Upon entering the palace, Qingyan noticed that the atmosphere inside the Tongjia palace was strange. He couldn't help but look at Yin in front of him. Could it be that something had really happened to make the atmosphere so strange?
“Four…” Qingyan said with some worry.
"There are some things happening in the palace, you need to be careful!" Some of the concubines have been implicated, which worries Consort Tong. She even had Shu quietly find him and asked him to stay by Qingyan's side as much as possible.
Qingyan tilted her head. What was this guy saying?
"When the concubines and court ladies talk to you, they must not say a word more than necessary, as long as it involves the Southern Tour!" Yin Xiaoshen said to Xiao Guai.
Qingyan nodded obediently and followed Yin toward Chenggan Palace.
At the entrance of Chenggan Palace, before even entering, Qingyan heard the voices of palace concubines coming from inside. She couldn't help but frown. Were they coming so early?
"Anda, who's inside?" Yin asked quickly, seeing Li Dequan standing at the door.
"This servant greets the Fourth Prince and the Fourth Princess Consort," Li Dequan said with a smile. "Consort Rong and Consort Hui have both arrived. Your Majesty, please have your meal in the side hall!"
As Qingyan stepped into the hall, the eyes of Consort Rong and her mother-in-law turned to her, while Consort Hui and Lady Yingenjueluo were enjoying their tea in peace. They had also arrived earlier.
"Greetings to Consort Hui and Consort Rong," Qingyan said respectfully, giving a half-bow. "Eldest sister-in-law, third sister-in-law."
Consort Hui and Lady Yin Genjueluo nodded, but the Third Princess Consort clearly didn't want to let her go, with a cold smile on her face. Qing Yan sighed helplessly. If the Third Princess Consort didn't say a word when she saw her, she definitely wouldn't let her go.
"Fourth Princess Consort, Her Majesty is waiting for you!" Consort Tong had specially instructed Shu to wait for the two of them outside the door so that they could come in directly as soon as they arrived, thus avoiding gossip from the people outside.
Qingyan entered the dining hall, where Kangxi and Consort Tong were already seated at the head of the table. The two of them were not disturbed by the noise outside, but were as leisurely as usual. She was slightly surprised that her mother was not being bullied by Consort Hui and Consort Rong.
"Sit down and have your meal first!" Emperor Kangxi said.
She glanced at the dining table and, sure enough, all her favorite breakfast items were there, even the crab roe buns that Yin had restricted were now placed in front of her three times.
"Greetings to Father Emperor and Mother Emperor!" Xiao Guai bowed, but her eyes were glued to the crab roe bun.
When Kangxi and Consort Tong saw Xiao Guai's appearance, they couldn't help but laugh. The little girl had a bad stomach and was strictly controlled by Yin. Every time they ate, the two of them had to use their wits to outdo each other.
"Use it quickly." Kangxi glared at Yinzhen, who was about to speak. It was a festival, and he still wouldn't let the little girl break the spell once. It was really going too far.
Qingyan cheered and quickly sat down. Looking at the crab roe soup dumplings in front of her, she smiled and pursed her lips. Finally, she didn't have to eat one! Yay!
She took her chopsticks and swung them directly at the soup dumplings. Yin looked at the little girl with a black line on his face, her face full of satisfaction. Consort Tong glanced at her sideways, wondering what the little girl had gone through to make her look like that.
"Fourth Prince, Xiao Guai is still young, don't restrict her meals too much!" Consort Tong looked at Xiao Guai and couldn't help but feel sorry for her.
At this moment, Yinzhen looked extremely aggrieved, as Kangxi and Consort Tong were clearly speaking up for Xiaoguai.
As soon as she finished speaking, Qingyan tilted her head back arrogantly and made a face at Yin.
Consort Tong smiled knowingly. In the palace, they had her back, but once she returned to her residence, she would probably be dealt with by the Fourth Prince.
"Little darling, behave yourself!" Consort Tong said again.
Yin glanced in her direction, and the little girl instantly became obedient.
Consort Tong's advice had made her behave herself, but now she's stirring up trouble for Yin. When she gets back, she'll be in big trouble.
After breakfast, Kangxi changed into his court robes and prepared to go to the Hall of Mental Cultivation with Yin. Xiao Guai walked at the very back. As Yin was about to leave, he whispered in her ear, "Fujin, we should have a good talk!"
He left with those casual words and then walked away. She froze on the spot, feeling annoyed. She wanted to appease Si Si and at least avoid being punished.
She looked down at her soft, white little hands, knowing she was about to suffer again.
That's so stupid it's unbelievable.
"Little Darling, come here quickly!" Consort Tong saw Qingyan standing at the door in a daze, so she called for Little Darling to come along. Soon, the concubines and ladies-in-waiting would come in to pay their respects.
During the greeting, under the pressure of Consort Tong's gaze, Lady Dong'e managed not to quarrel with Qingyan, but it was still an unpleasant commotion.
After the ladies-in-waiting left, Consort Tong slammed her cup down on the table and coldly stared at Consort Rong and her daughter-in-law.
These two women did their fair share of stirring up trouble in front of the court ladies, which outsiders could only see as the palace concubines being unruly.
They were representatives of the royal family, and Qingyan knew how to behave appropriately, but these two older women lacked such manners.
"Your Highness, I know I was wrong!" Seeing that Consort Tong's face was not good, Consort Dong'e quickly knelt on the ground, hoping to beg for forgiveness and ask Consort Rong to give up her punishment.
Qingyan narrowed her eyes. Just now, she and the other women were laughing at the farce of the Jue Luo clan. Why didn't they think about her face?
As the fourth prince's wife, losing face would tarnish Yin's reputation and ultimately bring some negative impact to the royal family.
"It's my fault for not teaching her properly!" Seeing that Consort Tong's expression was not good, Consort Rong quickly knelt down, no longer caring about the princes present. She only wanted Consort Tong to stop gossiping in front of Emperor Kangxi. Lady Ma Jia and Lady Dong E were just indulging in idle talk.
During this period, Emperor Kangxi issued a series of orders, and many court officials sent messages to the palace so that the concubines could find out what His Majesty wanted to do.
"Didn't teach her well?!" Consort Hui sneered. "Does a daughter-in-law need you to teach her? How does the Dong'e clan teach its women? Oh! Look at what I'm saying. The women of the Dong'e clan have always been like this. Otherwise, the Empress Dowager wouldn't have been so angry when she was still alive!"
Consort Hui and Consort Rong are mortal enemies, having fought since their youth. Whenever Consort Rong and her mother-in-law have a disagreement, Consort Hui will seize the opportunity.
At this moment, Qingyan sighed inwardly, wondering if the struggles between women were so cruel, lasting until death.
The other concubines, however, seemed to be watching a show. When they realized that Consort Tong was truly angry, they quickly shut up; they were very perceptive.
"Third son's wife, how did the nanny hired by the Dong'e clan teach you?" Consort Hui looked at Ma Jia, the Third Prince's wife, who always had to confront Qingyan.
Qingyan was a very disciplined place, always prioritizing the image of the imperial family in front of outsiders, a stark contrast to Dong Eshi's willful and reckless behavior.
“My dear mother, I’m just being blunt. The scandal involving the Jue Luo clan is known throughout the city. We can’t just pretend we don’t know.” Dong E’s face was full of grievances. She was only trying to do what was best for the royal family. Why was everything she did wrong?
Qingyan gave a cold laugh. The Third Princess Consort was only speaking regardless of the occasion in order to oppose him. In the end, she was always the one who got criticized.
They really never learn! (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
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