Hong Fu bowed slightly and turned to leave.
Qin Yun paced back and forth in the tent.
Was she foolish just now to agree so carelessly?
Once she came to her senses, Qin Yun was filled with regret.
Shaking her head, she decided not to dwell on useless thoughts.
Getting down to business was important.
There was nothing much to tidy up in the tent now. She simply needed to feign a return to her mansion to lure the spies into showing themselves.
Qin Yun composed herself.
That very day, she informed the disaster victims.
She had to return to her mansion for some matters and would come back after she was done.
Upon hearing this news, the disaster victims were very worried, fearing that Qin Yun would abandon them.
However, after hearing Qin Yun's assurance that food would be provided sufficiently for everyone, they were finally relieved.
After completing all the arrangements,
Qin Yun turned and glanced at Xie Qianmo's tightly shut tent.
At this moment, she wondered what the person opposite was doing.
Was he still in the tent?
In any case, she had already made the matter clear to the young master of the imperial surname, and she hoped he wouldn't disappoint her.
That day, apart from a few small servants left behind to provide assistance, all the maids and servants left with Qin Yun.
Inside the carriage,
"Young Master, didn't we agree to stay here for a few more days? Why are we leaving so suddenly?" Xiao Ju scratched her head, a little perplexed.
"If we can't get used to staying, we naturally have to return to the mansion!" Qin Yun said casually, a smile playing on her lips.
Xiao Ju asked curiously, "Young Master, did you not sleep well last night? Did I disturb you by sleeping restlessly?"
Seeing Xiao Ju's innocent expression, Qin Yun stopped pretending.
"Our return to the mansion today is for show! We will return again tonight!"
"Young Master? What exactly happened?"
At this moment, Xiao Ju was like a curious baby, asking questions non-stop.
Hong Fu, sitting beside Qin Yun, saw that Qin Yun was a little tired and took it upon herself to explain the whole story to Xiao Ju.
After Xiao Ju heard the explanation, she fully agreed with Qin Yun's actions and her heart burned with hatred for the two spies.
But what she hated most was the person behind it all.
On the other side!
Inside a carriage,
"Master, there are two more spies among the disaster victims. It's likely that Scholar Qin also knows this, which is why she intends to feign leaving and return to her mansion!"
At this moment, Xie Qianmo had already shed his disguise and resumed his usual demeanor.
"Have you made all the arrangements?"
"Your subordinate has made all the arrangements. As soon as the spies reveal themselves, our men will capture them immediately!"
Xie Qianmo had absolute trust in his subordinates' work.
However, the crucial issue now was, who arranged for these spies?
The mastermind seemed to hold a strong prejudice against Qin Yun.
Just as he had assigned Qin Yun a task, that person immediately found trouble for Qin Yun.
Heh heh!
This matter was becoming increasingly interesting!
He was eager to see how that young person would resolve it.
Upon returning to her mansion, Qin Yun immediately summoned Hong Fu.
In the study,
"How are your conversations with those disaster victims? Did you get any reliable information?"
Initially, when Qin Yun heard that disaster victims had entered the north of the city, she felt that something was amiss.
Why were there disaster victims appearing for no apparent reason?
Where did all these disaster victims come from?
Qin Yun had asked Hong Fu to privately speak with some elderly women, hoping to obtain useful information.
"Master, I learned from the disaster victims that they are all from different small towns. The places they originally lived in suffered from a drought this year, causing the rice and wheat to wither, yielding nothing."
"Coupled with the high annual taxes in those areas, farmers who could not pay their taxes were subjected to inhuman treatment. Young men were captured for hard labor, unmarried women were sold to brothels, and the old, weak, sick, and disabled were driven away!"
Hearing this, Qin Yun frowned. "Are the local officials there so arrogant? Is there no law?"
"Master, do you know how much tax those disaster victims paid annually?" Hong Fu retorted.
Qin Yun asked with suspicion, "I'm afraid this matter is not that simple. A mere local official would not dare to be so brazen without someone behind him!"
"I heard the disaster victims say that their annual tax payment was one hundred taels. Those without money could pay with grain."
Qin Yun clenched her fists, her heart filled with anger. "The disaster victims couldn't afford to pay silver or grain this year, and their homes were empty of stored grain, so they were treated like this? What kind of situation is this?"
Raising her eyes, Qin Yun asked curiously, "Did you find out which small towns they are from?"
"I asked. There are Qingshui Town, Suyun Town, and Furong Town! These disaster victims are all from these three towns!"
Qin Yun walked to the window and looked out at the scenery. "After controlling the spies, I must visit these three small towns!"
Hong Fu approached Qin Yun and took a letter from her waist. "This is from Qingshan!"
Taking the letter, Qin Yun opened its contents.
A smile played on her lips. "Qingshan said in the letter that he would arrive in the capital tonight!"
"Then, I will accompany Master to the small towns with Qingshan!"
Qin Yun nodded.
"You go rest for a while. For the next few nights, we will have to wait for the rabbit. We won't be able to sleep at night!"
"Yes, Master, I will go down now."
After Hong Fu left, Qin Yun yawned.
She really hadn't slept well last night; she had been in a daze the entire time.
Qin Yun walked out of the study.
Just as she was about to go to the main house to sleep,
She was startled by the sudden appearance of Xie Jing'an.
Xie Jing'an, that scoundrel, did not use the main entrance. Instead, he scaled the wall of the Scholar's Mansion and leaped, landing in front of Qin Yun.
"Second Prince? You... are you here to rob me? Why are you trespassing into my Scholar's Mansion?"
Seeing Xie Jing'an appear, Qin Yun felt that nothing good was about to happen.
Xie Jing'an did not answer Qin Yun's question.
He spoke to himself, "Qin Yun, if my cousin comes later, tell her you haven't seen me!" After saying that, Xie Jing'an casually found a room in the Scholar's Mansion and hid himself.
Coincidentally, the room Xie Jing'an entered was Qin Yun's main room.
Qin Yun wanted to stop him, but the words were still on her lips when the plague god, Xie Jing'an, had already entered the room and closed the door.
Qin Yun frowned, feeling a headache. She knew this fellow Xie Jing'an was unreliable.
He angered a girl but refused to resolve the problem head-on, choosing instead to hide.
"Young Master, a young lady has arrived outside!" Xiao Ju ran over.
There was no need to guess who had arrived.
"Call her to the front hall, I'll be there shortly!"
"Yes!"
Qin Yun adjusted her clothes, glanced at the closed main room, and shook her head helplessly. Then, she walked to the front hall.
In the front hall,
"Young Master Qin!" Miao Yan'er stood up and bowed to Qin Yun along with the maid beside her.
"Lady Yan'er, there's no need for such politeness. Please, have a seat!"
Miao Yan'er smiled and nodded. She sat down gently on the wooden chair beside her.
"May I ask why Lady Yan'er has come to my mansion?"
Miao Yan'er lowered her head, her face blushing. "Today, my maternal grandmother asked my cousin to take me out to play in the streets. But halfway through, my cousin said he needed to relieve himself and disappeared in the blink of an eye."
"I figured my cousin must have come to Young Master Qin's Scholar's Mansion, so I came to take a look!"
Qin Yun rubbed her chin. "Lady Yan'er, why are you so sure that the Second Prince would come to my Scholar's Mansion?"
"My cousin and I were playing near the Scholar's Mansion at the time. I thought that since my cousin was familiar with Young Master Qin, he must have come to your mansion!"
Qin Yun's face was filled with dark lines. What was Xie Jing'an's brain filled with? Shit?
How could he not think of a problem that even Miao Yan'er had considered?
Couldn't he have used reverse psychology and gone to another courtyard? Why did he have to climb into his Scholar's Mansion?