Geng Youran did this not because she was soft-hearted.

However, Yinzhen always valued brotherly affection. If Hongzhou used this opportunity to settle his personal scores, Yinzhen would have a hard time getting past him, and Hongzhou might even end up suffering the consequences.

Of course, Hongzhou wasn't that stupid, and he quickly figured out the key to it.

February, spring quietly begins, a time when grass grows and orioles fly, but a cold snap takes Fu Yi's life.

"Consort, please eat a little. How can your body take this long?"

"Unable to bear it, he sent me down to be with my children."

Having lost both her daughter and son, Nian Yunrong's face had long lost its former pride.

At this moment, her face was completely pale. She lay on the bed with her back against the green smoke, clutching Fu Yi's clothes, her tears almost dried up.

"Consort, I beg you, you can't keep doing this to yourself. If you keep doing this, the young prince's spirit in heaven will not rest in peace."

"go out."

"master."

"Get out! Cough cough!"

Qingyan dared not provoke her master any further, so she had no choice but to hold back her tears and leave the inner room.

"What, still not going to eat?"

"Your Highness, it has been three days, and the concubine has not eaten or drunk anything. If this continues, I'm afraid her health will not be able to withstand it."

Yinzhen was also suffering.

He was the father of these children, yet he repeatedly sent them away.

"Let's invite Madam Nian to stay for a few days."

"Yes, sir."

So Gao Wuyong quickly summoned Madam Nian. When she saw her daughter lying in bed, looking extremely weak, Madam Nian was heartbroken.

"Qingyan, go and brew some ginseng soup for your master."

"yes."

Nian Yunrong kept her eyes closed and refused to turn around to look at her mother. Madam Nian disregarded the formalities of being a madam and took off her shoes to get onto the bed, holding her daughter in her arms.

This behavior surprised everyone else in the room, while Nian Yunrong couldn't hold back and burst into tears in her mother's arms.

Gao Wuyong told Yinzhen about this scene, and Yinzhen breathed a sigh of relief.

I finally cried.

Madam Nian stayed for almost half a month.

"Mother, why don't you go back? Your daughter is alright now."

"No, Mother has to see you get better before she can go back. Otherwise, how can she explain it to the rest of the family?"

Fortunately, with Madam Nian's company, Nian Yunrong gradually recovered.

During this period, Geng Youran and others would occasionally visit Nian Yunrong.

Even Li Jingshu came.

When Yinzhen came over, he would only stay for a short while in the evening before leaving.

There's no way around it; lately, I've been incredibly busy with the robbing of villages by salt smugglers in Shandong and the religious gatherings of Ju Shilin, a student from Qingzhou.

"You bastards! What are you all good for? You can't even handle this simple task."

Emperor Kangxi was furious in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and the officials kneeling below dared not utter a sound.

"Father, these people are not only smuggling salt, but they have also killed the soldiers we sent. I believe they must be severely punished."

Emperor Kangxi nodded and then issued an edict ordering Commander-in-Chief Tuolai, Vice Minister Zhang Tingyu, and Academician Dengde to conduct a thorough investigation.

After interrogation, it was found that Wang Meigong and four others did indeed organize a robbery and refused to be arrested by the soldiers.

At the same time, it also implicated Xu Qinjiu, a constable in Ning County, for his crime of secretly communicating with them, with the letters being written by Yu Yuan, a clerk.

In addition, Qingzhou student Ju Shilin was also accused of leading Zhang Yuanhao and 35 others to accompany Wang Meigong in a robbery.

After Zhang Tingyu handed over the memorial, Emperor Kangxi was very satisfied with the result.

Because Zhang Tingyu did not implicate others, some people were tempted to win him over.

"Ninth Brother, what do you think of Zhang Tingyu?"

“Eighth Brother, from what I understand, Zhang Tingyu is not a talkative person, but he is meticulous and very intelligent. However, he seems to keep his distance from both us and Fourth Brother and the others, and is unwilling to have too much contact with them.”

Is it possible to win him over?

The Ninth Prince, Yin Tang, thought about the suggestion seriously, and after a while, he shook his head.

“Brother Ba, this Zhang Tingyu usually keeps to himself and never gets involved in things that don’t concern him. I think we shouldn’t waste our time on him.”

Yinzhi smiled and said:

"Even if he doesn't work for us, we can't let him be won over by Fourth Brother. Find a few people to make contact with this Zhang Tingyu first, and it would be best if Fourth Brother's men saw it."

"Myna, what do you mean...?"

"Given Fourth Brother's suspicious nature, if he were to take Zhang Tingyu to heart, I doubt Father Emperor would be pleased."

Upon hearing this, Yin Tang gave Yin Si a thumbs up.

Just as Yinzhen had expected, Zhang Tingyu's performance this time did indeed catch Yinzhen's attention, but that was all.

He had already been hiding for so long, so naturally he wouldn't let the Emperor notice him because of someone whose attitude was unclear.

The fact that Yinzhi had his advisors contact Zhang Tingyu naturally reached Kangxi's ears very quickly.

However, it wasn't his underlings who told him, but Zhang Tingyu himself.

"Zhang Tingyu, do you know your crime?"

"Your Majesty, I do not know what crime I have committed."

"Colluding with cronies and currying favor with powerful figures—that's enough for me to exile you to Ningguta."

"Your Majesty, do you have any evidence to support what you just said?"

"evidence?"

Emperor Kangxi became interested; he hadn't expected that Zhang Tingyu was not only stubborn but also audacious.

"My word is law; do I need proof?"

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