When Yin appeared in Qingyan's boudoir near midnight, she was completely stunned. He...

She quickly got out of bed and stood in front of him, giving him a tight hug. This made Qingyan realize that Yin must have encountered something.

"Four four..."

"Don't speak, just let me hold you like this!" Yin said bitterly.

In the middle of the night, Yin almost fell victim to a trap. Had it not been for a hint from Kangxi and Consort Tong's men, she probably wouldn't have paid attention, and then...

Tomorrow morning or the day after, the censors will definitely force him to marry a woman. Even if nothing happens, his harem will be opened. If they find out, he'll only lose a maid.

"Fourth Prince, go and wash up first. Is dinner served?" Yin didn't look well; he seemed rather dejected.

He was very pleased with her caring look. Which prince in the palace wasn't being schemed against?

He sent someone directly to the Ministry of Justice to find someone, and had the maid who had climbed into his bed dragged out and beaten to death. Su Peisheng brought back news that the maid in the Prince Zhi's mansion had also been beaten to death.

There was no movement in the courtyard where Yinzhi and Yinqi were.

"No!" Yin only ate a couple of bites less at dinner; something was still on his mind.

"Sulan, go to the small kitchen and prepare some food," Qingyan instructed while unbuttoning Yin's clothes.

After all, Su Lan knew that the appearance of the Fourth Prince, Lin Shi, was something her master had not anticipated.

The courtyard of Qingyan was bustling with activity. When Fei Yanggu heard A'dun report that the Fourth Prince had arrived, Fei Yanggu's lips curled up slightly. The Fourth Prince was definitely someone he could rely on and had not disappointed him. He was able to leave the palace in such a short time, which showed that he was also shrewd.

"Little Darling..." Fei Yanggu's voice came from inside the hall. Qingyan quickly quickened her pace, put on her usual clothes, and the two of them went out together. Fei Yanggu sat in the seat of honor, holding a teacup and drinking.

"Father-in-law, are you still awake?" Yin greeted Fei Yanggu respectfully.

Fei Yanggu nodded, waiting for Yin to tell him about the affairs of the palace.

"All of you, leave!" Fei Yanggu dismissed all the servants, leaving only three people in the main hall. The smile on Yin's face vanished completely.

That day nearly drove the former Yin to despair. Upon entering the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Yin became wary, noting that all the maids around Kangxi had been replaced. These were all newly selected maids who had entered the palace this year, and all of them were quite beautiful.

Some were even illegitimate daughters from collateral branches of powerful families; outside the palace, they were sent to the homes of other ministers to serve as concubines.

They could carve out a future within the palace, by being close to the princes and ministers. Of course, the young and promising princes were more popular. They accepted their families' assignments and all hoped to become the princes' women.

Today, they dressed themselves within the bounds of propriety, trying to make themselves look more beautiful. The palace maids wore pink palace dresses, with their hair in two small buns, adorned only with the prescribed silk flowers, and without any makeup on their faces.

Having grown accustomed to the exquisite makeup of the women, Yin Zhi noticed that these girls always presented their best selves when they bowed.

Kangxi saw this but only showed a glint of shrewdness; Yinzhi and Yinzhi didn't take them seriously at all.

"Fourth Prince, something has happened in the palace?" Fei Yanggu put down his teacup and looked at Yin.

Yin recounted everything that had happened after entering the palace. Fei Yanggu was also in charge of security within the palace. Kangxi did not prevent Yin from leaving the palace, hoping that Yin would pass the message on to Fei Yanggu.

"What!?" Fei Yanggu was somewhat taken aback.

In their schemes to scheme against the princes, the court officials even sent girls from collateral branches of the family into the palace. Fei Yanggu frowned. He was afraid that some members of the Ulanara clan would try to scheme openly, lest they use other connections to send girls into the palace.

“Father-in-law, there are also two members of the collateral branch of the Ulanara clan. Mother eliminated them in the second round!” Consort Tong quietly called him over and told him about the collateral branch of the Ulanara clan.

Ugh!

Qingyan was speechless. It turned out that not everyone in her family was satisfied with her. Although becoming the Fourth Prince's wife brought benefits to the family, they wanted to gain more leverage.

“That’s only human nature!” Fei Yanggu said coldly.

As the primary wives of princes, they were basically the legitimate daughters of clan leaders, and the most important resources of the family were used on them. Those from collateral branches would likely receive additional privileges for their own families.

"Father-in-law, are we just going to let this go?" Yin was unhappy that Xiao Guai was in danger.

Hehe!

Qingyan's face darkened. Fei Yanggu couldn't touch those people. The clan leader had to be tolerant; otherwise, people would say he was abusing his power for personal gain.

"Let it be!" Fei Yanggu didn't care. All their scheming was in vain if Kangxi didn't agree.

Qingyan sat to one side, waiting for Fei Yanggu's explanation.

“This is internal chaos within the family. Those in power want checks and balances within the family, not unity!” Fei Yanggu was clearly implying to Yin.

At this moment, Yin deeply regretted not taking better care of Fei Yanggu's health in his previous life. Fei Yanggu understood Kangxi much better than Yin did. If Fei Yanggu had helped him in the end, things probably wouldn't have been so difficult.

Honghui will not die young due to infighting in the inner court, and I will not allow Hong to ascend the throne.

Fortunately, things can turn around.

"Yes, Father-in-law, Xiao Guai and I are planning to have a child!" Yin wanted to tell Fei Yanggu in person. Before the marriage, he promised not to have children for several years. On the one hand, Qing Yan's body still needed to grow, and on the other hand, it was still a long time before Hong Hui arrived.

"Yes, it's time." Fei Yanggu agreed. Yin's decision was correct. From now on, Xiao Guai will visit the palace to pay her respects more and more frequently, and the matter of offspring will be constantly brought up. We should deal with it properly.

Qingyan's face was flushed. Couldn't they talk about this in private?

"Tomorrow, Imperial Physician Yuan will personally come to examine Xiao Guai's pulse. The day after tomorrow morning, I must return to the Prince's Residence!" Kangxi tacitly approved of Yin leaving the palace with him. Yin had someone say that Songkelierha was crying and looking for him. Everyone knew that Yin was a favorite daughter, so no one would find fault with it.

Fei Yanggu nodded. Kangxi must have sent Yin out to inform him that another purge was about to begin and that the Imperial Guards should also be mobilized.

"Father also told me to tell you that all those in the Imperial Guard involved in this incident, regardless of their rank, should be purged!" Yin relayed, mimicking Kangxi's tone.

"Yes!" Fei Yanggu respectfully stood up and agreed. "Little darling, you stay in the mansion. I'll have E Shuo stay with you!"

The Jueluo clan had fallen into the trap early on. They would definitely come to plead for mercy. It was good that Xiao Guai wasn't in the Fourth Prince's residence; those people were all sent by the Imperial Household Department—too many to be gossips. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)