Early in the morning, Qingyan was awakened by the children's crying. She opened her eyes and saw Yin standing in front of the stroller. Yiken was crying loudly, and Yin was holding him with sweat on his face.
"Si Si, bring Yiken'e over here." Qing Yan was used to the father and son facing each other, but Hutu Lifengsheng Zhalafen pretended not to hear and continued to be immersed in his own dream.
She held her son in her arms, while Yin stood by the bed with a frown, inwardly cursing the brat.
He had clearly discussed it with the little guy beforehand, asking him not to wake Qingyan in the early morning. Who would have thought that the little guy, who had agreed so readily, would go back on his word in the end?
“You’re standing here, and your son keeps staring at you!” Qingyan glanced at Qingyin, thinking that the child’s antics were just too much.
Yin sighed, turned and went towards the soft couch. She had coaxed the child to sleep and quickly came to Yin's side.
“Fourth…” she said coquettishly as she sat down beside him.
She had to find a balance between Yin and the child. Her actions were a little too much, and he would definitely punish her. In the end, she would be the one who suffered.
"Now you know to come to me?" Yin asked irritably.
In front of her, he was like a child, and he would also lose his temper. In public, he hid these emotions very well.
"Yes, Si Si is my only one!" Qing Yan blinked her big eyes and looked at Yin with anticipation.
Seeing that his expression hadn't changed, she bit her lower lip, snuggled into his arms, wrapped her arms around his neck, tilted her head slightly, and gave a wry smile.
"Really?" Yin suppressed a laugh. Every time Yikene made a fuss, Xiao Guai would focus all her attention on Yikene.
He was worried that Honghui's situation would happen again, and he told Xiaoguai not to focus too much attention on the children. He hoped that the two of them could stay together, because the children would eventually have to go out on their own.
Waaaaah!
Qingyan inwardly groaned; he was even jealous of his son. She'd never had this much trouble appeasing Yiken, and she felt utterly powerless.
"Si Si, Yiken'e is still young. You wouldn't feel comfortable leaving him in another tent, would you?" Qingyan lowered her voice.
He hugged her waist tightly and rested his chin on her shoulder.
"Little darling, don't do it again next time!" Yin said in a deep voice.
Something was amiss outside. The safety of the two children was a constant worry for everyone, so Emperor Kangxi dispatched his most trusted men to protect them.
"Yes, I understand!" Qingyan smiled obsequiously and quickly agreed.
Yin leaned back on the soft couch cushions and let her lie on top of him.
"Fourth Prince, are we not going out anymore?" The Mongolian princess came to find Yin, hoping that Yin could find a way to pass on a message to Yin Zhi, preparing to let Enhe's half-sister enter the mansion.
“No need. Wait for Yinzhi and Dong Eshi to come. Enhe’s half-sister is quite beautiful and has excellent Chinese learning. Her mother was bought back from Jiangnan by the Prince of Khorchin.” Yinzhi whispered to Qingyan, “The slender horses specially trained in the south are very favored by the chieftain.”
Mongolian leaders would always have one or two "skinny horses" in their harems. They would give the principal wife some face, and spend the rest of their time in the care of these "skinny horses." The sons and daughters of concubines received more favor than the legitimate children.
"Why is it the legitimate daughter who came to persuade them?" Qingyan didn't understand. Does the legitimate daughter have an obligation to help the family?
Yin shook his head. Apart from the princesses born to legitimate sons of the Mongol royal family who were selected for the imperial concubine selection and sent to the capital, the remaining legitimate daughters were used to arrange marriages with various tribes. The daughters born to concubines, on the other hand, were not given such opportunities. They were sent out like gifts to maintain ties between families.
If Enhe's half-sister were sent to Yinzhi's side, it would be the best marriage for a concubine's daughter from the grasslands. Enhe grew up in the capital and understands the nature of the princes. Yinzhi appears gentle and refined in front of outsiders, but in reality, his nature is far more wicked.
"Does Enhe know about Yinzhi's domestic violence?" Qingyan asked, puzzled. If Enhe knew, why would she push her half-sister into a pit of fire?
Yin kissed her cheek and said, "You should know which of the Mongol leaders has informants in the capital."
He gave a cold smile. The Mongol leaders appeared submissive during their meetings with Kangxi, but in reality, they were slowly gathering information and even gradually infiltrating the Eight Banners. Some of the upper echelons of the Eight Banners were even speaking up for the Mongol nobles.
"Both!" Qingyan was stunned. Didn't the Manchus and Mongols have a grudge against each other?
Yin pinched her nose. With money, those newly promoted Eight Banner officials would open doors for the Mongols, which was why Kangxi was so annoyed.
Every year when he came to Qiumi, he would deal with the Mongol leaders and keep the list of the Eight Banners ministers he had bribed in his hands. Each time, one or two old families would decline.
She couldn't believe it; many of the people who were close to Kangxi had been with him throughout his life, and they had all been nurtured by him.
"Master, Erlu is back!" Su Peisheng reported from outside.
Yin opened the banquet. When Erlu entered the tent, the two of them sat side by side across a kang table.
"Your Majesty, your servant has returned," Erlu bowed respectfully, and Yin waved his hand. "Tulichen personally interrogated the people from the Imperial Household Department. There were bribed people with the two young masters, but they did not come with us!"
The news brought by Erlu came at just the right time. Before leaving, Yin had already arranged for guards to keep an eye on the main courtyard.
“There are always some traitors in every small election.” Qingyan had figured out the pattern.
It must be said that the stewards of the Imperial Household Department each had their own selfish motives. They had their own spies in every prince's residence, and the princes' every move was under their watchful eyes.
He took a sip of tea. Xiao Guai was right. After each selection, the mansion would need to replenish the number of servants outside the palace. They would find various excuses to send these servants back or have them beaten to death.
All the servants from the mansion would be placed under surveillance by Yin.
"We must tell Father Emperor that Consort Tong randomly appoints candidates for the annual selection by the Imperial Household Department. Although Emperor Kangxi and Consort Tong have conducted a thorough investigation, there are still some who are deeply hidden!" Following Emperor Kangxi's instructions, Yin continued to investigate the Imperial Household Department's spies.
Apart from him, the other princes were all unknowingly assigned by Kangxi to participate in the purge of servants in the Imperial Household Department.
"Mother investigated them too?" Qingyan stared at Yin. Consort Tong was using the Tong family's connections to eliminate people.
Yin nodded. It seemed that some of the Tong family's connections had been bought off by the Imperial Household Department, who spoke well of these people in front of Tong Guowei, causing Tong Guowei to have a problem with Consort Tong, feeling that Consort Tong was not as concerned about the family as before.
"Madam Tong has made things difficult for Mother a lot. Since Longkodo's accident, there has never been a moment of peace in the mansion!" Yin was very annoyed by the Tong family's methods, and Qingyan was often harassed by Madam Tong.
The Tong family took a significant portion of the finest jewelry from Linglong Pavilion. Their twice-yearly gift-giving had drained Qingyan's resources considerably, to the point that even Emperor Kangxi couldn't stand it. (To be continued. If you enjoy 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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