes and accessories of these people are not all the same? The people who are responsible for monitoring us during the day are dressed better and carry more suitable weapons, but the people who are responsible for monitoring us at night are several levels lower, and even their weapons are all thin and uniform."
"Those people during the day are Yin Sheng's confidants. As for these people at night, I guess Yin Sheng urgently needed manpower and bought them at a high price. They are not doing their job properly, otherwise how could you pass on the message?"
Seventeen suddenly realized.
The daytime leisure was naturally done by Yin Sheng's confidants, while the arduous task of night watch fell to this group of people.
"Yin Sheng only has love and romance on his mind. He is not strict in managing his subordinates, and we can always find an opportunity to defeat him."
"Understood!"
Seventeen jumped up, but Fang Qing called him back.
“Your eagerness is obviously suspicious. You seem somewhat reluctant. Just say you saw they were working hard and invited them over for a couple of drinks to warm up. Also, when the others arrive, there’s no need to be too polite. After all, they’re working for Yin Sheng now, and they’re still wary of us.”
Seventeen nodded, then walked over to the group of people with a hint of reluctance.
There was wine and meat here, and the brothers from Fengyulou gave them their seats.
The other side consisted of five people, the youngest being only a teenager and the oldest just over twenty.
The five greeted everyone; they weren't shy at all.
"You should be grateful that our lady is kind-hearted. Otherwise, given your situation, I would have secretly put two packets of rat poison in your pockets and killed you."
"That's right, Yin Sheng has committed many evils, and you who work for him are just a bunch of lackeys."
Seventeen said some harsh things, which angered the five of them.
“Do you think we want to do things for him? It’s just that they pay us a lot. The manager next to him said that if this matter is successful, he will give each of them ten taels of silver. Ten taels of silver! I’ve never seen so much money in my life.”
"It's easy for you guys to talk when you're stuck with such an easy-going boss. We brothers have families to support, and we're already thanking our lucky stars for this kind of work."
The five of them were complaining.
Seventeen sneered.
"You're eating our food and praising that beast! Stop eating! Stop eating!"
"How can you go back on your word? You're the one who called us here. No way, I haven't had a drink yet."
"It's cold at night, and you have so much food and wine here. Why don't you let us have some? Don't be stingy."
The five of them were laughing and joking, which made Seventeen and the others roll their eyes.
“You deserve to be hungry and cold. Do you know who our lady is? The high-yield rice that the government is promoting was developed by our lady. Once this rice is planted next year, you won’t have to go hungry. Why do you have to do this kind of business?”
The five of them glanced at Fang Qing, who was not far away, looking rather guilty.
"We only found out after we got here that Yin Sheng, that son of a bitch, was going after the county princess. If we had known earlier, we wouldn't have followed him."
"Hehe, the county princess is indeed as beautiful as a celestial being; the rumors are really true."
The teenager blushed as he spoke, and Seventeen slapped him on the head.
"Get out, get out! How dare you peek at our lady? If our master finds out, he'll gouge your eyes out."
The child scratched his head sheepishly.
"Why is Yin Sheng targeting the County Princess? Could it be that he has taken a liking to her?"
"What are you thinking? Yin Sheng besieged the manor to threaten our master with our lady, hoping to make a comeback. You know about the sacrificial ceremony he was doing at the Living Buddha Temple? It was pretty weird. If he makes a comeback, he'll continue to treat the lives of our people like dirt."
"You think you can make a comeback by threatening your master? What kind of person is your master?" asked the oldest of the five.
“Our master is a close advisor to the emperor. He came to Jiaozhou this time to investigate the traitor Gao Wancheng. Our master’s intentions are equivalent to half of the emperor’s intentions. Do you understand?”
All five were native Jiaozhou people who had lived a hard life. They had never even met a local official, let alone the emperor. The most powerful person they had ever met was Yin Sheng.
Upon hearing that Zhao Shi'an was such a powerful figure, the group exchanged glances, their hearts sinking.
Seventeen observed the expressions on their faces and continued, "Do you know about the rebellion in the Southwest? Even with nearly 100,000 troops, they couldn't win. What do you think Yin Sheng can do with less than a thousand of you right now?"
The youngest person glanced in Fang Qing's direction again.
Fang Qing was talking to Zhao Wuxia right now, both of them with smiles on their faces, looking very relaxed.
"No wonder the manor was surrounded, yet the county princess was still so relaxed every day. It turns out she wasn't afraid of Yin Sheng at all," he murmured.
"Of course, but compared to the outside, this manor is safe, which is why our ladies live here. Do you really think we're afraid of you and that you'll secretly inform on us? Let me tell you, this manor is full of traps and secret passages. If we were to deal with you, your thousand men wouldn't even be enough to fill our teeth. How could you possibly have the chance to sit here eating and drinking with us?"
The child stared at Seventeen with wide eyes.
"Is there really a trap in your village?"
"Hey, you think I'd lie to you? Want me to throw you into this trap and see what happens?"
"No, no, we believe you."
Afterwards, the five of them ate and drank, all with the same thought in mind.
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