Inside Chenggan Palace, Kangxi and Lanya were still talking about the two little ones when Li Dequan came to report that the Fourth Prince and Princess Qingyan had arrived.
Kangxi and Lanya exchanged a glance. What had happened to the prince?
Today, Emperor Kangxi, unusually, granted the princes a day off to prepare for Yinzhi's wedding celebration.
Yin and others waited in the Prince's quarters. He noticed that Yin was becoming increasingly aloof. After paying his respects at Cining Palace in the early morning, he did not return to Yuqing Palace. When Kangxi learned of this after the morning court session, he felt somewhat uneasy and went directly to Lanya to complain.
Yin dragged his little blue figure into the palace. Qingyan rarely wore 5-inch platform shoes, so he walked with a wobbly gait, which was extremely cute.
Lanya watched Qingyan's every move and couldn't help but laugh.
"Little Darling is becoming more and more capable!" She glanced down at Qingyan's flowerpot-shaped shoes and couldn't help but feel secretly pleased. These five-inch flowerpot shoes were only for the primary consort. The blue palace dress she was wearing was personally designed by Yin.
Originally, Yin intended for Xiaoguai to use it after the marriage. The pink and blue palace dress she wore was too eye-catching; someone would definitely see her on her way to Chenggan Palace.
Stepping into Chenggan Palace again, Qingyan's heart was pounding wildly. A casual remark had somehow dragged Yin here.
"Little darling, watch my expression later. I told you to say it, so just repeat what you just said." Kangxi's suspicious nature meant that the gathering could become very troublesome if not handled properly, so Yin had to use the spatial transmission to tell her.
At this moment, Kangxi and Lanya looked at the two little ones standing side by side with smiles on their faces. Kangxi couldn't help but feel regretful, as the two little ones should have been together according to the original plan.
"Fourth Prince, why aren't you waiting at the Prince's residence for the wedding to begin? What are you doing here at your mother's place?" Kangxi did not intend to attend Yinzhi's wedding. The behavior of the Ma Jia clan made Kangxi unwilling to give them face.
"Father, I have something to say. Tell Anda to take everyone down," Yin muttered softly.
Kangxi was taken aback when he saw Yin's cold expression. Usually, when Xiao Guai was by his side, Xiao Si would have a smile on his face.
He waved to Li Dequan and the others, and they left quietly. At this moment, Lan Ya was filled with doubt. She quietly cleared the room. The little girl lowered her head, as if she had done something wrong.
"Little Fourth, Xiao Guai is still young. If she does anything outrageous, just tell her more!" Qingyan's appearance made Lanya think that Qingyan had done something wrong and had been caught by Yin.
Yin shook his head and told him about the colored porcelain. Kangxi stared at him with wide eyes, and Consort Tong covered her mouth. She never expected that she would be schemed against by the Empress Dowager in this way.
"Little Fourth, this is no joke, are you sure?" Consort Tong asked in a low voice.
"Mother, it should be true. My little darling's Yue Lai Inn has always been doing well, welcoming and seeing off many extraordinary people." Yin nodded sadly, the resentment accumulated over two lifetimes making him even more frustrated.
Emperor Kangxi and Consort Tong turned their attention to Xiao Guai. The little girl was honest and straightforward, and she certainly wouldn't say these things without reason.
"Little darling, tell me what you heard!" Yin held Qingyan's small hand, as if giving her strength.
“When I went to check the accounts, I heard a lady say that it was a family secret recipe that had been used to deal with many concubines.” Qingyan swallowed hard, glancing at Kangxi’s dark face out of the corner of her eye. The little guy dared not say more. “That person also said that if you use it too much, the remaining children will have some defects, some will become freaks, and your master will bury them together with the mother.”
Qingyan's soft voice boomed like a muffled thunderclap.
"Little darling," Kangxi took a deep breath, calmed himself, and looked at the little guy, "Don't be afraid, I won't be angry with you. Look at those people's outfits, who do they resemble? When you went to the palace to pay homage, which of those noble ladies' outfits resembled hers?"
Kangxi's words startled Qingyan. Just as Yin had predicted, Kangxi immediately began to suspect those people.
Qingyan thought for a moment, and realized that all the wives of the Mongol princesses had a riding whip at their waists, so she decided to push the matter onto those people.
“None of them seem right. Her clothes and jewelry aren’t that fancy. I noticed a rope around her waist by chance… Hmm? It doesn’t look like a hemp rope either!” As Qingyan finished speaking, Kangxi’s heart tightened. Could she be from Mongolia?
"Li Dequan, go to the Qianqing Palace and fetch my horsewhip!" Kangxi dared not think too much. The horsewhip was presented by a Mongolian prince. All Mongolian horsewhips have similar patterns. When Qingyan said it looked like a rope, he remembered this thing.
"A riding whip? Your Majesty, it's clearly a rope! That lady looks like a lady from a prominent family, yet she uses a rope as a belt. It's rather ridiculous!" Qingyan asked, looking bewildered.
Emperor Kangxi sighed. The little one didn't understand his meaning yet, but even the noble ladies of Mongolia probably knew about this method.
The seventh prince was born with a leg problem. The imperial physicians and doctors could not find anything wrong with him and could only say that Lady Daijia had not taken good care of him. Now, he felt that it might be related to the Empress Dowager.
Qingyan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The Emperor hadn't suspected anything, and even Yin hadn't distrusted her. At the Yuelai Inn, she had seen a noblewoman with a rope around her waist. The woman was arrogant and demanded that she apologize. She had only accidentally touched her clothes while going up the stairs.
She holds grudges and took out her frustrations on this person.
After a cup of tea, Li Dequan appeared respectfully carrying a horsewhip presented as tribute from Mongolia. Qingyan carefully examined the contents of the plate and was startled.
"The color is different from this waist, but the pattern is the same. It doesn't have as many brightly colored ropes." Qingyan looked at the tray and saw a rope that was entirely earthy yellow, with some gemstones wrapped around it with bright yellow silk thread.
"Are you sure it's the same pattern?" Kangxi asked hoarsely.
Qingyan nodded, pointing out the inconsistencies. Kangxi's heart sank even further; the horsewhip Xiaoguai mentioned was clearly something only noblewomen of high status in Mongolia could use.
Moreover, the color was similar to that used by the women of the lineage of Wu Keshan's illegitimate son from the Khorchin.
The Empress Dowager had an excellent relationship with Wu Keshan. After Wu Keshan passed away, she secured many benefits for his sons.
"Little darlings, you must not mention this to anyone outside. That's enough for now. If anyone asks you, just say that I sent Yin to bring you to pay your respects to the Imperial Concubine!" Kangxi said kindly to them.
The look of fear in Qingyan's eyes prompted Kangxi to quickly reassure her.
"Yes, Father Emperor!" Yin nodded quickly when he saw her in a daze.
"Fourth Prince, go back and properly appease Qingyan!" Kangxi shook his head helplessly. "Go back first."
Qingyan finally breathed a sigh of relief after leaving Chengqian Palace. This time, she was lucky; she had managed to shift the blame onto the Mongols. (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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