For several days in a row, the villagers of the fishing village found that they could no longer bribe the yamen runners, and they could not leave through their doors.
When the fishermen had free time, they would gather at the entrance and chat with the yamen runners. Qingyan would sit in his study with the video feed always on, so that the fishermen's every move could be detected.
Qingyan held the storybook in one hand while listening to the fishermen's stories. Each of them had their own reasons for wanting to leave. The yamen runners dared not accept any more money from these people. For such a small favor, they were really going to lose their jobs. What would happen to their families?
Recently, the higher-ups have been investigating the scholar's case. Even though Yinti and Yinzhen are here, they can't interfere too much in matters outside.
"Fourth Prince, are we still going to the fishing village?" Qingyan turned to look at Yinzhen behind the desk.
The source of the leaked information has never been clearly identified. Coastal churches have been largely closed, and numerous missionaries have been investigated.
“Go!” Yinzhen nodded. “The two of us will go, but we won’t enter the fishing village. We’ll try to find out what’s going on in the surrounding area and minimize the possibility of human intervention.”
Qingyan quickly got up and changed into his outdoor clothes. The two of them couldn't go out with the twins; they would be too conspicuous. The fact that two princes were stationed in the military port was not being kept secret. The most prominent feature of the Fourth Prince was his pair of twins.
Even though not many people have seen what twins look like, it doesn't stop them from spreading the news.
"Su Peisheng, have Bayan stay in the courtyard and work with Suzhu to keep a close eye on the children." Yinzhen went to find out what was going on, and it would be even better if Qingyan was there to cover for him.
They could disguise themselves as tourists, and the yamen runners surrounding the fishing village were replaced by Cao Yin. They also received two portraits of Yinti and Yinzhen, but Qingyan always felt that these portraits were unrecognizable and did not resemble them at all.
"Fourth Prince, change into the new clothes made in Jiangnan. The clothes we brought from the capital can't be used!" Qingyan thought that since Cao Yin was in charge of the Jiangnan textile industry, the people he sent would check the origin of the clothes. If Yinzhen wore clothes from the capital, there might be some trouble.
People who come from the capital to do business will definitely adapt to local customs; this is in the nature of business people.
"Hmm!" Yinzhen nodded, went into the inner chamber to change his clothes, while she stood at the door and gave Suzhu some instructions about the children.
At this time, the twins were still sound asleep. After breakfast, Yinzhen went to the study ahead of time, with Qingyan by his side.
"Master, this servant will stay by your side at all times!" Su Zhu nodded quickly. Recently, the people outside have become too rampant.
The two masters dared not take any risks and even rejected Hutuli Fengsheng Zhalafen's wish.
After Yinzhen came out of the inner chamber, the two of them got into an ordinary carriage. Erlu led the guards on both sides and left through a hidden side gate of the military port. They even circled the nearby county town a few times to make sure they weren't followed by any spies before heading towards the fishing village by the sea.
The carriage stopped in front of the Yuelai Inn. Qingyan, dressed in a light blue Hanfu and wearing a matching hat, was helped by Yinzhen and walked gracefully from the carriage into the inn.
At this time, the inn was deserted, and the fishing village was completely sealed off. The yamen runners no longer acted as they used to, taking the villagers' money and letting them come and go as they pleased.
Once the imperial edict came down, the previous group of yamen runners were stripped of their skin for these small bribes.
"Master, look over there in the village, there's no movement at all, it's very different from before!" Qingyan sat in front of the watchtower and whispered to Yinzhen.
Yinzhen looked outside through his binoculars. Qingyan was right; the fishing village couldn't just be closed off like this. They needed freedom too.
"Little Darling, how long has this place been under lockdown?" Yinzhen was a little unsure; these were questions that couldn't be asked easily.
The innkeeper of Yuelai Inn should be able to provide some answers, but Qingyan still needs to ask him personally.
“It’s been four or five days,” Su Lan replied. “There are several waiters at the Yuelai Inn who work there. They’ve been quite agitated these past few days and have made several mistakes in their duties. The innkeeper has even given them a final notice: if they can’t perform well, they might be fired.”
Yinzhen frowned, for it had been four or five days already, and these people still hadn't put up a fight.
"There are landmines buried inside the fence near the fishing village!" Erlu went to check it out; the area was far too dangerous.
It seems the opponent has gone all out, using lightning to attack Yinzhen and his men.
"Do Father and my brothers know?" Qingyan asked, looking at Yinzhen.
These are all problems within the naval port. You can't just move such a large naval port to another place because of the mines.
"Lord Feiyanggu already knows!" Erlu wouldn't hide it. Feiyanggu was responsible for the security of the outer perimeter, and he had to be the first to know about many of the dirty deeds.
Qingyan sighed. Father had encountered another thorny problem. He had transferred bomb disposal experts from the new army, and they had to treat these two people from the capital city well.
"It's no use even if my father-in-law knows. Even Saito and Eshuo can't defuse the bomb directly!" Qingyan knew his two elder brothers' abilities well. If Yinzhen felt that even his two elder brothers didn't have the ability, he wouldn't let them take the risk.
Moreover, the distance from the naval port to the new army is not short. If they wait for reinforcements to arrive, everything will have already been settled.
"What?!" Qingyan was very surprised. His two elder brothers had acquired great skills, and everyone had placed all their hopes on them.
After Qingyan got up, he quickly ran outside.
She needs to calm down, and she also needs reassurance from Fei Yanggu and his two sons.
Saito had been keeping an eye on Yinzhen's every move, and soon Yinzhen followed him there.
"What are you going to do?" Yinzhen shouted from behind.
“Go find Ama and Ah Hun!” Qingyan gave a straightforward answer.
Yinzhen sighed. Recently, because the fishing village had been sealed off, the villagers had expressed great dissatisfaction with their lives. If a solution could be provided, things wouldn't have escalated to this point.
"Don't go, Ah Hun and the others are still in a meeting. They came over yesterday!" Yinzhen explained helplessly.
When Fei Yanggu and his two sons see something bad, they become even more cautious and calculating.
"What? We're coming to Yuelai Inn again? I'm starting to wonder if the inn's location is any good, Father? How could someone be using Yuelai Inn's name, ostensibly for the fishing village's affairs? But after arriving here, I feel it's best not to get involved!" Yinzhen said directly.
The problems in the fishing village have erupted, and it's not just the scholars involved; more importantly, it's their inability to make decisions for themselves and their inability to shake off suspicion.
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