Inside the carriage, Qingyan's face was tense. This calamity of the Empress Dowager was something no one could resolve. Once the talisman of bad luck was used, the bad luck would accompany that person for the rest of their life.
"Fourth Prince, Empress Dowager..." Qingyan tried to ask about the situation, but Yin's brows were furrowed.
He hugged Qingyan's small body tightly, rested his chin on her shoulder, and whispered in her ear.
“Grandma Angguma’s health is getting worse and worse. It’s said that it will happen in the next few days. Father, Mother and I are worried about you staying outside. In order to let Fourth Uncle and the others handle things in peace, you will stay in Chenggan Palace for the next few days.”
The people of Khorchin were persistent, which caused health problems for the Empress Dowager. The Emperor was furious, and the Qingyan banquet became a highly sought-after event, with people frequently trying to sabotage it.
"Fourth Brother, you're not telling the truth. Father and the others often go out on errands. When did they send me to the palace?" Qingyan was furious. If Fourth Brother didn't tell the truth, he would just hide it from him if something happened in the future.
"Little darling, the Empress Dowager's health is deteriorating. Those people haven't given up yet. The reason the Empress Dowager fell ill this time is because the Princess Consort of Khorchin wants her to find a way to switch you with Qingya at the wedding." Helpless, Yin had no choice but to tell the truth.
Immediately, Qingyan's mouth gaped open, completely stunned.
"Really?!" Qingyan thought she hadn't caused any trouble for those people, so why wasn't she letting go?
Yin nodded. These Mongolian men were just upset; they didn't actually like Qingyan. He wouldn't let Xiaoguai be ruined by those people.
When they arrived at Cining Palace, the palace was quiet, just like before Yin left the palace. Kangxi and others were all guarding the windows, and the princes and their wives were all behaving with exceptional dignity.
When Qingyan walked into the Cining Palace with a bare face, she formed a stark contrast with the concubines next to her who had exquisite makeup, causing Kangxi's lips to twitch.
Consort Tong saw this and covered her mouth with a golden silk handkerchief, chuckling to herself.
Yin was also petty. The Empress Dowager had always said that Qingyan was too charming and that the princes couldn't forget her. Yin kept this in mind. Today, when the two of them came, he even made sure that Qingyan didn't put on any makeup.
"This humble woman greets the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager, His Majesty, and all the ladies!" Qingyan bowed respectfully, but the Empress Dowager didn't even spare her a glance.
Kangxi nodded in satisfaction as he looked at Xiao Guai's clothes. His primary wives were quite capable, knowing when to wear what. His concubines were a different story; these women, besides vying for favor, didn't even use their brains.
Several low-ranking concubines were even wearing pink palace dresses.
"Get up, little darling, in a little while, you and Yinxian will go to the princes' quarters!" Kangxi generously granted the princes a few days of rest, so they could await the Empress Dowager's summons at any time.
Yin left beforehand and was unaware of the imperial edict.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I understand!" The Empress Dowager looked at her with displeasure. Qingyan kept wondering to herself whether she should complain to Yin.
"Little darling, Grandmother is not feeling well, please bear with it a little longer," Yin whispered to her.
"Get out!" The Empress Dowager uttered two words and directly kicked Yin and Qingyan out.
The princes exchanged bewildered glances. The two men had performed their duties without fault, yet the Empress Dowager was furious.
Previously, there was a rumor in the palace that the Fourth Prince looked remarkably similar to Emperor Taizong. The Empress Dowager had never been favored by Emperor Taizong, so she felt uncomfortable whenever she saw the Fourth Prince.
The reality made everyone believe the rumor.
"Fourth Prince, is everything alright now?" Qingyan thought they would have to kneel for a long time, but how come the Empress Dowager let them leave so quickly?
Yin smiled faintly. Yesterday, he had used Xiao Guai's space to do something so that Qing Yan could pass the test ahead of time. Emperor Taizong suddenly appeared in the Empress Dowager's dream. How could the old lady not be surprised and frightened?
Back then, Consort Chen's death was a deep-seated problem for Emperor Taizong. Even after his death, he continued to have the Imperial Guards investigate the matter. If he didn't have memories of his past life, he wouldn't remember that the Imperial Guards had recorded how Consort Chen was cornered and killed by the Empress Dowager.
It wasn't until Kangxi's later years that the Imperial Guards obtained the most important evidence and fulfilled Emperor Taizong's instructions. When Kangxi learned that Empress Dowager Tong and Consort Tong had died from this poison, he did not bury the Empress Dowager in the mausoleum. After he ascended the throne, he hastily built a mausoleum for the Empress Dowager in two years before burying her in a coffin.
Now, Yin has used this incident to provoke the Empress Dowager. In an instant, the Empress Dowager's hatred was stirred up. Yin's appearance is six-tenths like Emperor Taizong's. Today, the royal blue robe he is wearing is similar to the one Emperor Taizong often wore.
Emperor Kangxi had long noticed that Yin's everyday clothes had changed somewhat, and the style was very similar to those before he entered the pass. After learning about the cause of Empress Dowager Tong's death, he let Yin go and do his work.
Emperor Kangxi would not stop Yinzhen from avenging Consort Tong and Qingyan. The Empress Dowager's repeated scheming almost cost them their lives.
"This casual attire was prepared according to the customs of the area beyond the Great Wall. Coupled with my appearance, it would be a miracle if the Empress Dowager wasn't flustered!" Yin explained.
Upon entering the prince's residence, he dismissed all the servants and quietly recounted the affair between Huang Taiji and Hailanzhu.
Qingyan stared in astonishment at the fourth woman. The Empress Dowager, in order to gain power, had actually caused the deaths of her husband and her social class.
OMG!
What's going on here?!
"My mother was unwell for a while, and it was only with your thousand-year-old snow lotus that she slowly recovered. Actually, she was also poisoned!" Yin didn't want Qingyan to think he was ruthless, so he quickly explained the truth.
"Fourth Brother, I understand!" Qingyan knew that Yin's words were not unfounded and there must be a reason.
"Hehe, it seems that she will never know how many people she has hindered until her death!" Yin wanted her to know that the real reason her body was failing so quickly was the Buddha statue that the Khorchin had given her as a gift, which contained the secret medicine of the grasslands.
Back then, Yinzhi's body was also hollowed out by this Buddha statue. He didn't plan to fight those people to the death again in this life, and just let Kangxi handle it.
The people of Khorchin are basically ungrateful. No matter how much kindness they receive, they will not let go once they see a benefit in it.
"My God!" Qingyan had to admit that the Empress Dowager was also being put on the spot. "The people from the grasslands have made their move? Consort Xin cannot take the Empress Dowager's place!"
Qingyan couldn't understand why the people of the grasslands would betray their greatest backer. What wrong message had Consort Xin sent to them, making them believe that this backer was the most important person? (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)
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