The fire burned for three days. After Erlu and his guards dealt with all the potential dangers, they quickly withdrew from the burning city. They only lost five people, but in return, they brought peace to all the cities.
The five people who were killed were actually bait that Yinti and Yinzhen deliberately ran out to lure them away. Now, they actually felt that these people were very worthwhile.
Their identities were somewhat ambiguous. News from the capital indicated that their families were also wiped out by Emperor Kangxi during this purge. All officials in the court were dismissed, and their residences were confiscated.
"Su Peisheng, you go and sort out the belongings of the five men yourself!" When Yinzhen saw the letter sent by the dragon, Kangxi felt that the five men should still have seals and other items with them, and that they should still have some things under their names.
When Kangxi's order arrived, Yinzhen had already begun preparations. If any worthwhile items were discovered, he was to seal them all away. Once the war was over and the ship docked at Tianjin Port, these items would be specially sent back to the capital.
"Yes, sir!" Su Peisheng quickly followed Yinzhen's orders and searched the deserted Sichuan-Tibet region, but he did not find any items that exceeded the rules.
Half an hour later, Su Peisheng arrived looking disheveled. After hearing his report, Yinzhen felt that something had been overlooked, so he quickly ordered someone to investigate.
The servants who returned to report did not notice anything amiss, which made Yinzhen very suspicious. How could these people have done it so cleanly?
"Fourth Brother, shall we go down and take a look?" Qingyan was not only interested in the five people's room after hearing what the servants said, but also in the fact that they were able to hide things in the cabin in such a short time, which was quite an achievement.
If we can find out where the hidden object is, it can provide valuable experience and lessons for future ships.
"Alright!" Yinzhen took Qingyan's hand and they walked down together.
Yinzhen noticed that Qingyan's little hands were very cold, and he couldn't help but feel a little worried.
"Fourth Brother, what if we can't find out anything?" Qingyan asked worriedly.
"Don't be afraid, these are not big deals. As long as we find out who did it, that's all that matters!" He calmed Qingyan down first, knowing he would need her help when they were looking for the items.
Yinzhen pushed open a cabin door, leading to an ordinary suite. This was the room of the highest-ranking general among the five. Qingyan walked in and found the room to be very simple, lacking any semblance of a comfortable living space.
“Normally, all the exhibits are together, so apart from sleeping, these people can’t hide anything. So, I think there must be some hidden compartments under the cabinets and beds!” Yinzhen was quite interested in the ships. Besides these two places, there was simply no other place to put things.
Qingyan looked around at the large wardrobe in front of her. The carved wardrobe didn't look like something provided on a ship. She bent her right index finger and began to tap on the wardrobe panel.
"Sisi, why is the wardrobe here different from ours?" Qingyan chose to ask another question. She didn't want to find the item and end up wrongly accusing an innocent person. After all, it's not easy for a naval force to train a lackey.
Yinzhen examined the wardrobe carefully and was somewhat puzzled; this wardrobe was definitely not something that should be provided on a ship.
"Su Peisheng, bring the quartermaster over here!" Yinzhen frowned. He had repeatedly ordered that no one be allowed to smuggle their own belongings onto the ship, and now, what lay before him was a dangerous item.
Yinzhen frowned as he looked at what was in front of him, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart.
"Little darling, do you think there's something wrong with this wardrobe?" Yinzhen asked Qingyan.
Qingyan shook her head. She didn't know if there was anything wrong with the wardrobe. The bedside table and the bed had been replaced, so there must be something wrong with this person. Even the quartermaster was in trouble. Just how much bribe did this person take?
"Of course, I always find it strange. How much bribe did these people accept to get these things brought up here?" Such furniture could not have been carried up by just one or two people; it must have been specially prepared by someone.
Yinzhen pondered for a moment, and also felt a little scared.
Soon, the quartermaster arrived. When he saw the cabin where Su Peisheng had arrived, his heart pounded. The people living in this cabin were scions of prominent families in the capital, and they certainly couldn't afford to offend them.
So they saw that the person was just moving some furniture around, without actually placing anything to admire.
"Fourth Master, you're looking for me!" The quartermaster knelt on the ground, cold sweat beading on his forehead. The Fourth Master was a difficult person to talk to, and now that he had something to do with the Fourth Master, he was sure to suffer a bad outcome. The quartermaster felt extremely uneasy thinking about this.
"Hmm, tell me, how did the furniture in this room get up here?" Yinzhen asked Erlu to open the wardrobe. Sure enough, they found a hidden compartment under the template, containing the seal that Kangxi had been searching for. Upon seeing the items on the tray next to it, the chief of military supplies went weak in the knees.
The rules that Prince Zhi and the Fourth Prince repeatedly emphasized have actually been broken. As someone who assists them, I will probably be punished as well.
"This servant truly does not know. They said that if one does not use their own belongings in the cabin, one will certainly not be able to rest well. This servant thought that since we are currently away from home, if we do not rest well, it might affect our ability to go on the expedition," the quartermaster quickly replied.
He thought to himself, "Who wouldn't want to mess with this guy? Why did they have to pick on this cold-faced god? I have to admit, Yinzhen is more useful to his servants than anyone else."
"Fourth Brother, take the bed board apart!" Qingyan heard the alarm in the space and felt that there must be something inside the bed board, otherwise, there wouldn't be such a strong warning.
Erlu quickly led the servants of the Sticky Rod Office to dismantle the bed. Surprisingly, firearms were hidden under the bed boards.
“Master, it must have been bought from the black market!” Erlu reported.
Yinzhen smiled coldly. Such firearms were actually available on the black market. Even the military camps in the capital should be thoroughly investigated. Those people were definitely not good people; otherwise, such a huge blunder would not have occurred.
"The black market?!" Qingyan glanced at the firearms, which were clearly from the Xishan camp, yet they claimed they were from the black market. "Eru, don't hide it from anyone."
When the princess spoke, Erlu fell silent. The Xishan camp had been their training ground, and Erlu didn't want to doubt anyone there.
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