The garden of the Tong family mansion is much larger than the garden of the Prince's mansion. The garden was designed by Consort Tong herself. Therefore, after Consort Tong left, the people of the Tong family never touched it. Every year, Emperor Kangxi would secretly bring Consort Tong back once.
"Fourth Brother, this garden is very well designed. It doesn't look like a large family with military achievements," Qingyan remarked.
Before her marriage, she visited the homes of many court officials and found that their gardens were all characterized by their owners' features. This time, Qingyan found the garden to be very pleasing to her eye, and even the flowers and plants planted in the garden were quite elegant.
"Your mother designed it herself. Back then, when Tong Guolai was still alive, your mother was very favored in the mansion." Yin smiled and pulled the little one into his arms, whispering to her, "Moreover, your mother's status was extremely high, and the Tong mansion has never changed."
The two hadn't been cuddling for long when the sound of arguing came from the doorway.
Yin frowned, his eyes fixed on the doorway, his anger barely concealed.
"Su Peisheng, go and send those people away!" Yin gave the order. Qingyan looked up from his arms, puzzled.
She had a look of amusement on her face, so he stopped her immediately.
"Wait!" Qingyan interrupted, "Su Peisheng, let him in!"
Su Peisheng looked at Yin, who nodded.
Qingyan moved out of his arms and sat gracefully to the side. Five young women, around sixteen or seventeen years old, came in and out of the door. Qingyan looked them over; each of the five girls had her own unique characteristics.
"This servant greets the Fourth Prince and Fourth Princess Consort." The five young women greeted them respectfully. Next year, during the imperial concubine selection, these five young women, representing the Tongjia clan, would be the most dazzling among the candidates. Many of the candidates hoped that someone would get rid of them.
"Start kowtowing." Yin glared at Qingyan without saying a word. Qingyan said dejectedly, "The five of you are..."
The five young women all presented their best selves. The people of the Tong family would not allow them to appear in front of guests, as they were all prepared for the royal family. Yin was probably their first choice.
"This servant greets Fourth Princess Consort. We five are all Fourth Prince's cousins." The girls in the Tong family were generally very well-trained, and they felt a greater sense of closeness to the Fourth Prince.
In particular, Longkodo's two illegitimate daughters were basically instigated by Si'er to set their sights on Yin.
She sipped her tea, watching the five girls appear exceptionally charming in front of Yin.
"Please sit down." Yin pointed to the stone chairs in the distance. After they had bowed, they took small steps to the stone chairs and sat down.
Qingyan frowned. Did the Tong family not place them under house arrest after learning that Kangxi was coming?
"Cousin, what brings you here?" Longkodo's illegitimate daughter had met Yin before, and she was the boldest among them, so she didn't care when she spoke to Yin.
Yin didn't even glance at her. How did the nanny of the Tong family explain the selection of the imperial concubines? He tugged at Qingyan, telling her to just ignore these five people.
Soon, the governess heard from the servants that the five women had come to ambush Yin. She rushed over, only to find that the five concubines were already in the stone pavilion when she arrived at the garden gate.
Erlu was waiting at the door early on. When he saw the governess from the Tong family coming over, he immediately stepped aside.
The old woman walked on the cobblestone path, her heart pounding with anxiety. Would the Fourth Master suspect that this was a scheme by the Tong family?
"This servant greets the Fourth Prince and Fourth Princess!" The governess of the Tong family was personally selected by Consort Tong and was in charge of the etiquette of the young ladies of the Tong family. During the reign of Emperor Kangxi, the relationship with the Tong family would be very harmonious. The imperial relatives were not stupid. Although they could not enter the royal family, they would become highly sought-after in order to get closer to the emperor.
"Granny, please rise and kowtow!" Yin looked at the nanny in front of him. This was a palace maid who had once taken care of him, so his attitude was better.
"This servant deserves to die!" The old woman quickly begged for forgiveness, genuinely afraid that Yin would blame her.
Qingyan noticed that the nanny was being extremely cautious with Yin, and the nanny's gaze towards the five young ladies was even sharper.
"My five daughters, the master has instructed that you are not allowed to leave your respective courtyards if you haven't learned the rules properly!" Seeing that Yin was not blaming her, the nanny stood up and said to the five concubine daughters.
The concubine's daughters looked at the nanny with worry. Their future was in the hands of this nanny. During the selection process, some of them needed the nanny to go out and find old friends.
The family will choose one of the five to represent the family, regardless of whether they are family members or not. They hope to have a say in the palace and the princes' backyard.
"Granny, get out of class is over!" Longkodo's illegitimate daughter looked unwilling. Longkodo doted on her and had never scolded her.
Qingyan watched as the five girls tried to beg for mercy in their own ways. Si'er's daughter was the most unruly. This girl had probably always been protected by Si'er and had no sense of hierarchy.
"Your Highness, you have finished your studies. The Master has instructed that when the Fourth Prince arrives, all the women should be in their respective courtyards!" the nanny replied respectfully.
Soon, several burly old women came from the garden gate, and Qingyan watched as her five illegitimate daughters were lifted up.
"Cousin, help!" Si'er's daughter cried out for help.
Yin frowned. This was so unruly.
"Granny, teach them proper manners." Yin uttered a cold sentence.
The five girls' faces immediately fell. They never expected that Yin would be so indifferent to them.
Qingyan's lips curled up slightly. Yin's charm was still very strong. She could hear the girl's heart breaking as she sat to the side.
"Little darling, sit still!" Yin glared at Qingyan, the little guy secretly gloating.
"Sister-in-law, can't you plead for us?" Si'er's illegitimate daughter was dragged away, and her shrill voice could be heard by them.
Qingyan smiled, thinking, "Has this child's IQ dropped to offline level?"
"Need not."
She felt a little better as she watched the five small figures disappear.
"Not jealous anymore?!" Yin tapped her forehead. The little girl's face turned particularly unpleasant as soon as they came in.
She turned her head and snorted. This trouble had already reached her maternal grandparents' house, so what else could she say?
"Your mother warned you long ago that a concubine's daughter poses no threat to you!" Yin noticed that the servants had all left, so he kissed her cheek and told her not to pay attention to what those so-called 'cousins' were saying. These people were just stirring up trouble.
Qingyan pursed her lips, listening to Yin's continuous explanations.
"Yeah?!"
Yin put his arm around her slender waist and sat down in the pavilion, ready to have a proper discussion about the issue of sovereignty.
"Yes, from now on, when you encounter the illegitimate daughter of the Tong family, you must be firmer in your tone. This return will probably be the last time your mother comes back!" Consort Tong was a very principled person; discovering her family had become so corrupt would break her heart. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please read at m.qidian.com.)
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