After a few days of rest, Kangxi decided to leave Hangzhou ahead of schedule. What followed was an imperial edict to rectify the officialdom in Jiangnan.
On the carriage, Qingyan accompanied Consort Tong. The women sent by the Cao family were basically all dealt with by Consort Tong under various pretexts.
With Li Xu's downfall, Cao Yin was essentially a toothless tiger, powerless to support the powerful ministers in the capital.
"Mother, look how beautiful the scenery outside is!" Qingyan leaned on the armrest of the soft couch, gazing at the beautiful view outside the window.
Consort Tong smiled and left. When they left, Madam Cao was still under house arrest. When Madam Cao learned of Madam Cao's arrangements, she dragged her elderly body to apologize to Emperor Kangxi.
"Little darling, don't blame Granny!" Granny Cao had an exceptionally deep relationship with Kangxi and Lanya, while Qingyan was almost tricked by the Cao family.
Qingyan pouted and nodded reluctantly.
After all, Cao Sunshi had raised Emperor Kangxi, and Yin secretly advised her not to go against Cao Mama.
In front of the Emperor and Mother, this old nanny should be given some face.
Emperor Kangxi directly suppressed the matter of Lady Cao giving someone away.
However, among the royal guards, who didn't know that the women of the Cao family cuddled their own pillows and mats?
"Little darling, Cao Yin's eldest daughter is to be married to Prince Ping, Narsu. It's not easy to choose a suitable candidate." Consort Tong hoped that Little darling could understand their good intentions.
Qingyan nodded. Narsu had been directly marginalized by Kangxi, and it was the first time that a woman from a noble family had become the primary consort.
"Mother, has Father bestowed a marriage upon us?" Qingyan paused in her tea-serving motion.
The investigation into the Cao family's legitimate and illegitimate daughters opened the eyes of the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. The legitimate daughter had always bullied the illegitimate daughters. Some of the illegitimate daughters had either been killed by Madam Cao or by their mothers, all because of their struggle for favor.
"Yes, the imperial edict has now reached the Cao residence!" Consort Tong was eager to see what kind of expression Madam Cao would have.
Pfft!
Qingyan finally vented her anger. Madam Cao had offended her, and Consort Tong had directly allowed the concubine's daughter to surpass the legitimate daughter for a lifetime.
The Cao family's daughters will definitely not be as fortunate as the eldest daughter of a concubine in terms of marriage prospects; at most, they will be suited for a marriage alliance with Mongolia.
"Actually, the Cao family's daughters are quite good too. They've been carefully nurtured and are proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting." Lüqi was Consort Tong's darling, and when she heard Cao Yin's eldest daughter's hint that she wanted Lüqi, Consort Tong became even more furious.
Li Xu's arrest could have been postponed, but thanks to Consort Tong's influence, Emperor Kangxi decided that all court officials except Cao Yin should be thoroughly investigated.
"The fourth prince must be having a hard time!" Before Yin had returned, Kangxi sent a guard to inform him that he was going to Suzhou.
While accompanying Kangxi, Yin was doing the work of two people.
Clang!
The sound of a teacup shattering interrupted the conversation between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. They quickly went outside. Li Dequan was picking up the broken pieces of the teacup, while Yin stood beside Kangxi, his face ashen.
"You all go in first!" Kangxi ordered the mother and daughter-in-law with a cold face. "Li Dequan, let Fei Yanggu come in for me!"
Yin secretly gave Qingyan a wink, telling her not to worry.
Back in the inner tent, Qingyan paced back and forth, listening intently to the sounds outside. She was genuinely afraid that her father, Kangxi, would be criticized for what he said.
"Little darling, come here!" After experiencing this situation, Consort Tong had to learn about Qingyan step by step.
Qingyan walked to Consort Tong's side with a blank expression and a dazed look on her face.
"Mother..." Kangxi's anger must mean something big has happened in the court. The status of Fei Yanggu and his two sons is probably threatening the interests of some people.
Because Kangxi was outside, they did some tricks, and such situations could happen.
"Don't worry, you must trust Yin, and you must trust Fei Yanggu even more!" Consort Tong comforted Qingyan's agitated emotions.
Soon, Yin entered. Consort Tong handed Qingyan, whose eyes were red with tears, to Yin and then left.
"Fourth Brother, my father..." Qingyan dared not ask any more questions, for fear of hearing bad news.
“My father-in-law will go to Suzhou first. They need a capable military general to oversee things there, and my father-in-law is the perfect candidate.” Yin smiled, the little guy was too tense.
Soetu had overthrown the Hangzhou General, intending to eliminate the Emperor in Hangzhou. However, the Emperor left early due to the Cao family's affairs, and by the time Soetu received the news, it was too late.
"My God, is this true?" Qingyan was stunned. "Did Father used to deal with people?"
Qingyan was having a headache. Fei Yanggu valued fighting very much and often charged ahead, so the scars on his body were the best choice.
"Yes!" Yin could only choose light topics to talk about, and he hid the heavy topics.
The situation at the Suzhou military camp is probably better, but it should be safer for Fei Yanggu to take E Shuo there.
"Father...when will you set off?" Qingyan looked at Yin, at the very least, she wanted her father to return safely.
"They should have already set off, and the new army will follow!" Yin Dao wasn't worried about Fei Yanggu; the four of them were most afraid that something would go wrong at the Qing banquet.
These past few days, she has been staying by Consort Tong's side, and Consort Tong can offer guidance when unexpected situations arise.
"What?!" Qingyan stood up; her father had already left.
It turned out that the familiar sound of horses' hooves outside was the bugle call signaling Ama and Ah Hun to set off on their expedition.
Yin pulled Qingyan onto his lap and whispered something to him.
"Father Emperor will not allow Father-in-law to get hurt. After all, there are not many old generals left who can hold the fort. Cao Yin has really broken Father Emperor's heart this time!" The Cao family has a lot of influence in Jiangnan. Kangxi discovered this as soon as he entered Jiangnan. These days, he has been giving Cao Yin a chance to repent.
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