In the evening, Yin took Qingyan back to the villa. The two had a quick dinner, then went to check on the sleeping twins before returning to the inner chamber. Qingyan dismissed the maids, picked up Hafeng from the carriage, and held him in her arms.
Yin sat down next to Qingyan, and the couple sat on the chaise lounge.
"Fourth Brother, do you think this whole thing was orchestrated by the Third Brother?!" Qingyan looked at Yin, holding her son in her arms.
Yin took Hafenga and teased him for a bit, and the little guy closed his eyes sleepily.
He reluctantly got up, put the child in the car, and then leaned back in.
"It shouldn't be that; it's highly likely that Dong Eshi designed it!" Yin noticed that Yin Zhi's reaction was normal, so he thought Yin Zhi was someone who was unaware of the situation.
The crown prince looked like he had been tricked, which meant someone had done it on purpose.
"The Crown Prince must have been framed. Father will definitely investigate. Little darling, what is Mother's attitude?" Yin was curious. If the Third Princess Consort had framed him herself, how did she manage to get so many people to obey her?
"Mother left the Crown Princess and Third Sister-in-law behind, and we all rushed to the side hall!" Qingyan shrugged.
Yin held Qingyan in his arms and they lay down together on the chaise longue, covering themselves with a silk quilt and looking out the window.
"Right now, the Crown Prince and Yinzhi are still in Father Emperor's temporary palace, so things will have to wait!" Yin coaxed Qingyan to sleep.
After breakfast, Qingyan went to the study and watched the twins begin to practice calligraphy. Suzhu walked in from outside and said it was a favor from Consort Tong.
"Yiken'er, you two stay here and write big characters obediently. Mother will be right back!" Qingyan said, patting the twins' little heads.
The twins nodded obediently, indicating that they were fine with being alone.
Qingyan looked down and saw that she was wearing a light yellow palace dress and her hair was tied up in two small buns. If she were to go to pay her respects, it wouldn't be considered too impolite.
"Let's go." Qingyan boarded the sedan chair and slowly walked towards the imperial palace. Today, he should be able to give everyone an explanation.
Upon arriving at the palace gate, they found the sisters-in-law's carriages parked at the temple entrance, while Qingyan's sedan chair went directly into the second gate.
"Fourth Princess Consort, you've arrived? Please come in, the master is waiting for you!" Shu quickly came to greet her.
"Aunt Shu, why did you come out?" Qingyan asked curiously.
"Fourth Princess Consort, Granny Cao will be here soon!" Shu said in a low voice.
Qingyan was stunned. Granny Cao was deliberately trying to send her own noble daughters to the princes' courtyards, and they were able to send all sorts of news to their families.
It was becoming increasingly difficult for officials in the south, and the Cao family was being suppressed by Emperor Kangxi. Cao Yin was constantly frowning, and Cao Mama was paying more and more attention to her health.
The mother and son had come to terms with reality. If they were to fall, the Cao family would likely decline as well. Their daughters had been carefully trained and sent to the prince's residence, where they were expected to be favored.
"Little darling, you've arrived the earliest!" Consort Tong and Consort Hui sat in the seats of honor and chatted casually.
"Mother, are you resting well?" Qingyan stared at Consort Tong with concern. These past few days, the Third Prince's affair had kept everyone awake.
The fact that the prince was actually plotted against by the Mongol leaders, with the Magiya and Dong'e clans even helping him, was considered a complete joke by the Mongols.
Consort Tong gave a wry smile. If she could sleep well, she wouldn't have such a headache.
"It's alright!" Consort Tong didn't want the children to worry, so she had to force herself to stay calm.
No sooner had she finished speaking than a voice announced from outside that Lady Dong'e and her other sisters-in-law had arrived, along with the wives of the various Mongol tribes.
Today, we can finally give an answer to the Mongol tribes. The news of the Mongol noblewoman that the Crown Prince and the Third Prince are vying for has been secretly spread. The people in the south are all curious about what kind of Mongol princess could make the Crown Prince and the prince fight each other.
After everyone paid their respects, Qingyan sat down in the lower left seat and looked at the Mongol wives opposite him, all of whom were indignant. The Manchu noblewomen who had been betrothed to the Mongol wives all lowered their heads, preparing to remain neutral and not take sides.
"Your Highness, shouldn't you give us an answer by now?" The wife of the Prince of Darhan was the first to speak out. The unfortunate noblewoman this time was her niece.
“Princess Consort of the Prince of Aohan, what business is it of yours? The Princess Consort of Aohan hasn’t even spoken yet!” Consort Hui retorted directly.
That girl came from the Aohan tribe and was said to be a Gesang flower on the grassland. Many princes were pursuing her, and the news that the crown prince and the third prince fought over her did not surprise the Mongol tribes.
"Your Highness, what do you say?!" Following Emperor Kangxi's orders, Consort Tong still had to protect the Crown Prince's reputation.
“My dear mother, I’ll say it again: the Crown Prince was tricked and shouldn’t be held responsible. But seeing that the princess knows the rules, I’ll just accept it!” the Crown Princess said directly.
As soon as she finished speaking, Princess Consort of Darhan was stunned. The Crown Prince actually agreed to let her daughter into the mansion; this was clearly an exception.
"Your Highness, Jia is the victim." The wife of Prince Darhan sneered. The Crown Princess was also cunning, daring to shift all the blame onto the girl. This was clearly an irresponsible act.
This small incident reveals that the Crown Prince is indeed somewhat irresponsible.
"Princess Consort, why did the Prince get drunk in the Mongolian tent?" The Crown Princess was furious and directly tore off the pretense of civility, questioning him directly.
“Your Highness, our Mongol tribes are all upright and honest in their dealings. We would never do such petty and despicable things. Besides, Jiya was chosen by the Third Prince’s wife to enter the Third Prince’s residence. How could she be seducing the Crown Prince?!” The wife of Prince Aohan challenged.
Although Jia was only the illegitimate daughter of the Prince of Aohan, she grew up by his side. The Prince's wife had no daughters and always raised Jia as her own.
She was naturally unhappy when someone spoke ill of Jia.
"If that's not the case, how can you explain why the Crown Prince got drunk? In the past, the Crown Prince would never drink too much outside!" The Crown Princess sneered. The Crown Prince's every move represented the face of the royal family. Since the age of 10, the Crown Prince had not drunk too much.
As soon as she finished speaking, Consort Tong also felt that something was amiss, while Qingyan sat beside her, watching the drama unfold.
She knew that Dong Eshi must have done something behind the scenes, but she just couldn't find any evidence to prove it.
"Who knows? The Crown Prince rarely goes out. It's possible that he got confused by the sights in the south!" Princess Consort of Prince Aohan sneered.
Qingyan clapped her hands inwardly. Aohan Fujin's eloquence was too outstanding; she could actually out-argue the Crown Princess. This was absolutely rare.
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