Yesterday, the prefect was forced to return the child. The man's face was grim. These people were too greedy; they actually kidnapped someone's child. A child under one year old has no memory of anything. If the child was really abducted, he would definitely never be found.
Judging from the prefect's appearance, this child must be a favorite in the mansion; otherwise, he wouldn't be used as a shield.
"Sisi, what should we do?" Qingyan looked at the prefect's complaint and felt uneasy.
That child's fate is unlikely to be good. Now that they've managed to find this place, they might even be targeting their own children. Those people are ruthless; twins are definitely easier to sell than boys.
"Ensuring the children's safety is paramount. The Prefect has done a lot of work beforehand. Of course, he didn't mention compensation. My second uncle went there personally and also informed them that the compensation would arrive later. Naturally, the villagers were even happier. Not only would they receive something, but they would also be able to live in a good place. These people will definitely compromise!" Yinzhen sneered.
Fishermen aren't stupid. If they could get this compensation, it would be much better than making a living by fishing all the time. However, the problem is complicated now, as the compensation hasn't arrived yet.
"Does Second Uncle want me to pay the compensation first?" Qingyan still remembered Fuquan's hesitant expression.
She pouted slightly, feeling very annoyed. These people couldn't see anything good about her. They were all only after their own interests, eyeing Linglong Pavilion and Yuelai Inn. They were just thinking that Yinzhen would eventually compromise for the sake of the Qing Dynasty. She wasn't a pushover.
"It should be. I didn't agree, and even my father-in-law and brothers-in-law probably wouldn't agree!" Yinzhen reassured Qingyan.
Outsiders thought that Qingyan, with two wealthy shops, should be able to easily afford these things, but Yinzhen knew how much Xiaoguai had sacrificed to achieve them.
"I don't want to pay. Besides, the Yuelai Inn here is going to be moved. Looking at the meticulously built Yuelai Inn, it's bound to be relocated. I'll have to pay extra money. How can I be in a good mood?" Qingyan snorted coldly.
It's not like she's broke, and she's not a money-grubber, but it would be a miracle if she felt good about being treated like a sucker.
Yinzhen pinched Qingyan's cheek. The little girl would get very excited every time she talked about being schemed against.
Whether it was Emperor Kangxi or Prince Yu, these people were all related to her.
She only compromised because of Yinzhen's sake.
"Sisi, we'll be going to the fishing village to do some work these next few days, won't we?" Qingyan noticed that the villagers had quite a few things, some of them quite good, so she wanted to take this opportunity to buy them all.
“Yes, these past few days have been tough. We have to persuade those who don’t want to move. The Prefect has already done some of this work, but it’s not enough. Some people are even making demands!” Yinzhen sighed.
In this small fishing village, too many injustices have occurred, so many families have moved far away to avoid being involved in these affairs. The villagers also want to secretly file complaints.
Early in the morning, after having breakfast, Yinzhen and Qingyan went directly to the fishing village, which was heavily guarded. Yinzhen and Qingyan exchanged a glance and then led Erlu and the guards inside.
“My lord, it’s a bit messy here. Please try not to leave my sight.” Erlu noticed that Yinzhen wanted to wander around with Qingyan and quickly came over to say this.
Yinzhen glanced at Erlu, then pulled him to a food stall. The elderly couple who owned the stall looked them over, but Yinzhen didn't say much. He simply led everyone to sit down.
"Grandpa, we'd like ten bowls of wontons!" Yinzhen softened his face and said kindly.
The elderly couple who owned the stall were well aware that two princes had recently been born, and that preparations were underway to mobilize everyone to relocate. They had lived here for many years and had no desire to leave.
Most importantly, their son hasn't come back yet. They have to wait for him at home. If he does come back, but they've moved to another place, how heartbroken their child will be if he can't find them.
"Young master, the wontons are ready!" The old woman could tell that the two men were of high status, and she knew in her heart that her son was probably in grave danger.
The old man looked at Lu, who was about the same age as his son, and felt extremely sad. He put a lot of wontons in Lu's bowl, more than anyone else's!
"Grandma, what's wrong with you...?" Erlu looked at the old woman and felt a little strange. The way the old woman looked at him made him feel a little sad.
"Oh...you and my son are about the same age, so I'm happy to give you all this!" the old woman said with a helpless smile.
Yinzhen and Qingyan exchanged a glance, realizing that the old couple must have a story to tell. They quickly gave Erlu a look, signaling him to escape the situation first.
After Erlu asked a question, everyone understood the story of the two old men.
It turned out that the two old people were villagers in a fishing village. Both of their sons were successful. The eldest son had gone to the capital to take the imperial examinations twice and had been gone for four or five years, but no letter had been sent back. The other son had gone fishing and had not returned.
Qingyan was puzzled when she heard this. One of the children was taking the imperial examination, and the other was fishing. They shouldn't have any connection.
“My younger son was also a good student. After seeing that we hadn’t heard from my older son for several years, he also gave up his studies, afraid that studying too much would cause trouble for the family. But I was also very worried. In order to raise enough money for the journey and hopefully find his bear paw, my younger son went fishing. In the end, neither he nor the boat came back.” The old woman wiped away her tears and said, “We all thought that one of the two children would come back. If they moved, and my son comes back to find that he has no home, how heartbroken he will be!”
The old woman's words silenced everyone. If what she said was true, it was truly heartbreaking that no one had added anything.
However, they could not disobey Emperor Kangxi's decree, and if the old woman could be properly taken care of, they would be willing to help.
“In principle, you are not wrong to think this way. Once the imperial decree is issued, it will certainly be carried out!” Yinzhen patiently explained to the old woman.
"You old woman, what are you saying to them? We didn't say we disagreed," the stall owner scolded the old woman directly.
Qingyan looked closely at the old woman; her eyes were filled with worry. If the child returned, they wouldn't be here anymore...
"Old man, I'm only thinking of the child. Fine, if that's how you put it, I'll just give up," the old woman said helplessly.
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