Inside the teahouse, Yin remained lost in thought for a long time after hearing Qingyan's words. He thought that Wuya was the mother he hated the most, and compared to Jueluo, Wuya was still considered good.
Without delay, he immediately instructed the Dragon Guards to inform Kangxi and Fei Yanggu that they had been followed after leaving the palace.
Qingyan sipped her tea, glancing at the customers below from her private room. Several heads were bobbing back and forth; those must be the restless people Sisi had mentioned.
"His Majesty has been staying here for quite some time now. Doesn't the Prime Minister intend to intervene?" A conversation came from the private room next to them.
Upon hearing this, Yin frowned deeply.
Fortunately, they didn't say much after they came in; otherwise, the people around them certainly wouldn't have made a sound.
"Fourth Brother, could it be that someone framed him?" Qingyan recalled that Suo'etu and Mingzhu were a pair of sworn enemies. Some fans even paired them together, just like Yin and Yin, they were typical examples of love-hate relationships.
Yin shook his head. Suo'etu was being closely watched by Kangxi. He wanted to frame Mingzhu, and Kangxi's Dragon Guard and Yin's Sticky Rod Office should have received the news in advance.
"The Jue Luo clan is on Ming Xiang's side?" A hoarse voice made Qing Yan's small body tremble.
The Jueluo clan should be her maternal family; for that power, they chose to betray the Ulanara clan.
"Huh?!" one of them exclaimed in surprise. "The Fourth Prince's primary consort should be someone supported by the Gioro clan, right?"
"Heh, that one doesn't have the protection of the Jue Luo family at all. Besides, the only one who can compete with the Crown Prince is the First Prince!" The hoarse voice rang out again, and Qingyan felt as if he had been completely plunged into the abyss.
Looking at Qingyan's pale face, Yin felt even more indignant. He picked Qingyan up and walked out of the teahouse. He looked down and saw her empty and lifeless eyes, which made him feel particularly sorry for her.
Inside the camp, after hearing the servant's report, Kangxi and Fei Yanggu exchanged a glance and couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Yin Ying would be back soon.
"Try to persuade her." Kangxi also felt sorry for the little one. Jue Luo's unreliability annoyed Kangxi and made Fei Yanggu resentful.
At this moment, Qingyan stared blankly at the carpet on the carriage, her little face tense. Yin squeezed Qingyan's cold little hand, feeling even more annoyed with the Jueluo clan.
"Fourth Prince, will His Majesty punish Father?" Qingyan trembled at the thought of the Jue Luo clan getting involved in the succession struggle. Yin was petty; if he held a grudge against the Jue Luo clan, would he take it out on the Ulanara clan?
After all, that was Fei Yanggu's wife's family, and also Qing Yan's maternal family.
"No!" Yin shook his head. The Jue Luo clan had a bad relationship with Fei Yanggu to begin with, and Fei Yanggu had abandoned the Jue Luo clan. The relationship between the Jue Luo clan and Qingyan and her daughter was even more strained.
Qingyan was sullen. She never expected that Jueluo would give up Yin and choose Yin.
"Fourth Prince, are you angry?!" Qingyan cares most about Yin. She is familiar with history and knows that Yin will sit on the dragon throne. At that time, she may not be able to plead for her maternal family.
"Little darling, I won't worry as long as you're by my side." Yin tried his best to dispel Qingyan's worries.
She buried her face in his chest, and after a moment, he could feel a dampness on his chest; Qingyan was hurt.
From the time she could remember, Qingyan always felt that Jueluo Shi neglected her. She once tried desperately to convince herself that it was because of the preference for sons over daughters.
Later... Lady Jue Luo valued her illegitimate daughter Xin Ya, and the two became more like mother and daughter.
At that moment, Qingyan realized that the Jueluo clan simply wanted an obedient pawn.
In the past, Lady Gioro spoke sweet words, saying it was for the good of Eshuo and Saito's future, but reality harshly refuted her high-sounding reasons. Lady Gioro's bottom line was her maternal family; for her maternal family, she was willing to sacrifice her children.
"Fourth Sister, I'm scared!" Qingyan rarely showed weakness, but this time she was truly panicked.
Yin pulled her into his arms. He knew that all words of comfort would be in vain. Qingyan only wanted a peaceful life. Everyone had risked everything for that chair.
When she arrived at the campsite, Qingyan opened her bewildered eyes and looked at the familiar tent, but she felt no sense of belonging.
"Little Darling..." Yin called softly. Her big eyes were exceptionally beautiful, and he had no choice but to take her to the imperial tent.
Emperor Kangxi and Fei Yanggu were even more worried when they saw Qingyan's condition.
"Fourth brother, did Xiao Guai hear that?" Kangxi recalled what the Dragon Guards had said: they heard their news from the teahouse.
Yin nodded hesitantly, while Fei Yanggu's eyes flashed with anger. He stepped forward, picked up Qingyan, and placed her on his lap. His presence brought Qingyan back to her senses.
“Father…” Qingyan’s worried eyes made his heart ache even more.
Even now, the little one is still thinking about the Ulanara family; she truly deserves to be a noblewoman from a prominent family.
"Little darling, we don't need to worry. Father will definitely not let anyone hurt you!" Fei Yanggu's mouth was bitter. Apart from the Qingyan incident, Jue Luo was definitely a good primary consort.
Emperor Kangxi was reassured that Fei Yanggu would not betray him.
Qingyan lowered her head. Perhaps she and her mother were not destined to be together. In her past life, she was an orphan. In this life... she was separated from the Jue Luo clan again.
"Father, let's not go home, okay?" Qingyan didn't want to put Feiyanggu in a difficult position.
If they had completely severed ties with the Gioro clan in front of Emperor Kangxi, the Ulanara lineage should have been able to remain safe. Fei Yanggu had been married to the Gioro clan for many years, but she was different; let her bear the reputation of being willful.
Fei Yanggu patted Qingyan's back tenderly. How could he not know his daughter's thoughts? Once someone in the family gets involved in the struggle for the throne, it is difficult for anyone to escape unscathed.
Emperor Kangxi was in his prime, and his ministers found it difficult to guess which son he truly loved.
"Feiyanggu, you should try to comfort her." Kangxi sighed helplessly. The damage that the Jue Luo clan had done to Qingyan was too great.
Neither his promises nor Fei Yanggu's reassurance could dispel Qingyan's fear; they, as adults, had truly failed.
After bowing to Qingyan, Fei Yanggu left the imperial tent.
Only after the father and daughter disappeared from Kangxi's sight did they calm down.
"Yin, what's going on!" Kangxi had been cultivating Yin's ability to distinguish people since he was a child. By the time Yin was six years old, Kangxi was already treating him like an adult.
"Father, will Qingyan be alright? Those two must be Mingxiang's men; they've formed a united front with the Jueluo clan." Yin thought about how Qingyan's expression had been very unpleasant since he overheard the two men's conversation.
Emperor Kangxi tapped the armrest rhythmically with his right hand. During the reign of Emperor Taizu, the Jue Luo clan were descendants of Zhu Ying.
Outside the Great Wall, they were considered a branch of the royal family. As time went by, the Jue Luo clan gradually declined. In order to turn the tide, they decided to place their bets on several princes.
"Mingxiang...wasn't he framed by Suo'etu's men?" Kangxi gave Yin a test. He had already sent people to investigate. As long as Suo'etu and Mingzhu weren't involved, that would be fine.
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