At lunchtime, a welcoming banquet was prepared by Fei Yanggu and his two sons, with Yinti and Yinzhen taking the lead, especially for Yinqi, Yinsi, and Yintang. Lady Yingenjueluo and Qingyan were also present at the women's table, both dressed in bright red palace attire, and the dishes on the table were all favorites of the three princes and the Eighth Prince's wife.
Shu Yun prefers more green vegetables. The Eighth Prince's wife, Guo Luoluo, has been following Prince An Yue for a long time, and her tastes are similar to those outside the Great Wall. She eats more meat, and her food is heavy on oil and spice.
On the table were ten dishes favored by the princes from beyond the Great Wall. The Eighth Prince's wife was very satisfied, and her smile deepened. Yin Si only ate two bites.
In the inner palace, the princes' tastes were fickle, changing according to the tastes of the women. After the Eighth Prince's wife married into the royal family, Yinsi began to indulge in strong flavors.
"Fourth Sister-in-law, this food is quite good. Could you give me the chef?" The Eighth Princess Consort was enjoying her meal and made a request to Qingyan directly.
According to her prior research, the cooks in the naval port were all poached from the Yuelai Inn. The Eighth Prince's wife had tried to poach cooks from the Yuelai Inn before. These people were all very loyal, and none of them were ever tempted by money or power.
Today, she rarely encountered a chef who suited her taste, so of course she wanted to take him away directly, at the very least, to pressure Qingyan into losing a warrior.
"That won't do. The chefs for today are ones I borrowed from the Yuelai Inn. The Yuelai Inn here will be reopening soon, and they'll definitely have to go back. Right now, they're training chefs for the military port. You can send your own chefs there so they can be trained together." Qingyan refused directly. She disliked the Eighth Prince's wife, so she didn't intend to have too much involvement with her.
If she can't even guarantee the quality of the cook at her own inn, what will people outside say about her?
"Fourth Sister-in-law, look at me, I only have this little request, and you can't even fulfill it, yet you say you can fulfill all my requests!" Eighth Princess Consort pouted and rolled her eyes at Qingyan.
Qingyan looked at Guo Luoluo in astonishment. She meant that the people from the Imperial Household Department and the Ministry of Revenue could meet her needs, so she was saying that she should also meet her needs.
"Eighth sister-in-law, taking things out of context is unacceptable. I've made it clear that the servants of the Imperial Household Department and the Ministry of Revenue can certainly fulfill your request. The Yuelai Inn is part of my dowry; I know that even sisters-in-law are vying for their sister-in-law's dowry," Qingyan said coldly.
Instantly, the dining hall fell silent. Qingyan's words had ruined the reputation of the Eighth Prince's wife. There was scheming among royal sisters-in-law, but even sisters-in-law in the common people couldn't scheme against their sister-in-law's dowry.
"Fourth Sister-in-law, the Fujin is wrong. She's a glutton. When she sees a good cook, of course she'll be tempted. We can pay to redeem the cook!" Yin Si's face stiffened upon hearing Qing Yan's words, and he quickly changed his excuse.
Qingyan scoffed, "Eighth Master is mistaken. I wouldn't need this little bit of silver. A loyal servant is something that no amount of silver can buy, and I have no intention of doing so."
Yinzhen glanced at Qingyan, the little girl was provoked and angered, and Guoluo Shi was somewhat confused.
"Hmph, she's just a cook, why do you value her so much? Or is it that you..." The Eighth Princess Consort was so angry that she started speaking without thinking.
Qingyan threw the teacup in her hand: "I was raised by Fourth Master since I was a child, and no one has ever been able to get close to me. Eighth Sister-in-law said that I am fickle. If I were ruthless, I should hang myself to prove my innocence. Then, you can let the noble lady of Guo Luoluo move into Fourth Master's mansion and ravage the twins."
The scene instantly spiraled out of control. Emperor Kangxi valued the twins highly, so he would never tolerate any interference in matters concerning the twins.
Both Yinqi and Yintang frowned; Guoluoshi had gone too far.
"Fourth Sister-in-law, Eighth Prince Consort didn't mean that!" Yin Tang quickly came over and apologized to Qing Yan directly.
“Ninth Master, there’s no need for further words. My Ulanara clan is full of loyal martyrs, and my father and I are deeply favored by His Majesty. It seems that it’s time for us to retire and return to our hometown. Since the royal family doesn’t think much of the twins and Qingyan, we can take them with us so they won’t be an eyesore to you.” Fei Yanggu and his two sons stood up and walked out with Qingyan.
Yinzhen looked coldly at Yinsi: "I will apologize to Father Emperor. Yinsi, you must give me an explanation. If my wife and children are harmed in any way, I will make Guoluo and Prince An's Mansion give me an explanation as well."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yinti and Yinzhen left the dining hall. Yin Genjueluo stood up and looked down at the Eighth Prince's wife.
“If you don’t like coming to the naval port, there’s no need to force yourself. We’re a very peaceful place here. One bad apple spoils the whole bunch!” After saying that, Yin Genjue Luo Shi turned around.
"You... how dare you call me a rotten apple!" The Eighth Prince's wife angrily pointed at the back of Lady Yin Genjueluo and asked, "I didn't say anything, is it really necessary?"
"Shut up! You've already touched on the issue of the women's reputation. If someone else asked you this question, could you forgive them?" Yinzhen glared angrily at the Eighth Prince's wife, who was truly a useless and troublesome person.
"How could that be? I would never do such a thing. You're not even proper yourself, yet you want to criticize me?!" The Eighth Princess Consort glanced triumphantly at Yin Si. On her very first day here, she had already suppressed their arrogance.
Yinsi understood that Yinzhen definitely held a grudge, and even the twins would resent him. If the twins shed tears in front of their father, Kangxi would feel sorry for them and it would leave a mark on his heart. When certain things happened, he would be more likely to become suspicious.
“That’s their skill. With so many people around, how could anything have happened? Cousin, don’t speak without thinking. Eighth Prince, Guo Luoluo must give them an explanation, otherwise, Yinzhen will definitely not let it go. Moreover, you also need to consider how to explain today’s events!” Yinqi sighed helplessly and left directly.
Yinzhen left the dining hall and, together with Yinti, suppressed all the rumors. They also relayed what the Eighth Prince's wife had said verbatim, ensuring that the Eighth Prince's wife would never escape the reputation of being unruly.
Back in the courtyard, Qingyan was looking out the window with red almond-shaped eyes. From childhood to adulthood, she had rarely left Yinzhen's side. To be insulted even like this made her feel extremely bad.
"Little darling, don't be sad. I'll handle it. I definitely won't let Guo Luoluo get away with this!" Yinzhen sat behind Qingyan, hugged her from behind, and whispered in her ear.
"Sisi, if someone with ulterior motives takes advantage of this, and Hutuli Fengsheng Zhalafen's reputation is ruined, then we'll be in real trouble!" Qingyan had to consider his daughter's situation.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of everything. Our daughter deserves the best!" Yinzhen assured him.
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