On the second day of the Lunar New Year, a group of servants disappeared from the imperial tent. Tension immediately rose in the military camp, and many generals strictly ordered their soldiers to minimize their outings. The soldiers survived safely, and none of them wanted to get involved in royal affairs. (First published, dear)

Their families in Beijing were still waiting for news of their safe return; how could they easily put themselves in a dangerous situation?

"Little darling, you better behave yourself," Yinzhen whispered to Qingyan.

The little guy is too curious. These past few days, he has kept her by his side, staying in the study and not getting involved in what's happening outside.

In fact, he longed for Qingyan to be by his side. Consort Tong liked Qingyan and often asked him to keep her company.

He understood the saying that serving a ruler is like serving a tiger; his power was too insignificant, leaving her constantly in a state of unease.

"Fourth Brother, I'm very well-behaved." Qingyan was furious. Fourth Brother always looked at her like a child, but now she was an adult.

Qingyan pouted and said angrily.

She sensed the unfriendly atmosphere in the military camp and wanted to give him a heads-up.

"We're not getting involved!" Qingyan cursed Suo'etu inwardly. It's already the New Year, and he's still not settling down.

Yinzhen held her small hand, his mind racing as he considered how to avoid meeting the Crown Prince after returning to the capital. Based on his understanding of Yinreng from both his previous lives, he knew that Suo'etu held a very important place in Yinreng's heart, and Yinreng might very well send him to plead for him.

In his previous life, he had sacrificed enough for Yinreng. Yinreng was the crown prince, and when the princes were young, they were exceptionally respectful to him. As they grew up, they all understood the struggle for the throne, which led to the Nine Princes' Succession Struggle.

The Crown Prince's fate was even worse; Kangxi's decision to send Yinreng to Zhengjiazhuang was undoubtedly a prelude to paving the way for his future.

Zhengjiazhuang was built by Emperor Kangxi for his crown prince. Many of its furnishings are similar to those in Yuqing Palace. In the end, Emperor Kangxi still favored the crown prince, whom he had raised himself.

He left Yinzhen with a huge mess, and when Yinzhen looked back, he realized how incredibly miserable his life had been in his previous life.

"Little darling, let's just live happily. Those struggles have nothing to do with us." Yinzhen nodded. Once they leave the palace, he will develop his business. Nothing is possible without money.

He was tired of living without money and was determined to prepare enough funds to give Honghui a stable future.

Qingyan laughed. Yinzhen actually likes business?

In her memory, wasn't it Yinzhen who looked like this?

"Fourth Prince, haven't we already opened an inn?" Yinzhen knew how to make use of the resources at his disposal. While they were on the frontier, he had already been slowly developing his future power. Sometimes, she couldn't help but admire Yinzhen's foresight. No wonder he was the final victor in the struggle for the throne among the nine princes.

Before she was even ten years old, Si Si had such a meticulous plan. Qing Yan's little face was full of admiration.

Yinzhen shook his head. Their small businesses weren't even enough to cover their expenses in the capital. Besides, inns, teahouses, and restaurants were all good places to gather intelligence.

At present, he is not yet an adult, and opening a brothel would leave a bad impression on Kangxi. However, Yinzhen did not hide the fact that he had opened two inns and restaurants from Kangxi.

When he paid his respects to Emperor Kangxi and Consort Tong, he stated this directly.

"Little darling, our business will definitely be fine with your mother's dowry and care. However, you still need to be careful of certain people." Yinzhen sighed as he looked at Qingyan's bewildered little face.

He had trained agents known as the "Flying Guillotine," but these agents were still immature. If they were released, they might be discovered by Emperor Kangxi, and then their plan would be completely ruined.

"Fourth Prince, does His Majesty already know about that business?" Qingyan puffed out her cheeks and stared wide-eyed. The two of them had opened a shop with their New Year's rewards and lucky money. This... couldn't be considered collusion between Yinzhen and his ministers, could it?

Historical records state that Emperor Kangxi hated princes colluding with ministers the most, and the Eighth Prince Yinzhi was the best example. This prince was considered a virtuous prince by the ministers, but in Kangxi's heart, he was a disloyal and unfilial son. He even spoke extremely negatively about Consort Liang. All these actions made Qingyan extremely disgusted.

When Yinzhen thought of the Eighth Prince's affair, he made all his actions public, so even if Kangxi had doubts, he wouldn't nag him.

"Of course I know. I won't make things difficult for Father. The place where we're opening the inn is a military fortress, so of course we have to report to Father." Qingyan rolled his eyes at him. He wasn't an idiot; how could he not understand the trickery involved?

Yinzhen's words completely put Qingyan at ease, as he was relieved that he hadn't left any evidence against her.

At this moment, her stomach rumbled. Ever since the mealtimes at the Ulanara residence were changed from two meals to three meals, Yinzhen had maintained this habit with Qingyan. Even when he was away on campaign, Yinzhen still had people prepare three meals a day.

At first, Emperor Kangxi and Consort Tong complained that the two little ones couldn't keep up with hunger. But under their subtle influence, Emperor Kangxi experienced the benefits of three meals a day. In just one month, he ordered the camp to completely change from two meals to three meals a day.

The problem that had been troubling the generals was resolved. Fei Yanggu learned that his youngest daughter's unintentional change had made the soldiers grateful, and their attitude towards Fei Yanggu and his two sons had improved.

Feiyangu had to praise his daughter as a lucky star. The three of them, father and sons, risking their lives might not have earned the gratitude of the lower-ranking soldiers, but now, they had made all the soldiers remember the Ulanara family with a sense of gratitude.

"This is also a favor to you." Kangxi would agree simply because Qingyan had helped the military camp solve a problem, which made the soldiers more cohesive.

Qingyan finally felt relieved, but being confined to her room was truly unbearable. She was kept in the study, receiving instruction in Manchu and Mongolian from Yinzhen. These two languages ​​were much more difficult to learn than Chinese; those scribbles-like characters gave her a headache just looking at them.

"Fourth Brother, shall we go out this afternoon?" Qingyan blinked, looking at him expectantly.

Besides going to markets and temple fairs, another major feature of Chinese New Year is waiting for the fair.

"Go see the lantern festival?" Yinzhen glanced at him. The lantern festival was held at night, and it would be difficult for the two of them to go alone.

Furthermore, Emperor Kangxi had repeatedly forbade them from sneaking out again, so Yinzhen dared not agree.

Her eyes were filled with expectation, and she genuinely wanted Yinzhen to agree. In the capital, there would be no banquet except on the night of the fifteenth of the lunar month.

Since it was right under the emperor's nose, and lantern festivals were often dangerous, Emperor Kangxi decreed that lantern festivals could not be held in the capital except on the first and fifteenth days of the first lunar month. As a result, many families envied those from other provinces.

She had never seen an ancient lantern festival. On the first and fifteenth of the lunar month, Fei Yanggu always found various excuses to prevent Qingyan from going to that lively place.