Su Lan and Su Xin knelt respectfully on the ground, their sincere actions leaving Qing Yan stunned.
She assumed they would get married, but she had also planned for them to find capable men from well-off families. Their being with her was, in a way, fate.
"Have you thought it through?" Qingyan asked.
Many masters, for their own selfish gain, casually marry off their personal maids, which chills Qing Yange's heart. He wonders if Su Lan and Su Xin share the same concerns.
"You two have always followed me, and you will definitely have a bright future. Father and Fourth Prince have excellent judgment." Since Yin is the future master, she will definitely do as Yin wishes.
Su Lan and Su Xin exchanged a glance and lowered their heads. The girl hoped for a good ending, but they were powerless to help her. Qing Yan's words gave them a glimmer of hope.
Qingyan noticed their expressions change and understood something. These two had probably been given some kind of mission by Yin. Weren't the two nannies beside him the same?
The nannies exchanged glances. Su Lan and Su Xin were self-aware enough not to need to emphasize it again.
In the evening, Qingyan specially cooked dinner for Fei Yanggu and his two sons. Since their return, the Jue Luo clan had been tormenting them quite a bit. Eshuo and Saituo had both begged the Jue Luo clan to let them go.
Every morning, the old nanny who was by Jue Luo’s side would come over and plead with Qingyan to let her go!
Fei Yanggu and E Shuo returned to the mansion ahead of time. Seeing Qingyan's smiling face, they felt relieved. The fact that Jue Luo sent someone over did not anger Qingyan.
Her small gesture sent a chill down E'shuo's spine. The people in the palace probably already knew about the Jue Luo clan's affairs, but they hadn't made any statement. Did they support or oppose it?
"Ah Hun, just relax. Your mother might be alright." She had to admit that Jue Luo Shi was still very good to E Shuo and Sai Tuo.
She came in through the doorway, standing against the light. Looking at his little sister's pitiful appearance, E Shuo felt even more heartbroken.
At the mansion, Jue Luo Shi used various excuses to take things from Qing Yan. The two brothers felt ashamed, as their contributions in this expedition were certainly not as great as Qing Yan's, and Jue Luo Shi had not received any reward.
During the morning court session this morning, some people were still subtly trying to find fault with Qingyan.
Everyone who went on the expedition received some kind of reward. Even Consort Tong received gifts from Emperor Kangxi's private treasury. Yinzhi even put away the calligraphy he had long coveted. He only received a banquet... without any reward whatsoever.
The imperial concubines knew that the Jue Luo clan's meddling had completely wasted their daughter's adventurous efforts. They pitied Qingyan's tragic fate.
"Little darling, in a few days, your father will take you horseback riding!" Fei Yanggu remembered that Qingyan liked horseback riding. Since the three of them were not around, and Yin had gone back, there was probably no one to take her out.
Her eyes immediately lit up. Was what her father said true?
"Father, I want to go!" Qingyan watched as the nannies set out dinner on the table. When they went to war, Fei Yanggu and the others were rarely in the military camp and often ate and slept outdoors. Their stomachs were all a little uncomfortable. She looked up some medicinal food recipes and prepared to give them a good treatment.
Fei Yanggu was relieved; she hadn't been completely devastated.
The next morning, Qingyan began preparing for her trip the day after tomorrow. Just as she was about to go to the kitchen to bake some cookies, she heard Sulan report that Princess Dong'e had arrived.
Qingyan frowned. Why was Consort Dong'e here again? As far as she knew, Yinzhi hadn't returned to the palace. When she met Yinzhi through the mirror, he had talked a lot about Consort Rong. She felt sorry for Consort Rong. Her son had been raised in the Dong'e residence for so long and had developed a deep affection for it. Now, she couldn't even get him back.
"Let her in." Qingyan looked at her light blue qipao and told Sulan to go and invite her in.
After instructing Su Xin to prepare some tea and snacks, she slowly walked towards the hall. Dong Eshi had been waiting impatiently for a long time. She was overjoyed to hear that Qingyan had not received any reward. Dong Eshiqi was even more laughing at Fei Yanggu behind her back, saying that Qingyan's reputation was ruined and that if Yin was not pleased, she would not get a good marriage.
"Oh, you still have the mind to mess around with these things?" Dong Eshi looked at her with disdain. What noble lady always goes to the kitchen?
"What brings you here?" Qingyan calmly looked at Dong'e Shi. The Empress Dowager disliked the surname Dong'e Shi the most. Instead of urging Yinzhi to return to the palace, this woman had the leisure to come here and cause trouble.
Lady Dong'e looked at Qingyan suspiciously. Hadn't she heard the rumors circulating outside? She had heard that several noble ladies were planning to ruin Qingyan's reputation so that they could rise to the top during the imperial concubine selection.
"Hmph, you're so carefree. After the Fourth Prince returned to the palace, didn't he still forget about you?" Dong Eshi sipped her flower tea. She had to admit that the food prepared by Qingyan was better than usual.
But these delicacies are not as important as their life's most important event. Qingyan smiled and thought, "Dong'e is only looking at the immediate benefits. No wonder Yinzhi's fate is not good."
If she hadn't misjudged the situation, this plan to send several princes back to the palace would be a test for Kangxi. Of the three families—Yingenjueluo, Dong'e, and Ulanara—two were aware of this.
It was normal for Yin to return to the palace directly. He was the oldest and had already started serving in the Fengtai military camp. Consort Hui knew even better that the matter between Yin Genjueluo and Yin was settled. This year, during the imperial concubine selection, Yin Genjueluo would become his primary consort.
She and Dong E were still young, and Kangxi was testing the two families, Dong E and Ulanara. Yesterday, Fei Yanggu secretly called her into the study and analyzed things for Qingyan bit by bit.
Previously, she was annoyed that Fei Yanggu and the others lacked responsibility. Now, she completely understood that in Kangxi's eyes, the Dong E clan wanted to control the princes, while they were simply obeying the imperial edict.
"Pfft, you believe all those rumors outside?" Qingyan smiled indifferently, as long as Yin hadn't distanced himself from her.
Looking at Qingyan's unhurried demeanor, Dong'e felt uneasy. Had her father guessed wrong?
Before her, Qingyan's calm and composed demeanor troubled Dong'e Shi, who had come with the attitude of watching a good show. In the end, her wish was not fulfilled, and instead, she gained a knot in her heart.
"Hmph, you just want to keep the Fourth Prince, don't you? Later, when your relationship with your husband fades, don't say I didn't warn you. These princes are all fickle. When they reach a certain age, they will all have maids to guide them. At that time, it will be too late for you to cry." After hearing her mother's words, Consort Dong'e chose to keep Yinzhi by her side.
Even if Consort Rong bestowed palace maids upon them, wouldn't the Dong'e clan still have their own methods? (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
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