After the interrogation, Qingyan felt like she was about to collapse. Sure enough, these people were no pushovers. The servants appeared exceptionally humble on the outside, but in reality, they had been plotting their schemes for a long time.
Wang Geng was merely a member of a prominent family within the Imperial Household Department. That secret room became the most painful place in Qingyan's heart, where those young girls were murdered.
"Fourth Prince, are you off today?" Qingyan looked at Yin's casual attire and her little face showed a puzzled expression. If Yin had nothing to do, why would he be out of the palace?
Yin nodded, and the secret chamber became a secret, which also piqued Kangxi's interest. Now, the Imperial Guards were already in action, hoping to obtain the most detailed information.
"Little darling, let's get ready to go see a play." Wang Geng's younger sister married an imperial censor as a concubine, and it's said she's quite favored.
Qingyan looked up at him. The house raid and interrogation were already over, so what excitement was there left to watch?
"You think only the Wang family, a powerful clan of bondservants, came out of the secret chamber?" Yin muttered.
Recently, Emperor Kangxi has been quite troubled by this matter. As the guards who were confiscating property searched more thoroughly, the number of memorials on his hands also increased.
Many of them are denouncing the inhumanity of those people.
"What?!" Qingyan looked at him in surprise. Recently, Fei Yanggu had supplemented her knowledge by saying that secret rooms were not allowed in ordinary bondservant families.
Unable to leave the palace, Kangxi thought that Yinzhi could use the time while searching for Qingyan to help him see those secret rooms.
He didn't really believe the reports from his servants.
"Today, we're going to two mansions. Those two secret rooms have been thoroughly cleaned up; there are no messy traps." Yin planned to show Qingyan more things so she wouldn't be fooled.
Half an hour later, Qingyan dressed herself up and followed Yinyi on a light men's tour. When they arrived at the Yan residence, Qingyan looked at the seal on the gate and couldn't help but feel a little annoyed.
It was clear that the Fourth Prince was preparing for a surprise inspection. The people from the Criminal Investigation Department arrived early with their men. However, Kangxi made an additional request to them: apart from the confiscated property, everything else had to be left in its original place.
"Fourth Brother, are we just going to swagger in like this?" Qingyan looked at the tightly closed door, her mood growing increasingly worse.
"Father has issued another decree to the Court of Judicial Review, we must enter through the side gate." Yin led Xiao Guai by the hand and walked towards the side gate.
She stepped through the gate and looked at the blue brick paving of the courtyard. The pavilions and towers inside were exceptionally exquisite, and the corridors were decorated with paintings in the style of the royal palace corridors.
Although they didn't overstep any boundaries, their lifestyle was considered quite luxurious even among aristocratic families.
"My God, black swans?" Qingyan looked at the artificial lake and saw several black swans resting leisurely on the water, seemingly unaware that their owner would never return.
She felt a little heartbroken. These black swans were not afraid of people at all. When they approached the lake, the black swans would come to their side. Qingyan had never seen such a situation before.
"Fourth Brother, shall we take them home?" The belongings of disgraced officials are usually confiscated, and these black swans are particularly intelligent.
Yin glanced at Qingyan discreetly. These were considered evidence of the mansion's crimes, and they certainly couldn't take them out without informing Kangxi.
"Alright, let's take them back. Let's go to the secret room first." Yin was determined to do his job well. He would take those black swans as a reward and asked Kangxi for them.
Fortunately, their mansion has already begun construction, and in a few years they will be able to become the owners of that prince's mansion.
"Fourth Brother, does this look familiar?" Qingyan entered the study and found a very familiar item in the curio cabinet: a small blue and white porcelain celestial globe vase, which was obviously once placed in the palace of the Empress Dowager.
From the Cining Palace?!
These four words floated through Yin's mind, but he was deeply shocked. These servants were playing with fire.
"Are you sure it's that one?" Yin had to admit that Xiao Guai had a stubborn love for blue and white porcelain; once she saw a fine piece, she would remember it vividly.
"Yes, it must be that one!" Qingyan confirmed.
Yuan blue and white porcelain!
This item was definitely not easily obtained; the thing she could hold and play with was absolutely a treasure.
"Su Peisheng, have this sent to the palace. Let the Empress Dowager personally verify it." Once Qingyan confirms it, Yin will hand the item over to the Empress Dowager.
In the previous dynasty, Emperor Kangxi's actions were too drastic, and Consort Tong's prestige was severely damaged by the powerful families of the Imperial Household Department. This time, the implications are far-reaching, and several major families have been involved.
As for who should launch the attack, Kangxi and Yinzhi always felt that Lanya should not be the one to do it. Firstly, Lanya did not have any biological children, and secondly, and more importantly, Lanya did not have the ability of the Empress Dowager.
The old man, who had survived three dynasties without defeat, possessed methods and experience that Qingyan could not match.
"..." Su Peisheng quickly summoned the guards outside and ordered them to personally deliver the celestial globe bottle into the palace so that Emperor Kangxi would know about it first.
Yin waved his hand, and Su Peisheng led everyone away.
"Little darling, just say you saw the bottle. You absolutely cannot say you played with it first." Qingyan is a court lady who has not yet married into the palace, yet she knows so much about these things. This will greatly affect Qingyan's reputation.
"Huh?!" Qingyan was puzzled. "They're just two bottles. Can't I just say they look familiar?"
Yin shook his head. This was definitely not something that could be explained in a few words. The items involved the Cining Palace, which was the worst possible situation.
Qingyan was caught up in this disaster. The Empress Dowager might give face to the old man who had served her for generations, but in the end, the personal attendant would be pushed out as cannon fodder.
"Fine, I'll just say you think they look familiar." Yin was considering how to tell Kangxi the truth, as their actions in coming to this residence would be reported to Kangxi by his imperial guards.
Qingyan touched and looked around, and found that many of the items had appeared in the palace before.
"The Hall of Mental Cultivation and the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility!" Yin said through gritted teeth. These two places were where the most noble people in the Qing Dynasty lived.
However, the contents inside cannot be guaranteed now.
“Yes, these two places have the most things. Look, there’s a small mark on the bottom of these porcelain pieces. I made a point of looking at it when the Empress Dowager and His Majesty bestowed porcelain upon me before,” Qingyan said to Yin in a low voice.
At this moment, Yin was filled with regret, wondering why he had dragged Xiao Guai into this situation; those people were definitely not good people.
"Fourth Brother, I won't say anything more." Qingyan gestured and covered her mouth.
Looking at her childlike appearance, Yin couldn't help but laugh out loud. (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.)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
