As evening fell, Yin and Qingyan arrived with servants carrying their dinner, followed by a long line of servants. The servants of Chenggan Palace were stunned by the sight before them.
Inside the main hall, Emperor Kangxi and Consort Tong looked up as Yinzhi and Qingyan entered, followed by servants carrying a tray with a semi-circular lid, and slowly walked in.
"Greetings to Father and Mother!" Yin and Qingyan bowed.
"Start kowtowing! Why did you two prepare so many trays!" Kangxi looked at the many trays and felt a headache coming on.
Yin waved his hand, and trays were placed on the dining table to the right, with the semi-circular lids opened.
Plates of lettuce were laid out on the table, and a nine-compartment hot pot was placed in the center. Kangxi was stunned. He looked up at the ice basin in the hall and the fiery red broth in the hot pot, and was shocked.
"Little darling, is this what we're having for dinner?" Kangxi looked at Little darling, thinking to himself that this meal would probably leave him drenched in sweat.
“Dad, eating hot pot will make you feel better. We’re going to stay outside for half the night, so it’ll keep us warm and help us ward off the cold,” Qingyan explained softly. “We can also have barbecue in the middle of the night!”
Seeing Xiao Guai's eyes gleaming with anger, Kangxi chuckled.
The family of four sat at the dining table, each holding a small bowl, dipping their lamb slices in the special sauce, and were quite satisfied.
"It tastes good!" Kangxi nodded with satisfaction. Just as Li Dequan was about to try it, Yin and Qingyan ate it.
After the meal, Emperor Kangxi and Consort Tong were very satisfied. After the pot was removed from the heat, each of them had a cup of plum juice to cool down. Apart from sweating a lot, they instantly felt comfortable all over.
"Little darlings, go to the back to wash up and change your clothes," Consort Tong quickly instructed. "Xuan Ye, you should change your clothes too."
Yin dragged Xiao Guai towards his former room. Half an hour later, he changed into dark clothes and light jewelry and came out directly.
The shadow guards were constantly gathering inside the courtyard. Qingyan turned his head to look at the men in black in the courtyard and couldn't help but mutter to himself.
"Fourth Brother, what are those people doing?" Qingyan pointed with her small hand. A row of servants dressed in black Manchu-style clothing stood against the wall in the distance. Their faces were blurry, as if their true faces could not be seen.
"It's a shadow guard," Yin whispered in Xiao Guai's ear.
Qingyan's eyes widened in shock. It was actually a shadow guard?!
"Are they coming with us to the Imperial Garden?" Qingyan looked at the servants around him and whispered in Yin's ear.
Yin nodded. His father had put in a lot of effort to investigate any activity in the Imperial Garden.
Upon arriving at the main hall, Emperor Kangxi changed into his bright yellow everyday clothes, while Consort Tong wore dark-colored attire.
"Father, let's go to the pavilion in the Imperial Garden to wait for news!" Yin didn't say that the two artificial hills closest to the pavilion were more likely to hide people.
As night fell, they finally left the main hall. Qingyan tugged at Yin's sleeve, her small body getting closer and closer to him.
In modern times, Qingyan had heard people say that one should never walk on the palace paths of the Forbidden City after sunset, because that is when the Forbidden City is at its most yin.
Today is an exception, with two emperors, Kangxi and Yinzhi, by my side, so there's probably no chance of being possessed by something unclean.
"Little darling, are you scared?" Yin noticed that Little darling was walking slower and slower, and he couldn't help but worry. What was wrong with the little guy?
"No, it feels chilly on this palace path." Qingyan felt that the temperature on the palace path had dropped considerably. The old people were right; there was definitely something unclean in there.
Yin put a string of Buddhist prayer beads from his purse on Qingyan's right wrist. This string of eighteen prayer beads had been blessed by Master Yuanyi. Wearing it meant that nothing unwanted could get near Xiaoguai.
"Take it with you. Keep it on your body and no one will come near you." Yin patted her little hand.
Before the incident in the Imperial Garden, the concubines often came to the Imperial Garden to wait for Emperor Kangxi at this time. But ever since the screams started, the concubines have been avoiding the Imperial Garden.
The pavilion is located on the right side of the Imperial Garden, surrounded by artificial hills, with flowerbeds covering the other two sides. The pavilion is quite large, with a table that can seat ten people in the center, and plenty of open space around it. On either side of the pavilion near the artificial hill, there is a grill, and seafood and other dishes prepared by the imperial kitchen servants are placed on the tables to the side.
Emperor Kangxi looked at the chilled food on the table and couldn't help but smile; these were all for use when going on campaigns.
The four walked up to the pavilion, which was immediately surrounded by imperial guards. Five or six strong and powerful imperial guards stood on the pavilion.
Looking at the heavily armed guards, Qingyan almost laughed. If the screams were indeed the worst-case scenario they had guessed, then these people's protection would be completely ineffective.
She sat on a wooden chair near the flowerbed, leaning against the armrest, looking at the blooming flowers in the flowerbed. These were all planted by Emperor Kangxi for Consort Tong. In the very center of the flowerbed were red roses that Emperor Kangxi and Consort Tong had planted many years ago.
In modern times, there is still a rose bush in the flower garden of the Forbidden City. It is unclear whether it was planted by them or planted by modern people based on a novel.
"Fourth, where are the roses!" Qingyan had loved the scent of roses for two lifetimes. Watching the roses swaying among so many precious flowers, she felt a pang of envy.
Roses?!
Yin kept it in his heart. In the past, Yin didn't have time to pay attention to what the women in the backyard liked the most. In this life, he paid more and more attention to Xiao Guai's preferences.
It just so happens that it's still unclear what kind of flowers to plant in the garden of Prince Yong's mansion. Perhaps it would be better to transform the flowerbed into a rose arrangement.
"Cough cough cough!" Kangxi coughed. He muttered to himself about why he had brought these two children over.
"Father, shall we begin the search now?" Yin turned to look at Kangxi.
"Li Dequan, have someone begin searching the vicinity!" Kangxi gave the order, ignoring Yin's expectant gaze.
Xiao Guai's little paws gripped Yin's sleeve tightly. If anything happened, she would hide behind Yin's back. After they finished, Yin strongly emphasized that they absolutely could not use the space, otherwise, if Kangxi found out, there would be a lot of trouble.
"As you command!" Li Dequan stood at the entrance of the pavilion and made two pieces of jewelry.
In an instant, all the palace lanterns in the Imperial Garden were lit, turning the garden as bright as day, allowing everyone to see each other's every move.
Today, the servants who came with Kangxi and the others are the most loyal, and Yinzhi and Qingyan were especially instructed not to speak carelessly outside.
"Fourth Brother, isn't this just alerting the enemy?" Qingyan felt there were no ghosts in the world; someone was definitely playing a trick. (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.)
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