As dawn approached, Kangxi and his entourage, having stayed up all night, finally managed to uncover the spies from the Hesheli family within the southward-bound entourage. Qingyan also increasingly understood that the servants dispatched by the Imperial Household Department were a mixed bag, and a slight misstep could drag the mansion into danger.
After all the interrogations, Yin had to admit that these people were truly astonishing. Several princes' residences had spies from the Hesheli clan. No wonder the Crown Prince was so familiar with their residences.
"Heavens! Isn't this monitoring all the princes?" Consort Tong exclaimed inwardly upon seeing the compiled list; it was simply too astonishing.
Yin and Qingyan tilted their heads and looked at the list. It basically covered every prince's residence and mansion, and they felt somewhat uncomfortable.
Qingyan's heart skipped a beat; several of those people had a very good relationship with Suxin.
"Little darling, Su Xin can't stay!" Yin tried to persuade Qing Yan again. Su Xin wanted to climb out of his bed, and besides, she also betrayed information.
Qingyan fell silent. Seeing Qingyan's pale face, Consort Tong knew that there must be a servant causing trouble behind the scenes. Just as she was about to speak, Kangxi stopped her.
Yin raised his head and looked at Kangxi, who was hinting that he should quickly persuade Xiao Guai to straighten out his mind.
The little girl pouted and sat to the side, her face gloomy. At least three people above were people she valued. This doesn't mean she was bad at judging people.
Actually, whenever she pouted, Yin would always praise her ability to judge people, saying that life is unpredictable and she understood these things better than anyone.
"Little darling, are you discouraged?" Kangxi shook his head when he saw the change in Little darling's expression. The little girl was really a bit of a headache.
Qingyan nodded, his eyes glazing over as he pondered how to ensure his servants' unwavering loyalty.
To be honest, she was very irritable, which showed Emperor Kangxi and Consort Tong her immature side.
“My dear, the situation in the palace is even more complicated. Your mother has been reprimanded by the Empress Dowager many times. But after each setback, isn’t she doing much better now?” Kangxi pointed at Consort Tong.
When Consort Tong first entered the palace, she was often nagged by the Empress Dowager. However, after several training sessions, she became more and more mature. The servants' attitudes towards her also changed.
"Little Darling, I'm giving you a task. Go outside the imperial tent and see which of those people are suspicious!" Consort Tong smiled, and Kangxi had already brought all the suspicious people with him. "Fourth Prince, you stay with Little Darling!"
Consort Tong waved her hand, signaling the two to leave first, and the atmosphere inside the imperial tent gradually improved.
Leaving the imperial tent, Qingyan took a deep breath. Looking at the busy guards, she reached out her left hand and scratched her hair.
"Fourth Sister, do you think any of these people might be backed by Liu Anzi?" Qingyan's face was tense, and she was even more troubled. She remembered every word Consort Tong said.
Inside the Prince's residence, those servants she sent back to the Imperial Household Department were all problematic. Weren't those who came out to serve loyal?
She turned her head and looked at the servants with ordinary expressions five meters away from the imperial tent, and a sense of fear rose in her heart.
In Qing Dynasty time-travel novels, every servant sent back to the modern world would be an Oscar-worthy mission. She used to find it laughable, thinking those people were just exaggerating. Now, she finally understands what they mean.
Seeing Yin and Qingyan standing at the camp gate, surrounded by palace maids with tense faces and sharp eyes, Li Dequan quickly walked over to their side.
"Fourth Prince, Fourth Princess Consort, it's a bit hot here. Let's go to the small tent over there." Li Dequan led the two to the small imperial tent, where he could see the servants' every move. Kangxi and Consort Tong had informed Li Dequan early in the morning that Qingyan would be given a chance to train today.
Qingyan stood at the window. The maids outside were quick and efficient, and their eyes were sharp. They did not do anything amiss.
"Fourth Sister, will they cause any problems?" Qingyan wondered, what were these people up to?
Yin coldly watched outside, and several people with extremely fast hands came into his field of vision.
These men would become Yin's most reliable sources of information in the future. At this moment, they were still third-class servants, and in order to prevent Kangxi from noticing his change, they acted almost exactly as they had before.
"What do you think?" he asked with a sigh.
Qingyan had a small, flat mouth, holding a tea snack in one hand while looking outside.
An hour later, she walked back to Yin's side in defeat, her little face looking miserable.
Looking at the listless little girl, he couldn't help but want to give up; he would protect her himself.
This relationship only lasted for a moment before he dismissed it. If he were to have to go through the same power struggle again in this lifetime, he had to say that if Xiao Guai wasn't prepared, she would definitely not be able to defeat those noble ladies.
Even the best protection has its flaws. He held her soft, white hand tightly and pulled her onto his lap.
He reached out and tapped her forehead, whispering something in her ear.
As soon as she finished speaking, her eyes lit up, and she felt more relaxed.
She looked around the tent; it resembled a simple resting place, with only a few basic necessities and nothing else.
"Whose resting place is this?" Qingyan stood up and began pacing back and forth.
The bed was very clean, and the tea was simple brick tea, quite different from the food served to the masters.
"For servants on duty!" Yin Qing said coldly.
Qingyan threw him into the tent and walked out alone. As soon as she left, someone approached.
"Fourth Princess Consort, the sun is blazing outside. You should go back to your tent." A young palace maid, about fifteen or sixteen years old, dressed in a light green palace gown, stopped Qingyan from continuing her stroll.
Qingyan frowned and sized her up. This person was a newly arrived palace maid who bore a striking resemblance to her, and her mannerisms were equally carefree. She smiled calmly. These servants had certainly gone to great lengths to find someone so similar to hinder her.
"Who are you?"
Qingyan looked at the little palace maid with disdain. She was overestimating herself. She seemed good, but she was arrogant and brainless.
"I am a newly arrived palace maid in the Hall of Mental Cultivation. This place is not like your tent, where you can wander around freely!" The young palace maid's tone revealed disdain.
"A newly arrived palace maid, do you think your tone can compare to His Majesty's?" Qingyan sneered.
The young palace maid was a bondservant under the Guoluo clan. In order to plant a spy by Yin's side, the clan leader of the Guoluo clan went to great lengths. He inquired everywhere about Qingyan's preferences and specially trained this maid, hoping to win Yin's favor.
"This servant wouldn't dare, I'm just stating the facts. Fourth Princess Consort, court officials may appear here at any time, it would be best if you showed yourself less!" The little palace maid saw Qingyan's contempt and retorted directly.
Qingyan was astonished; it was obvious that the Imperial Household Department had failed to teach proper manners.
(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please vote for it on Qidian.com with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
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