The following morning, after Liu Mama discovered the mole in the small kitchen, the remaining three maids were also sent back to the Imperial Household Department. Before leaving, the three of them hoped to see Qingyan one last time, or at least plead with the Fourth Prince's wife.
Having been by Qingyan's side for many days, they all knew her temperament very well. As long as they pleaded softly, Qingyan would change her mind.
Granny Liu had been on guard against these people. She had arranged for the servants in the Trial Division to carry out the executions immediately after the truth was uncovered, giving them no chance to beg for mercy.
"Granny, please let us see our master?" The maids from the small kitchen were pressed onto stools, hoping to see Qingyan.
"Execute him!" Granny Liu said coldly.
At this moment, in the second courtyard, apart from Su Lan and Su Shu, all the remaining servants came to watch the execution.
Three benches were placed in the courtyard, and the sound of the benches hitting them sent chills down their spines. These three women originally belonged to the Fujin's courtyard and had been favored by the head palace maid, Su Shu. They should have had a bright future. This morning, Granny Liu led a group of people to arrest the three women and brought them to the courtyard, publicly announcing their crimes. They couldn't believe that these three women, who looked harmless like livestock, would resort to such methods.
Granny Liu was an old nanny in the palace. She was in charge of overseeing some of the punishments in the palace, and the servants in the Criminal Division had a good relationship with her.
At this moment, Qingyan had just woken up and was being helped to wash up by Sulan and Sushu, but the two women were clearly distracted.
"What's going on between you two?" Qingyan asked, puzzled.
Su Lan pursed her lips, not daring to reply.
Before the morning court session, Yin specifically instructed the two that if anyone dared to mention the small kitchen in front of Qingyan, they should not blame him for being ruthless.
"Master, I didn't sleep well!" Su Lan knew Qing Yan well; without a reasonable explanation, Qing Yan would definitely not give up.
Qingyan turned to look at Sushu. Neither of them looked well. After sighing, she said nothing more.
At breakfast, all the maids who had been watching the execution returned to their posts. They were not as lively as usual, and Qingyan immediately knew that something had happened.
As lunchtime approached, Yin rushed back from outside. After washing up, he first went to the chaise longue to check on the children's sleeping faces before walking to the soft couch and gently helping Xiao Guai to sit down.
"Fourth Prince, what happened at the manor?" Qingyan leaned against Yin's chest and asked softly.
Yin's rival quietly held a banquet, pondering whether or not to tell the truth.
Originally, Yin planned to discuss the problem with the small kitchen after Qingyan's postpartum period ended. She was known for her meticulous nature and wouldn't rest until she got to the bottom of it. If Xiaoguai was troubled during her postpartum period, it wouldn't do her any good for her recovery.
"Little darling, something happened in the small kitchen. Luckily, the two children didn't take up too much of your energy. But if you had used a bowl of noodle soup, it might have really caused a problem." Yin felt a chill run down his spine just thinking about it.
His negligence once led Xiao Guai astray. He had been keeping a close eye on the small kitchen his whole life, and sure enough, he uncovered three dishonest individuals. One of them was even the cook Qing Yan trusted most in the later stages of the Qing Dynasty.
What?!
Qingyan's eyes widened. The entrance to the small kitchen was personally managed by Sushu. Now that something had gone wrong in the small kitchen, Gu Jiyin would definitely not forgive her.
Liu Mama didn't show up all morning; she should have noticed long ago.
"What are you doing?" Yin asked in surprise, clenching Qingyan's fist as it punched his head.
"I was too careless!" Consort Tong had instructed Qingyan that no matter whether he was in good health or not, he must never relax his absolute control over the mansion.
Today, she learned a lesson. She spent the whole morning trying to find out anything. If Granny Liu were to tell Consort Tong, she would probably be scolded again.
"The people in the small kitchen are hiding too well." Yin Dao knows Qing Yan very well. If this person didn't have any palace connections, it would be impossible for him to have hidden himself so well in his previous life, leaving Qing Yan, who was the primary consort and empress, completely unprepared.
Finally, he discovered that the people behind this person pointed to the bondservant families. Back then, it was only natural that the Uya family, as a top-tier bondservant family, would target Qingyan.
Now that person has reappeared, scenes from the past are flooding back into his mind.
"Fourth Brother, am I stupid?" Qingyan pouted.
Yin touched Qingyan's back, wanting to tell her that she had done very well.
She had only been married into the royal family for a short time when she gave birth to Kangxi's eldest grandson.
Of the previous wives, only the eldest wife gave birth to a legitimate daughter; the other two did not conceive at all.
“Of course not, you spend too little time at the mansion, and those people are very good at pretending in front of you,” Yin said.
The servants were all very good at disguising themselves, especially these bondservants who were willing to pay any price to rise in rank, preparing to seduce the men who were about to rise in rank so that they could enter the harem or the inner courtyard of the royal palace.
These women are specially trained, and a naive girl like Qingyan is no match for them.
"Are all three people in the small kitchen taken?" Qingyan asked in surprise.
Yin nodded. Upon hearing this news, Qingyan's eyes flashed with a hint of hurt. He understood that Qingyan did not want anyone to betray their master.
"As expected, Su Shu's judgment of people is still lacking," Qing Yan muttered softly.
Of the three—she, Sulan, and Sushu—Sushu has the best judgment. If it weren't for the help of the space, Xiaoguai's ability to judge people would be the worst.
As soon as she finished speaking, she nuzzled her face against Yin's, pondering how to handle the situation.
"Little darling, the other party is too cunning. Perhaps even your mother will not be spared!" Yin comforted Qingyan. To outsiders, the Fourth Prince's residence was more peaceful than the other princes' residences.
After Yuqing Palace and several princes' primary wives entered the inner palace, the first three or four years were not smooth. With Yin Genjueluo's help, she went through two years of hardship before finally gaining complete control of the power.
Qingyan raised her small face, her eyes full of confusion. Consort Tong handled palace affairs very skillfully, which often made Qingyan starry-eyed.
“When Mother first took over palace affairs, Father Emperor personally handled most of them. For several years in a row, Father Emperor also personally drafted the annual gifts and rewards. This is a big reason why Angguma’s feelings for Mother Emperor are so bad.” Yin didn’t want to say this, after all, the Empress Dowager had passed away, and it would be disrespectful for them to say more.
Qingyan was astonished. It turned out that the servants were also extremely cunning. No wonder the descendants of the bondservants monopolized the Qianlong Emperor's lineage in his later years. It seemed that the Qianlong Emperor was directly bewitched by the people carefully selected by these servants.
"Well... thankfully, the children are right under my nose!" The food in the small kitchen was not only for banquets, but also for the wet nurses who fed the two little darlings. (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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