As dawn approached, the booming cannon fire outside finally ceased. Yinzhen and Qingyan stood side by side on the watchtower, watching the raging fires burning on the sea, and how several ships had been destroyed by Eshuo's red cannons.
At the horizon where the sea meets the sky, a faint red glow shone. The two found a rare moment of peace as the sunrise over the Shanghai coast brought the harrowing events of the previous night far behind them.
In the interrogation room at the camp, those people were all imprisoned, but the people on the ship were burned into fireballs by the explosion.
"Little darling, we couldn't catch the big fish, it was just eaten!" Yinzhen rubbed his temples, all these things were particularly upsetting.
"Which nobleman are you talking about?" Qingyan smiled bitterly. If that nobleman had been captured, he could have negotiated a lot of benefits with them. Now, it was all in vain.
Yinzhen nodded, admitting that if the order to capture them alive were given, many of their newly trained naval soldiers might be lost.
"Little Darling, I'm glad we didn't capture him alive. Today's assessment of the losses shows that our losses are higher than Galdan's." Yinzhen admitted that there were definitely some shortcomings in their first time commanding a naval operation.
What? !
Qingyan was stunned. If the loss rate was too high, Kangxi would definitely issue an edict to reprimand them. What would happen if they reformed it?
"Has it already been submitted to the emperor?" Qingyan thought that Yinti and Yinzhen would hide something from Kangxi. After Yinzhen nodded, she knew that Kangxi would issue an edict to reprimand them.
We also need to find people on the censor's side, in case someone in Jiangnan tries to sow discord.
"I had the Dragon Guards submit a memorial, explaining the situation here. The fishing village will be relocated in the next few days." Yinzhen didn't want to deal with it anymore. Since those fishermen had betrayed the Qing Dynasty for money, Yinzhen felt he owed them nothing.
"Relocation?!" Qingyan lowered his head, considering for a moment. These people were basically greedy for money; the scholar's matter would likely implicate the entire village. "Will they be imprisoned directly?"
Yinzhen nodded. The order had been issued today. The scholar's farce originated from the fishing village. Kangxi believed it was the work of the village's pastors. Moreover, when the fishermen went on their voyages, they no longer performed the Wong Tai Sin rituals but instead went to the village chapel to pray.
"Yes, we can't let those people have another chance to cause trouble. This year's imperial examinations have been completely chaotic. All the files have been sealed up, and we'll prepare to hold another examination next spring. The chief examiner in Jiangnan needs to be replaced!" Yinzhen was furious when he received Kangxi's memorial.
Qingyan listened as Yinzhen spoke separately, saying that those people were selfish and self-serving.
"The examiners in Jiangnan have been changed?" Qingyan was stunned. Changing the examiners at the last minute would cause chaos in the examination hall in Jiangnan.
"Fourth Prince, are you telling the truth?" Yinti was inevitably surprised when he heard what Yinzhen said.
Yinzhen nodded. Recently, he had sent some of his servants to Yangzhou, and their conclusion was that there had been some major changes in the officialdom in Jiangnan.
The chief examiner from Lianghuai this year has been promoted and is preparing to return to the capital.
Yinzhen's face was very ugly. If he were to be noticed by the two chief examiners, they would also be concerned about who had sent the message to Kangxi.
"Bring all your men back. There's no need for us to get involved in this mess," Yinti said directly.
Yinzhen breathed a sigh of relief. If he could stop now, he would definitely have made arrangements in advance.
"They're in a bind. Those two have already surfaced. If they make any big moves, how could Cao Yin not notice?" Yinzhen shook his head. Those two were clever; they had been hiding their identities all along.
"Keep quiet for the next few years, don't let them make any more moves!" Qingyan calmly considered it and made her decision, leaving the matter of the Sticky Rod Office to the Yuelai Inn.
"No, if they don't have good communication over there, we'll be in even more danger here!" Yinzhen immediately rejected the idea; they needed reliable information channels.
"I will send people to Yuelai Inn and the teahouse. You should know that Cao Yin will not let you people off the hook. Once you are caught, your lives will definitely not be easy!" Qingyan shook his head and said.
Yinti agreed with Qingyan's approach. He patted Yinzhen's shoulder and said, "Fourth brother, Xiaoguai is absolutely right. These two places have the most mixed information. If they were to intervene, it would be better than if we did. Besides, Xiaoguai has not only these two businesses under his control, but I have also sent my people in!"
In fact, Yinqi also opened a tavern in Jiangnan, a place where servants usually gathered, and he obtained a lot of information from there.
"Brother, are you telling the truth? That tavern is yours?!" Upon hearing the name of the tavern mentioned by Yinti, Yinzhen's eyes lit up. He knew he should make his move.
Yinti nodded. Those two taverns were opened under the guidance of Lady Yingenjueluo. She mentioned that Qingyan had talked about the important position of Jiangnan.
"I started it based on Xiao Guai's advice, saying that it would provide an additional place and more information." Yin Ti smiled. The taverns were springing up all over Jiangnan, which not only increased the income of the mansion, but more importantly, it allowed him to obtain a lot of useful information in Jiangnan.
"Alright, I'll send someone to deliver a message to them, telling them to shut up immediately." Yinzhen agreed immediately.
With Yinti's addition, they were as if they had gained extra assistance.
"Sister-in-law, our two shops should not be involved in any way. If one is exposed, the other can still operate normally," Yinti said directly.
Qingyan agreed with Yinti's idea. The tavern and Yuelai Inn complemented each other. The two shops had always been competitors, and outsiders would never have guessed that the two places would be involved.
"The information from the tavern is too scattered; someone needs to reorganize it." Yinti was not good at this kind of work, and none of his advisors had the talent to do so.
"No need. Brother will compile all the information, and Erlu and Bayan will directly select the useful information. We'll try to exchange information as much as possible here." Yinzhen planned to receive Yinti's information, organize it, and share it with him so that they could obtain more useful information and make better preparations.
Yinti nodded. The messages were all the same, and he couldn't possibly organize them all. He might even miss some. When they were sent to Yinzhen, all the overlooked information was put into a memorial. Yinti read it through and couldn't help but admire the people under Yinzhen's command.
Having so much useful information on the battlefield is a good thing, as it allows him to react in advance.
Last night, he advocated for a sense of defeat for the first time, and people actually came to his door to protest. They only realized when the moment came that even with a quick reaction, there would still be some disappointment.
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