As the matter of Lady Wuya came to light, the investigation of the servants sent to the palace by the Imperial Household Department became increasingly rigorous. Some even came up with other methods, placing their own people under other banners and preventing them from contacting their own concubines after they were sent to the palace.
That day, Qingyan paid his respects to Consort Tong as usual. Consort Tong's disdainful look intrigued him, as Qingyan rarely saw any expression on her face other than a smile.
The moment Consort Tong finished reading the memorial, her expression changed. She couldn't help but feel very curious about the palace concubines' ability to change their expressions.
"Little darling, go sit on the other side!" Consort Tong looked at the little guy and couldn't help but start to think about how to present the facts to Qingyan.
Emperor Kangxi privately mentioned to Consort Tong that when handling palace affairs, he should give Qingyan more guidance. The meaning behind this was ambiguous. Kangxi had sent experienced nannies from Cining Palace to teach the Crown Princess, but now he was having Consort Tong, the most powerful woman in the harem, personally train Xiao Guai. This was undoubtedly putting the two of them on the same starting line.
"Mother, this... shouldn't be me coming to see this..." Qingyan rubbed her index fingers together. These were all Kangxi's concubines, undoubtedly her elders. Why should she be involved in such troublesome matters?
Pfft!
Consort Tong chuckled. Other princes' wives would be overjoyed to have palace affairs to attend to, but the little darling in front of her had her tiny face all scrunched up, making her look so endearing.
The order was personally given by Emperor Kangxi, and Consort Tong could not refuse it. In addition, she naturally wanted Yinzhi to ascend the throne, which would be better for her and the Tong family as well.
"Little one, His Majesty personally told you to take a good look around. If you hide to the side, I can't guarantee you won't be dragged to the Hall of Mental Cultivation for re-education." Consort Tong looked at Xiao Guai with a smile.
Back then, when Yinzhi left the palace to avoid smallpox, even Xiaoguai's Manchu language lessons were taught by Emperor Kangxi. From then on, Xiaoguai instinctively felt a sense of fear towards Emperor Kangxi, which made Fei Yanggu jealous, always feeling that his daughter had been taken away by Emperor Kangxi.
"Huh?!" Qingyan was stunned. This...
"Listen to me, come and sit down!" Consort Tong pointed to the seat opposite her, making Xiao Guai sit there, and handed her the memorials she had already reviewed. "Read all of these today. After Yin comes, we'll have lunch. If you can't finish reading them, take them back with you!"
Qingyan pouted; this was clearly a recruitment drive.
She thought to herself, "That guy is probably leisurely working at the Ministry of Revenue."
"My dear, the fourth prince should be disciplined in the Hall of Mental Cultivation!" Kangxi was becoming increasingly aware of Yin's ambition, and he was also becoming more and more uncertain. He did not want the child he had raised to be ruined by Suo'etu. Reality is often the cruelest thing.
Qingyan frowned, looking at the burning document in her hand. With the introduction from Consort Tong, she had come to understand a lot about the situation in the palace. Not only was there a lot of trouble in the Imperial Household Department, but even the Imperial Kitchen had to be reorganized and many of its chief stewards had to be dismissed.
"Tell me your thoughts," Consort Tong asked quietly, glancing at the clock beside her. An hour had passed.
Qingyan looked up and saw that two hours had passed in a flash. She couldn't help but think that these servants were really quite cunning.
"Mother, first of all, we need to replace the head chefs of the Imperial Kitchen and conduct a thorough investigation!" Qingyan said solemnly, resting her chin on her hands.
The Imperial Kitchen is where food is consumed, and Xiao Guai and the others would often eat there. If the head chefs of the Imperial Kitchen were to make a move, none of the palace concubines would be spared.
Consort Tong nodded in agreement as she listened to Xiao Guai's words. Emperor Kangxi had not been wrong; Xiao Guai was indeed the most suitable person.
In the ten minutes or so, Xiao Guai shared her naive thoughts, some of which were quite simple. Consort Tong couldn't help but chuckle, thinking back to when she first entered the palace. Wasn't she just like that?
Emperor Kangxi has always enjoyed doing things that are both laughable and absurd, and he still talks about them with relish.
"Little darling, not bad!" Consort Tong was satisfied with Little darling's thoughts. At least, this girl did not disappoint. It was the instinct of the noble ladies of the Upper Three Banners to extend their influence into this circle.
“Mother, I usually eat in the small kitchen and rarely use ingredients from the imperial kitchen, but I still feel that the servants of the Imperial Household Department should be defeated in one go, and they should not be allowed to recover. I see that although it has only been a few decades since then, the servants of the Imperial Household Department have already formed such a large-scale alliance. This will definitely cause trouble in the future.” Qingyan remembered that the princes in the later years of the Qianlong Emperor’s reign were all born into bondservant families.
From that time on, the Qing Dynasty completely lost the bloodline that satisfied the nobility.
Consort Tong nodded slightly and tapped the memorial. Qingyan didn't notice some of the small details.
"The Wuya clan will be the main force, with the other families as secondary forces. There's no need for a large-scale operation. Just deal with the Wuya clan members and disrupt their connections, and that will suffice!" Consort Tong pointed out the key points. This disposal of people doesn't need to involve a large-scale operation, and it doesn't need to result in bloodshed. Otherwise, it would give the anti-Qing and pro-Ming factions in the south an excuse.
"Mother, why only deal with Wuya?" Qingyan didn't understand. Shouldn't they all be dealt with before a new batch of stewards were appointed?
Consort Tong shook her head. Qingyan was still a child and hadn't thought things through too deeply.
"These stewards can all be punished; they're just a warning." Consort Tong smiled, and the Uya clan was completely eradicated. "My little darling, remember your mother's words: no matter what, you must never do anything that the emperor forbids."
The concubines always felt that Kangxi was unaware of what was happening in the harem. As long as it didn't involve offspring, Kangxi generally wouldn't get involved in palace intrigues. In the future, Xiao Guai would face the same situation in Yin's harem. The concubines didn't believe that Yin could keep his promise of one love for life.
"Also, if the fourth prince has to take other women in order to save face, what should Xiao Guai do?" Consort Tong wanted to see if Xiao Guai had been spoiled too much by Yinzhi.
Emperor Kangxi certainly didn't want his son to have only one primary wife!
Qingyan suddenly remembered that Yin had mentioned to her during their wedding that in front of Kangxi and Consort Tong, she should act gracefully and dignified. Even if she felt upset inside, she should still say on the surface that she would fulfill her duties as the primary consort and follow the emperor's wishes. After they parted, no matter how angry she was, he would protect her.
She said exactly what Yin had said, and Consort Tong nodded in satisfaction. Xiao Guai was right. Actually, she knew that Yin would break out in a rash when he was with other women. Kangxi and she had some suspicions about Ulanara. Fei Yanggu and his two sons doted on Xiao Guai; they wouldn't allow anyone to control the Emperor.
Now, they can finally rest assured. This matter has nothing to do with anyone else; it's likely that Yin was drugged by the Uya clan. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please read at m.qidian.com.)
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