Three days later, they set off again. Kangxi's methods frightened many of the servants, who served their master even more diligently.
The carriage moved slowly forward, and when it passed the canal, Qingyan noticed that there weren't many boats on the canal.
"Four o'clock, there are no ships at all!" She had been staring at the surface of the canal for half an hour and had not seen a single merchant ship. Even though she had never personally inspected the canal, her managers were all seasoned veterans who frequently reported to her on the situation along the way.
"Hmm?!" Yin looked up from the pile of memorials. He had been busy reviewing memorials since breakfast and was about to take her for a walk outside when he was about to rest.
She had been watching the situation outside for quite some time. He put down his pen, walked over to her, and sat down.
"Not even one?" Yin looked at Qingyan, whose little head was nodding frantically.
Instantly, Yin's face turned cold. He glanced out the window and saw that they were already walking on a country road. On ordinary days, this place would be bustling with activity. Today was also a day that happened to be five or ten days in advance, and there should be a market in the county town.
"The road we took is rather remote?" She pouted and stared at Yin. Her original intention was to see the beautiful rural scenery, but what she saw was an empty dirt road, which made her very disappointed.
Hundreds of miles away on the grasslands, the situation was quite different. With Kangxi gone, the Empress Dowager was frequently harassed by Mongol leaders, some of whom even harassed the Third Prince's wife.
Because he couldn't go out, Consort Dong'e often complained about Yinzhi, always feeling that Yinzhi was abandoned because he didn't win Kangxi's favor.
After Kangxi left, Yinzhi was frequently cursed by Consort Dong'e, which annoyed him greatly.
When she got up today, Dong Eshi heard her maid mention that Emperor Kangxi had sent someone to request an audience, and only then did she feel at peace.
Who would have thought that the person was just a member of the Criminal Division? When she mentioned the news that Su Lan and others had been beaten to death by Kangxi, she was secretly pleased, thinking that Qing Yan had lost face. However, her gloating mood did not last long before reality slapped her in the face.
The servants of the Criminal Trial Division read out the imperial edict, and her two personal maids who had accompanied her in her dowry were dragged out. As she watched the two maids' figures disappear, she couldn't help but feel afraid.
She trusted these two people a lot, and they were involved in many things.
"How could they take your people away!" Upon hearing the news, Yin Zhi hurried back into the tent.
After the two were taken away, Dong Eshi began to stare blankly, but Yin Zhi's questioning brought her back to her senses.
"How would I know? However, Father Emperor thoroughly investigated the Imperial Household Department, and even the maids around my eldest sister-in-law and fourth sister-in-law were purged." Dong Eshi recalled what the servants of the Criminal Division had said: from the Empress Dowager's side to the side of them, the Fujin (principals), there were maids carefully trained by the Imperial Household Department.
If you're not careful, you'll be used as a pawn.
"What?!" Yin Zhi put down his teacup in astonishment. "Are you serious?"
“Yes, seventeen people were beaten to death. It must have been these people who leaked Father’s information.” Dong’e was just petty; she wasn’t stupid at all.
Just now, those servants took away quite a few third-class maids from the Empress Dowager's tent. Fortunately, they didn't interrogate them but dragged them directly to the Emperor's court and beat them to death. Otherwise... she wouldn't have been able to turn back.
"This is a one-time exception!" Yin Zhi understood that those around Consort Rong had also been dealt with.
On the other side, Qingyan was pulled back into the carriage by Yin, who looked at the little guy with a stern face.
Today, she wore little boots and walked much faster, but she still couldn't keep up with Yin's pace.
"Fourth Brother, are you angry?" Qingyan asked, pouting.
Without saying a word, he just grabbed her, as if she had no temper.
After traveling for so long, she finally got a break and naturally wanted to take a stroll.
"You know, it's not safe outside. Look at you, does your sister-in-law want you running around like this?" Yin tapped her forehead. "What will you do if you encounter danger and the guards can't handle it?"
For Xiao Guai's safety, Yin will absolutely not let his guard down.
Qingyan felt ashamed after being criticized. She pouted, feeling genuinely upset that Yin hadn't given her any face at all.
"Fourth Brother, I didn't do anything wrong, why are you criticizing me!" Qingyan pouted. "Besides, we're only staying for a short while, and there are guards all around us."
Qingyan rolled her eyes twice, and just as she was about to get out of the carriage again, the carriage slowly started moving.
"Hmph!" Qingyan sat down to the side and read a book, no longer sparing Yin a single glance.
"Little one, are you still angry?" Yin waited for half an hour, but Qingyan didn't say another word. He walked over and sat down next to her.
I picked up a piece of osmanthus cake from the small coffee table, ready to feed it.
She turned her face away, not wanting to pay any attention to it.
"You stinky Sisi, I want to go out and rest for a bit. It's so stuffy being in the carriage all the time." Qingyan was a little uneasy. This country road was too quiet; there wasn't a single blind date in sight.
"It was my fault. We need to hurry on our way today." Yin sensed something was wrong. Su Peisheng, having been informed by Li Dequan, told Qingyan not to go any further.
Emperor Kangxi dispatched an advance team to search several nearby villages, but there wasn't a single person in any of the three villages.
Upon their return, the guards reported that the villages also had a large population.
She looked at Yin suspiciously, wondering why he had suddenly quickened his pace.
"There's no one left in the village!" Yin's words made Qingyan's eyes widen.
Nobody's here!
Her small body trembled slightly. She turned her head to look outside. Rice paddies were slowly beginning to appear on both sides of the road. She paid attention to the number of people in the nearby villages. There must be quite a few people in the villages.
"Nobody here?!" Several guesses flashed through Qingyan's mind. "Could someone have arrived ahead of time?"
wrong!
If she arrives early, someone will likely disguise themselves as a villager and cause her trouble.
Now, there's not a single person left...
She stared at the storybook in front of her, lost in thought.
"Looking at those ripe rice plants, they should be ready for harvest soon. The rice ears are already bending the stalks. It seems like it's time to harvest them!" Qingyan pointed to the rice paddies outside the window. "Is it possible that no one is going to harvest these crops?"
The guards' investigation may not have been thorough enough; they should check if the autumn harvest has started.
"You mean the autumn harvest?!" Yin stared at her. "You mean even the children aren't here anymore!"
Yin shook his head. He only went down to the countryside when it was time for disaster relief. On ordinary days, they were all high-ranking princes and had no time to waste.
"They should have been taken to the fields by now." Qingyan tried hard to recall the novels she had read. Many of them described the autumn harvest, and children would often go to the fields with their parents.
As soon as he finished speaking, Yin took out a telescope from the drawer of the kang table and looked outside.
After a cup of tea, he felt something was amiss. During the autumn harvest, the rice paddies should have been disturbed by the cutting tools.
"Little Darling, there might be no one left!" They were all unwilling to consider the worst-case scenario. "Actually, Father has already made the worst-case scenario plan."
Emperor Kangxi's decision to pause his rest and continue his journey immediately was likely due to this consideration. (To be continued. If you enjoy 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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