All night, Yin locked himself in his study, his brow furrowed as he stared at the memorial in his hand, which recorded the amount of grain missing. The shortage recorded there was even greater than Yin knew.
Qingyan sat down beside him, hoping to lessen his anger.
Damn it!
Yin smashed the teacup in his hand. The list reported by the sticky rod office chilled his heart.
Some of the servants he selected for Qingyan were bribed by these people, resulting in the loss of one-third of the Yuelai Inn and Linglong Pavilion in Jiangnan.
"Sisi, you can know a person's face but not their heart!" Qingyan learned from the shopkeeper that the road back to them had been flooded, and they would have to stay here for at least ten days.
The new grain was delivered to the village, and the villagers were all hoping that Qingyan and the others could bring benefits to the village.
"Little Darling, we have to go back. Some of these people serve Father Emperor!" The list that Yin was investigating was like a time bomb. If nothing happened, all was well, but if something did, it would be troublesome. At that time, the safety of Kangxi and Consort Tong would be in question.
Qingyan pursed her lips, unwilling to let Yin get involved any further.
"Si Si... We finally managed to get out, so let's not get involved, okay?" Qing Yan gazed at him expectantly.
Yin refused, but certain responsibilities still needed to be fulfilled.
"No!" Yin shouted sternly, "Su Peisheng, pack your things immediately, we're going back to Hangzhou!"
Yin glanced at Qingyan and led him into the inner chamber.
"Little darling, you must listen to me this time!" Yin understood that Qingyan was thinking of him because he had not completed the task assigned by his father.
If they went back now, it would be difficult to explain to their father, the Emperor. However, if he didn't warn Kangxi about the danger, he would be unworthy of being an heir.
"Fine, if you insist, let's go back. Don't take too much stuff, just take the important things!" Qingyan shook her head helplessly.
He wrapped his arms around Qingyan's slender waist and kissed her face twice.
"Little Darling, we need to leave through the back door!" A third of the guards should remain at the mansion to keep their departure a secret from the outside world.
Qingyan nodded. When following Yin, they often encountered situations where their whereabouts were concealed. The Shadow Guards and the New Army had to follow them. They needed to travel quickly, and if the court officials here found out, they would probably strike first.
In the courtyard, Erlu heard the order from Su Peisheng and couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "His Majesty is indeed a prophet; he guessed exactly what the Fourth Prince would do."
"Fourth Master, E'shuo and I will take the Shadow Guards and the new army away. The servants nearby have already arranged for guards. After we leave, these people will quietly come in to replenish our numbers!" Erlu said to Yin after entering the hall.
Yin smiled bitterly; his father, the Emperor, had already guessed what he meant.
As night fell, Qingyan boarded the carriage, her lips pressed tightly together. The sound of horseshoes could be heard outside, but it sounded different from the hoofbeats of the new army. When she was young, Qingyan had been taught to ride horses by Fei Yanggu and could distinguish the sound of the horseshoes as those of the Dragon Guards.
Her eyes were empty. The Dragon Guards had all been mobilized. It seemed they had touched on the most dangerous problem and damaged the interests of the powerful minister. This time, Kangxi had completely used Yinzhi as bait.
Yin held Qingyan's cold body tightly. The incident had happened so suddenly that Qingyan must have understood Kangxi's meaning.
"Little darling..." Yin gently stroked her small hand, trying to calm her down.
"Fourth Brother, why!"
Qingyan couldn't understand how her father could be so heartless as to let his son live in such a dangerous place.
He gave a wry smile. The carriage was illuminated by luminous pearls, making the small space as bright as day.
The sound of horses' hooves outside the carriage made Yin feel as if he had returned to the past, when the sound of the golden horseshoes would appear whenever the imperial carriage left the palace.
She lay in his arms, looking at the roof of the car, the feeling of being abandoned still lingering in her heart, impossible to shake off.
"Little darling, we have to make a three-day journey back. When you see your father and mother, you still have to smile!" Yin said weakly.
Every concubine in the palace was crying inside, but her face was full of smiles, for fear of angering her father, the Emperor.
Qingyan nodded her little head, fully understanding the situation, but she couldn't help but complain about Kangxi's methods, which were simply not commendable.
Three days later, at dawn, Yin returned to the Cao residence with Qingyan. Kangxi sent Li Dequan early to lead their carriage into the residence from the front gate.
Qingyan quickly washed and changed into a light blue palace dress before accompanying Yin to pay his respects to Emperor Kangxi.
"Lanya, you take Xiaoguai with you for now." Kangxi glanced at Yin and then took his son away.
Seeing Xiao Guai's aggrieved look, Consort Tong couldn't bear it.
"Sulan, quickly bring me what I brought for Mother!" She hesitated for a moment, deciding to appease Consort Tong first, so that she could make amends for punishing Granny Lin for her mistake.
The servants from the Tong family were basically Consort Tong's trusted servants. Granny Lin had served Consort Tong for decades, and she only left the palace when Fei Yanggu asked her to teach Granny Lin.
"Granny Lin, I've dealt with him!" Seeing Qingyan's cautious demeanor, Consort Tong quickly reassured her, "A traitorous servant, Xiao'er, don't worry about him."
Consort Tong was even more worried about Yin. The two of them rushed back without receiving an imperial edict from Emperor Kangxi. It is said that there were also sections of the road where the dikes had collapsed due to flooding. In just three days, she really did not have a moment's rest.
"Mother, I brought you some goose egg powder from over there. It's even more delicate than the tribute." Qingyan smiled and quickly reassured Consort Tong.
After dinner, Qingyan lay exhausted on the bed, staring at the bedspread. Yin walked over wearing his undergarments; the bumpy ride had left her feeling very listless.
He lay on the pillow, holding Xiao Guai tightly, recalling Kangxi's words. He had to admit that Kangxi was right; the salt merchants were a tough nut to crack. Yin Guo had taken action too early, and the salt merchants were communicating with powerful officials in the capital, making him a target of surveillance.
In the afternoon, Kangxi severely punished Yin, who was extremely depressed.
She noticed that Yin's grip on her waist had tightened, which made her even more uneasy.
"Fourth...Fourth..." Qingyan was comforted by Consort Tong, and half of the knot in her heart was untied.
"Let me hold you like this!" Yin buried his face in her hair, inhaling her fragrance, trying to relax.
Qingyan froze, remaining motionless.
It wasn't until dawn that Qingyan finally drifted off to sleep. At the stroke of midnight, Yin bent down and kissed Qingyan's forehead before going to Kangxi's courtyard to pay his respects.
Upon entering the hall, Emperor Kangxi, dressed in a crimson dragon robe, sat firmly on the throne. After Yinzhen paid his respects respectfully, he discovered that Consort Tong was nowhere to be found in the hall.
"Fourth Prince, have you delivered grain to the village?" The news that Yin had specifically arranged for the Yuelai Inn manager to deliver grain for free had just reached Kangxi's hands that morning. (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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