After breakfast, Qingyan sat with Yin in the carriage, her little face stern as she was angry with him.
Emperor Kangxi originally did not want Qingyan to go with him, hoping that she would stay in the camp to take care of the twins. However, Yinze mentioned to Consort Tong that Qingyan would go with him to take care of him.
"Little darling, you have to come with me so the children can be safe!" Yin explained helplessly.
The Mongol leaders would likely target the children, so to avoid any sabotage from behind, their tents were some distance from the imperial tent. Qingyan stayed in the tent alone with the children. If danger arose, she sent people to seek help within the camp, but the servants might not care.
Emperor Kangxi arranged for Eshuo and Saito to stay by his side, and sending the two children to their mother's place was the safest option.
"Why?" Qingyan was a little puzzled. Children should grow up with their parents.
Yin sighed. Once on the grasslands, the Mongol leaders kept a close eye on the children.
“Father’s tent is the safest place, my dear. You can’t take care of two children. Those people have already figured out how to deal with you and the children after they’ve used the money I gave them.” Yin whispered in her ear, “Father has specially arranged for my two brothers-in-law to be by my side. They’re not here, and Father-in-law is busy. If something happens to you in the tent, you won’t even have anyone to ask for help.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Qingyan was very surprised. According to the governesses, Mongolian women had basically no tricks up their sleeves, but after arriving on the grasslands, she had a completely different experience.
"Si Si, are the children really alright?" Qing Yan looked at him expectantly, wanting him to give her a definite answer.
He nodded slightly. Consort Tong would keep an eye on the children, and Sushu and Erlu would stay by their side. At least, they could go out with peace of mind.
She breathed a sigh of relief; ever since she came out, she had been worried about the children's safety.
"Sisi, how many tribes are we going to visit?" Qingyan asked, focusing her attention on the destination once she heard that the children were safe.
"We'll investigate about five or six tribes in about half a month," Yin said directly. "We'll stay here until September."
Qingyan calculated that it was only July, and they would be stationed on the grassland for at least two more months. It shouldn't matter if they didn't see the children for half a month.
She nodded, her mood soothed by Yin's words.
He secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Before leaving, Yin was most worried about Xiao Guai's unstable emotions.
"So long?" Qingyan asked, somewhat surprised.
"Yes, Tulichen sent guards to investigate beforehand. We disguised ourselves as a group of wealthy merchants and tried to gather useful information by subtly passing through the tribes." Yin specifically asked the manager of the Yuelai Inn. The Mongolian tribespeople, in order to make a better life for their tribes, would often reveal a lot of useful information in their casual conversations.
They were not wary of the wealthy merchants' caravans from within the Great Wall, as these caravans were bringing them wealth.
"Huh?!" Qingyan was puzzled. "We're using this identity?"
She thought she was going there as a special envoy sent by Emperor Kangxi, but little did she know that she would not only have to hide her identity, but also have to extract information from him at any time.
“Yes, those leaders probably didn’t specifically instruct their subordinates to keep it a secret before they left. During this period, these tribes have all changed leaders, so they should be at their most disorganized. We can get a lot of information from them if we go there,” Yin whispered.
After hearing Yin's arrangements, Qingyan couldn't help but secretly praise him. Yin was indeed good at overall planning; he had come up with a solution in such a short time.
"Si Si, should we use Yue Lai Inn to cooperate?" Qing Yan owns Yue Lai Inn, which is considered a lucrative business among the Mongol tribes. Every time he goes to a tribe, he is greeted with great enthusiasm by the locals.
He pondered for a moment. With the help of the manager of Yuelai Inn, things would be easier to resolve. However, he hoped to use the power of the royal family to solve the problem.
Once Xiao Guai's Yue Lai Inn gets involved, regardless of its success, the Mongolian tribe gains leverage over the Yue Lai Inn's involvement in royal affairs.
If Emperor Kangxi hadn't agreed to allow the Yuelai Inn to participate, Xiao Guai would have been suspected of interfering in politics.
Therefore, he did not want Xiao Guai to be misunderstood. Those censors were watching Qing Yan's every step, and if he was not careful, they would report him to the court.
“No,” Yin refused outright. “Little darling, if Yuelai Inn gets involved, it will no longer be a matter for the royal family.”
Yin was moved by her words. The Yuelai Inn was developing too fast, and many people in the royal family and the imperial clan were envious. Some even advised Kangxi to take back the management rights of the Yuelai Inn.
If Kangxi had said that the management rights of Yuelai Inn were Qingyan's dowry, those censors would have wanted to use this as leverage to attack Fei Yanggu and his two sons.
"Won't Father be impeached by the censors?" Qingyan looked at Yin, most worried that her actions would cause trouble for Fei Yanggu.
"No, my father-in-law was also on guard. He didn't take responsibility for the safety of the hunt this time. Otherwise, he would definitely have been impeached and imprisoned by the censors!" Yin had to admit that Fei Yanggu was good at avoiding danger.
During the hunt, they encountered a pack of wolves, and the commander in charge of security had been imprisoned.
"The commander has been imprisoned?" Qingyan asked suspiciously.
"Yes, they've already been locked in tents. It's said that the censors all say that the Mongol leaders need an explanation. The commander is in charge of the royal hunting grounds, and the Mongols have infiltrated them. At the very least, there needs to be an explanation. It's obvious that someone here has been bribed, causing the attack by the wolf pack," Yin explained.
Instantly, Qingyan became frightened. She didn't want her father to be in danger. The current commander was also in the wrong; he had only been in charge for a short time and had already encountered problems.
"Who was the commander of the hunting grounds before?" Qingyan always felt that the commander was just a cannon fodder who was pushed out.
"It must have been one of Prime Minister Suo's men. Some time ago, he said he was unwell and retired!" Yin said, somewhat stunned.
Suo Xiang...
Could it be that the Crown Prince also knew about the wolf pack? He had never taken the Crown Prince seriously, and Kangxi's disdain for the Crown Prince grew even stronger. He was also observing the other princes.
The Crown Prince was very sensitive to Kangxi's changes, and would complain to Suo'etu if anything seemed amiss. Kangxi had the Crown Prince reside in Yuqing Palace and rarely appeared outside the palace, so Suo'etu became the Crown Prince's spokesperson.
When the Mongol leaders arrived in the capital, they would first go to the residence of the Prime Minister, where they would always have long, secret talks. The Prime Minister's two sons were also accompanied by the Mongol leaders' concubine's daughters.
"Little darling, it seems the Crown Prince is about to make a move. The fathers-in-law of several of our princes will be targeted by Prime Minister Suo," Yin whispered to Qingyan.
"Hmm? They're trying to get back at you!?" Qingyan finally understood. Prime Minister Suo must have made many sacrifices for the Crown Prince, even transferring the Hesheli clan's connections to him. (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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