With the turmoil at Yuelai Inn over, Qingyan thought she could enjoy a few days of leisure. However, when she went out for a stroll, she noticed that many people were no longer taking their young children out, which she found strange.
The group arrived at a private room at the Yuelai Inn. Qingyan specifically called the innkeeper and asked him what had happened in the past few days.
"Master, it is said that several more cases of children turning into mud figures have occurred in Yangzhou City. Apart from the shopkeeper, the rest are all children of ordinary people!" Qingyan was stunned. How could this be?
Su Peisheng looked somewhat embarrassed. There were already some rumors circulating here that the victims were generally under the age of three. As parents, they were also worried that their children would be harmed, so one of them would stay home to look after the children every day. Even small business owners no longer saw couples taking care of their children while doing business.
Qingyan stood at the window, looking down at the small vendor doing business alone, and felt a pang of sadness.
"Fourth Brother, a problem has come from Yangzhou. Could this... cause trouble?" Qingyan asked worriedly.
Yin stood behind Qingyan, pondering whether he should offer Kangxi some ice cream.
"Little darling, the Crown Prince doesn't want to resolve this!" The Hesheli clan and the Guarjia clan have always been the supporters behind Yuqing Palace.
If the Crown Prince personally punishes them, which of the two families will still support them?
The situation in the south was already unstable, and Emperor Kangxi's annual southern tours were meant to stabilize the region.
Now......
The Crown Prince's selfish act completely reversed the improving situation.
"Fourth Brother, continue business as usual, resolve this delicate situation as soon as possible. People down below are also in a state of panic." Qingyan pointed down, where the number of pedestrians on the street had noticeably decreased.
She was initially puzzled, wondering why there were fewer pedestrians after she came out, thinking it was because of the hot weather.
"Eru, send someone back to the courtyard immediately and report this matter to Anda." Yin didn't care and thought it would be enough to send a guard back.
Her interest in shopping had not diminished. As she walked down the street, she noticed an interesting scene: in the morning, the women would usually go out to buy groceries and daily necessities before the children woke up.
Nowadays, it's mostly men buying at the market. They only buy the cheapest items, and some even ask acquaintances to leave enough vegetables for them.
"Fourth Prince, do you want to try it?" Qingyan covered her mouth, wanting Yin to experience it.
He glared at Qingyan. Did she really need to personally intervene?
Waaaaah!
Qingyan simply lowered her head, indicating that she hadn't seen anything.
"Eru, I'm giving you a chance. Go shopping with Sulan!" Yin gave the order directly.
He led Qingyan forward, but the number of people dwindled as they walked. Yin sensed something was wrong and quickly led Qingyan away.
The sound of gongs being struck by a street performer came from not far away. Yin Zong felt something was wrong and quickly led Qing Yan back.
In the past, even if Qingyan didn't mention it, Yin would bring her along.
As the drums and gongs sounded, his pace quickened, which puzzled her. This...
His behavior today was quite unusual, and she turned around as she walked.
"Little darling, let's get in the carriage first." Upon reaching the carriage, Yin lifted Qingyan up. As soon as they were settled, the carriage sped off.
She was stunned by his series of actions. Why wasn't he out shopping?
"Those street performers have suspicious identities, so let's not go over there yet!" Yin said directly.
Erlu gave Yin a look, and then he saw a familiar face inside.
ah?!
Qingyan was puzzled. What could be wrong?
"No way?!" Qingyan exclaimed in surprise.
They haven't been here long, so no one's going to pounce on them, right?
“Eru’s memory is specially trained, giving him the ability to remember everything he sees, so he will never mistake someone he knows,” Yin explained.
Qingyan sighed inwardly. Being the head guard of a prince required exceptional skills; it was not a position that just anyone could hold.
“Tulichen is more skilled, so Erludao now has to return to the Dragon Guard’s training ground to train every month during his leave,” Yin said helplessly.
At this moment, Qingyan felt like he had escaped death. If Erlu hadn't said it directly, they would probably have been in a dangerous situation.
etc!
Qingyan suddenly remembered that the guards Yin had sent had returned.
"Fourth Brother, let's go back and ask Anda if the guards have returned safely!" Qingyan had a feeling that someone must have tipped them off when they came out.
In the vast courtyard, each prince brought his servants from his own household. Who would dare say that none of these people had been bribed?
Even Yin dared not say those words.
Yin sighed. Judging from the current situation, he probably hadn't gone back.
Upon arriving at the entrance of the villa, Erlu exchanged a glance with Tulichen, and a cold sweat instantly broke out on his back.
"Master, the guards haven't returned!" Erlu hurriedly reported as he watched Yin and Qingyan get off the carriage.
Her almond-shaped eyes widened in disbelief. How could this be?
"Didn't you go look for it?" Qingyan didn't believe that the people she sent would get lost.
"The Fourth Princess Consort is probably no longer here!" Tu Lichen looked at Qingyan and finally decided to tell her the cruel reality first.
In the past, they had also encountered situations where guards who delivered messages went missing, and most of them had died.
Yin led Qingyan into the courtyard. Kangxi learned of the news from Li Dequan and was somewhat worried about the safety of Yin and Qingyan, so he specially sent Tulichen to wait at the gate.
Emperor Kangxi and Consort Tong sat in the high seats, listening to Xiao Sula report that the couple had arrived safely.
After exchanging greetings, the two sat down, and Yin recounted what he had heard in the private room, as well as the strange phenomena on the street.
"Qingyan, what have you discovered?" Kangxi wanted to hear Qingyan's thoughts.
Qingyan had more contact with the outside world than the other children, and Kangxi was more willing to listen to Qingyan's ideas.
“Father, before, women would go out to buy groceries while the children were asleep. Now, they are worried that something might happen to the children, so they have left this to their husbands. Some of them will only go out when their husbands are at home. Their quality of life has declined, and their purchasing power has also decreased.”
Upon hearing this, Emperor Kangxi frowned immediately. This was bad. The people in the south were difficult to appease. Over the years, two emperors had used various preferential policies to appease the people.
Now, this incident may cause various panics, making all previous efforts futile.
"Fourth Prince, accompany Qingyan out shopping more often. I will also remind Yin that all three children are being raised here by me." Kangxi directly offered his advice.
Yin and Yin often went out, making them more suitable for gathering information than Yinqi and others.
"Yes, Your Majesty understands!" Yin was also worried about his younger brothers going out. Erlu had met those people, so he felt it would be safer for them.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
