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After the meal, Yinhe and Qingyan emerged from the inner courtyard. She greeted the Crown Prince with slight embarrassment. The Crown Prince smiled and waved for them to rise.
"Your Highness, why have you arrived so early?" Yin asked the Crown Prince after taking his seat.
Pfft!
The Crown Prince spat out his tea. Yin's question was a bit too direct, making the Crown Prince feel embarrassed for a moment.
"I came out early, and Yinzhi and Yinzhi were still asleep!" Taizhi complained.
Yin listened attentively, pondering in his heart what the Crown Prince was going to do.
While the two brothers engaged in a question-and-answer session, things were somewhat awkward for the Crown Princess and Qingyan.
"Fourth Aunt, I saw the swing that Hutuli Fengsheng Zhalafen mentioned when I came here. Father said that when we return to Yuqing Palace, he will build one for me too!" Shulu really hoped that someone could share her joy with her.
"Really?! Shulu, is there anywhere you want to go after you come out?" Qingyan asked, looking at Yin.
"Yes, I want to go to Dashilan!" Shulu was oblivious to adults' expressions, and the prince softened a little when he heard his daughter's request.
Yin raised his head and glanced at the Crown Prince, saying, "Your Highness, how about I accompany you to Dashilan?"
After a brief consideration, the Crown Prince agreed.
Shulu rarely makes such a request, but the Crown Prince doesn't have many guards with him, so if he goes out rashly, there might be trouble.
"Fourth brother, isn't this too much trouble for you?" the Crown Prince asked.
Yin shook his head. The Crown Prince has already come out; is it a little too late to consider this now?
"Is there anything you want to tell me?" Yinzong felt that the Crown Prince was acting very strangely. He came over without saying anything and directly tried to befriend him.
"After the winter solstice, will you go directly to the naval port, or to the naval ports in Guangdong and Guangxi?" the Crown Prince asked.
Ugh!
Yin was instantly embarrassed. Sure enough, he had thought too highly of the Crown Prince, assuming he was simply out for a stroll.
"It's a military port in Guangdong and Guangxi. There are still some things that haven't been dealt with there. Saito and Eshuo can handle everything at the military port!" Yin didn't hide anything. If they had taken action, there would be no way to hide it.
The crown prince tapped on the armrest, wondering whether he should force the person through.
"If we send a few people to the naval ports in Guangdong and Guangxi, would that be difficult?" the Crown Prince asked in a low voice.
Not far away, Qingyan listened intently. Yin had said on the way that the Crown Prince was definitely trying to force someone into a relationship.
"Sister-in-law, the Crown Prince came here this time hoping to get my brother a job at the military port in Guangdong and Guangxi. He has never left home before and missed the registration deadline for the military port, so he was thinking of using connections!" The Crown Princess said to Qingyan with a smile on her face.
She gave an awkward laugh: "Your Highness, I don't handle matters related to the naval port. These training-related matters are basically decided by my elder brother and the master!"
Qingyan directly cut off the Crown Princess's next words. She didn't want to cause any more trouble. The soldiers at the naval port were screened out, and most of them returned to their hometowns.
"I need your leniency on this matter. He hasn't suffered. I heard that the military port screened out a lot of people, and many of them were sent back to the capital?" The Crown Princess didn't take Qingyan's refusal seriously and continued her words.
She kept her head down, not uttering a single unnecessary word, while the Crown Princess continued to boast about her younger brother's abilities. However, she never mentioned whether he had ever participated in actual combat.
"Sister-in-law, I'm talking to you." The Crown Princess was furious when she realized that Qingyan wasn't saying anything.
"Your Highness, I don't care about these things. I'm just looking at the accounts. The training is handled by Prince Zhi and the Prince. Most importantly, the people needed for the two naval ports must have participated in actual combat!" Qingyan was really annoyed by the questions and directly refused.
Qingyan's voice was quite loud, and it reached the Crown Prince and Yin, who both turned to look at the Crown Princess and Qingyan.
"Your Highness, the Crown Princess wants her younger brother to go to the military port in Guangdong and Guangxi!" Qingyan directly passed the buck to Yin, letting him handle it.
As soon as he finished speaking, the Crown Prince felt a little embarrassed. Qingyan was really direct, throwing the question directly to Yin.
The Crown Prince had originally planned to ask Yin about it after shopping. On the winter solstice, when Shi Wenbing paid his respects, he specifically asked the Crown Prince if he could send his legitimate son over.
At that time, the Crown Prince thought it was an easy thing to do and readily agreed, never expecting that Yinhe would refuse.
“Your Highness, I cannot agree to this matter of inserting people. Father has issued a strict order that favoritism is not allowed. Before the winter solstice, the military ports of Guangdong and Guangxi laid off nearly half of their soldiers. Most of those men had military merits, but they did not train hard enough and could not meet the requirements, so they were sent back to their hometowns.” Yin replied according to the rules.
If the Crown Prince insisted on making things difficult for them, Yin would have no choice but to go to Emperor Kangxi to request another imperial edict.
Yin's words made the Crown Princess's face turn very ugly, as she felt that Yin was disrespecting the Crown Prince.
"Fourth brother, it's rare for your father to ask you for a favor. If you fail to meet the training standards and are sent back to the capital, we won't blame you!" The Crown Princess just wanted to give her family an explanation so that Shi Wenbing would stop causing trouble at Yuqing Palace.
The Crown Prince also looked at Yin with longing. Shi Wenbing was going all out for the sake of his legitimate son. Every time he went to the palace to pay his respects, he would ask about it. In fact, when Lady Guarjia came over, he would ask about the Crown Princess.
The couple were forced into a corner, which is why they came directly to ask Yin.
“This is not something that can be compromised!” Yin asked somewhat awkwardly. “According to the regulations, those who have not registered are not allowed to enter the naval port for selection. In addition, Father Emperor requires that all guards selected from the naval port have participated in actual combat.”
The Crown Princess's younger brother could not meet these two requirements; he was not even qualified to register. Therefore, the Crown Princess had no choice but to ask the Crown Prince to come to Yinzhen's place.
"Both requirements must be met?!" The Crown Prince knew that the navy was the Qing army with the strictest requirements. Both Yin and Yin had made real military achievements in several expeditions, which even Yiken'e had witnessed. This put the ministers who had sent their children into the navy at the time at ease.
Initially, those sent to the naval port were mostly illegitimate sons. It wasn't until the establishment of the naval ports in Guangdong and Guangxi that legitimate sons were sent there.
"Yes, all of these conditions must be met. When the naval port was being established, the conditions were relaxed because it was the first time a navy was being built. The conditions will gradually become stricter later!" Yin's words gave the Crown Prince a headache.
He had suggested that Shi Wenbing send his son to the navy, but Lady Guarjia was reluctant to part with him. Now, they wanted to give him away again, but the other party didn't want him at all!
"Well, since there's nothing I can do, I can't force you. When is the next registration period?" the Crown Prince asked.
“Three days later!” Yin glanced at the Crown Prince, whose eyes flickered slightly.
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