Qiu Yizi shook his head and only told how Yin Tai led the Japanese pirates into the main hall of Baoqing Temple, revealed his true identity, and ordered the Japanese pirates to hunt him down. Then he said, "I only know that Yin Tai colluded with the Japanese pirates and the Tianzun Sect to oppose me. As for the process, I have no idea."
He thought about it again and said, "I think that Yu Mei said that after collecting a fortune, he would flee to Fusang, and it was Yin Tai who contacted him. So Yu Mei obeyed Yin Tai's orders."
Lin Shuhan nodded and said, "I can't guess the reason for this either. I'm afraid we can only find out when we capture Yin Tai and ask him in person."
Lin Shuhan suddenly changed the subject and said, "However, this incident today has caused too much trouble. With Lord Qiu's status, I don't know how to explain it to the emperor."
Qiu Yizi thought for a moment and said, "Mr. Lin, this is a good question. I think it's better to pretend to be deaf and dumb. After the rain stops and the sky clears, I'm afraid the local officials will report it one level at a time, and it will reach the ears of the emperor. At that time, if the emperor issues an order to inquire about it, I will deal with it accordingly."
"Hahaha!" Lin Shuhan laughed a few times, "Master Qiu, this is not a long-term plan. Don't forget, there is still a spy of the great prince in Shanyin County. Although he has been sent away by the great prince temporarily, the great prince has been away from the county for such a long time, how can he hide it from his eyes and ears? Maybe the great prince is now asking around for the great prince's movements!"
"Then... what does the gentleman mean?" Qiu Yizi asked.
Lin Shuhan smiled slyly: "In my humble opinion, it should be reported to the emperor. Why don't you say it instead of letting others say it? Remember that you have a secret channel to directly reach the emperor? Don't you use it for this kind of thing? Wait until the sky falls?"
After hearing this, Qiu Yizi suddenly understood and said, "Sir, you are right! But this memorial is a little difficult to write. You know, whether it is Saint Wen Lingjiao or Yu Mei, this... this... it seems that it is not easy to ask the emperor."
Lin Shuhan smiled and said, "These are all trivial matters. Even if Lord Qiu wants to talk about them, the emperor may not have the time to listen! I think we should just tell the emperor about the spread of Tianzun Sect in Jiangnan and the collusion between its leaders and the Japanese pirates. As for whether Yu Mei really followed the orders of the leader and how they colluded with each other, when the emperor asks, you can tell him your guess. If the emperor doesn't ask, you don't have to do anything unnecessary."
Qiu Yizi frowned and said, "Does this count as a crime of deceiving the emperor? If someone impeaches me, I'm afraid it will be difficult to deal with."
Lin Shuhan laughed again and said, "Your Excellency is worrying too much. The so-called deceiving the emperor is to call a deer a horse and to confuse right and wrong. You may not be sure that you know the truth of the two things I just mentioned. I will not report them to the emperor for the time being. At most, I am too cautious and unwilling to spread rumors. How can I say that I am deceiving the emperor?"
"What about Wen Lingjiao?" Qiu Yizi asked quietly.
Lin Shuhan pondered for a moment, and then said, "I also know something about the relationship between you and Miss Wen. Naturally, I don't want to hand her over to the court for punishment according to the law. Fortunately, Wen Lingjiao acts in a secretive way. Apart from your close confidants, no one knows her identity and motives, so there is no way to impeach her."
Lin Shuhan took a sip of tea and continued, "Let's take a step back. Your Excellency is secretly communicating with the leader of the cult. It's deceiving the emperor whether you tell him or not. So it doesn't matter whether you tell him or not."
Qiu Yizhi thought about it carefully, and finally said: "It seems that we can only do as you wish. But I am so confused now that I can't write a single word. I will trouble you to write for me, and I will copy it and send it to the capital. I think you are tired today, so why don't you make a draft in your mind today, and then we can discuss it again after we have rested enough energy another day?"
Lin Shuhan said, "An article, what's the difficulty? I received your kindness by giving you an article, should I put it off until tomorrow? Besides, I haven't written anything for a few days, and I'm itching to write something. I think I have the writing materials ready, so why don't I draft a draft for you to consider?"
After saying that, Lin Shuhan did not hesitate and went to the desk in Qiu Yizi's room, personally prepared ink and paper, and in less than a cup of tea, he had drafted a memorial.
Qiu Yizhi watched Lin Shuhan finish writing the article and couldn't help but applaud, "Mr. Lin really wrote it down. I read it from the side and couldn't change a single word. Alas! My handwriting is so bad that I am ruining this good article by copying it!"
Lin Shuhan was very proud of his writings, and Qiu Yizi's flattery was just right, causing him to laugh smugly: "Sir, what are you talking about? If you say that, how dare I write for you in the future?"
The two were about to continue their pleasantries when they heard a panicked cry from outside the window: "Nephew, this is bad, run away!"
Qiu Yizi was startled when he heard this, and hurriedly pushed open the door and looked around, only to see that it was Sun Shouqian, the owner of "Huamaolou", who ran in from outside the villa and reported the news to him.
Qiu Yizi hurriedly asked, "Manager Sun, what are you yelling about? You asked me to report quickly. Is the hurricane coming again?"
Sun Shouqian was panicked and said, "My nephew, stop joking. The hurricane came quickly and left quickly. It was gone long ago. Now the Japanese pirates are coming. They are much more powerful than the hurricane!"
"What?" Qiu Yizi could hardly believe his ears and repeated it again to confirm, "Where did the Japanese pirates come from?"
Shopkeeper Sun really thought that Qiu Yizi didn't hear clearly, so he raised his voice and answered: "It's the Japanese pirates, who are coming from the cofferdam. Young nephew, stop talking and run for your life! I'm running away too!"
His words were so loud that several of Qiu Yizhi's men in the villa woke up and stuck their heads out to check the situation.
Now Qiu Yizi finally confirmed what Sun Shouqian said, but he was extremely suspicious: Hadn't the so-called Japanese pirates been killed by him in Baoqing Temple? How did they come out from nowhere again and dare to attack Mingzhou City on a large scale
So he calmed down and said, "Don't worry, boss. Where did you get the news? If you talk nonsense when the matter is not clear, it will cause a big mess."
The shopkeeper Sun Shouqian was so anxious that he almost cried: "How can you say such a thing? Mingzhou City is in chaos now. If you still don't believe it, it's easy. Just go up to the top of Huamao Building and you will know."
Qiu Yizi's eyes lit up and he said, "Okay, let's go upstairs and take a look."
Unexpectedly, Sun Shouqian grabbed Qiu Yizhi again and said, "I just said it casually. It's already this hour, and you still want to watch the fun. Run away!"
Qiu Yizi, however, didn't care at all. As he trotted towards Huamao Building, he kept saying, "Young men, get up. We have things to do again."
He ran halfway when Yuchi Jiming caught up with him and asked, "Uncle, what happened? Who said there were Japanese pirates?"
Seeing her excited look, Qiu Yizi knew that this girl wanted to fight the Japanese pirates again, so he said, "It's not certain yet that they are the Japanese pirates. Maybe it's just a rumor. Why don't you come with me to the rooftop of Huamao Building to take a look?"
After that, the two of them headed towards Huamao Building.
It was just before the hour of Mao and before the hour of Chen, when the sky was just getting light. Some merchants who had gotten up early had already come to Huamao Tower to dine. Perhaps they had heard the rumor that "the Japanese pirates were coming", so they all dropped the food at hand and ran away. A restaurant that was one of the best in Mingzhou City had become a mess.
Qiu Yizi had not slept all night because he was discussing something with Lin Shuhan. He was out of breath after running halfway. He finally reached the roof of Huamao Building and looked down. He was shocked.
Mingzhou City was in chaos, just as Sun Shouqian had said. Dozens of houses were set on fire and thick smoke was rising. Countless people were running out of Mingzhou City with their families in the streets. Even on the roof of the Huamao Building, one could hear men and women screaming, babies crying, and chickens and dogs jumping. Looking in the direction of the port cofferdam, one could see countless Japanese pirates, some in groups of three or five, some acting alone, walking through the streets of Mingzhou City, killing anyone and robbing anything they saw.
Qiu Yizhi was shocked and annoyed when he saw this scene. Without saying a word, he turned back and went downstairs. He bumped into Sun Shouqian and heard the shopkeeper Sun say, "My nephew, I didn't lie to you, did I? The Japanese pirates are coming. Why don't you run out of the city?"
Qiu Yizi nodded: "Shopkeeper Sun is well-informed. The Japanese pirates are indeed extremely cruel. Shopkeeper, quickly take the restaurant's account books and deeds, and dismiss all the people in the restaurant. Tell them not to be greedy for money and property, and to escape for their lives."
Sun Shouqian nodded: "Then nephew, please come with us. I have bought a villa in the countryside, which is just right for you to hide away from the limelight."
Qiu Yizhi shook his head: "Manager Sun, just run for your life, don't worry about me. I have a dozen warrior servants under my command, and today is a good time to test their sharpness."
Sun Shouqian was shocked when he heard this. If anything happened to the nephew of the big boss Zhou Cijing here, he would have a hard time explaining it. He hurriedly shouted to stop him, "Nephew, you must not do this, you must not do this..."
However, before he could finish his words, Qiu Yizi had already run away with Yuchi Jiming.
In the villa of Huamao Tower, Qiu Yi's personal soldiers heard the order and dressed neatly and were ready to go regardless of their fatigue. Even Wen Lingjiao and He'er changed into tight clothes and stood aside waiting for Qiu Yi's order.
Qiu Yizhi was delighted to see this, and said, "Just now, I went up to the tower with Yuchi Jiming to observe the enemy situation. There are many Japanese pirates, about three or four hundred in total, which can be said to be a large force..."
Everyone thought Qiu Yizhi was going to order everyone to protect Lin Shuhan, Wen Lingjiao and others and evacuate Mingzhou City, but Qiu Yizhi changed the subject and said, "The Japanese pirates are committing all kinds of evil. How can we, the great men of the Han Dynasty, allow them to run rampant here? I have just seen the location of the Mingzhou government office and the garrison. We will go there now to discuss with the governor of Mingzhou and the general of the army how to eliminate the Japanese pirates."
He glanced at Lin Shuhan and Wen Lingjiao again and said, "The streets and alleys in Mingzhou City are very narrow. I think as long as we protect the two ends, Mr. Lin, Miss Wen, and Miss He'er, I can guarantee their safety. I wonder if you are willing to act with me?"
Lin Shuhan and Wen Lingjiao naturally had no objection and agreed respectively.
Qiu Yizi was very satisfied. After arranging the team properly, he took the necessary items and left the Huamao Tower.
The news of the Japanese pirates' attack has spread throughout Mingzhou City.
When the people in the city heard such urgent news, they all fled out of the city with their elderly and children. Although there were a large number of people in Mingzhou City, about 400,000 to 500,000, fortunately there were no city walls, so the evacuation speed was not slow. (To be continued)