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After lunch, the Empress Dowager was escorted back to her courtyard. Consort Tong, accompanied by Qingyan, went to the flower hall to rest, where the two children were also waiting. (From the novel)
"Mother~" As soon as Qingyan stepped in, the twins greeted her with smiles.
"Have you had lunch yet?" Qingyan asked quickly.
When they left, the twins were still asleep, so in order not to wake them, she instructed the head nanny to wait for them in the flower hall until they were awake.
"Of course I used it, Mother. Are you feeling unwell? I heard you summoned Imperial Physician Yuan?" As the eldest son, under the tutelage of Emperor Kangxi and Prince Yin, Yiken'e always acted like a little adult, constantly paying attention to Qingyan's movements.
Consort Tong chuckled. Qingyan had used Imperial Physician Yuan to escape, and now that her own son had exposed him, she felt somewhat awkward. However, she still put on a serious expression and prepared to have a talk with her son.
"What did Yiken do this afternoon?" Qingyan didn't want the children to get involved. The Empress Dowager didn't like twins, and if they argued with the Fifth Prince's family again, it wouldn't be good for their reputation.
"Mother, you must answer my question seriously!" Yiken'e straightened her little body and looked at Qingyan with a serious expression.
Qingyan chuckled; her son was just so adorable.
"Alright, Mother will answer your question seriously." Having been warned by Consort Tong, Qingyan had no choice but to silently suppress her teasing and look at her son seriously. "Mother wasn't feeling well, so I had Imperial Physician Yuan examine me. Now, I'm completely recovered!"
Yiken'e's expression was unreadable. He reached out and hugged Qingyan's neck, whispering something in a low voice.
"Mother, please don't let anything happen to you. I don't want my sister to live the life those servants talk about. Without you, we'll become someone else's scapegoat!" Yiken'e's words deeply shocked Qingyan. It turned out that there were actually people causing trouble in her own courtyard.
"Who said that?!" Qingyan quickly retorted, "Mother is still here, those servants are just talking nonsense."
Qingyan comforted Yiken'e, then looked at Hutuli Fengsheng Zhalafen in Consort Tong's arms. The little girl's eyes were red, and she was clearly sad and upset.
"Yiken'e, tell Grandma, who told you that?" Consort Tong despised such behavior. If it was a power struggle among the women, and they couldn't win, then it was simply fate.
If they were to lay a hand on the child, Consort Tong would absolutely not allow it. Back then, when Lady Uya tried to use Yinzhen, she was ultimately dealt with by Emperor Kangxi.
"It was the old women from the Imperial Household Department who delivered the supplies. They said that if Mother's health isn't good, she might not be able to survive this childbirth," Hutulifengshengzhalafen said softly. "They also told us to find a concubine for Father to help Mother, in case she gets too tired. In the end, we'll have to give way to the offspring of the secondary consort!"
The twins were very clever; after all, they were children, and they were quite worried about what the people from the Imperial Household Department were saying.
After speaking, Consort Tong gently comforted Hutu Lifengsheng Zhalafen, saying that what those people said was all lies.
"We need to tell the fourth prince about this later and let him handle it. The little girl has really been hurt," Consort Tong said helplessly.
Qingyan nodded. The trouble the twins encountered was definitely not a small one. Those people seemed kind and friendly on the surface, but in reality, many of them had been bribed by powerful families and were lurking around the children. Otherwise, in the later years of Qianlong's reign, the imperial offspring would not have been so tightly controlled by the servants of the Imperial Household Department.
"What's wrong?" Kangxi strode over with Yinzhi and his family of three to keep vigil for the New Year. He noticed that the twins looked unwell, which puzzled him.
The twins would always rush over to him with a big smile whenever they saw him, and rarely showed any emotional fluctuations.
“Mafa…” Yiken’e slumped down from Qingyan’s knees and nestled into Kangxi’s arms.
Emperor Kangxi stared wide-eyed at Yiken'e, who was teaching him. What was going on? Why was he so anxious to find his child during the New Year?
"Lanya, has something happened again? Look how angry you've made Yiken'e!" Kangxi kissed Yiken'e's cheek, wondering if someone was saying something behind her back.
Consort Tong reported to Emperor Kangxi about the two children coming to ask questions. As soon as she finished speaking, Lady Yingenjueluo looked at her daughter beside her. In the past few days, Songkelierha had also been acting strangely, often sticking to her side and even asking some strange questions.
“My dear mother, Songkelierha has also encountered a similar problem!” Yin recalled his daughter’s little tricks and quickly spoke to Consort Tong.
"Those servants from the Imperial Household Department again?" Kangxi was furious.
"Father, this kind of thing keeps happening despite repeated prohibitions!" Yin was helpless. They hid it too well. Even if they told him, who would believe him?
Besides, others would think that making a mountain out of a molehill by mentioning twins, and that the servant was just kindly pointing out a potential problem for Qingyan.
"Damn it!" Yin slammed his fist on the table. He had always taken meticulous care of his daughter, afraid that she might suffer even the slightest grievance. Now, he had been dealt a blow like this, and the feeling was truly awful. "Father, if we take action now, won't it have a negative impact?"
Yin was at least rational enough to understand that if he caused trouble for Kangxi, the Mongol princes would find out and complain to the Empress Dowager.
At times, without the restraint of the Grand Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager would act as she pleased, causing a lot of trouble, and Emperor Kangxi would have to clean up her messes.
"When you return, let your mothers handle it." Consort Tong and Consort Hui practice together; they should be able to uncover even more.
Kangxi's words left Yinzhen and Yinzhen with no choice but to obey. Kangxi's thinking was more comprehensive, and perhaps some matters still involved the inner palace.
"Furthermore, neither of you should make any further moves, especially Yin. You saw Lingpu and the others, but you must pretend that you know nothing about it!" Kangxi directly instructed his sons, fearing that the two of them might make any unnecessary moves.
"Father," Yin said angrily, "my daughter has been wronged, but I can't even vent my anger!"
"Brother, he'll definitely stand up for those two girls. We need to consider the bigger picture and not lose face in front of the Mongols and people from beyond the Great Wall!" Yin expressed his understanding, switching places with Kangxi. "Besides, who says we can't retaliate? We can do it secretly; who can find out?"
Upon hearing Yin's next sentence, Yin's eyes lit up instantly, indicating that Yin was right.
"Fourth Prince, don't go too far," Kangxi said vaguely.
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