Over the course of several days, Qingyan was frequently harassed by Consort Dong'e. Since the two princes lived very close to each other, Yin's side would know about any disturbances in the Third Prince's courtyard.
Every day, Dong Eshi and Dong E Wan Ning would engage in a fierce battle for the emperor's favor. Yin Zhi was also somewhat indecisive, and would sided with either side at any time. Dong E Wan Ning, having a child, was slightly better off.
"Little darling, reading again!" When Yin returned to the prince's residence, he saw Qingyan dressed in plain clothes, with a platinum hairpin in her hair, leaning against the soft couch, holding a travelogue in her hand, reading the contents.
"Hmm, what are we going to do if we don't look?" Qingyan thought of Dong Eshi and Yingenjueluoshi, who would fight wits with the little penguins every morning, and she found it very strange.
Yin picked her up. Kangxi's emotions were unstable, and he often caused trouble for his ministers. Of course, Consort Tong was also disciplining Consort Rong, but the effect was not good.
"Fourth Sister, the courtyard next door is not quiet at all. It's so noisy that I can't stay still," Qingyan complained to Dong Eshi.
Just now, she evaded the crowd and climbed onto the wall to watch Dong Eshi and Dong E Wanning's nth confrontation. Dong E Wanning was indeed ruthless. Just a few days ago, she said that Huoxiang had thoughts of betrayal, and yesterday, the maidservant by Dong E Wanning's side was replaced.
"Climbed over the wall?!" Yin heard from the Shadow Guards that Qingyan had nothing to do in the courtyard, and as long as he didn't endanger Xiaoguai's safety, the Shadow Guards wouldn't interfere with Qingyan.
Waaaaah!
Does Sisi have clairvoyance? How does he know?
Her little face was all red. What if Si Si got angry with her?
"Tell the truth!" Yin said sternly, taking the little one into his arms.
Qingyan has a bit of a boyish temper and often does things that are typical of boyish behavior, which is within his expectations.
"Uh, Fourth Prince, I heard some commotion over there, so I thought I'd climb up and take a look. Everyone was busy, so it's normal that they didn't see me." Qingyan tried to put in a good word for the maids, but Yin was convinced that they were the ones who hadn't looked carefully and would definitely teach them a lesson.
"Still want to plead for mercy?" Yin looked at her.
"I just think you're being a bit too strict!" Qingyan pouted, her little face puffed up with anger. Normally, Yin rarely took his anger out on the servants.
"Strict?!" Yin's voice rose an octave. "Father is in a bad mood. If we don't stop him, do you want us to be beaten to death?"
Yin was not exaggerating. The servants in the Hall of Mental Cultivation were all on edge. Even Li Dequan was extremely cautious when he was on duty, fearing that he would be punished by Kangxi.
Qingyan was taken aback. Kangxi... was in a bad mood?
I went to pay my respects to Consort Tong these past few days, but she didn't say anything.
"When we went to pay our respects, His Majesty was all smiles!" Qingyan muttered softly.
During the mourning period, laughter was rare in the Forbidden City, and Emperor Kangxi suppressed his joy. On the surface, filial piety was still of paramount importance to the outside world.
"Hmph!" Yin snorted heavily.
Qingyan immediately looked dejected. Had she said something inappropriate?
"You're so mean to me," Qingyan complained.
Yin shook his head helplessly. The little guy was always so frank, and he was likely to be used as a shield by the concubines. Kangxi might tolerate it for the sake of Fei Yanggu's reputation.
If this happened too often, Emperor Kangxi would definitely start to have doubts.
"Fourth Prince, can I pay my respects without going through the palace gates?" Qingyan was very perceptive and noticed that the concubines' attitudes towards her were quite subtle. Sometimes they were very kind to her, and sometimes they would bully her like Consort Rong did.
Yin was taken aback. What did Xiao Guai mean?
What did they do?
"I didn't understand a lot of what they were saying." Qingyan had to admit that palace intrigue couldn't just be theoretical; practice was very important.
The few days she spent living in the palace made her completely abandon her modern conscience. Even the seemingly innocent female relatives were adept at palace intrigue, which she found impossible to adapt to.
"Little darling, take your time learning. Your mother has high hopes for you!" Yin shook his head helplessly.
"I understand!" Qingyan leaned weakly against him, while Xiaozhi played with his big hand with its little paws.
Recently, she has also become fascinated with this activity. Yin's hands are long and fair, with some thin calluses due to long-term horseback riding and archery.
"If someone provokes us, we should fight back directly. We don't need to be afraid of those people." Yin smiled. The more training the little girl receives, the better she can adapt to life in the future.
Granny Liao and the others hoped that Qingyan could gradually grow through practice, and at least become adept at navigating among her sisters-in-law.
"When you go against Dong E, whose side are you on?" Dong E clearly believed that Dong E Wan Ning would deal with Huo Xiang, and that Qing Yan had tipped her off, even informing Dong E Qi Shi, saying that there were Ulanara spies in the family.
Dong Eqi made a scene in the imperial court, and tomorrow, Qingyan will personally go to court to defend himself.
"Your companion, get up early tomorrow morning and go to court to defend yourself. Dong E Qishi has no evidence; it's just what the Dong E clan's performers said." Yin had already investigated Qingyan thoroughly. If he wanted to harm her, he would have to see if he was willing.
Qingyan was relieved. Yin's influence was pervasive, and for Yin to speak personally, it must not be anything serious.
That night, the Dong'e residence was brightly lit with candles. Dong'e Qishi and his wife talked for a long time. He needed a definite answer from his wife so that he could defend himself in court the next day. Without the most compelling evidence, Fei Yanggu would not let him off the hook.
"You actually believed what the Third Princess Consort said?!" Dong E Qishi raised her voice. Dong E Wan Ning's aunt was controlled by Lady Dong E, and Huo Xiang's family was held in the hands of the Fourth Prince. After investigating these matters, Dong E Qishi regretted why she had made such a fuss in front of Emperor Kangxi.
"Yes, we investigated for a long time, but found no one from the Ulanara clan. Instead, we uncovered quite a few of Consort Rong's people." Lady Dong'e handed the list of Consort Rong's spies to Dong'e Seventy, hoping to redeem herself. "The Ma Jia clan's reach went too far. Was Wan Ning's entanglement also part of her scheme?"
Dong Eqi frowned, convinced that Qingyan would succeed in defending himself.
He had no evidence whatsoever, and what he had needed to do was submit it directly through a secret report.
When Kangxi's concubines were implicated, the matter could only be dealt with in secret. If even the slightest hint of it leaked out, Kangxi would not let them off easily.
“Consort Rong…” Both her legitimate and illegitimate daughters were betrothed to Yin Zhi. Her third daughter would participate in the imperial selection after the mourning period. If she was not rejected, she would probably be betrothed to Yin Zhi as well.
"My lord, I can't swallow this insult! Consort Rong has treated my daughter terribly, always siding with the Empress Dowager and bullying her. When she miscarried, Consort Rong didn't say a word, and even made her kneel in Cining Palace for hours while she was still recovering from her miscarriage." Lady Dong'e felt sorry for her daughter, and thinking of what Consort Rong had done, she wanted nothing more than to punish her. (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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