Zhao Yao was not aware of the extremely complex situation in Yangzhou. He only sensed something unusual about the Yangzhou rebellion due to Xie Shi's failure to pacify it despite being there for a long time. If it weren't for his maternal grandfather's family being in Yangzhou, he wouldn't have sent Lai Qian and Lai Xi there to understand the situation.
Lai Qian and Lai Xi stayed in Yangzhou for a while and heard a lot from their friends, as well as witnessed many things themselves. However, being animals, they couldn't grasp the deeper implications of what they saw or heard, despite their intelligence.
Upon hearing the matters told by Lai Qian and Lai Xi, Zhao Yao felt a tumult in his heart; he hadn't expected the situation in Yangzhou to be so perilous.
[By the way, Yao Yao, there's something about Han Zhong exchanging salt for Yangzhou's grain seeds,] Lai Xi nearly forgot to mention this.
