As the gaze grew increasingly intense, Qingyan's body stiffened... This... was somewhat unusual.
Instantly, she frowned. Could it be that Kangxi had brought the two of them out specifically to use them as bait to lure out the magistrate's spies? She was extremely disgusted by Kangxi's actions. The Crown Prince was Kangxi's son, but wasn't Yinzhen also Kangxi's son?
Even Consort Tong was manipulated. In the past few days, Emperor Kangxi has shown her and Yinzhen great favor, almost as much as the Crown Prince in the capital.
Upon realizing this, she couldn't help but feel a chill.
The most ruthless family is the imperial family! This old saying is absolutely true!
"Auntie, I'll take all of these, and there are still these!" Qingyan asked, pointing to a dozen or so paper-cut window decorations.
“Thirty copper coins!” the old lady said with a smile.
Yin took out a small silver coin from his purse and handed it over. The old lady accepted it with a smile, but she was not entirely at ease.
"Young master, I... I don't have change!" The old lady said awkwardly, as Qingyan was the first customer.
"Auntie, what a great start! I love these paper-cut window decorations. This craftsmanship is rare and worth it! Keep the change." Qingyan stood up, and Sulan quickly put away all the paper-cut window decorations she had her eye on. Upon hearing this, the old lady's expression relaxed. This silver coin was enough for the family's living expenses for a month.
"Thank you, young master! Thank you, young lady!" the old woman quickly said.
Qingyan smiled faintly. The street vendors in this county town were having a hard time. It wasn't just the old couple selling beef noodles; even the old lady in front of him was probably doing it to supplement their income.
"Let's go to Yuelai Inn, it's not safe here!" Yin was wary of the prefect taking desperate measures. Since his father had put him in a dangerous situation, he had to ensure Xiao Guai's safety.
The two men had different views on the danger this time, and Yin realized that Kangxi was testing him.
"Little darling, we need to get back as soon as possible!" Yin quickened his pace with Little darling and headed towards Yuelai Inn.
At this moment, Kangxi had just appeased Consort Tong and was standing at the window of a private room on the third floor of the Yuelai Inn. Today, he discovered that his guards were colluding with Suo'etu and had notified the prefect of the area in advance. He then thought of using this crisis to test Yin.
Qingyan's presence beside Yin would interfere with his judgment.
"If anything happens to Xiao Guai, how will you explain it to Fei Yanggu!" Consort Tong took a sip of her teacup indignantly. Even she had been tricked by Kangxi, which was infuriating.
At this moment, Yin had long anticipated that Kang would quarrel with Consort Tong. He and Xiao Guai walked on the street, with several surveillance eyes following them closely. Qing Yan straightened his back, not wanting to lose face while being watched.
Her little head spun around quickly, trying to figure out how to get rid of those tails.
"No need to get rid of them, just lead them directly to the Yuelai Inn!" Yin didn't intend to do it perfectly; he had to leave a loose end to truly reassure Kangxi.
Qingyan was puzzled. If he didn't get rid of him, should he let Kangxi take the risk?
"Let him handle it himself!" Yin said through gritted teeth. Even he had been outmaneuvered by Kangxi's scheme, so it would be a miracle if Yin was in a good mood.
Ugh!
Consort Tong mentioned that Emperor Kangxi and Yin often put each other in difficult situations. It seemed that Emperor Kangxi had thrown Yin into danger, but secretly had many shadow guards following him, probably to prevent those people from really harming them. Yin cleverly left a trail behind.
"We're leaving Father alive!" He gave himself a high-sounding reason, leaving Qingyan speechless with astonishment. Fourth Brother was utterly shameless!
"You...you're cheating!"
"Hmph, I'm young, so it's understandable that I haven't thought things through!"
Qingyan was speechless... Where did Iceberg Sisi go? Was she too charming, or did Sisi collapse?
"If we don't leave any loose ends, Mother won't forgive Father!" Yin knew that Consort Tong would definitely be angry. If Kangxi didn't properly resolve the last loose ends, the two would definitely have a cold war. This time, during the autumn visit, he was accompanied by other concubines. Yin wouldn't allow Kangxi to go to other concubines' tents during the autumn visit.
Qingyan was dumbfounded. What... does this have to do with anything?
Yin patted her little head. She had never been a parent, so she certainly didn't understand the meaning of children to parents. Back then, Qingyan had become distant from him because of Honghui.
He can still make up for it in his lifetime!
Yin smiled bitterly. He felt younger and more timid. He had been pretending for so long that he felt like he had returned to the past. He often did some outrageous things and was no longer like before, always thinking that he should do his best in front of Kangxi and working hard in private.
Kangxi watched as Yin and Qingyan appeared in his field of vision through the window, and only then did his heart truly settle down. Those shadow guards would never appear unless absolutely necessary, so Yin's safety still depended on herself and those few guards.
Seeing that Yin's stiffness had eased, Consort Tong shook her head. This father and son were really awkward. They clearly cared about each other, but they insisted on showing it in this way.
"You brat, you didn't even shake off your tail properly, and you brought two back with you. Li Dequan, have someone hold those two followers down and quietly send them back." Kangxi shook his head helplessly. He absolutely couldn't let those people report back, otherwise all the plans would be ruined.
"!" Li Dequan quickly went to deal with it.
After the door to the private room was pushed open, Yin led Qingyan in, gave a curtsy, and sat down next to Consort Tong.
"You brat, what's going on with those two!" Kangxi was annoyed. The people Yin brought should be of high status, which was clearly inconsistent with Kangxi's plan.
"Their status is too low, what use would it be for Father Emperor to find them?" Yin sneered.
After walking for so long, Qingyan must be thirsty. He immediately asked Sulan to prepare some tea, and Qingyan sat down next to Yin, pretending to be a quail.
Consort Tong laughed, thinking about the father and son.
"Little darling, what did you find while shopping?" Consort Tong carefully examined Little darling's expression. She didn't seem to be frightened at all; this girl was incredibly brave.
“Mother, the stall owners here are mostly wearing heavy clothes, they definitely don’t live as well as they seem!” Qingyan ignored Yin’s blinking and spoke her mind directly.
"Xuan Ye, you lost. Remember to give me that eighteen-bead Bodhi seed bracelet!" Consort Tong turned to Emperor Kangxi and said triumphantly.
Qingyan burst into tears, and Kangxi and Consort Tong made another bet about her!
"Fine, take it. My little darling, your temper... don't imitate your father, he was just a boorish old man!" Kangxi looked at Qingyan in frustration. This girl...
Yin covered his mouth with his teacup and chuckled softly.
Xiao Guai was incorrigible, and Emperor Kangxi had Consort Tong try his best to reform her, but to no avail, and the results were not significant.
"I know!" Qingyan pouted. How did the conversation turn to her?
"Can't you be honest with your sisters-in-law too!" Consort Tong sighed, her head throbbing. Xiao Guai behaved exceptionally well in front of outsiders, but in their presence, she was like a child. (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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