As evening approached, the sound of whips rang out, signaling the imminent arrival of the imperial carriage. Consort Tong instructed Shu to inform Qingyan to quickly change into her Manchu attire and go to the camp gate to greet it. Dong'e Clan only felt relieved upon hearing that Emperor Kangxi had arrived.
Qingyan wore a Mongolian robe of a sky blue color after the rain, and boots of the same color with gold thread embroidery of gyrfalcons. She used a whip as a belt at her waist, and her hair was braided into two pigtails by Sulan and Suxin.
She wore a headband of the same color, adorned with various jewels.
Qingyan, dressed in her best clothes, helped Sulan out. When they arrived at the door, the concubines were already waiting for Kangxi's imperial carriage. Consort Tong glanced at Qingyan's attire and was quite pleased.
After arriving in Mongolia, apart from banquets, the remaining three consorts rarely wore Mongolian robes. Consort Tong represented the majesty of the imperial family and could not wear them often. Kangxi had the princes bring their consorts to the capital to demonstrate the unity of the Manchus and Mongols.
The Qing banquet is being done quite well, much to the satisfaction of Emperor Kangxi.
After arriving, except for formal occasions when she wore a qipao, she always wore a Mongolian robe. When some of the chieftains' wives saw Qingyan's attire, they all gave up their little schemes. This was clearly the emperor's most valued daughter-in-law.
They had never met the Crown Princess Guarjia, but they often saw Qingyan. They actually thought Qingyan was quite nice, as her every move exuded royal majesty.
"Little darling, come and stand beside me." Consort Rong, with Lady Dong'e, and Consort Yi, with Lady Tatara, stood together on the other side.
Qingyan lowered her head and stood obediently beside Consort Tong. The sound of the whip grew closer, and they stopped talking and stood quietly to the side. Consort Rong stared at Xiao Guai with very unfriendly eyes. Qingyan understood that Consort Rong wanted to vent her anger for Dong E Shi, but she didn't care at all!
As Emperor Kangxi's imperial carriage slowly came into view, Consort Tong quickly straightened her clothes and respectfully bowed to the carriage. Li Dequan, seeing Consort Tong leading the concubines and wives of the emperor to greet them, quickly informed Emperor Kangxi. He nodded in satisfaction; Consort Tong was someone who understood his heart. The Mongol princes had suppressed the princes with absolute force, and the top prize in the hunt was not awarded to any of the princes.
The incident with the gyrfalcon made the leaders much more docile. With a skilled falconer like Yin around, they would have to think twice before rebelling against the Qing Dynasty.
"Greetings to His Majesty!" The imperial carriage stopped in front of Consort Tong. Li Dequan lifted the curtain, and Emperor Kangxi, dressed in a bright yellow riding outfit, stood on the imperial carriage. He noticed Consort Rong and Consort Yi secretly looking up, their eyes revealing grievances.
Kangxi couldn't help but smile; the night raid had truly startled them.
Behind the imperial carriage, several princes dismounted. Yin's eyes were fixed on Qingyan, that small figure with a clear blue sky after the rain, leaving him no time to pay attention to anyone else.
"Rise and kowtow." Kangxi personally helped Consort Tong to her feet. He turned his head and saw Yinzhen looking at Qingyan with a lecherous gaze. "You are all tired. Take a good rest today."
Kangxi left with Consort Tong. Consort Yi and Consort Rong watched their retreating figures, their small handkerchiefs rolled up in disarray.
Consort Rong understood that Kangxi was taking his anger out on her. Qingyan saw Consort Rong glaring at Dong Eshi in a subtle way and couldn't help but laugh. This was clearly taking his anger out on Dong Eshi. Dong Eshi was innocent. The chief wives didn't look for many concubines. They had been in the deep palace for too long, and they couldn't get much information from them.
Ignoring everyone else, Yin took Qingyan and left first, not wanting Consort Rong and Consort Yi to focus their attention on Qingyan.
Upon arriving at the tent, Qingyan finally got a proper look at Xiaoguai, and the anxiety that had been weighing on his mind finally subsided. The two first washed up, and Yin, dressed in cool linen clothes, leaned against the soft couch, looking at Xiaoguai's rosy cheeks with great pleasure.
"You were very clever this time. When you encounter something you can't decide, you just pretend to be sick!" Yin praised the little guy.
Fortunately, Qingyan acted quickly; otherwise, the chief's wives would have focused all their attention on her.
"Hmph, I just felt something was wrong, so I pretended to be sick first!" Qingyan was placed on Yin's lap, his arms tightly wrapped around her slender waist, and his chin rested on her shoulders.
Qingyan leaned against him and said that the tents of the three princesses were very lively during the day, and that several of the chief princesses had blocked the entrance to Dong E's house.
"Don't worry, that one will be disliked by Father Emperor." The chief wives must have gotten a lot of information from her to let Dong Eshi go.
Qingyan looked at Yin with surprise. He had only asked a question, so why would he be disgusted?
“Those people won’t divulge anything without information. That person must have inadvertently revealed something, which is why they let her go.” Yin held Xiao Guai, leaning against the soft cushions. “There’s another possibility: some of those people wanted to frame Lao San, and they were just putting on an act!”
Yin's words startled Qingyan. To ask the chief wives to retaliate in such a way was too ruthless.
"No way!" Qingyan was a little worried.
Yin tapped her forehead. "Little darling, you think too highly of everyone. Those wives of the princes have all taken lives. They are all selfish and self-serving. Once they get what they want, they don't need to think about others."
"Little darling, it's best not to let those people get close. Just watch from a distance." Yin was a little worried. Qingyan was simple-minded, and those people's methods were becoming increasingly despicable. "The wives are probably thinking of the second option: to trip up one wife as well."
Yin smiled. The little guy was exceptionally cautious, which prevented him from falling into the traps set by those wives.
"Fourth Brother, when can we head south!" Qingyan disliked the grasslands. "The people here are scheming every day. It's not just them; even those who were seconded have become the leaders' spies."
Qingyan recounted what Sulan had observed: the servants were watching every move in each tent, and the slightest disturbance would be known to the leaders.
"Your Majesty, the Third Princess Consort ran out of Consort Rong's tent crying," Su Peisheng reported at the entrance to the inner chamber.
broken!
Qingya recalled that Sulan had mentioned the maids helping out in the middle of several tents, and she felt utterly distraught.
"Little darling, don't overthink it. This matter will reach the Mongol leaders in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea." Yin smiled coldly. Kangxi was just waiting for these people to take action so that all the spies could be wiped out in one fell swoop.
These leaders probably only thought of this after receiving the news. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)
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