As dinner time approached, everyone stayed at Changchun Garden for dinner, led by Emperor Kangxi. The dinner was very somber, with the princes remaining quiet. Yinzhi and Yinzhi, however, were accompanied by their primary consorts, Qingyan and Dong'eshi, who sat opposite each other.
She noticed that Dong Eshi's left cheek was slightly swollen, and her complexion was very bad. Qingyan knew that Yinzhi must have been disciplining her in the side hall.
"Third sister-in-law, you should eat more too. We've been busy all day, and it's rare for us to have a meal!" the Crown Princess said to Dong E Shi.
Since arriving this morning, the Crown Princess had been constantly being scolded, which made her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"Your Highness, please have some too!" Dong Eshi spoke vaguely, as if she were doing it on purpose.
Qingyan was a little curious. What was going on between these two?
"Eat quickly, we'll need to wait for the meal later." Yin squeezed Shu Yun's hand, urging her to eat quickly, as they would be busy until late today.
The atmosphere in the capital was somewhat tense. The officials had all instructed the women in the family not to go out during this period.
After a hasty dinner, Consort Tong dragged Qingyan to a side hall. This used to be the courtyard where Yin lived. Later, Yin and Qingyan would stay here when they rested in Changchun Garden.
"Mother, what's going on?" Qingyan was puzzled as to why Consort Tong had kept them at Changchun Garden without saying anything.
"His Majesty has instructed you all to stay here and rest. This night will surely be a sleepless one for some!" Consort Tong said with a touch of emotion.
Yin grabbed Qingyan's small hand, telling her not to ask any more questions and to pretend she knew nothing.
"Fourth Prince, what's wrong?" Qingyan asked, glancing at Yin.
"Let's talk about it when we get back!" Yin bowed to Consort Tong and took his leave.
In the side courtyard, Hafenga had been brought from the Old Summer Palace and was resting in the leisurely carriage in their inner quarters, while the twins were already asleep.
After they had seen the three children, the two of them returned directly to the side hall. Qingyan looked at Yin curiously, wondering why he had stopped her from asking the question.
“They must have caught the Crown Prince directly, otherwise Father Emperor wouldn’t have asked us to stay!” Yin also had his own sources of information, so when the situation in the palace came out, he guessed that Kangxi would detain the princes who did not want to be implicated in Changchun Garden.
"Master, Seventh Master has also been brought in!" Su Peisheng stood at the door and reported respectfully.
"Yes!" Yin was even more certain of his guess. "Have someone send the message to Yinqi."
Both Yinqi and Yin were neutral, so although they had always wanted to get closer to Yin, he did not want them to express their stance now.
The two brothers were in poor health; if they could receive more care from Emperor Kangxi, things would be much better.
"Yes!" Su Peisheng quickly went out and handed Yin over directly.
Qingyan leaned against Yin's chest, indicating that she wanted to hear the most detailed version.
"Besides the Hesheli clan's rebellion, is there anything else?" Qingyan noticed that Consort Tong kept emphasizing that no one should favor a concubine over their wife.
When they left the capital, Yin and Yinzhi's actions were quite obvious, but no one questioned them.
"During the Golden Banquet Festival, the princes from outside the Great Wall all came to the capital and discovered what Yin and Yinzhi had done. They questioned their father in public and even begged him not to marry their daughters into the imperial family, as they did not want their daughters to be constantly suppressed by concubines." Yin could imagine that Kangxi's expression would definitely be unpleasant after hearing these words.
ah? !
Qingyan was stunned. Didn't all those princes from beyond the Great Wall hope to send their daughters to Yuqing Palace?
"Why the change of heart again? These people are just like those Mongols, changing their minds every single day." Qingyan was a little confused. Who had stirred up trouble for the princes outside the Great Wall this time?
"Hehe, so you see, Yinzhi is quite dishonest. In front of the princes outside the Great Wall, he has spoken ill of Yin quite a bit, and even said that the Emperor's attitude towards Yin has changed drastically compared to before, so those princes shouldn't be fooled." Although Yinzhi is not in the capital, he is aware of the situation there.
"Did he say that?" Qingyan received some information that the Crown Prince had been investigating who had sown discord between him and the princes outside the Great Wall. "The people in the east have complained a lot about how the princes outside the Great Wall have not given him face."
During the Golden Banquet Festival, many princes came to the capital with their favorite daughters, ostensibly for the purpose of marriage alliances with the royal family. They had already agreed outside the Great Wall to send their daughters to Yuqing Palace.
Upon entering the capital, these princes learned some information and discovered that the crown prince was not as favored as they had imagined.
“During the Golden Festival, Emperor Kangxi specially issued an edict summoning all the princes from beyond the Great Wall!” Yin said. “Father’s intention was to ensure that everyone heard the news of the Crown Prince’s fall from favor.”
The princes from beyond the Great Wall and the princes from Mongolia joined forces. After hearing the Empress Dowager's final arrangements, these people would definitely support the Crown Princess.
"However, His Majesty's wish has been fulfilled, but none of the paths that the Empress Dowager paved for the Crown Prince have been completed!" The Empress Dowager made the Mongols pay attention to the Crown Prince and used her last bit of influence to ensure that the Crown Prince could ascend the throne peacefully.
Qingyan leaned on Yin's shoulder and listened to his analysis.
"However, he only paved the way for the Crown Prince but didn't teach him how to be patient. Father Emperor's training was also inadequate, which is why these things happened," Yin said helplessly.
"Father summoned us back just for this?" Qingyan was stunned; this couldn't possibly be right.
"Yes, Father Emperor has no intention of relinquishing power. We younger brothers are already attending court, but the Crown Prince can only stay in the Imperial Study, watching the young princes study. Recently, even that task has been removed from the Crown Prince's duties," Yin said with a cold laugh.
"Why?" Qingyan was stunned. On the surface, Kangxi still instructed the Crown Prince to frequently go to the Imperial Study to test the young princes' homework.
"Hehe, what I said before was just Father Emperor's polite words!" Kangxi was worried that the Crown Prince would try to win over these younger princes. In addition, there were also some heirs in the Imperial Study, who would be the pillars of the imperial clan.
Qingyan felt a deep sense of regret. The Crown Prince was now confined to Yuqing Palace, spending his days reading and playing chess, unable to attend to any political affairs.
Previously, when the emperor made his southern tours, the crown prince could oversee the country. But this year, when Emperor Kangxi went out, the crown prince didn't even get to see him.
"The heart of an emperor is the most difficult to understand, so it's best to be as careful as possible!" Yin said in a low voice.
As Qingyan listened to Yin's arrangements, she began to ponder how to gradually sort out the business matters. More and more information was coming in. Did Yuelai Inn still need to be handed over?
"Fourth Brother, I don't want to sell any more business. I won't look at those messages anymore. Just let them exchange them with the Dragon Guards, okay?" Qingyan asked.
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