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After breakfast, all the princes' primary wives in the capital came over, each with their heads bowed, waiting for Consort Tong's questioning. The Crown Princess was dressed in a golden palace gown, with exquisite makeup on her face.
"Your Highness, if the Prince set the fire, why stay in the courtyard? He would be in danger himself!" The Crown Princess pointed out the inconsistency. In Changchun Garden, many servants were spreading rumors that the Crown Prince wanted to kill his father.
When the fire broke out at Ruizhu Palace, Emperor Kangxi and Consort Tong worked together to suppress the slander smeared against Qingyan and their unborn child. When the Crown Prince encountered a similar problem, Emperor Kangxi turned a blind eye.
Consort Tong smiled slightly. What the Crown Princess had said was just one strange point.
Qingyan sat down in a chair, rolled up her small handkerchief, and prepared to watch the play.
"Your Highness, that's not fair. The Prince was dragged along by the Crown Prince to have a drink. He doesn't usually have that kind of interest," the Third Princess Consort sneered.
She was determined not to let Yinzhi bear such a reputation, as their mansion and children would be the subject of gossip.
If the princes of the royal family lose their good reputation, their future is uncertain.
"Third sister-in-law, why do you keep targeting the Crown Prince?!" The Crown Princess was finally losing her temper; the Third Prince's wife was causing trouble again and again.
The Crown Princess and the Third Prince's wife usually get along very well, but when it comes to the safety of the household, they lose their previous gentleness and both want to protect their family.
Qingyan lamented that while the legal wife protected the men outside, they preferred delicate girls.
"Enough!" Consort Tong scolded, "Arguing here, what about your manners!"
In the past, Consort Tong would have given the Crown Princess face, but today, Consort Tong acted out of character and treated the Crown Princess coldly.
Qingyan felt something was off and noticed that Consort Tong was aiming at Yuqing Palace.
"Fourth sister-in-law, on the day of the fire, there were rumors circulating in the garden about your unborn child. You should understand how angry that is." The Crown Princess realized she couldn't get anything out of Consort Tong, so she turned her attention directly to Qingyan. If she disagreed with Consort Tong, their relationship as mother-in-law and daughter-in-law would be strained.
Qingyan gave a cold laugh. Did the Crown Princess think she was a fool? Was she trying to sow discord between her and her mother-in-law?
"Your Highness is too serious. Mother handled it personally because she was worried about my health. If I'm in a bad mood, it might affect the baby." Qingyan had already given up on everything else, and Yin had prepared a very nice environment for her to rest in peace.
The Crown Princess was speechless. Consort Tong chuckled to herself. Little Darling had grown a lot recently. At least, she could fight back when orders crossed the line.
The hall fell silent instantly, and all their eyes were focused on Consort Tong. The reason His Majesty had summoned everyone was to have Consort Tong give them a warning.
"I know I was wrong!" The Crown Princess realized that no one was supporting her in condemning Qingyan, so she quickly stood up and bowed.
Consort Tong waved her hand, gesturing for the Crown Princess to sit down first.
"You don't need to blame each other here, Crown Princess. I called you here to remind you to manage the inner palace well and not to employ just anyone." Consort Tong learned from Emperor Kangxi that the arsonist was a servant of Yuqing Palace, and more importantly, the person was not loyal to the Crown Prince.
As soon as the words were spoken, the primary wives were stunned. Yuqing Palace was said to be surrounded like an iron gate, and all of them were loyal people.
Now, this scene is a stark slap in the face, and the Crown Princess's expression is rather unpleasant.
"Your Highness, is this... really true?!" The Crown Princess glanced at Consort Tong. Without concrete evidence, she wouldn't dare to attack Yuqing Palace.
Consort Tong nodded. Since Emperor Kangxi had personally investigated, there was no doubt about it. The Crown Princess's face showed a grim expression.
"Your Highness, I will handle this matter carefully, but I hope you can suppress these rumors, which are clearly aimed at the Crown Prince!" The Crown Princess felt that she should ask Consort Tong to help.
They lived in Changchun Garden, which meant they were living under Kangxi's watchful eye. All the other princes who were the same age as the crown prince had moved out of the palace, but the crown prince would continue to live in Yuqing Palace.
“This morning, the Crown Prince heard these rumors and was very sad. He was preparing to come and explain to Father Emperor!” The Crown Princess also felt sorry for the Crown Prince. He had just experienced a fire yesterday and was now dealing with rumors about him. He was already quite exhausted.
Tulichen appeared at the door, and all the women in the household turned their attention to him.
After kneeling and bowing, he stood up, bowed his head, and reported, "The arsonist has confessed. It was the Crown Prince who arranged this. Your Majesty requests that the Empress and all the ladies go to the front hall!"
The Crown Princess slumped into her chair in an instant. How could the Crown Prince do such a thing?
"Your Highness, please leave quickly." Shu walked to the Crown Princess's side, sighed, and waved her hand, signaling the palace maids around the Crown Princess to help her up.
In the front hall, the crown prince knelt on the ground, his face pale, feeling a sense of desolation.
Faced with the evidence presented by everyone, the crown prince could no longer deny it.
"Father, I really didn't do that!" Yin pleaded.
Emperor Kangxi only wanted to teach the crown prince a lesson, to show him that he had misjudged people.
"Tulichen." Kangxi gave Tulichen a look, signaling him to reveal the truth of the investigation in public.
The arsonist revealed his identity, having been hiding by the Crown Prince's side for five years. They had intended to use the fire during the Golden Festival to frame Qingyan, so that her unborn child would bear such a stigma and would definitely have to be aborted. For a mother, this would be a fatal blow, and it would also implicate the twins.
As soon as the words were spoken, everyone in the hall felt a chill of fear. If this scheme had succeeded, the twins would certainly have perished. In the minds of the scholars in the south, the fact that the Qing imperial family could have twins symbolized that Heaven had approved of the Qing Dynasty.
The rebellious people in the south have lost their most desired twins, a boy and a girl.
"Did you see that?" Kangxi uttered four words, but they made everyone feel immense pressure.
The Crown Prince and his entourage were stunned. They never expected that their repeated investigations would result in them being outmaneuvered.
"Your subject failed in his duty of care," the Crown Prince and the others knelt inside the shop and quickly apologized.
Emperor Kangxi sat on the dragon throne, feeling extremely depressed. Why was his child so obtuse?
"Your Majesty, I need to thoroughly investigate the servants of Yuqing Palace, in case there are still spies around," the Crown Prince quickly said.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I also want to investigate this thoroughly before making a decision," Yin and the others quickly replied.
Emperor Kangxi waved his hand, and Li Dequan respectfully presented a tray containing two lists of spies from several courtyards.
"I'm handling this myself. You're all grown up now, some of you are even heads of your own families, yet you still act so rudely. The family needs you." Kangxi publicly reprimanded the princes, being criticized in front of the women, which was quite humiliating.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I understand!" The princes lowered their heads. They certainly wouldn't have listened to anyone else.
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