As the convoy left the county town gate, Qingyan heard a commotion coming from behind. She glanced at Yin with concern, and he nodded slightly.
"Eru!" Yin called out softly.
"My lord, the prefect has issued an order to seal off the city. Before dusk, no one may enter or leave." Erlu admired Yin's order.
If they follow their original plan and leave the city tomorrow, tonight will be extremely difficult.
She was worried. Xie Rui's character was unclear, and she couldn't determine his loyalty after only two days of observation. So she turned on the video in her space to check on the situation at Yuelai Inn.
Inside the county town, the government officials and the guards who came along patrolled the streets, checking the innkeepers one by one. When they encountered guests who had booked the back courtyard, they even went inside to search the courtyard.
The Yuelai Inn had closed for five days, saying it would reopen after renovations. A guard captain ignored the closure sign and kicked open the door. He saw Xie Rui, a retired soldier, standing behind the counter. His pupils narrowed slightly. This man was a fierce general of the Ulanara clan. Ordinary princes would never dare to confront him head-on. This man's skills were definitely superior to his.
"Ike? What brings you here? Did the Eighth Prince send you on a business? Or are you here to cause trouble?" Xie Rui recognized the man as Ike, the head guard who had accompanied the Eighth Prince's wife during her dowry.
This man was in his early twenties and was an outstanding member of Prince An's household. Yue Le's successor, Prince An Yunduan, dispatched Yike to protect the Eighth Prince's wife.
"All of you, get out of here!" Ike didn't want his men to see the two of them facing off. Sheryl was good at psychological warfare and was also quite strong in combat. If the opponent was not careful, Sheryl would succeed directly.
The guards slowly withdrew from the doorway, while Xie Rui leisurely watched him.
“Now, you are just an ordinary citizen, and your status is somewhat different from mine. Xie Rui, I won’t make things difficult for you. Just tell me whether the Fourth Prince has left!” Yi Ke did not want to get involved in royal affairs, but the Eighth Prince’s request left the Eighth Princess with no choice but to comply.
"Hmm!" Xie Rui only uttered one word, "You'd better watch yourself, and don't make enemies of your masters!"
"Thank you for the reminder. My master only has the Eighth Prince's wife. That man is treacherous and is using Prince An's past misdeeds as leverage. My master had no choice but to do this." Ike pointed out the previous unfriendly attitude after hearing the Eighth Prince's wife's hint.
Xie Rui smiled. They all said that the Eighth Prince's wife would look down on Yin Si.
"Alright, I'll trouble you to go and explain things to the master. Please go ahead!" Ike simply made a bit more noise, following the Eighth Prince's wishes so that Yin and Yin could hear the commotion.
Inside the carriage, Qingyan leaned against him with her eyes closed, seemingly resting, while Erlu stood guard beside her, watching the woods on both sides of the road warily.
This place is the easiest place for an ambush. Yin was dealing with the memorials in his hands when, a little later, a carrier pigeon landed on the window frame of the carriage. Yin patted her little face, and she opened her eyes. She saw the carrier pigeon used by Yuelai Inn not far away, quickly went over and caught it in her hand, took the letter bucket off her left foot, and took two small teacups from the side. One cup contained water, and the other contained fresh millet.
Hearing the cooing sound, Yiken'e quickly sat up, raised his right hand, and rubbed his eyes. Once he was fully awake, he met the gaze of the carrier pigeon perched on the low cabinet. It tilted its little head and looked at him, its black bean-like eyes fixed intently on Yiken'e.
"Mother, I want to raise them!" Yiken'e loved these birds very much. She had a white eagle at home, and when she saw the carrier pigeon, she wanted to keep it for herself.
"Do you want to keep Little White as a pet?" This time, the white eagle was also secretly put into her space to accompany her. She wanted to let Little White fly freely in the sky when no one was paying attention.
The courtyard in the square of Beijing is really too cramped.
Yiken pouted, staring longingly at the carrier pigeon. Her phoenix eyes pleaded with Yin, but Yin ignored her.
During wartime, carrier pigeons were extremely important war supplies. The batch trained by Qingyan was mostly secretly sent to the Sticky Pole Office and the new army. Each Yuelai Inn only had two pigeons.
She pulled a slip of paper from the mailbox, on which was written Ike's identity and what the Eighth Prince's wife had said.
"Sisi, look." Qingyan handed it over directly. "Yike, sleep a little longer. We won't get there until very late."
Qingyan watched as the carrier pigeon ate and drank its fill, then opened the curtains. It flapped its wings and flew away. Yiken, seeing that the toy was gone, could only quietly go to sleep.
After reading the note, Yin placed it directly on the table, holding his teacup and lost in thought. Yin Si had always harbored ambitions, and this matter had to be told to Yin.
Back then, Yin Hui was imprisoned for life, which was largely due to Yin Si. Furthermore, the four princesses who were married off died young because of the loss of power by Prince Zhi.
"Should we talk to the eldest brother?" Qingyan thought that Yin was a breath of fresh air among the princes. If the pearl behind him stopped causing trouble, Yin should be able to live a peaceful life.
Yin and Yinqi had similar experiences. If Yinqi didn't have that scar on his face, he probably wouldn't be able to live a peaceful life.
As evening approached, the group arrived at Yuelai Inn, where a sign indicating that the inn was closed had already been hung at the main entrance.
One by one, everyone got off the carriage. Yin took two steps forward, holding Yiken'e, and glanced at Yin.
"Brother, let's go to the study first!" Yin glanced at Yin, and the two brothers looked at each other. After they arrived at the study, Yin took out a note from his purse and quickly glanced at it.
After reading it, he slammed the note on the table, his face instantly darkening.
"Little darling, is what's recorded here true?" Yin couldn't believe it. He had watched Yin Si grow up. Since Yin Si had been separated from his mother at a young age, Yin had taken great care of him. Now, someone was telling Yin that Yin Si's obedient and sensible behavior in front of him was all an act.
Yin was in a very bad mood; it seemed he had misjudged people.
"Why?" Yin smiled bitterly. His good intentions had turned out this way. Consort Hui had warned him that Yin Si was an ingrate, and no matter how good he was to him, he would be betrayed.
"Brother, it's good that you know," Yin said bitterly.
Yin didn't want to speak ill of his brothers in private, but reality often proved him wrong.
For the sake of power, the princes also began to fight. Yin opened a blank memorial and handed it to him, saying that this matter had to be reported by Yin.
"I will end this." Yin picked up the brush and quickly wrote the contents of the note on the folded paper, followed by his name. When he put down the brush, Yin's eyes were red.
Yin picked up a brush and wrote his name below Yin's memorial, agreeing that they would share the blame.
"Fourth brother..." Yin felt a warmth in his heart.
If the princes were to conduct private investigations of each other in front of Emperor Kangxi, it would leave a bad impression.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
