Upon returning to the imperial palace, Kangxi immediately ordered Li Dequan to take the two to the inner hall, where Consort Tong, with red eyes, carefully examined them.
Last night, Tu Lichen reported that an assassination attempt had occurred at the Yuelai Inn near the night market. She froze instantly, her heart sinking into an ice cave.
Now that she sees both children are safe and sound, she can finally relax.
"Shu, go and tell Fei Yanggu and the others that Qingyan has returned safely!" Consort Tong believed that Fei Yanggu must also be worried; all parents would be concerned.
After Shu left, Kangxi pointed to a seat to the side and asked Yin and Qingyan to sit down first and explain the situation from yesterday.
"Father, the assassins who tried to kill you last night have all been caught by Erlu." Yin didn't intend to say more. Erlu stood beside him to protect him, but he was Kangxi's spy.
Emperor Kangxi nodded in satisfaction and invited the two to stay for lunch before leaving.
After returning home, Qingyan collapsed onto the bed. She hadn't slept much all night, and no part of her body felt comfortable.
"Sisi, never go out again!" Jiangnan is too chaotic. So many problems arise as soon as you step out. Who would be in a good mood to enjoy themselves?
Yin lay down beside her, looking at her sleepy little face, and secretly regretted why he had suddenly taken her out.
“Alright, let’s stroll around the palace!” Yin agreed immediately.
Yin was certain that Kangxi would not stay for too long again. This southern tour was only due to the circumstances, and Kangxi had dealt with many officials in Jiangnan. He had achieved his goal and would not think much of it.
He coaxed Xiao Guai to sleep before getting up and going to Kangxi's study.
While Qingyan was asleep, Yin dealt with some of the servants around Xiaoguai. Less than an hour after they left the palace, someone received the news that, apart from the palace's own servants, the rest were all brought by Qingyan from the capital.
Some lowly servants, having finally managed to show off their power alongside their masters, and with others trying to curry favor with Qingyan and Yin by giving them money and inquiring about their preferences, seemed to have found an opportunity to amass wealth like crazy.
In the afternoon, Qingyan woke up and found Sulan limping in. She immediately became alert.
"What's wrong with your leg?" Qingyan asked directly when he noticed that Sulan was having difficulty walking.
In the palace, Su Lan held a relatively high position, so no servants should have bullied her.
"This servant did not do a good job, and the master punished me with a rod. I was only given two strokes!" Su Lan was conflicted. Qing Yan had gone through one clear-cut incident after another, and in the end, traitors kept emerging, which was unacceptable to anyone.
"What?!" Qingyan stood barefoot on the footstool, hands on her hips, looking at Sulan.
Su Lan quickly tried to calm Xiao Guai's anger, explaining that the servants who had betrayed the news last night had been punished by the Emperor, and Su Peisheng and she had not escaped the same fate.
"Su Peisheng was also injured?" Qingyan was stunned. Su Peisheng was the only capable eunuch by Yin's side.
"Yes, His Majesty has decreed that Su Peisheng be flogged twenty times." Su Lan reported to her master in a low voice.
"We brought a lot of medicine with us. We'll take two bottles to Su Peisheng. We've been implicated this time too." Qingyan shook her head helplessly. Yin was clearly seeing threats everywhere.
"Thank you, Master!" Su Lan knew that Qing Yan's medicine was the most effective, but she couldn't just ask for it directly.
Now that Qingyan is offering it to them, outsiders shouldn't say much.
"No need to thank me, I really dragged you all into this!" Qingyan waved his hand, telling Sulan not to take it too seriously. "After you've finished washing up, have Sushu come over, and you can go back and rest."
Qingyan considered himself a good master, but he couldn't directly command the injured.
"Yes!" Su Lan was grateful. Qing Yan was different from others. Being by her side always made her feel warm.
As Qingyan watched Sulan's retreating figure, he couldn't help but feel a little annoyed with Yin. Kangxi had only punished Su Peisheng, so why was Sulan also being punished?
She stared blankly at the travelogue in her hand, her little head constantly trying to figure out where Sulan's problem lay.
"Little Darling!" Yin walked in from outside and saw her staring blankly with a confused expression, so he walked up to her.
Waaaaah!
Qingyan was startled by his sudden head-lowering movement and patted her chest with her little paws.
"Why did you hit Su Lan?" Qing Yan pouted, her face full of displeasure. Su Lan was, after all, the one who served her.
"Father Emperor ordered Su Peisheng to be punished. If I don't punish Su Lan, what will people outside say?" Yin shook his head. The little girl was soft-hearted, so he didn't say anything.
He would be quite unhappy if his servants lost their sense of duty.
"Who would say that!" Qingyan's eyes widened. Now that Sulan has been punished so badly that she can't get out of bed, that's when people outside will start gossiping.
Yin pinched her little nose, pondering how to get the nanny to teach Sulan manners. Qingyan's methods of managing his subordinates were not very good, and without Yin's supervision, things would probably go very wrong.
"I said it!" Yin sighed; she still needed more experience.
Su Lan cannot hold Qing Yan's hand all the time, otherwise, the lesson learned by the governesses of the princesses in the palace will happen to Qing Yan.
His attitude was firm, and Qingyan immediately deflated.
“Everyone outside is watching us. Do you want the censor to have something to use against us and cause trouble?” Yin was cunning and deliberately spoke about what Qingyan cared about most.
Qingyan lowered her head. She believed she had no talent for backyard infighting and treated her servants very well.
Her servants rarely betrayed her. From birth to the present, only Su Xin, her personal servant, had caused trouble; the rest were all very well-behaved.
"Yes!" Qingyan understood Yin's good intentions and dared not say anything more.
She thought to herself that she should let Su Lan rest for a few more days, since Su Lan would be punished, which meant she was implicated by them.
For several days in a row, Qingyan did not allow Sulan to serve him with care.
The maids in the courtyard whispered among themselves, wondering if Su Lan had fallen out of favor. Qing Yan couldn't help but find their analysis amusing; Su Lan was a well-behaved person, how could she possibly punish her?
"Sushu, call Sulan back in a bit!" Sulan has had a longer period of rest and recuperation, and she is still no match for Sushu.
"Yes!" Su Shu finally breathed a sigh of relief. Su Lan was still there, so she didn't need to rush to take charge on her own. The servants all started to think about how to make a good impression on their master in order to gain a better position.
Qingyan gave a cold laugh. The little palace maids outside took the opportunity of delivering meals to show off in front of her quite a bit. She could treat it as an accident once or twice, but some of them would find all sorts of excuses to get close to her every meal.
"Don't bother with those few who can't hold back. Write down their names and send them away with some excuse!" Qingyan is only soft-hearted towards her own people. As long as they are under her protection, they will receive the best protection.
"Yes!" Su Shu was completely relieved. Su Lan would likely still be given an important position, while those who had desperately tried to climb the ranks were simply rejected by their master. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)
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